Boxlab Promotions’ undefeated rising stars, Jordan Orozco (18-0, 18 KOs) and Ronny Alvarez (8-0, 7 KOs) kept their perfect records intact with a pair of impressive stoppage victories last Friday, October 2, at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
The bouts were featured on Matchroom Boxing’s second edition of its Project Series, which was broadcast live on DAZN, providing both fighters with an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of a national and international audience.
Orozco, currently ranked No. 8 by the WBA and No. 10 by the WBO, overcame a slow start before breaking down Yusniel Abrahante (8-3, 1 KO) with relentless pressure. As the fight progressed, Orozco began finding his rhythm, increasing his output and forcing Abrahante to deal with sustained offense.
The pressure ultimately became too much, as Orozco secured the stoppage at 2:31 of the sixth round, extending his perfect knockout streak to 18 stoppages in 18 professional victories.
For Orozco, the performance showed that even when everything doesn’t immediately go according to plan, he has the patience and confidence to make adjustments and eventually impose his style.
“I started a little slower than I wanted, but I stayed calm,” said Orozco. “I knew the fight was going to come to me. Abrahante came prepared and he wasn’t just going to give me anything, so I had to keep applying pressure, work my way inside and break him down.”
“I can feel my pressure was started getting to him, and I just kept pushing. I’m happy I got the stoppage, but there are still things I can improve on. That’s what I take away from every fight. I want to keep getting better because the competition is only going to get tougher from here.”
Amaury Piedra, President of Boxlab Promotions, was pleased not only with Orozco’s 18th consecutive knockout, but with the way his fighter responded when the fight did not immediately unfold in his favor.
“What impressed me about Jordan was that he didn’t panic when he got off to a slower start. A young fighter with his knockout record can sometimes become impatient and start forcing things, but Jordan stayed composed. He kept applying pressure, listened to his corner and eventually took control of the fight. Jordan is ranked in the top 10 by both the WBA and WBO now, so every fight becomes more important. We need to see him developing the patience, discipline and maturity that he’ll need when he gets to the championship level. I thought we saw some of that Friday night.”
With his rankings continuing to rise, Orozco’s victory keeps him moving toward increasingly significant opportunities in the bantamweight division.
Earlier in the evening, undefeated super middleweight Ronny Alvarez (8-0, 7 KOs), who fights under the promotional banners of Boxlab Promotions, Warriors Boxing and Dreambigg Promotions, made his own statement with a punishing performance against Narciso Carmona (12-2-1, 7 KOs).
Alvarez took control early and battered Carmona throughout the opening three rounds, maintaining pressure and landing damaging punches as the punishment accumulated.
After watching their fighter absorb sustained punishment, Carmona’s corner elected to stop the contest, with Carmona unable to return for the fourth round.
The victory improved Alvarez’s record to 8-0 and gave the hard-hitting prospect his seventh professional stoppage.
“I felt strong from the first round,” said Alvarez. “I could see that my punches were affecting him, especially when I started putting combinations together and working the body. I didn’t want to get crazy looking for the knockout. I just kept doing my work and putting pressure on him.”
“My corner kept telling me to stay patient, so that’s what I did. After the third round, his corner stopped it. I wanted to impress everyone in the building and those watching around the world. I’m still hungry. I want tougher fights. I want people to see me and say, ‘That Cuban kid can fight.’ I’m ready to keep working and keep moving up.”
Piedra believes Alvarez’s performance demonstrated another dimension to the Cuban super middleweight’s development. While Alvarez’s knockout power has been evident throughout his young professional career, Piedra was particularly pleased with his fighter’s ability to combine that power with patience and sustained pressure.
“Ronny looked very strong,” Piedra stated. “He was aggressive, but it wasn’t reckless aggression. He was putting punches together, going to the body and making Carmona uncomfortable from the beginning. By the end of the third round, Carmona’s corner had seen enough, and I think that tells you how effective Ronny’s pressure was. Ronny is still developing, and that’s the exciting part. He has that natural Cuban fighting spirit, he can punch, and he wants to entertain the fans. Now we’re seeing him become more patient and understand when to attack and when to set things up. He got an opportunity to show that on DAZN, and he took advantage of it.”
For Boxlab Promotions, Friday night provided two more reasons for optimism. Orozco left Caribe Royale Resort with his perfect knockout percentage intact and another victory as he continues his climb through the bantamweight world rankings. Alvarez walked away with another dominant stoppage while continuing to establish himself as an emerging name in the super middleweight division.
Both also gained valuable exposure through Matchroom Boxing’s Project Series and DAZN.
“This is what you want to see from young fighters when they’re given a platform like this,” Piedra concluded. “Jordan and Ronny were fighting in front of a national and international audience, and both went out there and delivered stoppages.”
“Now the work continues. We’re proud of both performances, but nobody at Boxlab is satisfied. Jordan is moving into a position where bigger fights are coming, and Ronny is continuing to develop with every bout. Our job is to keep them active, keep challenging them and put them in position to take advantage of the opportunities they’ve earned.”
