By Joe Harrison
On Friday night, at the Congress Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, light heavyweight prospect Tavoris Cloud (16-0, 15 KOs) stayed undefeated by viciously knocking out another knock-out artist, Jose Luis Herrera (14-4, 14 KOs), in the fifth round of their ten-round contest. Both boxers landed significant punches throughout the fight, but Cloud was in complete control as he turned the tides toward his favor.
In the first couple rounds, Cloud worked his jab as Herrera circled the ring, connecting his punches to the face of Cloud. By the end of the second round, Cloud had found his killer instinct as he began to overwhelm Herrera with a series of punches and combinations.
In the third round, Cloud was the predator as he stalked Herrera around the ring, imposing his will and looking to demolish his opponent. Even as Herrera was gorged by Cloud’s fists, he was still game as he was able to dodge many of Cloud’s punches and connect shots of his own. Once again, it wasn’t until the end of the round when Cloud’s fists found the target on Herrera’s face repetitively, however the bell would save Herrera from the onslaught.
In the fourth round, it was more of the same as Cloud pursued Herrera around the ring, looking to develop an attack. Herrera was still able to land his punches on Cloud, and this became evident when a cut appeared above Cloud’s left eye, creating a stream of blood down his left check. Cloud seemed unshaken as he continued to pressure Herrera.
In the fifth round, Cloud seemed more aggressive than ever as he bombarded Herrera with a serried of hooks and uppercuts, backing Herrera against the ropes. Suddenly, Cloud unleashed a perfect uppercut under the jaw of Herrera, sending him down to the canvas. The official time of the knockout was 1:45 of the fifth round.
After the battle, Cloud expressed his pleasure over his performance and the outcome.
“I was cut, but it wasn’t bothering me,” said Cloud. “I’m a real fighter. Even when blood was dripping in my eye, I wasn’t really phased by it.”
“He was game, but God blessed me with the power to get him out of there, so I got him out of there. I was winning the fight either way.”
Cloud also revealed his future plans and intentions.
“I’m ready to step up in class,” said Cloud. “First, I’m just taking some time off, let the cut heal, and then I’ll be back. This won’t stop me.
“The WBC champion, the WBA champion, the IBF champion, and the WBO champion, I want all of them. Anyone who has a title, I want to go up against them. I’m coming to get them.”
“Just keep watching.”
In the main event, super featherweight Guadalupe Rosales (25-1, 15 KOs) swept all ten rounds against Marcos Licona (24-10-1, 9 KOs) on all three judges scorecards. Although the bout was very one-sided, it was filled with action as both boxers exchanged frequently.
In the first round, Rosales outclassed Licona as he pulverized his punches against Licona’s face. Filled with confidence, Rosales mocked Licona as he stretched his arms out begging for action, sometimes even dropping his hands to his sides.
Going into the middle rounds, there were many exchanges, but Rosales continued to land the cleaner and more effective punches. Licona refused to falter away even though his occasional connections appeared to have little effect on Rosales.
In the seventh round, Licona landed a beautiful left hook to the jaw of Rosales, momentarily staggering him. Seizing the moment, Licona backed Rosales against the ropes pounding away at his body and face. Eventually, Rosales turned things around and regained control of the fight.
The final rounds were more of the same as Rosales beat down on Licona, but failed to send him downward. On the final scorecards, Judge John McCarthy, Judge Mauro DiFiore, and Judge Mike Fitzgerald all scored 100-90 in favor of Guadalupe Rosales.
Other results from the fight card:
Middleweights Johnny Suarez (0-0-1, 0 KOs) and Eric Clinton (0-1-1, 0 KOs) fought to a majority draw in their four-round contest.
Cruiserweight Deividas Nekrasas (3-0, 3 KOs) knocked out Dustin Hendrick (1-1, 0 KOs) at the official time of 2:26 in the 2nd round.
In the final bout, super middleweight Gerald Taylor (1-0, 1 KO) made his pro debut by scoring a TKO over Nick Montalvo (2-2, 1 KO) at 1:01 f the third round.
