By Jake Donovan
A co-feature that expected to go the distance instead became the evening's main event that would end inside of four rounds. Resurging featherweight Tomas Villa saw his bout elevated to headline status, and he didn't disappoint, dominating Gilberto Sanchez-Leon before becoming the first fighter to stop the durable Mexican, scoring a knockout in the 4th round of their scheduled ten.
The bout served as the main event for this week's Telefutura telecast, which aired live from the Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.
A favorite son of the Solo Boxeo Tecate circuit, Villa used the first two rounds to gauge his power and get a since of how well Sanchez-Leon would be able to absorb. Fighting in an outdoor venue under 100 degree temperature, it was clear that Villa didn't want to expend too much energy in the early going.
It became a moot point.
Round three would become the beginning of the end, with Villa sending Sanchez-Leon to the canvas for the first time in the bout. The knockdown was waved off, only because one of the several punches he landed in a late round flurry caught the Mexican behind his head. The referee summoned Sanchez-Leon to rise, wiped off his gloved and ordered action to resume.
Sanchez-Leon survived the round, but the fourth wouldn't be as kind. Villa was relentless with his attack, scoring a pair of knockdowns, both via body shots.
The first knockdown came early in the round, though Sanchez-Leon beat the count. A right uppercut would catch him along the ropes moments later, leaving him open for an ensuing volley from Villa punctuated by a body shot and right hand upstairs.
Sanchez-Leon actually landed a right to the body in return, but then turned to take a knee. He remained on the deck for the full ten count, as he was counted at 1:46 of round four.
Villa cruises to (20-5-4, 13KO) with the win. He is now unbeaten in his last 12 fights, all but one of which have been aired on either Telefutura or ESPN2.
A seven-fight win streak comes to an end for Sanchez-Leon who suffers the first knockout loss of his ten-year career. He revealed in the post-fight interview a cut on one of the knuckles on his left hand, which explains his fight-ending reaction after having landed a punch. Nevertheless, he falls to 18-5-2 (7KO) with the defeat.
With the co-feature becoming the main event, Christopher Martin and Gregorio Torres saw unexpected TV time in a bout that was elevated to chief support. In the end, Martin rode a sixth round knockdown en route to a well-deserved split decision in their eight-rounder.
The fight was a rematch to their four-round draw that aired just one month ago to the day on ESPN2. It's clear that no matter how many times they fight, a close affair is sure to follow.
This time around, it was Martin who asserted himself, as many believed that Torres was cheated out of victory in their first fight.
Even with the fight being as close as it was, the little things made the difference, and Martin managed to have things go his way even when it appeared that he was falling behind. The bout's lone knockdown came while Martin was under siege, only to land a counter right that put Torres on his seat late in the sixth round.
In the end, it was the knockdown that proved to be the difference between victory and a split decision draw. One judge had it 76-75 for Torres, but was overruled by scores of 76-75 and 77-74 the other way.
Martin remains unbeaten, advancing to 11-0-2 (2KO). An interesting piece of trivia for the San Diego-based super bantamweight; though only two years and 13 fights into his pro career, this bout was already his third rematch.
Torres drops to 5-2-2 (4KO). It's been a tough-stretch for the Mexican, now fighting out of Arizona. After sprinting out to 5 straight wins, including an upset over talented featherweight Dat Nguyen last summer, he has now stumbled to an 0-2-2 record over his last four.
Another match that didn't expect to see airtime featured an outcome that nobody saw coming. 37-year old journeyman Paulino Villalobos pulled off a major upset with a split decision win over previously unbeaten Jesus Ruiz in their televised swing bout.
How the judges came to that conclusion is anyone's guess.
To create a clear picture of the disparity in age; Villalobos' pro debut came in January 1989, just shy of a year before Jesus Ruiz, now 18 years old, was born.
The 37-year old Villalobos had his moments, but for the most part looked like a fighter that was in there against a kid literally half his age. Ruiz boxed smartly throughout, switching back and forth between right and lefty, and mixing up his attack with jabs and body shots, while keeping his foe guessing every step of the way.
Two of the three judges disagreed. Ruiz won on the first card 59-55, but scores of 58-56 (2x) read in favor of Villalobos, who improves to 27-39-2 (16KO) with the win, snapping a three fight win streak. It's just the third win in four years for the Mexican, having suffered 18 losses over that stretch.
It's the first loss in a still-promising career of Ruiz, who falls to 12-1-2 (11KO). The bout was his first across the border, with all 14 of his previous bouts having taken place in Mexico.
The telecast was presented by Don Chargin Productions.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com