CARSON, Calif. – Atif Oberlton has now scored 3rd round knockouts in each of his two pro fights. The latest came at the expense of Washington D.C. journeyman Larry Pryor in their light heavyweight preliminary bout Saturday afternoon at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Philadelphia’s Oberlton scored two knockdowns, the latter producing the full ten count at 0:49 of round three.
Oberlton exploited his opponent’s penchant for clowning and posing, cornering the D.C. native and flooring him late in the opening round. Pryor offered a credible account of himself prior to the late round antics, paying the price for dropping his hands just before the bell.
The sequence provided a permanent momentum shift for Oberlton, a 21-year-old southpaw who was economical with his precision punching. Pryor struggled to adapt as he was once again rocked early in round two.
Oberlton sealed the deal in round three. A body shot forced Pryor (14-24, 8KOs) to take a knee, with Oberlton getting in face before being sent to a neutral corner by referee Jack Reiss. Oberlton (2-0, 2KOs) taunted Pryor to get up and continue, only for Reiss to reach the full ten count.
The fight comes four months after Oberlton’s pro debut this past January in Los Angeles, on the undercard of IBF super middleweight titlist Caleb Plant’s 12-round shutout of Caleb Truax.
Rey Diaz enjoyed a successful U.S. debut while barely preserving his unblemished record.
Crowds began to file in as 21-year-old Rey Diaz was forced to survive a knockdown in the 4th and final round to outpoint Compton’s Sergio Gonzalez in their lightweight contest. Judges Jerry Cantu (38-37), Carla Caiz (38-37) and Dr. Lou Moret (38-37) were unanimous in awarding North Las Vegas’ Diaz with the win.
Gonzalez (3-5, 2KOs) entered the fight well intentioned, testing the heart of Diaz in the opening round. Diaz—fighting in the U.S. for the first time after having fought exclusively in Mexico—remained a step ahead the rest of the way, drawing in Gonzalez and then countering him with right hands and left hooks. The unbeaten prospect worked his jab, which proved to bail him out of a near-disastrous 4th and final round.
Action worked its way to a neutral corner, where Gonzalez was able to crack Diaz clean across the chin to produce the bout’s lone knockdown. Diaz beat the count but subsequently initiated several clinches in his best effort to clear his head. Gonzalez sought to close the show but Diaz survived the onslaught and jabbed his way to the finish line in advancing to 5-0 (2KOs).
Both bouts served as part of a four-fight non-televised undercard preceding the Showtime televised tripleheader.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox