By Jake Donovan
Teenage rising talent Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez was relentless in scoring a fourth round stoppage over Khadaphi Proctor on Friday evening at Fantsay Springs Casino in Indio, California.
The official time was 2:24 of the fourth round.
Gomez, bases out of East L.A., forced a frantic pace from the opening bell, offering the perfect blend of activity and power. Proctor tried his hardest to keep up and remain competitive, but eventually found himself overwhelmed.
The beginning of the end came in the third, when Gomez began dialing it in. Proctor was near defenseless but actually benefitted from being knocked down, as the eight count allowed him to clear his head.
Unfortunately for the lightweight gatekeeper, it didn’t allow the fight to become any more competitive.
Gomez fought for the knockout from that point forward, firing on all cylinders as Proctor’s defense became increasingly transparent.
A punishing fourth round came to a screeching halt after a right hand and left hook left Proctor rocked and defenseless. Gomez moved in for the kill, but the referee jumped in before any more damage could be inflicted.
The 19-year young Gomez makes it an even 10-0 (8KO) with the win, his third of the year and his second straight stoppage.
Proctor snaps a three fight win streak as his record falls to 7-6-1 (0KO).
In the televised co-feature, standout super bantamweight prospect Randy Caballero (12-0, 7KO) survived his toughest test to date, taking an eight-round decision over Alexis Santiago (8-1, 2KO) in a battle of unbeaten prospects.
Scores were 80-72 (twice) and 79-73.
Santiago was persistent in his attacked, but reminded throughout the bout that it’s not wise to try to stand and trade with Caballero, who can effortlessly switch back and forth between boxing and trading. Caballero’s best moments came in counter punching opportunities, reacting to Santiago’s offense and responding with rapid fire left hook combinations.
With plenty of time to kill, newcomer Guadalupe Salcido (1-0, 0KO) was given a golden opportunity to showcase his skills. The pro debuting lightweight did just that, treating Stephen Ruvalcaba (0-5) like a punching bag over the course of their four round affair. Scores were 40-36 across the board.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
