Rene Tellez Giron Stops Alex Dilmaghani; Benjamin Johnson Wins Pro Debut

Giron and Dilmaghani were both a few fights removed from their last losses. For Giron, that defeat came about a year ago, when he dropped a majority decision to Jose Matias Romero in Romero’s home country of Argentina. Dilmaghani, meanwhile, had suffered a 12th-round stoppage against Samir Ziani back in September 2020.

Dilmaghani had only fought twice since, taking a year and a half off before returning in April 2022, then appearing again in January 2023. Neither victory was against notable opposition. Dilmaghani was returning from another long layoff, and he had come in at 132 pounds while Giron tipped the scales at 136.25 pounds.

Giron had otherwise been active since that loss to Romero, scoring a ninth-round TKO of a 14-9-3 foe last December and then outpointing the 17-1 George Acosta in February.

And active is what Giron was against Dilmaghani, preferring the role of aggressor.

In the second round, Giron came forward and attempted to lace shots around Dilmaghani’s high guard. The third round saw Dilmaghani trying to work behind the jab but not wholly committing to it, therefore leaving him unable to prevent Giron from coming inside. Giron backed Dilmaghani to the ropes and landed a couple of hard right hands. Dilmaghani responded with a right uppercut, a left cross and a body shot. Giron forced Dilmaghani to the ropes in the final moments and capitalized with some heavy artillery.

Giron again got Dilmaghani to the ropes in the fourth; Dilmaghani sought to fight back. And when the roles were reversed, with Giron’s back on the ropes, he was still the one landing a hard shot instead. Dilmaghani assumed the role of aggressor to start the fifth, though he wasn't overly effective in that role. Giron was soon coming forward again and continued to load up on heavy punches.

Dilmaghani wisely tried to move and limit his engagements in the sixth. Giroz worked to trap him in corners and against the ropes so he could let his hands go. Dilmaghani would enter exchanges in those moments but wanted those moments to be merely, well, momentary, moving away the moment an opening presented itself. The round closed with Giron pummeling Dilmaghani to the body.

The seventh saw more of Giron pursuing Dilmaghani. And when the 10-second warning sounded, Giron again let his hands go to punctuate the round. The ref waved his hands as Dilmaghani returned to his corner.

Giron, a 25-year-old from Queretaro, Mexico, is now 20-3 (13 KOs). Dilmaghani, a 32-year-old from Manchester, England, is now 20-3-1 (7 KOs).

Also on the broadcast undercard, Rianna Rios defeated Mary Romero by unanimous decision in a women’s bantamweight fight with the WBA’s “international” title bauble on the line.

The scores were 78-73 (twice) and 79-72. Romero came forward for much of the fight, while Rios worked to dodge and land in-between the incoming shots.

Rios, a 29-year-old who lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, improved to 8-0 (1 KO). Romero, a 38-year-old from Murcia, Spain, fell to 10-6 (2 KOs).

Welterweight prospect Benjamin Johnson was able to make it an early night in his first foray into the paid ranks, taking out Michael Williams via first-round technical knockout. Johnson scored two knockdowns. Williams visited the canvas the third time from what was properly ruled a push, but the referee didn’t like what she saw as Williams rose and called a halt to the bout.

Johnson is a 19-year-old from Springdale, Maryland, who stands 6-foot-1. He is now 1-0 (1 KO). Williams, a 42-year-old from Las Vegas, is now 2-3 (1 KO).

Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.