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Undefeated Unified Champion Oscar Collazo Claims WBO
International Flyweight Title,
Stops Neider Valdez In Two Rounds
Unified WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine Minimumweight World
champion Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (15-0, 12 KOs) of
Villalba, Puerto Rico, remained undefeated and added the WBO
International flyweight title to his collection with a
dominant victory over Mexico’s Neider Valdez (15-4-3, 12
KOs) of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Scheduled for 12 rounds,
Collazo went to work early, dropping Valdez three times
before a corner stoppage at 2:35 of the second round. The
event streamed live worldwide on DAZN from Frontwave Arena
in Oceanside and was presented by Golden Boy Promotions in
association with Miguel Cotto Promotions.
"I felt great. A lot of things happened leading up to this
fight, but I felt great in there. First, I want to thank
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy, and Miguel Cotto Promotions for
giving me this opportunity and continuing to push me. People
don't understand how difficult it was to bring this fight
together but thank God we got the victory. At the end of the
day, that's what matters,” said Oscar Collazo. “I felt great
at 112 pounds. I love this division. As a matter of fact, I
want to stay here for a long time. I was looking for the
straight left hand. I noticed he was throwing the right hand
without much behind it, so I kept timing it and timing it.
When the opportunity came, I landed it perfectly. After the
third knockdown, I was actually saying, 'No more, no more.'
It was the right decision for his safety. His corner made a
good call. We already had three knockdowns, and it probably
would have ended in a knockout anyway. We did what we came
here to do.”
“A fight with Ricardo Sandoval definitely interests me. I
really want that fight. I hope we can make it happen. I'm
ready for the big fights. I'm ready to make history. I was
born for this. I'm a four-time world champion, and I want
the biggest challenges available. That's the fight I want
next,” finished Collazo.
In a back-and-forth co-main event, hard-hitting Chihuahua,
Mexico, native Yair “Manotas” Gallardo (12-0, 9 KOs) went
the distance against Surrey, British Columbia’s Buneet Bisla
(14-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight clash.
Gallardo delivered a standout performance, badly hurting
Bisla in the seventh round and nearly securing the stoppage.
The judges awarded Gallardo a unanimous decision victory
with scores of 97-92, 98-91 and 96-93, Gallardo taking home
the vacant NABO and WBC FECARBOX Light Heavyweight Titles.
Also featured on the DAZN broadcast, undefeated Uzbek
Olympian Ruslan Abdullaev (5-0, 3 KOs) defeated Las Vegas’
Orestes Velazquez (8-2, 7 KOs) via fifth-round knockout for
the WBA Continental Gold super lightweight title. Scheduled
for 10 rounds, Abdullaev dropped Velazquez in the opening
round before ending the fight at 1:30 of the fifth with a
body shot. U.S. Olympian Joshua “The Rocket” Edwards (7-0, 6
KOs) of Houston thrilled the crowd with a devastating
second-round knockout of New Orleans’ Garreth “Da Lion”
Payton (7-3, 4 KOs). Edwards ended the scheduled eight-round
heavyweight bout at the 1:06 mark with a right hand that
sent Payton to the canvas. Opening the DAZN telecast,
Coachella fan favorite Cayden Griffiths (9-0, 8 KOs) passed
a significant test against Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alan
Crisosto (12-7, 8 KOs). Griffiths scored a third-round
stoppage at 2:49 of their scheduled eight-round super
welterweight bout when the referee halted the contest.
Headlining the preliminary card, Denver’s Daniel “Junebug”
Garcia (14-0, 11 KOs) delivered a devastating first-round
knockout victory over Miami’s Christopher Rodriguez (13-3-1,
11 KOs). Garcia scored two knockdowns before stopping
Rodriguez at the 2:34 mark of the opening round. Danish
Olympian Nikolai “TTT” Terteryan (3-0, 3 KOs), proudly
representing his Armenian heritage, continued his perfect
knockout streak with a 32-second stoppage of De Priest
Johnson (5-14). Scheduled for six rounds of middleweight
action, Terteryan wasted no time ending the bout before
Johnson could settle. Opening the night, fellow Denver
native Lorenzo “Lencho” Garcia (1-0, 1 KO) made an
impressive professional debut, earning a second-round
knockout victory over Columbus, Ohio’s Tylan Smith (1-1-1)
in a scheduled four-round super lightweight bout. Garcia is
the younger brother of Daniel “Junebug” Garcia.
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