Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza made the first defense of his WBO featherweight title with a fourth-round TKO of fellow Mexican Sergio Chirino.
Espinoza started the bout confidently, knocking Chirino down in the first round and then again in the third before knocking him out in the fourth to decide the bout.
The 6-foot-1 featherweight destroyer (25-0, 21 KOs) dropped Chirino to the canvas with a counter left punch in the first round.
In the third round, Espinosa landed a right punch that nearly sent his compatriot into the ropes.
Chirino (22-12, 13 KOs) eventually went to the ground, a flurry of heavy punches bringing the fight to an end.
“From the beginning, my desire to win, to get better and to move forward was clear. I gave it my all and it showed,” Espinoza said.
“I like to throw punches and show people what they want to see – action, so as soon as the first round started I went forward.”
“I'm here. It's my time. It's the time of 'El Divino'. I want to unite and I want to take on big challenges.”
Cortez Edge Nova
Andres “Savage” Cortez (22-0, 12 KOs) fought hard in the junior lightweight quarterfinals, defeating former world title challenger Abraham Nova (23-3, 16 KOs) by unanimous decision.
After months of badmouthing, the match was a tense affair.
Cortez came forward from a high guard early on, taking the lead with hooks and right punches to Nova's head and body, and then landed a right uppercut from the inside.
Nova began to get his rhythm back as Cortez began to tire in the eighth round, then surprised Cortez with an overhand right in the ninth.
But Nova's late onslaught wasn't enough, and Cortez lost by scores of 97-93, 2x, 96-94.
“I knew he was a tough opponent. He just went 12 rounds against a world champion, so I knew it was going to be a tough fight,” Cortez said.
“He called me a dirty fighter, and he was a really dirty fighter. Headbutts and all that. But it was a good fight. No excuses. I gave it my all and got the win.”
Nova responded by saying, “I started off a little slow, but then I got my rhythm back. I went in there and did what I had to do. He hit me in the back of the head a bunch of times.”
“That's boxing. All I have to do is re-plan, fix a few things and come back.”
Eisley wins fight against former amateur rival
Troy Eisley (13-0, 5 KOs) maintained his unbeaten record by defeating Javier Martinez (10-1-1, 3 KOs) by unanimous decision.
Isley won the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) title by scores of 97-91, 2x, and 96-92.
The two fought four times as amateurs, winning all four of their matches, but as they turned pro, Eisley gained the advantage with his relentless aggression and intelligent boxing.
Martinez resorted to low blows in the seventh round, which resulted in a point deduction, and Isley followed suit in the ninth.
Martinez tried to catch up in the final two rounds, but Isley maintained his lead and took the win.
“The fact that he beat me twice as an amateur didn't mean anything. It just shows the difference in talent. We're going to achieve bigger things now. I want to become champion soon,” Eisley said.
Other results
Bantamweight: Floyd Diaz (12-0, 3 KOs) defeated Mexican veteran Francisco Pedroza (18-12-2, 10 KOs) by eighth-round points to earn his second win of the year.
Score: 78-73, 3x.
Junior Lightweight: DJ Zamora III (13-0, 9 KOs) Earned a stunning decision victory over Jose Antonio Mesa. (9-10, 2 KOs) after eight rounds of continuous action.
Scores: 80-72, 2x, 79-73.
Junior Bantamweight: Steven Navarro (2-0, 1 KO) won in style in his Top Rank debut, defeating Juan Pablo Mesa (7-4, 2 KOs) via unanimous decision.
Score: 60-54, 3x.
Middleweight: Brian Polaco (7-0, 5 KOs) stopped Richard Acevedo (6-1-1, 5 KOs) in the third round of a scheduled six-round bout.
