By Rick Reeno
Texas Station Casino, Las Vegas - Chris Avalos (22-2, 16KOs) won a ten round unanimous decision over Drian Francisco (24-2-1, 19KOs) to capture the vacant NABO super bantamweight title. The scores were 96-94, 97-93, 97-93.
After a close first, the leather started flying the second. Near the end of the fourth, Avalos clipped Francisco good and rallied with a series of punches as the Filipino boxer was caught against the ropes. They both hand moments with hard exchanges in the fifth.
They were trading leather in the next few rounds, with Francisco throwing some of the weirdest looking punches since Emmanuel Augustus was fighting. They started the ninth with a big exchange. Avalos was landing the more telling blows due to Francisco's reactions to the punches. He looked very tired and started taking some damage at the end. Avalos dominated tenth, as Francisco did what he could to hang on until the final bell.
In a battle of undefeated junior middleweights, Glen Tapia (19-0, 12KOs) stopped Abie Han (19-1, 12KOs) after eight rounds of a bloody war, and captures the NABO 154-pound title.
Tapia had Han in trouble and taking damage in the first round. He was drilling Han with both hands, as he pressed him against the ropes. Han came out in the second, with his face already showing damage, trying to change the tide. Han was doing well in the third, with Tapia staging a strong rally in the final 20 seconds.
In the fourth, there was a bad clash of heads that opened up a cut on the left side of Han's head. The two fighters were trading big shots in the final minute of the fourth. In the fifth, Han came on strong and started grinding Tapia down. In the final ten seconds, Tapia appeared to be worn down and possibly on the verge of going down.
After a tough sixth, Tapia came back hard in the seventh. Tapia had Han ready to go, cut him above the left eye and scored a knockdown after a shot nearly sent Han through the ropes. Tapia started the eight by going to the body. Hand was still in the fight and trying to turn things around. Han's cuts were bleeding heavy and made the fight a bloodbath.
Before the start of the ninth, the ringside doctor had seen enough and stopped the fight due to Han's physical condition.
Super featherweights Pedro Toledo (2-0-1, 0KO) and Carlos Gonzalez (1-3) fought to a two round no decision after Gonzalez, who is trained by Daniel Ponce De Leon, suffered a bad cut on the middle of his forehead, from a head clash, and the fight was stopped by the doctor in the second.
Super featherweight prospect Toka Kahn-Clary (6-0-1, 5KOs) beat down Pedro Torres (5-6-2, 4KOs), scoring a knockdown in the first, two more in the second and then finishing him off in the closing seconds before the bell rang to start the third.
Super middleweight prospect Jesse Hart (7-0, 6KOs) dropped Eddie Hunter (8-9-2, 2KOs) twice for a second round TKO victory. Hunter was dropped at the end of the first, and then went down again in the second. He made it up but referee Jay Nady felt he was in no condition to continue.