Yonnhy Perez Makes a Statement By Stopping Mabuza
By Mark Vester
At the Springs Indoor Arena in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, bantamweight prospect Yohnny Perez (19-0, 14KOs) made a statement by stopping the experienced and always dangerous Silence Mabuza (22-3, 18KOs) in the twelfth and final round. The fight, an IBF eliminator, gives Perez a shot at the winner of the July 11 bout between champion Joseph Agbeko and challenger Vic Darchinyan.
The fight, which some said was similiar to Carl Froch's win over Jermain Taylor, saw Perez get outhustled and lose rounds as the fight cintinued on, and then from behind in the final round to stop Mabuza, who previously had only lost to former world champion Rafael Marquez.
During the twelfth round, Perez came out with knockout on his mind. He was able to land a homerun punch when his left hand caght Mabuza flush. The veteran went down like a bag of rocks. He was able to get to his feet in time, but had very little left in terms of his legs and ability to defend himself. Perez began to batter him and the ref had no choice but to jump in and stop the fight.
"My corner told me I was losing. I knew I had to throw decisive shots and try to knock him out," said Perez after the fight. "I countered him and hit him right on the button, it was not a lucky shot. He was in his hometown and we battled hard, Mabuza is a lion, but I knew some close rounds were going to go his way. I'm ready for the big challenge now."
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