By Jake Donovan
With the bout serving as little more than a placeholder for bigger things to come in 2009, Jesus Soto Karass’ only job for the night was to look spectacular. It was mission accomplished, as he unmercifully beat on faded and overmatched 6’0” journeyman Hicklet Lau en route to a second round knockout in his last ever appearance on the Telefutura Solo Boxeo circuit.
The bout aired live from the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Soto Karass fought the first round as if he were double parked, getting Lau in trouble early and never letting up. There was no feeling out process, with Soto Karass throwing well over 100 punches in the opening round, and not missing very often as he pummeled Lau along the ropes with left hooks to the body and crushing hooks and right hands upstairs.
The punishment inflicted in the first round would take a devastating toll on Lau in the second.
The bout’s lone knockdown came midway through the round, with Soto Karass landing a flush right hand on Lau’s exposed chin as the Colombian was coming in.
Lau beat the count, but his night wouldn’t last much longer or get any better. With his chin hanging in mid-air, Lau ate a follow up left hook that proved to be the beginning of the end. Soto Karass went on the attack, landing a crescendo of punches along the ropes, including a head-snapping left hook that forced referee Russell Mora to intervene.
The official time was 1:59 of round two.
Soto Karass ends 2008 and his years-long run on Telefutura with a bang as he goes 4-0 in advancing to 22-3-3 (16KO). The resurging Mexican welterweight is now unbeaten in his last 13 (11-0-2) after having lost three straight over a 13 month stretch in 2004 and 2005.
Next up is largely dependent on which direction Top Rank decides to take his career. Ranked in the Top 15 at welterweight by all four major alphabet organizations, a title fight or at least an elimination bout would conceivably on the table in 2009, as well as a lucrative payday somewhere along the way.
If his promoter has his way, then two birds could be killed with one stone. Miguel Cotto is presently rumored to return in February, and in need of a dance partner. One option was a vacant alphabet title fight against Michael Jennings, though apparently not a fight Cotto is in a hurry to grab, or at least unwilling to submit to Top Rank’s alleged deadline, which already came and went earlier this week.
Talks have already begun of a summer rematch between Cotto and his lone conqueror, Antonio Margarito. There would be no better way to head into that fight than to first take on his chief sparring partner, which just so happens to be Soto Karass.
With alphabet titlist Andre Berto presently in negotiations with mandatory challenger Luis Collazo, Cotto and Soto Karass would become the next two highest available contenders, which normally qualifies as an elimination bout.
Such a fight would be a mere insurance policy for Cotto, just in case a Margarito rematch isn’t instantly offered. That’s IF he beats Soto Karass, which is no longer the foregone conclusion it would’ve been four years ago. An upset in such a fight would put Soto Karass one step closer to a coveted title shot, as well as a much higher tax bracket.
Whatever transpires in 2009, it’s safe to say that Soto Karass is in a much better place than Hicklet Lau, who’s now lost 12 of his last 15. The Colombian beanpole falls to 20-18-2 (9KO) as he creeps one step closer toward retirement.
If there’s anything that Jose Luis Gonzalez is thankful for this weekend, it’s that 2008 is coming to a close. The year couldn’t have went any worse for the one-time junior middleweight prospect, who came up short against Joaquin Zamora in their co-feature battle.
The bout was a slugfest throughout, which wasn’t quite Zamora’s game plan. That changed late in the first when Gonzalez nailed him with a straight left-right hook combination for the bout’s lone knockdown. Zamora had boxed like a dream prior to that point, but quickly allowed himself to get caught up in a brawl.
Gonzalez remained on the attack in the second, forcing the crowd favorite Zamora into a deep hole early in the fight. Refusing to lose while performing an hour from home, Zamora turned the tide in the third and never looked back. There was plenty of back and forth throughout the bout, but with Zamora doing enough in each round to pull and stay ahead.
The final scores were closer than expected – 95-94 twice and a seemingly more accurate 97-92, but all going to the New Mexico slugger at the end of the night.
Zamora takes his 12th straight, improving to 16-2-1 (11KO) with the win. It was his second fight and victory of 2008, having scored an upset knockout over home state rival Ray Sanchez this past September on Telefutura.
Gonzalez falls to 12-5-1 (10KO), going 1-4-1 on the year.
High-octane David Proa (5-0, 5KO) continues his assault on any bantamweight brave enough to share ring with him. The Albuquerque native now has five 1st round knockouts in as many career pro fights, with Las Cruces rival Ricky Vazquez (3-2-1, 1KO) playing the latest victim.
Proa was a buzzsaw, scoring four knockdowns before referee Richard Espinosa grew tired of issuing eight counts, stopping the fight at just 2:25 of the opening round.
Junior middleweight newcomer Arturo Crespin bore a physique that suggested he inhaled a Thanksgiving turkey during training camp, but had little difficulty in jiggling past journeyman Daniel Gonzalez in their four-round swing bout. Crespin (2-0, 1KO) endured a few rough patches to otherwise outwork Gonzalez (2-4, 2KO) for most of the fight, as suggested in the final scores of 40-36 across the board.
Tonight’s show was presented by Top Rank Inc.
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
