Jorge Paez Jr. Stops Francisco Fuentes In Nine Rounds
Jan 26, 2013 • 10:47 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
Jorge Paez Jr. picked up his seventh straight win with a ninth round stoppage of Francisco Fuentes in their main event Saturday evening in Morelia, Mexico.
The fight ended much better than it began for Paez Jr, who looked sluggish (and fleshy) in the early rounds. Fuentes outworked the famous fighting offspring en route to winning the first three rounds, but failed to maintain momentum.
Paez Jr. finally hit his stride in round four and never looked back. The second-generation boxer pulled a clean sweep from that point onward, threatening to end the fight in a two-knockdown sixth round that saw Fuentes nearly counted out.
The end eventually came early in the ninth round. Fuentes hit the deck for the third time in the fight. He struggled to rise to his feet during the mandatory eight count, at which point the referee decided the fighter was in no condition to properly defend himself any longer.
The official time was 0:36 of round nine.
Paez Jr. advances to 34-4-1 (20KO), picking up his first stoppage win in nearly a year after having struggled to close decision wins in each of his past two contests.
Fuentes snaps a four-fight win streak as he falls to 16-4-1 (13KO).
UNDERCARD
Felipe Orucuta scored a first-round stoppage over Filipino journeyman Fernando Lumacad.
The fight never really had a chance to get going, as Orucuta was fighting at a measured pace while Lumacad remained on the outside. A jab and short left hook was enough for the visiting fighter to find a soft spot on the canvas and lie down, as neither shot appeared particularly knockout worthy.
Nevertheless, a ten-count was reached at 2:16 of round one.
Orucuta picks up his eighth straight win - all by knockout - as he improves to 27-1 (23KO). His lone loss came just over two years ago, dropping a razor-thin decision to now unbeaten contender Daniel Rosas in a prospect-based TV Azteca tourmament.
Lumacad has now lost three of his last four as he falls to 27-6-3 (12KO).
Junior flyweight prospect Francisco Rodriguez Jr. picked up his fourth straight win with a 3rd round knockout over veteran Manuel 'El Chango' Vargas.
Rodriguez Jr. (10-1, 8KO) won the opening two rounds before laying on the heat in the third. The referee was a bit quick on the trigger, though Vargas (33-11-1, 10KO) was in retreat and not throwing back when the fight was stopped at 0:44 of round three.
Local flyweight Ismael Garnica won a four-round unanimous decision over Jaime Jimenez. An opening round knockdown set the tone for Garnica (4-2, 1KO), who was in the lead for the entire bout but forced to work every step of the way. Jimenez (0-2) fought hard, though forced to settle for a moral victory in lasting the distance.
All bouts aired live on TV Azteca.
Jake Donovan is the Boxingscene.com Managing Editor, Records Keeper for Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
