Sanchez Stops Salas In Five, Eyes Title Shot Versus Kono
By Cliff Rold
22-year old interim WBA 115 lb. titlist David Sanchez (26-2, 20 KO) of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, gave the hometown fans a good show on Saturday night at the Centro de Usos Multiples, fending off a game effort from Colombian Anuar Salas (14-3, 10 KO) with a fifth-round stoppage in a scheduled ten-round affair.
Both men weighed in at the division limit.
A big left hook wobbled Salas in round two but he fired back. They stayed nose to nose into the third round. Sanchez was getting the better of it, landing at will to the body, but Salas kept coming back with quick right hands.
The steady action continued in the fourth, Salas matching Sanchez’s aggression with some nice counter punching. His game effort wouldn’t last much longer. Using a pair of uppercuts to trap Saalas on the ropes late in round five, Sanchez unloaded with an assault to the head and body and Salas was out of answers. Dropped in the corner, Salas beat the count but his legs buckled as he stepped towards referee Porfidio Pinato and the fight was over at 2:35 of the fifth.
The full WBA titlist at 115 is Japan’s Kohei Kono. A clash between Kono and Sanchez, one would assume, will happen at some point.
The televised opener saw an undefeated prospect get a scare in Welterweight action
25-year old Rodrigo Garcia (16-0, 11 KO), 148, of Santa Ana, California, scored a third round stoppage of 27-year old Rey Martinez (27-8-1, 14 KO), 147, of Empalme, Sonora, Mexico, in a scheduled eight-round affair. A left hook from Martinez rocked Garcia and had him in trouble, but Garcia composed himself and went into the trenches. In the third, a cut ruled caused by a right hand left Martinez’s left eye a mess, drawing the doctor into the ring. Ruling the cut too severe to allow the fight to go on, Garcia was awarded the stoppage at 2:34 of round three.
The referee was Porfidio Pinato.
The card was broadcast in the US on BeIn Espanol, promoted by Zanfer.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com