With a shocking rally that sprang literally from the mouth of defeat, Kongo scored perhaps the most violent win of his career in stopping Barry. Now 9-4-1, Kongo once more is in the exact middle of the heavyweight pile. Thus far, he’s proven himself too talented for the lower tier, while falling short against the better heavies. With just 2:39 of action against Barry, who was lighting him up prior to getting drilled and stopped, it’s too early to tell if Kongo has made vast technical improvements to his standup. But the win showed serious resilience and will also buy him valuable moments the next time someone has him on the brink of a KO -- call it the Scott Smith factor.
