Guadalupe Medina is inching closer to a title shot, and Saturday’s second-round stoppage will help her case.
Medina recorded a second-round knockout of Lillian Almaraz at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, in a junior flyweight bout. The time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 14 seconds of the round when referee Thomas Taylor intervened.
Medina, a 21-year-old from Maywood, California, dropped the 37-year-old Almaraz, of Pittsburg, California, in Round 2 with a right hand. Medina pounced and didn’t allow Almaraz a chance to recover. Their fight was a rematch of a January 2024 bout in which Medina won a majority decision. This fight was much different. Medina, coming off a split decision victory over Rubi Gutierrez in August, recorded her first stoppage victory since March 2023.
Medina now sits at 12-0 (3 KOs), while Almaraz, who entered on a two-fight win streak, dropped to 2-5.
Women’s junior featherweight Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco continues to climb her way toward a title shot.
Verduzco won an eight-round unanimous decision over Maria Salinas. The scores were 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73.
Donning Los Angeles Dodgers’ blue, Verduzco showed diversity, boxing off the back foot at times and also pressing Salinas.
Verduzco, 21, improved to 7-0 (1 KO), as she could move toward becoming a contender in 2026, while Salinas fell to 27-14-6 (7 KOs) and is on a five-fight losing streak.
Junior featherweight Adan Palma, of San Diego, knocked out Judy Flores of General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines, in the second round. The time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 43 seconds.
Palma, 24, dropped Flores in the second round on a chopping right hand. Palma sent his opponent down for the final time with a hard left hook to the body.
Palma, on a three-fight knockout streak, is now 14-0 (9 KOs). Flores, 14-6 (8 KOs), is on a four-fight losing streak, with this being his third straight knockout loss.
Junior lightweight Abel Mejia, of Orange, California, knocked out Jason Buenaobra, of Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, in the third round. The time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 33 seconds.
Mejia landed a glancing right hand that was ruled as a knockdown of Buenaobra in Round 1. Mejia trapped Buenaobra in the corner in the third round, unleashing punches as the referee called a halt to the bout.
Mejia, 22, moved to 10-0 (7 KOs), while the 31-year-old Buenaobra now has a record of 10-13-3 (4 KOs)
Junior bantamweight Diego Aviles, of Anaheim, California, won a six-round unanimous decision over Lito Dante, of Sierra Bullones, Bohol, Philippines. The three scores were 60-54.
Aviles, 19, was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career and is now 5-0 (4 KOs). The 35-year-old Dante dipped to 21-16-4 (12 KOs), but he left with the moral victory of ending Aviles’ knockout streak to start his career.
Junior lightweight Diego Dominguez, of Fontana, California, defeated previously unbeaten Abraham Morales, of Oxnard, California, via a majority decision on scores of 38-38, 39-37 and 39-37
Dominguez, 21, saw his record improve to 4-1 (1 KO), while Morales fell to 3-1 (2 KOs).
Lightweight Alejandro Alvarado, of La Puente, California, won a four-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Billy Timmons, of Cypress, California. The three judges scored the bout 40-36.
Alvarado, 20, improved to 3-0 (1 KO), while the 26-year-old Timmons took his first career loss, falling to 3-1 (1 KO).
In the opening bout, cruiserweight Jamar Talley, of Camden, New Jersey, knocked out Adam Diu Abdulhamid, of General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines, in the second round. The time of the stoppage was 2 minutes, 8 seconds. Talley dropped Abdulhamid in the second round with a right hand. Talley would stop him in the same round with a right hand to the body.
Talley, 25, is now 5-0 (4 KOs), while the 30-year-old Abdulhamid fell to 18-18 (9 KOs).
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
