Julio Luna didn’t land the knockout but managed to get in plenty of rounds in his latest victory.
The streaking welterweight contender topped countryman Dante “Crazy” Jardon via 10-round unanimous decision. Scores were 95-93, 95-93 and 97-91 for Luna atop Miura Boxing’s DAZN offering Saturday from Sala Urbana in Naucalpan, Mexico.
Luna put his massive height and reach advantages to proper use in the opening round. An 27-year-old aspiring welterweight contender, Luna worked behind the jab, which was often enough to keep the shorter and less polished Jardon at bay. Straight right hands landed from long range for Luna, who was able to get plenty of leverage on his shots against his plodding foe.
Jardon tried to change his luck in the second round. A pro boxing veteran of nearly 20 years who turns 37 in December, Jardon was able to close the gap but failed to capitalize once he worked his way inside. In fact, it was Luna who got the better of the exchanges at close quarters. He sat in the pocket and peppered Jardon with compact combinations before opening the distance between the two.
By comparison, Round 3 featured more two-way action. Early clinching in the frame transitioned to a free flow of power punches. Luna’s more polished attack was more effective and eye-catching than Jardon’s wild left hooks over the top.
Both boxers were encouraged by the referee to let their hands go after more clinching polluted the start to Round 4. Jardon swung power shots with his arms down, often missing the mark. Luna came right down the middle with his attack but also found a home for his left hook to Jardon’s fleshy midsection. Jardon missed badly with a right and a left hook before the bell.
The action grew sloppier as the fight progressed. Jardon did his best to work it to his advantage but was often outgunned even during those sequences.
Luna continued to play the role of pure boxer, as he sensed that a knockout was not on the horizon. If nothing else, Jardon displayed a sturdy beard; he never seemed fazed by his opponent’s power (or lack thereof).
Jardon charged forward and flung punches from all angles in the eighth. His approach was a combination of desperation and his general unorthodox approach, true to his “Crazy” ring moniker. Luna settled at times for the role of counterpuncher as he sat back on the ropes and picked apart his countryman coming in.
It didn’t discourage Jardon from staying the course in the ninth. Luna was forced to contend with frequent clinches and wild power shots that Jardon attempted to land around his opponent’s guard. Time was briefly called when Jardon turned his back and stood in a corner wincing in pain from a clash of heads. Luna ended the round with a 1-2 on Jardon’s chin.
The 10th and final round saw Jardon predictably go for broke. With no hope of winning a decision, the veteran brawler tried to make things as uncomfortable as possible for his younger foe. Luna rode out those sequences and stayed the course – jabs, right hands, play defense, rinse and repeat.
It’s unclear if the end has arrived for Jardon, 36-12 (26 KOs), or if he will choose to fight on. He has now suffered four defeats in his past five starts and five over his past seven outings. He has gone the distance in every losing effort, and rarely in the sense that he is merely going rounds for the sake of hearing the final bell.
In that spirit, there will always remain a place in the sport for someone like Jardon, however long he opts to chug along.
Luna, 25-1-2 (14 KOs), has now won six in a row. His lone defeat came in a far more competitive clash with then-unbeaten Giovanni Santillan than what was suggested on two of the three cards in their August 2022 meeting in San Diego.
The distance fight snapped a three-fight knockout streak for Luna, though he still remains a welterweight to watch.
