Gabriel Bracero Smashes Van Staden in Three Rounds
By Mike Coppinger
Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. - In the featured bout, undefeated fan favorite Gabriel "Tito" Bracero scored a sensational one-punch knockout, ending Danie Van Staden's night at 1:08 of the third round.
Bracero dropped Van Staden (8-7, 2 KOs) of Key West, Fla. in the second, and then twice in the third, the final knockdown coming via a hard right cross that put Van Staden's lights out.
Bracero, of Brooklyn, N.Y. improved to 17-0 and scored just his third career knockout.
In a women's flyweight match, Melissa McMorrow (6-2-3, 2 KOs) defeated Keisher McLeod-Wells (4-2, 1 KO) via 8 round split decision.
Crowd favorite Seanie Monaghan (8-0, 5 KOs) of Long Beach, NY needed just 89 seconds to dispatch of Brian Bernard (10-9-2, 6 KOs), dropping him with one right hand, as the referee reached the count of 10.
In the opening bout, Travis Peterkin of Brooklyn stopped Damon Reed (2-7-1, 1 KO) in the first round. Peterkin improved to 3-0 with 3 KOs in dropping Reed thrice.
Joe Smith Jr. (7-1, 7 KOs) of Mastic, N.Y. stopped Santos Martinez (2-2, 2 KOs) of Adrian, MI in the the second round of a 179 pound bout. Time of the stoppage was 2:40.
In a middleweight slugfest, power-punching Jonathan Cepeda (11-0, 10 KOs) of West Palm Beach, Fla. stopped Rahman Yusubov (10-3, 8 KOs) of Dallas, Tex. Time of the stoppage was 31 seconds of round five.