Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Marquez Valle stepped up in a big way against Damian Sosa in the first 10 round round scheduled for Wednesday night. Although Valle handled the two extra rounds well, he could not fully deal with his experienced and relentless Mexican opponent.
At the end of 10 highly entertaining and hard-fought rounds at the Probox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida, underdog Sosa won a well-deserved split decision with difficult scores of 96-94, 97-93, and 98. Obtained. -92 favors Valle.
Valle, a 25-year-old from the Tampa area, had the crowd on his side in the opener, flashing his talent from midrange. But it didn't take long for the 27-year-old to realize how smooth, experienced and accurate his punches made him a tough opponent. They fought a back-and-forth battle through the first six rounds, with “El Samurai” Sosa dominating the close fights, especially when he forced Valle into the ropes, while Valle did the best work. A small space separating him from a motivated and veteran opponent.
Valle lost his mouthpiece four times in the fight, but that was just a footnote; it was Sosa's pressure and double-fist attack that proved the headline. In Valle's corner, his right eye swollen, he was told after eight rounds that he was losing, and in the 10th round he was told to “give it everything now.” Valle responded and appeared to hurt Sosa a bit with body shots in the final round, at one point snapping his head back with his heavy right hand. But that wasn't enough.
After only one eight-round fight, Valle fell to 10-1 (7 KOs) in his first 10 rounds. With this win, +240 betting underdog Sosa improved to his 25-2 (12 KOs). But both fighters took pride in their scraps, with Probox TV broadcaster Chris Algieri describing the venue they were in as a “house of action.”
In the opening of the broadcast, former title challenger Ronnie Rios stopped Probox TV familiar Nicolas Polanco with a left hook to the body in the fifth round of their scheduled 10-round featherweight bout, ending his 22-month career with a left hook to the body. He returned to the win column in his first match.
The 34-year-old Rios specializes in a style that uses body attacks and pressure from the beginning, and has improved his fight record to 34 wins, 4 losses (17 KOs), and has never shown any noticeable signs of rust.
The taller Polanco (21-6-1, 12 KOs) began to move with a jab, but Rios calmly closed the distance and fired both fists into his flank. Both fighters received warnings from referee Frank Santore Jr. in the second round, but the action picked up in the third, with Dominican Polanco first landing a long right uppercut, then Californian Rios landing a right. The chop shook Polanco slightly.
As the rounds progressed, it became increasingly clear that the 31-year-old Polanco didn't have the firepower or finesse to deter Rios. Polanco, the +550 underdog, started the fifth round aggressively, perhaps sensing it was time for a fight. And the result was “go home.” A perfect left left that crushed Polanco to the canvas, and at the count of nine, it was all he could do to move from elbow to knee.
The bout ended 54 seconds into the round, and it took about two more minutes for Polanco to finally get to his feet.
Eric Raskin is a veteran boxing journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering the sport for BoxingScene, ESPN, Grantland, Playboy, Ringside Seat, and The Ring (where he was editor-in-chief for seven years). He also co-hosts the HBO Boxing He Podcast, Showtime He Boxing with Raskin & Mulvaney, and The Ring He Theory, and currently serves as co-host. Interim Champion Boxing Podcast with Ruskin and Mulvaney. He has received his third first place screenwriting award from the BWAA for his work on The Ring, Grantland, and HBO. Outside of boxing, he serves as a senior editor for a magazine. casino report and author of 2014 money maker effect.You can contact him at X or linkedinor by email at RaskinBoxing@yahoo.com.