By Jake Donovan - Antonio DeMarco's latest performance showed that a new weight class and trainer are a good fit. With Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach in his corner and a few extra pounds of muscle on his frame, the former lightweight titlist tore through Jesus Gurrola in their main event, scoring a second round knockout Saturday evening in Tijuana, Mexico.
The bout marked DeMarco's second foray above the lightweight limit, weighing just over 143 lb.
DeMarco made a statement in the opening round, which began at a measured pace but quickly picked up steam. A right hook late in the round forced Gurrola to stumble backwards, to where only the ropes prevented his fall. The sequence was correctly ruled a knockdown, with Gurrola forced to take an eight count despite his unsuccesful plea of having tripped over DeMarco's foot.
Gurrola attempted to brawl his way back into the fight in round two, but the tactic left him as a sitting duck for DeMarco's sharp-shooting tactics. Jabs were fired in repeitiion, perfectly setting up the fight ending sequence. A straight left hand floored Gurrola hard late in round two, once again taking an eight count.
