Jeyvier Cintron defeats Koki Eto to become possible mandatory for Kazuto Ioka!
Puerto Rico rising star Jeyvier Cintron (11-0, 5KO) received a second attempt at an eliminator in a rematch against former world title contender Koki Eto August 2.
Their first encounter ended with controversy as the young prospect was knocked out in the first round. However, it was later revealed that it wasn’t a punch, but an inadvertent head butt that was responsible. As a result, it was overturned instead to a “no-decision.”
This was a WBO Junior Bantamweight eliminator bout.
The southpaw prospect immediately set the tone of the fight. He went on the attack early, landing left hooks to the body followed by quick combination punching.
At the beginning of second round, things really heated up! The young contender landed a beautiful straight left-hand that sent his opponent to the canvas. The Japanese boxer would survive the round, however, the superior boxing skills of the younger contender were overwhelming.
In the middle rounds Cintron continued to dominate the action. He found success landing crisp combinations and finishing up with right hooks to the body. He also landed the straight left at will.
The Puerto Rican prospect took the idea of being aggressive and more defensively sound from what he learned in the first fight. The undefeated challenger was keeping his hands up and moving his head while staying off the ropes. He was also keen to clinch whenever the two were close, frustrating the Japanese fighter.
The closing rounds were the same. Cintron continued using his footwork to create opportunities; switching from offense to defense while keeping his opponent off balance.
In the end, the judges all scored it 99-90 for Cintron. He will undoubtedly be looking to take the title away from the champion Kazuto Ioka possibly by the end of the year!
By: Garrisson Bland
