By Jake Donovan
Frank Sanchez continues his ascension as a heavyweight prospect.
The unbeaten Cuban export—now based in Las Vegas, Nev. picked up his fourth consecutive knockout win, stopping Puerto Rico’s Victor Bisbal after four one-sided rounds Saturday evening at Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minn.
Bisbal’s corner informed referee Celestino Ruiz that their charge was done for the night prior to the start of round five.
Both boxers entered the fight weighing the heaviest of their respective careers. It was out of necessity for Sanchez, whose well-proportioned 224 pounds still put him 50 pounds lighter than Bisbal, who clocked in at a fluffy 274.5 pounds. The combined 500 pounds of heavyweight action was expectedly fought at close quarters, with Sanchez often beating Bisbal to the punch but still forced to eat his share of counter right hands.
Bisbal—who represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Olympics—struggled to defend against Sanchez’s combination punching, while also struggling with wardrobe malfunctions. Time had to be called midway through round two for the 39-year old Boricua to have his trunks adjusted, a welcomed break as he was absorbing a number of long jabs through two rounds.
Bisbal enjoyed his best sequence of the fight midway through round three, recovering from a right hand to bounce off the ropes and catch Sanchez with a left hook. It was a singular moment of success, however, as Sanchez continued with his attack.
Straight one-two combinations upstairs had Bisbal reeling in round four, absorbing enough punishment to decide prior to the start of round five that he was done for the night.
The official time was 3:00 of round four.
Sanchez improves to 13-0 (11KOs) with the win, including two straight at this venue in the span of just seven weeks. Bisbal falls to 23-4 (17KOs) with the loss, snapping a modest two-fight win streak dating back to 2016.
The bout served as the televised opener of a tripleheader live on Fox. Headlining the show, Sanchez’s countryman Erislandy Lara looks to return to the title stage as he faces Mexico’s Ramon Alvarez for a secondary super welterweight title.
In other action, In an unexpected upset, Vaughn Alexander (15-3. 9 KOs) won an eight round majority decision over previously undefeated Money Powell IV (10-1, 6KOs). The scores were 76-76, 78-75 and 77-75.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
