BROOKLYN, NY--Gabriel Bracero remained perfect as he thrilled a partisan crowd by overwhelming Danie Van Staden at 1:08 of round three in a scheduled eight round Jr. Welterweight bout that headlined a six bout card at the Aviator Sports Complex
It did int start out well for Van Staden as he was cut early in round one from a headbutt.
Bracero rocked Van Staden in round two from a right that was followed by a q quick flurry. Bracero landed a huge left that had Van Staden holding on. Bracero landed another big left to the head that sent Van Staden down just before the end of round two.
Van Staden was in deep trouble to start the third round and Bracero jumped on him by landing a flurry on the ropes that focused on the body before a perfect left sent Van Staden down and out. Van Staden was down for several minutes but left the ring on his own power.
Bracero, 141 lbs of Brooklyn is now 17-0 with three knockouts. Van Staden, 140 lbs of Key West, FL is now 8-7.
“It was so hard, I didn’t really feel it in my hands,” Bracero said of the winning shot. “I knew I had him.”
For Bracero, it was the second straight time he has ended a fight in dominating fashion. In June, he finished Guillermo Valdes in one round in a similarly devastating style.
“The only knock anybody had on ‘Tito’ was that he couldn’t punch,” said Lou DiBella, promoter of Bracero and Broadway Boxing. “Well guess what? Now he has added power to his fan friendly style of fighting. What is the knock now? He is becoming a complete fighter.”
Melissa McMorrow made it two straight against some of New York’s top females as she successfully defended her New York State Flyweight title as she evened up the score with Keisher McLoed-Wells via split decision in an eight round bout.
McMorrow showed the same determination she showed in her title winning effort when he she defeated Eileen Olszewski a month ago in Queens.
McMorrow bobbed and weaved her way inside very effectively through and under jabs and right hands of McLoed-Wells. In the middle rounds McLoed-Wells landed a few nicely timed uppercuts while McMorrow tried to get inside and even made McMorrow take a step backwards for the first time in the fight.
That didint last long as McMorrow had the fighting spirit and was undaunted by continuing to get inside and land combinations to any area that McLoed-Wells left unblocked.
It was a a crowd pleasing and close fight that saw McMorrow get the verdict by scores of 78-74 on two cards while McLoed-Wells took a card at 77-75.
McMorrow, 111 lbs of San Carlos, CA is now 6-2-3. McLoed-Wells, 109 lbs of New York is now 4-2.
Like Bracero, Seanie Monaghan brought a large cheering section and they didint cheer long by the were lous as their man needed just eighty-nine seconds to dispose of Brian Bernard in a scheduled six round Light Heavyweight bout.
Monaghan dropped Bernard with a hard right to the head early in the first round that sent Bernard on his back. Bernard was shaken up bad and referee Randy Neumann reached the count of ten at 1:29 of round one.
Monaghan, 175 lbs of Long Beach, NY is now 8-0 with five knockouts. Bernard, 175 lbs of St. Joseph, MO is now 10-9-2.
Jonathan Cepeda looked very good in taking out Rahman Yusubov at thirty-one seconds of round five in a scheduled six round Middleweight bout.
Cepeda landed countless power shots in the first round which foreshadowed what was to come throughout the contest.
In round two, Cepeda landed a hard left hook that sent Yusubov to the canvas. Yusubov made it back to his feet to continue to take some hard shots. Yusubov was also cut around his left eye in that round.
Yusubov showed tremendous courage and in between taking about fifteen shots, would land a few of his own and even cut Cepeda in round four around his left eye.
In round five, Cepeda landed a couple of four punch combinations with the latter being to a defensless Yusubov and the fight was stopped.
Cepeda, 158 lbs of West Palm Beach, FL is now 11-0 with ten knockouts. Yusubov, 156 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 10-3.
Joe Smith Jr. rebounded from his first career loss to take out Santos Martinez in round two of a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.
The time of the stoppage was 2:40 for Smith Jr., 179 lbs of Mastic, NY and is now 7-1 with seven knockouts. Martinez, 179 lbs of Adrian, MI is now 2-2.
Travis Peterkin opened up the show by scoring a first round stoppage over Damion Reed in a schedule four round Light Heavyweight bout.
Peterkin, 175 lbs of Brooklyn dropped Reed three times before the fight was stopped at 1:50 and is now 3-0 with three knockouts. Reed, 172 1/4 lbs of Reidsville, NC is now 2-7-1
Photo by Claudia Bocanegra
