By Jake Donovan
Another main event, another quick night for fast-tracked 154 lb. contender Erislandy Lara.
The former amateur standout scored his second straight first-round knockout, this one coming against journeyman Willie Lee on Wednesday night at the Civic Center in Monroe, Louisiana.
The bout - scheduled for ten but barely lasted more than half of a round - served as the main event of a special edition of ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights.
Few expected anything in the form of a competitive fight, but this was one over literally moments after it began. Lara came out fast and furious, determined to make another statement after having drawn criticism in past fights for lacking killer instinct.
There was no such concern on this night. Lara had knockout on his mind all the way, and introduced Lee to the canvas with a pair of straight lefts early in the fight. Lee took the full mandatory eight count and braved on, but offered nothing to keep the rising Cuban talent off of him.
The bout’s end came moments later, when Lara pinned Lee along the ropes and unleashed with a barrage of punches. Lee showed no resistance, leaving the referee no choice but to intervene.
Lara advances to 13-0 (8KO) with the win, already his fourth of 2010. Lee, once a serviceable journeyman, drops his second straight as he falls to 17-6 (11KO).
It was around this time last year when Lara’s handlers insisted that their fighter would be challenging for a major 154 lb. title by year’s end. His rise in competition late last year and earlier this year suggested such a career path, posting wins over Luciano Perez, Grady Brewer and Danny Perez all in a span of five fights.
His competition level has since dropped, perhaps for the purpose of providing more highlight reel moments after being taken ten rounds against the aforementioned trio.
UNDERCARD
Yordanis Despaigne continues his ambitious climb from newcomer to title contender, looking solid – if not particularly exciting - in his unanimous decision win over Frank Paines in a battle of undefeated light heavyweights that served as the evening’s co-feature.
Despaigne, a member of the 2004 Olympic boxing squad, fought at a measured pace in the opening round but turned up the heat in the second. A pair of left hooks led to the bout’s lone knockdown, sending Paines to the canvas early in the round. Paines, born in France but based out of Colombia, beat the count, but was caught with another left hook later in the round, though he managed to avoid once again going down.
Just as it appeared that Despaigne would cruise to victory, adversity came in the form of an accidental headbutt that left the Cuban with a bad cut just over his right eye. The wound served as motivation for Paines, who picked up the pace though with little success. Despaigne sensed his opponent would become anxious, and decided to box and move for the rest of the round to avoid further damage.
The cut would never truly become a factor, as Despaigne went back to business in the very next round. Paines remained game, but also reached a point where he was content to go ten rounds in what served as his first fight in nearly two years.
The reading of the scorecards was academic, with all three judges ruling in favor of Despaigne by scores of 100-89, 99-90 and a surprisingly close 96-93.
Despaigne advances to 7-0 (4KO) with the win, while Paines suffers the first loss of his pro career, falling to 11-1 (10KO).
Despaigne isn’t as active as your average prospect, but is taking on advanced competition for a fighter just 14 months into the pro game. His last fight prior to Wednesday night came this past May, taking a unanimous decision over former light heavyweight title challenger Richard Hall.
His team has talked of hopes to fight for a world title by the end of his second year as a pro. It may sounds crazy for a guy with only seven fights, but also makes sense considering the Cuban defector is already 30 years old and is far more seasoned than his record would otherwise suggest.
With time to kill thanks to Lara’s early night, welterweight newcomer Yordenis Ugas gained unexpected airtime. His bout turned out to be as much of a mismatch as was the case with his countryman, scoring a second round stoppage over Marqus Jackson.
Ugas had his way with Jackson (2-2, 2KO), pounding on the Atlanta native in the opening round before dropping and subsequently stopping him at 1:23 of the second round.
The win advances Ugas – a bronze medalist for Cuba in the 2008 Summer Olympics – to 3-0 (2KO), having only turned pro one month ago.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
