Anthony Olascuaga seemed fine with his previous performance until he saw the postfight reaction that expressed disappointment over his going the distance.
Olascuaga, the defending WBO 112lbs titlist, was adamant about leaving a lasting impression this time around. It was mission accomplished – and settled in front of the sport’s most powerful players – as Olascuaga took out Juan Carlos Camacho inside two rounds.
A barrage of punches forced the stoppage at 2 minutes, 36 seconds of Round 2 in a DAZN main event Thursday evening from Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The bout landed squarely in the heart of the biggest fight week of the year. Vegas will play host to the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence “Bud” Crawford undisputed super middleweight championship fight this Saturday on Netflix from nearby Allegiant Stadium. That event, as well as Thursday’s show, were presented by boxing financier Turki Alalshikh.
Olascuaga came into town with plenty to prove. Although Olascuaga is based in Los Angeles, the show marked his first fight in the US since 2022 and his first-ever headliner anywhere in the world. His previous five bouts were all staged in Japan, presented by his co-promoter Teiken Promotions. (Olascuaga is also promoted by All Star Boxing.)
The 26-year-old titleholder Olascuaga – known in coach Rudy Hernandez’s gym as “La Princesa” – looked like royalty in his third defense of the WBO flyweight title he claimed just 14 months ago.
Puerto Rico’s Camacho fared well in the opening round. A first-time title challenger and gym mate of lineal and unified strawweight champ Oscar Collazo, Camacho came in with a glossy record versus soft opposition, but he moved well around the ring and was successful in catching Olascuaga with effective shots from the outside.
That changed in a hurry in the second round.
Olascuaga saw a three-fight knockout streak halted in his 12-round unanimous decision over former two-time champ Hiroto Kyoguchi on March 13 in Tokyo. It was a gut-check performance, though there were some viewers – including many of his own fans – who left unsatisfied after growing accustomed to his not leaving fights in the hands of the judges.
A focal point in this camp was – while still focusing on fighting defensively – to also perform in a manner that would see Olascuaga resume his knockout ways.
Olascuaga began to target the body of Camacho, who quickly realized he was at a major disadvantage once the boxing transitioned into fighting. As much was detected by Olascuaga, who cracked his challenger with a right hand to the chin midway through the round.
Camacho attempted to fight back, as he knew he had to land something to earn Olascuaga’s respect. Wide left hooks barely found the mark, and Olascuaga walked through the punches to pummel Camacho along the ropes.
A brief break in the action delayed the inevitable, but Olascuaga immediately resumed his power attack. A swarm of power shots left Camacho, 19-2 (8 KOs), defenseless against the ropes, at which point referee Harvey Dock waved off the contest.
“I connected with a right hand and saw that I hurt him,” Olascuaga said after his fifth straight win. “I landed an uppercut, then a flurry. He got hurt and that was it.”
Camacho’s 14-fight unbeaten streak was snapped with the defeat.
Olascuaga claimed the WBO 112lbs title in a third-round knockout of Riku Kano on the road last July 20 at Kokugikan in Tokyo. The bout came on the undercard of his training mate and three-division champion Junto Nakatani, as did his first-round knockout of Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez last October 14 at nearby Ariake Arena.
Olascuaga’s abovementioned victory over Kyoguchi was the co-feature to a flyweight unification bout featuring Kenshiro Teraji, his lone career conqueror. The two met in April 2023, when Olascuaga replaced Gonzalez on less than two weeks’ notice, dropping down in weight as well for a shot at Teraji’s lineal, WBA and WBC 108lbs championship. Olascuaga was stopped in the ninth round but was rewarded for his bravery with additional opportunities overseas.
Teraji went on to win the WBC and WBA flyweight titles, the latter belt acquired in a 12th-round knockout of Seigo Yuri Akui on the March 13 show.
Olascuaga’s goal was to meet in a rematch, this time with a full training camp and for three flyweight titles. Teraji was dismissive of the idea and instead faced Ricardo Sandoval, who pulled off a stunning upset win earlier this summer.
Sandoval is also based in California and – in the mind of Olascuaga – presents a clearer path to his quest for undisputed flyweight supremacy.
“Man, I want to unify,” Olascuaga directly stated. “I’m hungry. People say belts don’t matter – belts matter. I showed it [Thursday night].”
