Undefeated Lightweight prospect Ruben Torres scored an impressive
sixth round knockout over veteran Cristian Mino on Friday night at the
Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA. Torres simply took his time in a fight that
had the appearance as though it would go the distance. By utilizing his reach
to keep the shorter Mino at distance, Torres was able to pick his shots. As the
fight progressed, the punches Torres was able to land were gradually having an
effect on Mino. In round six a beautiful left hook to the body followed by a
right hand to the head sent Mino down. Mino showed his mettle by getting up
from the knockdown, but moments later, a left hook to the solar plexus sent
Mino down in significant pain. The bout was immediately stopped. Official time
of the stoppage was 1:37 of round six. Ruben Torres advances to 18-0, with 15
Knockouts. Cristian Mino falls to 20-5-2,
with 15 Knockouts.
Also on this card:
In a Featherweight rematch from a fight in 2018, Horacio
Garcia avenged his split decision loss to Isaac Zarate, by scoring a convincing
eight round majority decision in the second encounter. What was Garcia’s first
fight since that loss to Zarate nearly four years ago, the rematch followed one
pattern. Garcia using his taller 5’8 frame to systematically walk the 5’5
Zarate down and out work him with offense to the body and head. While there was
nothing that changed the pattern of this bout and Garcia appeared to be clearly
dominant in the fight even cutting Zarate over the right eye in the final round,
one of the three official judges scored the fight even, where the remaining two
judges scored the fight widely in Garcia’s favor. Official scores were: 80-72, 79-73,
and 76-76 (Even) giving Garcia the split decision victory. Horacio Garcia advances
to 35-5-1, with 25 Knockouts. Isaac Zarate falls to 16-6-4, with 2 Knockouts.
An entertaining Welterweight
bout saw Luis Lopez survive a stern test in scoring a six round majority
decision over Cristian Dominguez. Dominguez almost immediately showed he came
to fight as a short right hook buckled the legs of Lopez in the opening round
followed by a flush left hook to the head that sent Lopez down. Lopez was able
to get up from the knockdown, but late in the first round, Dominguez would drop
him hard for a second time, this time with a wide right hook to the head. Lopez
was able to survive the round. Round two saw Lopez willing to engage in a toe
to toe war with Dominguez and as the fight progressed, he was able to gradually
implement an attack to Dominguez’ body. It was this approach and consistent
attack that allowed Lopez to work his way back into the fight and ultimately pound
out a hard fought majority decision victory. Official scores were: 57-55, (On
two scorecards) and 56-56 (Even) resulting in Lopez getting the win. Luis Lopez
advances to 10-1-1, with 4 Knockouts. Cristian Dominguez falls to 11-4, with 6
Knockouts.
Undefeated Featherweight Japhethlee Llamido scored a six
round unanimous decision over Erick Benitez. A fight where both fighters seemed
to have trouble finding their rhythm, Llamido got the better of the action in
most of the rounds. In round five, Llamido scored a knockdown of Benitez with a
short right hand and went on to earn the decision victory. Official scores
were: 59-54, (On two scorecards) and 58-55 in favor of Llamido. Japhethlee
Llamido advances to 6-0, with 2 Knockouts. Erick Benitez falls to 2-3, with 1
Knockout.
A battle of unbeaten
Jr. Featherweights saw Sean Brewer scored a first round knockout over
previously undefeated Ivan Zarate. Brewer stunned Zarate with a right hook and
had him cornered. Zarate tried to move his head and did manage to avoid some of
Brewer’s follow up barrage, but it would be a combination of right hooks to the
jaw that sent Zarate down on the canvas. The bout was stopped immediately.
Zarate remained on his back for a few minutes following the stoppage, but did
leave the ring under his own power. Official time of the stoppage was 2:50 of
round one. Sean Brewer advances to 2-0, with 1 Knockout. Ivan Zarate falls to
3-1, with 1 Knockout.
Unbeaten Heavyweight Oscar Torrez began the evening by
scoring a four round unanimous decision over veteran Daniel Najera. In what was the first fight for Torrez
in nearly three years, he simply went through the motions against a very “Game”
Najera. A highlight came in the fourth and final round when Torrez staggered
Najera with a left hook that sent him on the defensive against the ropes.
Despite appearing as though Torrez was on the verge of a stoppage, Najera was
able to hang in there and go the distance. All three official judges scored the
bout 40-36 in favor of Torrez giving him the decision victory. Oscar Torrez
advances to 8-0, with 4 Knockouts. Daniel Najera falls to 9-7-1, with 4
Knockouts.
The eighteenth
victory in the career of Ruben Torres, one of promoter Ken Thompson of Thompson
Boxing’s hottest prospects, earned him the United States Boxing Council (USBC) Lightweight
championship. While the USBC is a regional championship, it’s affiliation with
the World Boxing Council (WBC) will likely mean that Torres will see himself
positioned in the top twenty-five world rated contenders when the WBC next
updates it’s Lightweight rankings.
Following a
lengthy stretch where Thompson Boxing staged shows in fanless environments due
to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, this card took place in an atmosphere
that many promoters around the world should truly now appreciate as the
epidemic unfortunately continues, an atmosphere featuring an enthusiastic
crowd. As Thompson Boxing continues to
develop prospects, the future will hopefully be bright both for the promoter as
well as the fighters they represent. For Ruben Torres, 2022 just may be the
year where he can progress from highly touted prospect to contender with the
aim of challenging for a world championship. While anything can happen in the
sport of Boxing, it is certainly not hard to see why many in the sport are
looking at Torres as potentially the next world champion to box under the
Thompson Boxing promotional banner. We will see what the future holds for this
fighter on the rise as 2022 progresses.
“And That’s
The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing
Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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