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By Jake Donovan - Brandon Rios made the first defense of his lightweight belt with a third round knockout of Urbano Antillon on Saturday evening at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
The official time was 2:49 of the third round.
The fight promised to be a war for however long it lasted. Even Rios was surprised by how early it ended, but nobody was shocked over how the bout came to a close.
Both fighters threw hard shots at a frantic pace from the opening bell, making for a thrilling opening round on a fight that never came close to disappointing. Power punches were flying as momentum swung back and forth, not particularly uncommon for Rios in the early going as he is by his own admission a traditionally late starter.
Antillon put that theory to the test, scoring with a massive right hand that shook Rios late in the second round.
Just when it appeared that the advertised Fight of the Year would live up to its pre-fight buildup, Rios decided to take over – and eventually end matters.
A knockdown early in the third round permanently changed the course of the bout. Antillon rose to his feet and bravely battled back, but simply lacked the firepower to hold off the determined Rios, who clearly had stoppage on his mind.
That moment would come late in the round, when Rios landed a bomb of a straight right hand. Antillon crashed face first to the canvas, but once again attempted to rise to his feet to continue. Referee David Mendoza had other ideas, waving off the bout once he recognized that the fighter was no longer capable of defending himself. [Click Here To Read More]
The official time was 2:49 of the third round.
The fight promised to be a war for however long it lasted. Even Rios was surprised by how early it ended, but nobody was shocked over how the bout came to a close.
Both fighters threw hard shots at a frantic pace from the opening bell, making for a thrilling opening round on a fight that never came close to disappointing. Power punches were flying as momentum swung back and forth, not particularly uncommon for Rios in the early going as he is by his own admission a traditionally late starter.
Antillon put that theory to the test, scoring with a massive right hand that shook Rios late in the second round.
Just when it appeared that the advertised Fight of the Year would live up to its pre-fight buildup, Rios decided to take over – and eventually end matters.
A knockdown early in the third round permanently changed the course of the bout. Antillon rose to his feet and bravely battled back, but simply lacked the firepower to hold off the determined Rios, who clearly had stoppage on his mind.
That moment would come late in the round, when Rios landed a bomb of a straight right hand. Antillon crashed face first to the canvas, but once again attempted to rise to his feet to continue. Referee David Mendoza had other ideas, waving off the bout once he recognized that the fighter was no longer capable of defending himself. [Click Here To Read More]
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