Yahir Frank literally didn’t waste any time to punch his way into the year-end categories.
A late double entry for Upset of the Year and Knockout of the Year was produced in Mexico as Frank flattened countryman Argi Cortes with the only punch thrown in their fight. A left hook put Cortes on his back, and his incoherent state prompted an immediate stoppage at just 14 seconds into the contest Saturday evening at Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, Mexico.
Mexico City’s Cortes, 28-5-2 (11 KOs), had been on a nice roll since his September 2023 unanimous decision defeat of then-WBO 115lbs titlist Junto Nakatani. A two-time title challenger, Cortes had won three in a row heading into Saturday’s TV Azteca/ESPN Knockout main event. He was also a considerable favorite to prevail and head into another title fight at some point in 2026.
His underrated foe had other ideas.
Frank, 18-1 (12 KOs), hadn’t fought since a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Jayr Ranquinel last October 12 in his Hermosillo hometown. This bout didn’t come close to lasting long enough to suggest whether he had any ring rust.
The only delay in getting to the end was the bout beginning. Both fighters were in the ring for several minutes before they were formally announced by the ring announcer and summoned to center ring.
Once the bell sounded, Frank went to work. He stepped forward and uncorked a left hook that immediately froze Cortes before he fell flat onto the canvas. The referee moved in and officially ruled a knockdown but waved off the contest without issuing a count.
The win is by far the quickest of Frank’s career. His only other stoppage coming close to requiring that little time was in his pro debut, which he won in just 27 seconds. It is also his first knockout since November 2023, as he has gone the distance in each of his previous three starts.
Cortes suffered his first stoppage defeat. In addition to going 12 rounds with Nakatani, he also went the distance in his September 2022 thriller with then-lineal 115lbs champion Juan Francisco Estrada, who won via narrow unanimous decision.
Undercard: Jorge Garcia resumes winning ways
Saturday’s show also featured the return of former title challenger Jorge Garcia, 34-5 (26 KOs), who stopped local junior middleweight Edgardo Velazquez, 16-3 (16 KOs), in the sixth round.
A flurry of punches had Velazquez defenseless against the ropes, which forced the referee to intervene and stop the bout at 1 minute, 50 seconds into Round 6.
Los Mochis’ Garcia was fighting for the first time since his 12-round unanimous decision defeat to Xander Zayas in their July 26 vacant WBO 154lbs title fight in New York City. Just three months prior to the setback, Garcia propelled himself into title contention with a split decision win over Charles Conwell in Oceanside, California.
The win over Velazquez was also Garcia’s first appearance on home soil since a 10-round near shutout of Kudratillo Abdukakhorov last December 14 at Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana.
Also on the show, Dubiel Sanchez, 22-2-3 (17 KOs), and Chester Parada, 15-4-2 (11 KOs), fought to a split decision draw after eight spirited rounds.
Scores were 77-75 Sanchez, 77-75 Parada and 76-76 to produce the stalemate. The sense among most viewers was that Mexico City’s Parada – a regular on DAZN through Mariana Caballero’s Miura Boxing series on the platform – deserved the nod.
