Diego Magdaleno took one step further toward contender status by scoring a unanimous decision victory by the scores of 99-90, 98-90 and 98-91 over Alejandro Perez on the 10th anniversary edition of ShoBox: The New Generation. In the co-feature, Casey Ramos won a split decision over Georgi Kevlishvili with scores of 77-75 and 78-74 in favor of Ramos and 77-75 for Kevlishvili from Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas.
Magdaleno-Perez & Ramos-Kevlishvili Photos
Magdaleno (20-0, 7 KOs), of Las Vegas, entered the ring this evening to a cacophonous ovation, ready to pursue his 20th career win. Perez (15-3-1, 10 KOs), of Salinas, Calif., attempted to quiet the pro-Magdaleno crowd by scoring a flash knockdown with a counter right in the first round that surprised everyone in attendance. Unhurt, Magdaleno bounced back up and fought impressively to end the round.
Perez stalled his own momentum in the second with repeated low blows that resulted in a point deduction by referee Robert Byrd.
In an exciting fourth round, the 25-year-old Perez was cut above the eye and began to run out of answers for the first southpaw foe of his career. Magdaleno rolled through the rest of the fight by dictating the pace, connecting with effective punches and throwing more combinations. In the late rounds, Perez showed little more than heart as he was relegated to throwing slow bombs from long range with little effect.
In the Top Rank-promoted main event, Magdaleno rocked Perez a few times in the later rounds but Perez was determined to stay on his feet before letting the judges hand him his third career defeat in the 10-round Super Featherweight affair.
Ramos (14-0, 4 KOs), of Austin, Tex., seemed to easily outpoint Kevlishvili (8-3, 3 KOs), a late substitute for Joselito Collado, in the night’s opening bout before the scores were announced and Patricia Morse Jarman had him losing 77-75. Nevada judges Tim Cheatem and Al Lefkowitz scored the bout for Ramos 77-75 and 78-74, respectively.
Displaying his hand speed, 5-foot-6 Ramos controlled the pace throughout the eight-round super featherweight bout. Kevlishvili started slow but landed some lefts on Ramos to keep the match competitive early on. Ramos suffered a cut in the third round following a clash of heads but the 21-year-old remained cool, a great sign for an upcoming prospect.
SHOWTIME analyst Steve Farhood called Ramos a “rhythm fighter” as he bounced on his feet to set up his next punch. The 5-foot-7, 30-year-old Kevlishvili connected on big single shots at times but his power was not great enough to derail the pace-setting Ramos for the eight rounds.
The 10th anniversary telecast dedicated to the late Nick Charles will replay Tuesday, July 19 at 11 p.m. ET/PT and will be available On Demand from July 18 through July 31.
