By Mario Ortega Jr. (Ringside)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Emerging lightweight prospect Adrian Torres made short work of veteran Ardin Diale before a boisterous crowd of supporters in the main event of a six-bout card on Saturday night at the Four Points by Sheraton.
Torres (9-0, 6 KOs) of Chula Vista, California by way Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico looked to be taking a step-up on paper heading into the bout. Diale (35-20-4, 17 KOs) of La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines is by far and away the most experienced fighter the young Tijuanese prospect has met thus far.
What could have been a test for the 20-year-old Torres ended up more like a routine pop quiz.
Torres, 134, pressured and punished Diale, 133.6, to the body for much of the opening round. Diale is now fighting much higher on the scale than in his prime and Torres made the Filipino’s soft midsection his primary target.
Early in the second round, Torres moved in with Diale on the ropes and landed a right to the body that dropped the Filipino to a knee. Diale returned to his feet, but soon felt another solid right to the body that brought him to his knees. With referee David Soliven almost to the count of ten, Diale made a veiled attempt at rising, but the fight was over at 2:03 of the second round.
With the dominant victory over Diale, who had dropped Julio Cesar Miranda before succumbing to a fourth-round stoppage in a failed bid at the WBO 112-pound title in 2011, Torres looks ready for bigger game.
Adrian Vargas (14-0-1, 9 KOs) of National City, California made a successful return to the ring from a nearly nine-year layoff to halt Jose Belloso (5-5, 5 KOs) of Rogers, Arkansas by way of Carson, California in the third of a scheduled six-rounder.
Vargas, 146, scored two knockdowns of Belloso, 146, in rapid succession in the opening round. Vargas connected with an overhand right to score the first knockdown when Belloso fell into the ropes. Moments later, Vargas connected with a stiff right hand to cap a combination and drop Belloso a second time.
Belloso did not have the technique or power to keep Vargas at bay for long. Late in the third, just when it looked like Belloso would hear another bell, Vargas landed a combination upstairs that wobbled the Arkansas transplant. Referee Ivan Guillermo had seen enough and Belloso was stopped standing at 2:57 of the third.
Diego Luna (4-1-1, 3 KOs) of San Diego turned back a strong effort from tough-as-nails Pedro Pinillo (5-9, 5 KOs) of Cali, Colombia, scoring a four-round unanimous decision.
Pinillo, 138.2, started strong, landing two clean left hands out of his southpaw stance that echoed in the pavilion in the first. Luna, 138.8, featured a more traditional style than the awkward, free-swinging Pinillo.
As the fight wore on, Luna became more comfortable in the ring, eventually slowing Pinillo’s output with several clean body shots. By the final moments of the bout, Luna clearly had more in the tank and dominated the final moments before the bell. Judge Alejandro Rochin scored the bout 39-37, while judges Pat Russell and Jose Cobian agreed to a shutout, 40-36.
Jose Chollet (4-1, 3 KOs) of San Diego scored three knockdowns en route to a dominant first-round knockout of Genesis Wynn (2-6, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California.
Chollet, 143.6, scored knockdown number one early in the round, downing Wynn in a neutral corner. Wynn, 143, returned to his feet, but was soon deposited on the canvas again when Chollet touched him to the body with the left. Against his better judgment, Wynn rose again. With his prone opponent protecting his weakened body, Chollet fired a straight right upstairs that dropped Wynn for the third time and ended matters at 1:42 of the opening round.
Making his U.S. debut before an excited gathering of supporters, Matthew Jacinto (2-0, 1 KO) of San Diego successfully battled a game Victor Saravia (1-5-2, 1 KO) of North Hollywood, California en route to a four-round unanimous decision.
Jacinto, 129.2, and Saravia, 129.6, fought on even ground over much of the first two thrilling rounds, which featured heated two-way action throughout.
Jacinto took control in the third, as the body attack may have slowed the determined Saravia a bit. Down the stretch, Jacinto picked his shots effectively, but Saravia gave the crowd a solid effort and proved to be a tough foe for a hometown debut.
Judge Pat Russell scored the bout 39-38, while judges Jose Cobian and Alejandro Rochin scored it a shutout, 40-36, all for Jacinto.
In his U.S. debut, Andy Ramirez (6-0, 5 KOs) of Ensenada by way of Denver, Colorado finished veteran M.J. Bo (9-9-2, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines with a combination to the body in the second round of a scheduled four.
Bo, 124.6, was active early, pressing Ramirez back at times during first round. Ramirez, 125.8, stayed controlled until things heated up early in the second, with two-way action. The end came suddenly when Ramirez landed a combination to Bo’s body, punctuated with a left placed near the liver. Bo went down holding his abdomen and was not going to get up. Referee Ivan Guillermo called the contest officially at 1:44 of the second.
Promoter Saul Rios’ Borizteca Boxing will bring their next event back to Ensenada on October 18th. Their next boxing event back in San Diego at the Four Points by Sheraton, with No Boxing No Life and Clase Y Talento, is tenatively slated for December 7th.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
