Humberto Soto Outpoints Buelvas, Pursues Title Shot

The bout was a rough-and-tumble affair, requiring constant intervention from the referee to disrupt rough tactics from both fighters. Some of the action necessitated involvement from the third man, while there were other occasions where Buelvas flopped well enough to pass for an NBA player.

Soto struck first, flooring Buelvas early in the opening round. The sequence marked the lone knockdown of the bout, but not even close to the only time Buelvas was on the canvas. It was enough to jump out to an early lead and stay ahead, with the final outcome never in doubt, even at this stage of his career.

With the win, Soto advances to 64-8-2 (35KO). Buelvas heads back to Colombia with his first loss in nearly two years as he falls to 15-2-1 (9KO). 

A former champion at super featherweight and lightweight, Soto sought a third championship at 140. The dream still remains intact, even though he hit a major bump in the road two years ago when he was stopped in five rounds by Lucas Matthysse. Six wins have followed for Soto, who celebrated his 34th birthday in May. 

The bout aired live on Televisa in Mexico, and was also streamed live on WBCBoxing.tv.

UNDERCARD

Rey Vargas remained perfect after scoring a 6th round stoppage of Vergel Nebran (12-8-1, 8KO) in the televised co-feature. Vargas, a promising 23-year old prospect in the super bantamweight division, advances to 20-0 (17KO), having now scored his 2nd straight knockout.