By Nicolas Samuilov, photos by Ramon Cairo
Argentinean and World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior middleweight champion, former world title challenger Javier "La Bestia" Maciel, defeated ex Latino champ and Brazilian contender Anderson “Pantera” Clayton with a huge knock out in the fourth round, and for the third time he retained his WBO belt in the main event of an exciting card at Centro Deportivo Municipal (Ce.De.M.) Nº 2 of Caseros, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a presentation promoted by Argentina Boxing Promotions, of Mario Margossian.
Maciel, ranked by the WBO at #7, took his time to dominate the distance in the first three rounds with pressure and by using his left jab to the chin, his right cross and uppercuts to the jaw. But it was in the fourth when he put Clayton in a corner and discharged a strong combination with a left hook to the body and right uppercuts to the chin, than almost made the Brazilian fall. But only seconds after that, "La Bestia" ("The Beast") put him next to the ropes and, after a right cross to the jaw, he discharged a vicious left hook to the liver, that put the already defeated challenger on the canvas, making referre Nestor Burgos stop the bout.
With this result, the 28-year-old Maciel, a former WBO middleweight title challenger, retain the title he won from Brazilian Jonata Daniel De Oliveira (KO 1), on June 30th 2011 in Buenos Aires. After that, he defended it against Uruguayan Néstor Faccio (KO 1), Argentinean Esteban Ponce (KO 1), and South American champ Wilfredo Vilches (KO 1). And in his last performance, on July 20th, he scored a ten round unanimous decision over Mateo Verón, and added the Argentinean junior middleweight championship, in Escobar, Buenos Aires.
Maciel improves his record to 24 vitories (17 KOs) and 2 losses, and he is eager for his US debut, which could occur in the coming months. Clayton, a former World Boxing Council (WBC) junior middleweight champion, goes down to 39-8, 34 KOs.