FRESNO, Calif. – Lightweight Justin Pauldo survived a scare Saturday night.
Pauldo, of Houston, picked up a seventh-round knockout victory over Nike Theran, of Barranquilla, Colombia, in the ProBox TV main event here at the Save Mart Center. The time of stoppage was 3 minutes.
It wasn’t an easy night for the winner, though. Theran buzzed the 31-year-old Pauldo with a right hand in Round 2. Pauldo never went down, but his legs were unsteady as he went into the corner. At the end of the round, it was unclear whether Pauldo would make it another round, let alone recover – but he eventually did both.
Pauldo showed urgency as he began to break down Theran. Trained by Ronnie Shields, Pauldo targeted Theran’s body and began to walk him down. A shift in the fight occurred in the sixth round as Pauldo began to push Theran back. Theran’s corner informed referee Thomas Taylor before the start of the eighth that Theran would be unable to continue. Upon hearing the announcement, Pauldo banged his chest to celebrate the victory, but also perhaps out of excited relief after overcoming early adversity in the fight.
Pauldo is now 20-2 (12 KOs) and riding a three-fight win streak after losing to Miguel Madueno in 2024. Theran, 28, fell to 20-2 (14 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.
