| 13 November 2010
(Photos © Edward Garza/NorthTexasFisticuffs.com)
Arlington, TX - Unlike the rather weak undercard featured on Pacquiao-Clottey, this go around Top Rank treated those in attendance to a number of showcase fights featuring the promotional giant's vast stable of young talent.
8 Rounds – Super Bantamweight Fight
Roberto Marroquin (17-0, 13 KOs) TKO 1 Francisco Dominguez (8-8, 2 KOs)
Time of Stoppage: 1:27 in round one.
Marroquin is wildly considered one of premier young talents in the game.·In front of his hometown fans Marroquin delivered on the promise many insiders have of the talented young fighter.·Stalking Dominguez cautiously in the early seconds of the round, Marroquin unleashed a flurry of hell dropping Dominguez with a picture-perfect counter left hook.· Dominguez would rise to beat the count only to eat a follow up salvo that saw him get knocked out.
4 Rounds – Light Heavyweight Fight
Mike Lee (3-0, 2 KOs) KO 1. Keith Debow (0-3-1)
Time of Stoppage: 1:33 round one.
Despite holding on to the notion that graduating from Notre Dame means something, Top Rank may have something on the hands with Lee who is as solid fundamentally as you can get.·Behind an ever-present jab Lee smothered Debow with pressure that ultimately resulted in a wicked right hand crashing Debow to the canvas and out for the night.
6 Rounds – Lightweight Fight
Jose Benavidez Jr. (9-0, 9 KOs) TKO 3 Winston Mathis (6-3, 2 KOs)
Time of Stoppage: 2:23 in round 3.
Benavidez is one of Top Rank’s prized young prospects and for all intents and purposes, the hype is justified.·Benavidez was in essence given a showcase fight against the unheralded Mathis of Georgia.·Understandably, Benavidez displayed flashes of the offensive arsenal that has many proclaiming him to be a future title holder.·In fact, Benavidez dropped Mathis twice in the opening round behind some vicious body shots before dropping the hammer on him in the third round.· In fact, the concussive salvo that put Mathis on easy street apparently was lost on Mathis who protested the referee stoppage vehemently.·
4 Rounds – Super Featherweight Fight
Angel Rodriguez 6-4-2-1, 4 KOs) 4 UD Juan Martin Elorde (11-1, 4 KOs)
Scores: 40-36, 40-36, 39-35
Rodriguez is the type of fighter who has a very misleading record.· On paper, he looks like a journeyman, but don’t be fooled as the Houston fighter always comes to win.·Against the previously undefeated Elorde, Rodriguez used every trick in the book to hammer out a unanimous decision.·Rodriguez’s guile and toughness was simply too much for Elorde who never was able to get into his rhythm due in large to Rodriguez’s never relenting pressure.· Solid win for Rodriguez.·
8 Rounds – Flyweight Fight
Richie Mepranum (17-3-1, 3 KOs) 6 RD SD Anthony Villareal (10-4, 5 KOs)
Scores: 58-56, 58-56, 56-58
Good little scrap between these two diminutive warriors.· If you wanted non-stop punching this fight provided it.·While none of the punches may have been the KO variety it was none the less an entertaining, closely fought affair that saw Mepranum get the edge in the decision.·
4 Rounds – Super Lightweight Fight
Oscar Meza (20-4, 17 KOs) 4 UD Jose Hernandez (10-3, 4 KOs)
Scores: 38-37, 38-37, 39-36
Those of us in the DFW Metroplex were already familiar with the talent and tenacity of Fort Worth’s Jose “El Loco” Hernandez.· But Saturday night Hernandez gave the world a glimpse of what he is capable of in the ring.·Unfortunately, standing in his way was the rugged Oscar Meza of Mexico.· What transpired was a fantastic four-round affair that saw numerous punches exchanged by both parties.· However, Hernandez would not be able to overcome the relentless attack from his adversary and was dropped in the closing seconds of the last round.· It was a gutsy performance for a fighter who had only two weeks to prepare for the fight but in the end Hernandez was left with a loss on his ledger.·
8 Rounds – Super Lightweight Fight
Dennis Laurente (35-3-4, 17 KOs) 8 UD Rashad Holloway (11-2-2, 5 KOs)
Scores: 77-75, 79-73, 78-74
Laurente apparently missed the memo that extolled the skill set of Holloway as the young Filipino fighter took the fight to the LA native.·While Holloway has boxing skills for days to go along with an ice-cold resolve forged by countless battles in the Wild Card Boxing Gym Laurente was able to get inside and pepper his foe with vicious left hands.·Laurente never eased his attack and hurt Holloway on more than one occasion.·All of which is why Laurente left the ring with his arms raised in victory.·
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