Xander Zayas, Andres Cortes, and Troy Isley Hold On to Undefeated Records!
OMAR ROSARIO GUTS OUT A LATE VICTORY
Its always a classic with Puerto Rico versus Mexico rivalry matches. Fans saw junior welterweight prospect Omar Rosario (8-0, 2KO) fight hard for the victory against Esteban Munoz (6-2, 4KO). This was a high paced, close fight that saw Rosario boxing beautifully by using the jab and left hooks to the body. Munoz scored with a counter left hook and came forward with aggressive pressure while landing hard shots to the body. Rosario relied on that outstanding amateur pedigree, boxing off the backfoot while using the jab and counter right hooks that won the last round and essentially won the fight 58-56.
TROY ISLEY EARNS THE VICTORY AGAINST VICTOR TONEY
Middleweight prospect Troy “Transformer” Isley (7-0, 4KO) scords a unanimous decision win over defensive-minded Victor Toney (6-2-1, 5KO). Transformer was looking to make a statement with hopes of scoring a knockout. However, Toney’s defense and counterpunches frustrated the Olympian briefly. Realizing that his opponent was not cooperating, Isley quickly used his feet and combination punches to control the fight. As the bout came to a close, Isley found a home for his stiff jab followed by an overhand right. This was a good test of patience that Isley passed with flying colors.
ANDRES CORTES WINS A DOG FIGHT
Junior lightweight Andres Cortes (18-0, 10KO) got forced into a dog fight in his victory against a tough Abraham Montoya (20-4-1, 14KO). Cortes fought well off the backfoot from start to finish by landing good combinations while avoiding the slow, looping punches of Montoya. In the sixth round, Cortes got caught by a looping overhand right and narrowly survived. Down the stretch, he finished strong by landing stiff jabs and solid shots to the body, cruising to a 79-73 victory.
DUKE RAGAN IMPRESSES AGAISNT FUENTES
In his latest in-ring appearance, standout featherweight fighter and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (7-0, 1 KO) continued to impress. The Cincinnati, Ohio native did so by displaying both his talent and a measure of grit. This is because his opponent, D’Angelo Fuentes, supplied consistent and competent pressure all night.
Yet, more than merely constantly moving forward, Fuentes placed a number of quality shots on the chin of Ragan, especially in the fifth. In the end however, Ragan weathered all adversity well and dished out far more than he absorbed. This earned him a comfortable unanimous decision win. It’ll be interesting to see how his Top Rank promotional team matches him next.
XANDER ZAYAS CHEWS THROUGH TOUGH STEAK DINNER
Super welterweight fighter and Top Rank Promotions golden child Xander Zayas (14-0, 10KO) continued to impress. He did so by stopping hard-nosed opponent Elias “The Latin Kid” Espadas in the fifth round of a turbulent fight. While Zayas was in control for the entirety of the bout, and even dropped The Latin Kid in the first, the Puerto Rican sensation was forced to work for his win. After rising from that initial knockdown, Espadas proved rather hard to kill as he soaked up a disturbing amount of body shots and sharp hooks to the teeth.
Zayas would even go on to eat his fair share of leather to demonstrate that he does has some measure of whiskers on him. This was completely different from his last outing when he trampled Quincy Vallais like Black Friday welcome mat. In the end though, a nasty right hook to the jaw jellied The Latin Kid’s legs and ended the fight. In the post-fight interview, Zayas promised to go back to the lab and return soon.
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By: Garrisson Bland and Bakari Simpson
