By Ryan Burton
Las Vegas, Texas Station - Unbeaten NABF super featherweight champion Diego Magdaleno (23-0, 8 KOs) looked very impressive in stopping Antonio Davis (29-7, 14 KOs) in four rounds. The end came at the end of the fourth when Magdaleno unleashed a two-handed assualt that forced referee Joe Cortez to stop the fight.
Chants of "Diego, Diego!" filled the ballroom early and often as the fans cheered on the local fighter. Magdaleno looked to work the body early as has been his pattern in his most recent fights. Magdaleno appeared to stun Davis late in the first round just before the bell sounded.
Magdaleno picked up his pace in the second round and began to target Davis' head. He landed his left hook at will as Davis had trouble adjusting to Magdaleno's southpaw stance.
An accidental clash of heads occurred early in the third round that fortunately didn't cause any cuts. Magdaleno landed a hard right to Davis' stomach midway through the round that badly staggered him. After seeing the damage that he caused, Magdaleno targeted the body for the remainder of the round.
Magdaleno kept up the pressure in the fourth round. Towards the end of the round he landed a big right uppercut that badly hurt Davis. Magdaleno pounced on his hurt opponent as the 10 second warning went off. Cortez stopped the fight at the 2:59 mark of the fourth round when Magdaleno unloaded a barrage of punches that Davis didn't answer.
After the fight Davis praised Magdaleno. "He buzzed me real good. He hit me with a real good shot."
Magdaleno told BoxingScene that the plan all along was to go to the body. He also said that watching his brother Jessie score a second round knockout on ESPN Friday Night Fights yesterday motivated him.
"The plan was to go to the body and break him down. I really wanted a knock out. Like I've always said my brother puts a spark on me. When they put him in a fight before me it motivates me," Magdaleno stated.
Highly touted prospect Jose Benavidez (16-0) passed a tough test that he made look easy when he defeated the heavy handed Javier Loya (7-1) via fourth round knockout.
Both fighters hail from Phoenix, AZ and both had considerable support from their fans who made the five hour trek to Sin City.
Benavidez knocked his opponent down early in the first round although it was correctly ruled a slip. Benavidez boxed smartly as he respected his cross town rival's power. Loya had knocked out six of his seven previous opponents.
Loya slipped again as he nearly fell out of the ring early in the second round. Benavidez began to apply pressure, attacking Loya to his body and head and staggering him on several occasions. In the third round Benavidez cautiously stalked his opponent and also found success countering Loya, who had a considerable height and reach disadvantage.
Benavidez picked up the pace in the fourth round and finished breaking down Loya. Benavidez staggered him and then landed a barrage of punches, the last a right hook to the head that forced referee Tony Weeks to call off the fight at the 1:41 mark of the fourth round.
Popular light heavyweight prospect Mike Lee (10-0, 6 KOs) stopped Tyler Seever (13-12, 11 KOs) in two rounds. The Notre Dame boxer dropped Seever in the second with a hard right hand. Seever beat the count but he was decked for a second time with a combination that sent him down very hard, and prompted the referee to stop the fight.
Giovani Santillan (4-0) started off fast, dropping his opponent Joaquin Chavez (1-2-2) in the opening seconds of their junior welterweight fight. Chavez however was able to get to his feet. He went down again in the second round by what appeared to be a trip although it was ruled a knock down by the referee. Santillan put his foot back on the gas in the fourth and final round as he tried to finish off his outclassed opponent. Chavez displayed a lot of heart and was able to make it to the final bell. The final tallies read 40-34 three times for Santillan.
Saul Rodriguez improved to 6-0 when he defeated Jose Morales (6-4) via knockout in their featherweight fight. The stoppage occurred at the :26 mark of the third round. Both fighters started off by throwing and landing heavy shots. Rodriguez's superior power was evident early as he staggered his opponent. Just before the end of the opening round Rodriguez landed a bomb that staggered Morales who landed a good shot of his own as the bell sounded. The second and third round followed the same pattern until Rodriguez landed a vicious left hook that Morales couldn't recover from. He was attended to by ringside doctors for several moments before leaving the ring under his own power. Rodriguez is trained by Robert Garcia.
Tommy "Samurai" Turner (3-2-1) knocked out Billy Schmidt (1-2-2) at the 2:36 mark of the opening stanza of their light heavyweight fight. Both fighters began trading punches from the opening bell with Turner getting the best of the exchanges. A right hand sent Schmidt crashing hard to the canvas. Schmidt rose to his feet but was in no condition to continue and referee Joe Cortez wisely waived the fight off.
Hot super bantamweight prospect Tremaine Williams (3-0) looked sharp in defeating Jazzma Hogue (2-2-1) in the evening's opening bout. The scores were 40-36 on all three cards. Williams speed and power were on display as he continuously beat his opponent to the punch. Hogue proved he had a good chin by going the distance. Williams is managed by power broker James Prince.