Montreal, Canada: Heavyweight prospect Simon Kean earned a passable victory over former title challenger Eric Molina in a 7th round TKO win on Thursday at the Montreal Casino. The somewhat anticipated bout drew a raucous crowd, as Kean looked to continue his slow ascent through the heavyweight ranks and Molina hoped to revive his career after a string of bad losses.

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The fight began with both fighters feeling each other out, with Kean using his jab to probe for openings while Molina looked for counterpunching opportunities. Kean's aggression increased in the second round, with hard combinations and aggressive jabbing. Molina remained dangerous, however, and was able to land effective counterpunches.

As the fight progressed, Kean appeared to tire and became more tentative in his attacks. Molina took advantage by increasing his aggression and looking for sneak openings. However, Kean was able to regain control in round 5 with more effective jabbing and pressing the action, and continued to take control in round 6 despite some rough exchanges and warnings from the referee.

In round 7, Kean finally found the opening he needed and landed a hard right hand that sent Molina to the canvas. Although Molina beat the count,  the referee decided he'd seen enough and awarded Kean the TKO victory.

Overall, the fight was somewhat sloppy with both fighters missing frequently and clinching often. Kean's jabbing and combinations were effective, but his reliance on the right hand made him somewhat predictable. Molina's counterpunching and roughhousing kept hm in the fight, but ultimately he was unable to capitalize on any significant openings.

Kean's victory is a modest step forward for him in his career, he is now 23-1 with 22 knockouts and appears to be on track for a decent payday or more opponents at this level. The crowd at the Montreal Casino showed their support for their local hero, who has become a popular figure in the city's boxing scene.

For Molina, the loss probably signals the end of his boxing career.