Jordan “Shortdog” White was the top dog Saturday in Hanover, Maryland, winning a unanimous decision over Matias Romero in his ProBox TV debut.
One judge scored the 10-round junior lightweight fight a shutout, 100-89, while two judges found a round to give Romero, at 99-90, awarding White the unanimous decision victory at Maryland Live Casino.
With the victory, White, 19-1 (12 KOs), a nine-time national amateur champion from Washington, D.C., scored a victory over his most experienced opponent in Romero, 29-4 (10 KOs), an Argentinian whose three previous losses came against Robeisy Ramirez, Michel Rivera and Isaac Cruz.
White, 27, appeared to be on his way to an early finish early in the fight. Boxing behind an authoritative jab, White found the opening he was looking for in the third round with a counter left hook off a Romero right hook to the body. Romero beat the count, but his legs were badly compromised, causing him to wobble all over the ring. White remained patient and finally connected with another shot that sent Romero to the canvas again – though it was ruled to have come after the bell had sounded to end the round.
Instead of jumping on his wounded opponent, White returned to outboxing him, continuing to pop the jab and look for openings whenever Romero opened up. One of those openings materialized in the seventh round, when a left hook counter once again wobbled Romero. Romero didn’t come to lay down, however, and was able to fight back once more, landing a combination off the ropes, plus a right hand at the bell that caused White’s nose to bleed profusely.
The blood wouldn’t be a factor in the decision, but it was perhaps the break Romero needed in order to last the distance.
Romero saw his three-fight winning streak snapped, while remaining winless in the United States. White, who is rated No. 12 by the WBC at 130lbs, has now won 15 straight fights.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
