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Vargas Batters Banquez;
Bravo vs. Valtierra Cut Short In Orlando
Antonio Vargas earned a career best victory when he scored a
sixth round stoppage of hard-hitting contender Mitchell
Banquez Saturday, February 25 at a sold out Caribe Royale in
Orlando, FL
The card was promoted by Boxlab Promotions and aired via
tape delay on CBS Sports Network.
Fighting for the vacant WBA Continental Americas
bantamweight title, Banquez looked to apply pressure as
Vargas used the opening round to feel out his foe. Vargas,
who had a large group of supporters on hand, quickly
recognized Banquez’ plan of attack left him open for counter
punches.
The 2016 US Olympian landed quick, crisp punches while
avoiding most of the hard shots thrown by Banquez. In the
fourth, Vargas landed a picturesque uppercut that turned
Banquez into a bloody mess, but the ultra-game Venezuelan
never stopped fighting.
Vargas dominated the fifth and Banquez’ right eye was
starting to close due to the number of punches he’d taken.
In the sixth, Vargas continued to attack Banquez until his
corner threw in the towel at 2:38.
Vargas of Orlando, FL improved to 16-1 with 9 KO’s. Banquez
slips to 20-3 (12 KO’s).
NABO junior welterweight champion Nestor Bravo and Mexican
challenger Jair Valtierra ended in a no decision. In the
fourth round, Bravo started to find his rhythm but received
a hard headbutt from Valtierra. Bravo, who hails from
Arecibo, Puerto Rico and fights out of Orlando, was bleeding
heavily near his right eye and unable to continue. Since
official rules require four full rounds to be completed to
go to the scorecards, the bout was declared a no decision.
Bravo keeps his title and 21-0 record (15 KO’s), while
Valtierra’s record remains at 16-2 with 8 knockouts.
19-year-old lightweight standout Elijah “2Tec” Flores, 5-0
(2 KO’s), showcased speed, movement, showmanship, and quick
reflexes in a six round shutout decision over rugged Juan
Aguirre Herrera, 7-7-2 (5 KO’s), of Mexico. A native of
Bronx, NY, Flores was in control from bell to bell, but
Herrera had a solid chin and has gone the distance in all of
his defeats.
Scores were 60-54 on all three cards.
Cuban powerhouse Idalberto Umara retained his WBA Fedecaribe
lightweight title with a second round knockout of Colombia’s
Deivi “El Cabo” Julio. Umara dropped Julio hard in the
second round with a perfectly-timed body shot. Julio barely
made it back to his feet but was down for the count moments
later courtesy of another punishing body punch.
Time of stoppage was :45.
Umara, who resides in Miami, FL, improved to 9-1 with 6
KO’s. Julio is 25-13 and has 15 victories by KO.
Cruiserweights Adrian “Pretty Boy” Pinheiro of Orlando and
Plantation, FL’s Isiah “Night Knight” Thompson fought to a
thrilling six round draw. Pinheiro, 10-0-1 (9 KO’s) was the
busier fighter and connected with solid shots to Thompson’s
head. Thompson, 7-2-2 (6 KO’s), turned the tides in the
second half of the fight by aggressively attacking Pinheiro
with hard hooks.
Scores were 58-56 Pinheiro, 58-56 Thompson and 57-57.
“We’re all pleased to have brought another great night of
championship boxing to Central Florida, said Amaury Piedra
of Boxlab Promotions. “It was great to see all the fans in
attendance and the electricity the crowd provided for these
fighters. As always Caribe Royale is the place to be for
professional boxing in Central Florida and we will continue
to do our best to put on the best shows in the state of
Florida. I thank the Florida Commission, the WBA, and the
WBO for working with us on Night of Champions 2.”
Boxlab Promotions’ next card takes place April 1. Additional
information will be announced shortly.
OTHER RESULTS:
Welterweights: Darirus “The Hawk” Jackson (5-0, 2 KO’s,
Orlando, FL) UD 6 (60-54 3X) Mario Aguirre (3-20-1, 2 KO’s,
Tijuana, Mexico)
Super Middleweights: Jamar Pemberton (3-0, 3 KO’s, Las
Vegas, NV) KO1 (:21) Tony Elliott (0-2, North Carolina)
Junior Middleweights: Yoenis Tellez (3-0, 3 KO’s, Stafford,
TX via Cuba) TKO2 (:38) Alberto Delgado (1-22-4, 1 KO,
Roanoke, VA)
Lightweights: Otha Jones III (6-1-1, 2 KO’s, Toledo, OH) UD6
(60-54 3X) Raymond Chacon (8-55-1, Los Angeles, CA)
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