MIAMI—Once the owner of a 17-fight knockout streak, Anthony Sims Jr. has now been extended the distance in two of his last three starts. The latest didn’t at all sit well with the crowd, or ultimately the judges.

The former amateur standout was dealt his first pro loss, as Roamer Alexis Angulo pulled of a split decision win over Sims Jr. in their 10-round super middleweight bout.

Sims Jr. managed a 95-94 nod on one card, which was overruled by matching tallies of 96-93 in favor of Angulo in their preliminary bout Thursday evening at Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida. ;

The bout marked the sixth appearance on the DAZN circuit for Sims Jr., a former amateur standout who signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing USA in August 2018. It was just in time to help launch the DAZN USA model two months later. The Plainfield, Indiana has done well to remain in the spotlight, but on this night chose to rely on athleticism and pure boxing skills to get the job done.

It cost him a perfect record in the pros, while placing Angulo squarely back into title contention.

Sims used lateral movement to discourage Angulo, a straightforward slugger whose previous lone career loss came in a failed title bid versus unbeaten ilberto Ramirez in June 2018. His superior ring experience played well in the eyes of the judges, and in perfect complement to Sims’ decision to not engage.

The boxing performance sought by Sims was met with boos from the crowd and an earful from his corner, who employed the 24-year old prospect to offer more in a fight they believed was slipping away.

He ignored the advice and Angulo took advantage, although his own aggression cost him on one scorecard. The Miami-based Colombian was deducted a point for pushing down on the back of Sims’ head, a tactic which came in response to Sims’ efforts to clinch when inside.

Sims sat down on his punches long enough to land a crisp left hand early in round seven, although proving to be a singular moment. It was back to boxing on the outside from there, with Angulo standing directly in front of him, daring his foe to stand and trade. Sims wouldn’t take the bait, returning to boxing in round eight.

Angulo did something about it, closing the gap in round nine in igniting a two-round stretch which sealed the win. The 35-year old banger was able to fire off a pair of power punches to start the frame. Sims Jr. shook off the shots and came back with a long right hand before Angulo was able to work his way back inside, connecting with a counter right hand following a Sims Jr. combination that fell just short.

The former title challenger picked up on the late round momentum, charging forward to start the 10th and final round. Sims Jr. remained poised, riding out the early rush to pepper Angulo with jabs and right hands. The unbeaten prospect mixed in left hooks to foe into earmuff defense mode, spending most of the rest of the round using lateral movement to essentially run out the clock and ultimately his unbeaten ways.

Angulo improves to 26-1 (22KOs) with the win, while Sims suffers his first career defeat in falling to 20-1 (18KOs).

The super middleweight bout appeared on the preliminary portion of a DAZN show topped by Demetrius Andrade (28-0, 17KOs) in a middleweight title defense versus Ireland’s Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5KOs).

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox