By Boxing Bob Newman
In the co-main event of the evening, rising super lightweight Emiliano “El General” Vargas had too much of everything for the normally durable Jonathan Montrel.
Vargas forced Montrel to take a knee late in the first round to escape a relentless head and body attack. Montrel managed to get through the second round without a knockdown, but did take more damage. Montrel decided he was actually going to make an effort in the third, throwing and landing some good shots, but he paid the price for it as Vargas returned the favor. Landing some crippling shots to the body. Somehow, Montrel lasted the round again. Round after round, Montrel proved tough as nails, taking everything to the body and head that Vargas landed, without folding. In the end, Vargas was taking the 10 round distance for the first time in his young career, learning that not everyone is going to fold under his power. Power. The scoring was academic: 100-89, 99-90 x 2, all for El General, Vargas, who moves to 16-0, 12 KOs, retaining his NABF Super lightweight JUNIOR title and the WBO Latino title.
In an IBF super lightweight eliminator, Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela fought the fight of his life against Lindolfo Delgado. Gollaz controlled the early rounds with a beautiful jab against Delgado’s unmoving head. Delgado made a gritty effort in the middle rounds, staging a comeback with his own volume of work to the head and body. Moments into the 12th and final round, Gollaz fired a beautiful left hook to the chin of Delgado, dropping him to the seat of his pants and possibly cementing an upset win and a mandatory shot against IBF champ. Richardson Hitchens. It was not to be a Cinderella Man ending as the judges saw it split by the thinnest of margins: 114-113 for Gollaz, countered by The same scores of 114-113 twice for Delgado. The arena was filled with a cascade of boos as it appeared Gollaz won with room to spare. Delgado remains undefeated at 24-0, 16 KOs. The hard luck Gollaz falls to 31-5-1, 17 KOs.
In a bonus action swing bout, super featherweight 17-year-old Julian Montalvo blew out Mexico’s Nicolas Patron with two knockdowns in the first round. The first was courtesy of a left to the head, The second was the showstopper left to the body for the full count at 2:02 of the opening session. Montalvo moves to 5-0, 4 KOs. Patron evens up at 3-3, 1 KO.
U.S. Olympian Richard Torrez, Jr. made short work of Thomas Salek in defense of his NABF/NABO heavyweight titles. A vicious right hook followed by an uppercut broke the nose of Salek, causing profuse bleeding and a doctor recommended stoppage at 2:45 of the opening session. Torrez remains undefeated at 14-0, 12 KOs. Salek falls to 23-8, 14 KOs.
In the opening bout of the Top Rank Classics telecast of the Rafael Espinoza-Arnold Khegai WBO Featherweight title fight from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, local boy Jorge “El.Russo” Ascanio took home the vacant NABO super Featherweight title with a hard fought split decision over Jose Amaro. It was a nip and tuck affair that could have gone either way. The final scores were: 95-94 for Amaro and 96-93 and 95-94 for Ascanio, who was the only fighter between the two that was eligible to win a belt, since Amaro came in over the weight.
