During his last stop in Las Vegas, undefeated Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara fought a gritty battle with Contender Season 2 winner Grady Brewer. After some tense moments and heated exchanges, Lara would end up disposing of his veteran foe in the 10th round. The win didn?t come easy and if Lara was expecting a walk in the park this Friday night in his next assignment he was surely mistaken.
On this night Lara locked horns with former title contender Danny Perez, known best for his stout chin and crude style in the ring. While Lara stated fast he wasn?t able to faze Perez, who remained in his face during the early action. The first three rounds were a battle of Lara?s precision against Perez? rugged aggression.
The 4th was a convincing one for Lara as he fired off combinations from all angles against his older foe. Perez seemed to be tiring and missed with some lunging shots of his own. Lara again seemed to control the 5th but Perez showed signs of life in the sixth as he pressed forward unrelentingly and pressed his attack. With the action becoming fierce on the inside Lara began to circle and use his boxing skills the remainder of the round.
The sixth round was a very tactical one for the first two minutes before Lara began sitting down on his punches and exchanging with Perez in the center of the ring. After attacking Lara elected to box, again controlling the flow of the action. Lara?s confidence seemed to be peaking in rounds seven and eight, as he stepped up his attack with much vigor while circling out of harm?s way on most occasions.
As the bout came to a close the action again picked up. Lara was obviously the more-skilled fighter but Perez? girt couldn?t be overlooked. After ten solid rounds Lara would capture a unanimous decision and sees his record move to 11-0 with six stoppages. The Cuban standout has risen to the occasion in his past few fights and could be looking to make the move from prospect to contender in a year or so.
Carlos Velasquez finishes off Terry impressively
Undefeated Jr. Featherweight Carlos Velasquez kept his record unbeaten with a stirring 4th round stoppage over late replacement Ira Terry. Velasquez relocated to Las Vegas just months ago to jumpstart his career after having previously lived in Miami, Florida in recent times.
Velasquez? performance was both poised and dynamic, as he took his time figuring his foe from Memphis, Tennessee out. In the start of the second round Velasquez began firing off pinpoint body shots to Terry?s body with great effect. In the start of the 4th Velasquez seemed to throw caution to the wind and hurt Terry with a quick right hand. Terry was stunned and backed up to the ropes, where he was greeted with a fusillade of punches by his younger foe, dropping him in the process. Terry refused to beat the count and Velasquez and his team erupted in celebration.
It was a fine statement for the Puerto Rican fighter and he could find himself in some more meaningful bouts by the time the years is up. Upon his victory Velasquez would embrace his twin brother Juan Carlos, who campaigns in the Featherweight division and has yet to fight since suffering his first loss last July to Jose Beranza.
Toddy Junior wins majority nod over Luis Martinez
In a brisk fight, Las Vegas? Toddy Junior got more than he bargained for in a 4-round Jr. Featherweight fight with unassuming Luis Martinez, by way of Los Angeles, California. From the early going the action was fought at a furious pace from both fighters and neither man seemed to have an edge. In the third Martinez seemed to use his speed to win over the round and the crowd but Junior fought back gamely in the 4th. Junior would end up winning a majority decision after four highly entertaining rounds.
Pendarvis overcomes early knockdowns to stop Sanchez
In an inspiring performance, Cleotis Pendarvis overcome two first round knockdowns at the hands of Hector Sanchez to eventually turn the tide of the fight and stop the Santurce, Puerto Rico native in the 5th round. Pendarvis went down from a body shot halfway into the first and a right hand knocked him down less than a minute later. Things seemed to be bleak but the Los Angeles area fighter hung tough and survived the round.
As the rounds went by Pendarvis made the fight a toe to toe battle and began working Sanchez? body. The rail thin fighter was feeling the pressure from his aggressive foe and seemed to be bothered by the sustained attack. In the 5th round a right hand dropped Sanchez hard. He rose gamely but he was on wobbly legs and was unable to continue. Pendarvis and his supporters began celebrating in what was a true sign of grit and perseverance. With the win Pendarvis moves to 10-2-2 while Sanchez falls to 18-1.
Deontay Wilder blows Cobb out of the water
Undefeated heavyweight Deontay Wilder made short work of Amarillo, Texas? Tyson Cobb in the second bout of the evening. After sizing up Cobb with a few jabs, Wilder got to work and began letting his punches go. A quick left hook floored Cobb just seconds into the contest and despite rising he was in no shape to continue. Referee ( ) waived the fight off at ( ) seconds. With the win Wilder moves to 9-0 with 9 knockouts and could be a serious player in the Heavyweight division in a few years.
Mike Perez wins decision over a bloody Ganjelashvili
Mike ?The artist? Perez won a sloppy but dominant six round decision over Sergi Ganjelashvili. Perez has decent fundamentals and was the superior fighter in just about every category. Ganjelashvili used to train in Florida with the likes of Nate Campbell and Allan Green but relocated to Las Vegas earlier this year for a change of pace. Ganjelashvili had his moments of success by applying pressure but at the end of the day Perez was far too talented and had a huge sixth round in which he caught his bloody foe time and time again with crushing right hands. All three judges had Perez up 60-54.
