By Jake Donovan

Undefeated lightweight Michael Perez enjoyed an easy night’s work in Friday evening’s Telefutura-televised main event with a third round knockout of Ira Terry at Coliseo Angel ‘Cholo’ Espada in Salinas, Puerto Rico.

Perez scored two knockdowns, the latter putting Terry down and out at 2:19 of the third round after getting nailed with a flush right hand on the chin. Terry was down for several minutes before finally coming around.

The bout was somewhat of a step up for Perez, who continues to grow into a formidable lightweight prospect. The 21-year old Jersey native passed with flying colors, as he owned the real estate for the duration of the brief affair.

Despite a deceptive knockout-to-win ratio, Perez continues to show an aggressive side, as evidenced from his no-nonsense attack from the opening bell. Generally a boxer-puncher, Perez established distance early on and kept Terry well within his punching range at all time.

The beginning of the end came towards the end of the second round, which saw the first of two knockdowns in the bout. The money shot itself wasn’t exactly a freeze-frame moment – a cupping right hand that seemed to wrap around the back of Terry’s head and almost appeared to be more push than punch.

Still, it was effective and enough to put a 10-8 round in the books – not that scores would matter.

Perez stuck to the script in the third, which was to continue to box and create openings to get Terry’s attention. Opportunity presented itself in the form of an exposed chin, prompting Perez to crash home a right hand that floored Terry hard.

The bout was immediately waved off as the referee tended to Terry, who was awake but struggling to gain control of his senses. Lying still and with his lip bloodied, the sequence perfectly framed the image of a fighter who was simply overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Perez continues to make a name for himself on his island of ancestry. The bout was his third straight in Puerto Rico, growing in popularity with each visit. The Jersey boy improves to 13-0-1 (7KO), scoring his second straight stoppage in 2011.

The one-time dream of Terry breaking the trend of his Mid-South surroundings producing more opponents than promising talent has sadly come to a crashing end. The Brighton (TN) product, who turned pro while still in high school in 2006, has now suffered his third straight knockout loss as he falls to 24-5 (14KO).

In the opening televised bout, Jhonatan Vidal (14-0, 8KO) scored a round unanimous decision over battle-tested veteran Cecilio Santos (25-18-3, 15KO). Scores were 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 in a bout that didn’t appear quite as competitive.  

Vidal was robbed of a knockdown in the eighth and final round when a sweeping left hook sent Santos reeling and eventually to the canvas. Replays supported the referee’s claim that their feet got tangled, although it was still a punch that caused the sequence.

Nevertheless, Vidal had enough rounds in the bank to preserve his undefeated record as he improves to 14-0 (8KO).Santos falls to 25-19-3 (15KO), suffering his fourth straight loss and eighth in his last nine fights in just 16 months.

In other televised action:

Featherweight newcomer Braulio Santos (2-0, 2KO) scored his second straight first-round knockout in as many fights, blasting out Felix Rivera (0-2, 0KO) in 1:42 of the opening round.

Familiar foes produced a familiar result, as Jonuel Tapia (8-1, 5KO) scored his second straight decision win over Emil Gonzalez (4-5, 3KO). Scores were 60-54 and 59-55 (twice).

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Broxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.