Greg Cohen Promotions wishes to congratulate their fighter, Skender Halili, one of the most exciting fighters in boxing, for winning THE RING Magazine Round of the Year 2016 for the second round of his super welterweight war against Jason Thompson.

Held on May 27 at the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino in Niagara Falls, New York, the second round of Halili vs. Thompson featured three knockdowns. After an average first round, Halili (13-1, 13 KOs) went down twice in the second under heavy fire from the unexpectedly aggressive veteran Thompson (5-12-4, 4 KOs).

However, in a breathtaking display of boxing’s exciting unpredictability, a dazed Halili, reeling around the ring badly hurt, somehow found the strength to launch a fight-ending right hand at 2:59.

Those thrilling three minutes have now cemented Fort Worth’s Halili and New York’s Thompson in boxing history. Watch the video HERE.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Halili. “I found out right before my last fight, so i was trying to forget about it and stay focused. I saw the names I was up against, and it was guys like Keith Thurman and Sean Porter. That shocked me because their fight was great. Every round was great.”

26-year-old Halili says a lot of the credit for the classic brawl goes to Thompson.

“I give him credit. He came in with a game plan. In the first round, I thought I could out-jab him all day, but he stayed calm and got me to make mistakes. He took me out of my plan and that’s why it became a war. Thompson is smart fighter and his record is very deceiving. He made me realize you can’t judge anyone by their record. But in the end, he didn’t know I could also be the bull.”

“Skender has the type of power and the level of heart that can lead to fights like this,” said promoter Greg Cohen. “We are very proud to be working with him and he’s never let us down. Almost all of his fights turn into crowd-pleasing wars and he always finds a way to win in the end. This fight was just the perfect example of the kind of excitement he brings.”