Duddy remains unbeaten with unanimous decision

NEW YORK (AP) - Unbeaten middleweight John Duddy recovered from a cut over his right eye early in the fight to earn a unanimous 10-round decision over Dupre Strickland at the Beacon Theater on Friday night. Dudley, who weighed 161 1/2 pounds, was far from sharp in his extending his winning streak to 20 fights. Strickland, 160 1/4, dropped to 18-2-1. Strickland, of Slidell, La., used a left hook to open the cut over Duddy's eye in the second round. Duddy's corner was able to stop the bleeding but Strickland was able to open it again in the next round. Duddy's corner stopped the bleeding a second time and it was never a factor again in the fight. This was Duddy's last fight in the United States before he departs for his native Ireland where he has already signed for two bouts. "It's hard to fight a guy who doesn't want to fight," said Duddy, who currently lives in Middle Village, N.Y. "I hit him good in the first round and I used combinations to keep him on the run. There was no doubt in my mind I won the fight." Judge Luis Rivera scored the fight 100-90, while judges Bob Gilson and Matt Ruggero had it 100-89.