In the “New Blood” main event, Carlos Carlson (19-1, 12 KOs) showed his mettle by battling through an early setback over the tough Pedro Melo (13-9-2, 4 KOs) in front of a sold out crowd at the Omega Products Outdoor Arena in Corona, Calif. on Friday night.
In the third round, Melo caught Carlson with a strong right hand as he was coming in. The knockdown didn’t faze Carlson, as he shook it off and continued to be the more aggressive fighter. Carlson worked off his jab to set up body punches that eventually wore down the smaller Melo.
“I just stuck with my game plan and remained confident throughout the fight,” said Carlson, who won an eight round unanimous decision with scores of 76-75 all around. “He was a bit awkward, but I was able to get inside and push him back. I’m glad I was able to defend my title.”
Heavyweight LaRon Mitchell (9-0, 9 KOs) continued his knockout-winning streak, pushing it to nine in a row with a first round demolition of Curtis Lee Tate (7-7, 6 KOs). Mitchell, fighting out of San Francisco, dropped Tate with a combination early in the round. Tate got up, but was back on the canvas courtesy of a right body shot by Mitchell. Moments later, Mitchell landed a lead left that ended Tate’s night. The knockout win came at the 1:18 mark.
“I knew I hurt him pretty bad with that body shot,” Mitchell said. “He looked deflated. I just kept the pressure on and came out with another knockout win.”
Fighting for the third time on a Thompson Boxing card for the year, featherweight Fernando Fuentes (6-6, 1 KO) of Hemet, Calif. dropped a split decision to Erik Ruiz (14-3, 6 KOs) of Oxnard Calif. One judge scored it in favor of Fuentes, 58-56, while the other judges had it for Ruiz, 58-56 and 60-54.
In a fight that featured continuous action, it was Ruiz that landed the most telling shots through a counter punching strategy that paid dividends on the scorecards. Fuentes, meanwhile, pushed straight ahead with a steady jab, which set up numerous combinations. Ruiz shook off most of what Fuentes was throwing, and consequently ended a two-fight losing skid.
Middleweight Miguel Trejo (2-0, 2 KOs) knocked out Brahmabigi Montgomery (1-1-1) in the first round after he unloaded a flurry of punches that sent Montgomery crumbling to the floor. Trejo came out aggressive from the start, and barely broke a sweat before recording the knockout at the 1:37 mark.
Lightweight Manuel Mendez (5-1-1, 2 KOs) of Indio, Calif. took care of Luis Silva (2-6, 1 KO) of Tijuana, Mex. in two rounds. Mendez, trained by Joel Diaz, dropped Silva in the first, and jumped all over him in the second. A straight right sapped the life out of Silva’s legs. The referee put a stop to the carnage at the :37 mark of the second.
Opening the “New Blood” fight card were a pair of junior welterweights from Southern California. Joseph Rios (1-0) notched his first professional win by aggressively punching Jose Mejia (1-3, 1 KO) into corners and onto the ropes. Rios, a southpaw, won a unanimous decision with scores 39-37 and 40-36 twice.
