Mauricio Herrera pounded out a ten round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Ji-Hoon Kim that highlighted a special edition of ESPN Friday Night Fight’s at the Omega Products Outdoor Events Center.
Herrera boxed well early in the fight. Kim tried to bore in with his usual volume of punches. He landed some but the more effective blows were landed by Herrera. Herrera kept boxing and working the body as Kim came in with hard shots.
Herrera had a big round six as he rocked Kim’s head back numerous times with a five punch combination. Kim kept coming forward as if nothing hit him but it was a very effective stanza for Herrera. Round seven was more of the same as it was action filled with Herrera connecting and yet Kim seemed undaunted and continued to come forward and throw punches in volume. Herrera continued to land but in round eight, he started to bleed from under his left eye.
Kim had a good round nine as he got the better of a furious exchange along the ropes. That was Kim’s only hope as Herrera cruised down the stretch and won by scores of 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92.
Herrera, 140 lbs. of Riverside, CA is now 19-3. Kim, 140 lbs. of Gyong, South Korea is now 24-9.
HERRERA POST FIGHT QUOTES:
“He was a tough guy and I knew that. I had to stay smart and be quick. I am looking for a world title shot”
KIM POST FIGHT QUOTES:
“I felt good at this weight and I was never hurt. I just could not move like I practiced”
Miguel Gonzalez scored the biggest victory of his career as he scored a ten round unanimous decision over former WBA Lightweight champion Miguel Acosta. In round two, Acosta landed a hard right hand that dropped Gonzalez.
Gonzalez came back in land three to land a couple of power shots of his own. Gonzalez landed a pair of lefts in round four that drove Acosta back into the ropes. Gonzalez continued the comeback by landing a good left early round five. Acosta came back later in round with four hard rights. It was a hard left late in the round that sent Acosta to the deck.
The action swayed back to Acosta in round six as he landed a good right. Gonzalez then came back in round seven as he trapped Acosta in the corner and landed a nice combination that was culminated by a perfect left uppercut. The action heated up in round eight as both guys landed some thudding shots in an exchange in the corner. In round nine, Gonzalez landed another hard straight left hand that got the attention of Acosta. With swelling around both of Acosta’s eyes, Gonzalez had more left in the tank late as he continued to land the straight power shots in the final round.
Gonzalez, 135 lbs. of Cleveland, OH won by scores of 97-91, 96-92, and 95-93 and is now 21-3. Acosta, 135 lbs. of Caracas, Venezuela falls to 29-7-2.
POST FIGHT QUOTES FROM GONZALEZ:
“He was a very strong opponent. The best I fought. When he knocked me down, it was a flash knockdown. I was off balance”
On his knockdown: “I was waiting on that straight left hand all night. I broke him down with the straight lefts and then worked the body. I should have worked the body earlier in the fight. I will be back on July 26 so I will be right back in the gym.”
2012 Olympic Bronze Medal winner Taras Shelestyuk was dropped in round two by Brandon Adams but came back to score a final round stoppage in their scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout.
Adams sent Shelestyuk to the canvas from a straight left but the Ukrainian was not hurt and it only seemed to fuel him as he began to batter Adams at the end of round three and it continued the assault until referee Lou Moret stopped the bout at forty-eight seconds of the final round.
Shelestyuk, 151 lbs. of Sumy, Ukraine is now 2-0 with two knockouts. Adams, 151 lbs. of Stockton, CA was making his pro debut.
Richard Contreras scored second round stoppage over Jose Iniguez in a scheduled six round Featherweight bout.
Contreras dropped Iniguez two times in round two and referee Marty Denkins stopped the bout after the second knockdown. Contreras, 123 lbs. of Riverside, CA is now 10-1-1 with 9 knockouts. Iniguez, 125 ½ lbs. of Tijuana, MX is now 6-15.
In the opening bout of the evening, Fernando Fuentes scored a four round majority decision over Cristian Lorenzo. The bantamweight bout featured two undefeated fighters that saw Fuentes win by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38. Fuentes, 117 ½ lbs. of Hemet, CA is now 2-0-1. Lorenzo, 117 ½ lbs. of Tijuana, MX is now 2-1.
Joshua Conley remained perfect with a knockout over Eric Prado in round four of a scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout. Conley dropped Prado with a big left and the fight was stopped thirty-six seconds of the final round. Conley, 155 lbs. of San Bernardino, CA is now 6-0 with five knockouts. Prado, 153 lbs. of Santa Maria, CA is 2-3-1.
In the walkout bout, Hector Serrano scored a six round unanimous decision over Michael Peralta in a Jr. Welterweight bout.
Serrano, 144 lbs. of Huntington Park, CA won by scores of 58-56, 58-56 and 59-55 and is now 16-3. Peralta, 143 lbs. of Reno, NV is now 4-7.
