Raul Curiel began what he hopes is a very active 2024 with a methodical destruction of Elias Diaz on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Mexican welterweight prospect dropped Elias Diaz late in the fifth round, continued to beat him up thereafter and stopped Diaz in the eighth round of their scheduled 10-rounder on the Vergil Ortiz Jr.-Fredrick Lawson undercard at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Referee Michael Ortega halted the action after Curiel cracked Diaz with a left uppercut and a left hook that knocked Diaz into the ropes a little more than a minute into the eighth round of the opener of DAZN’s four-fight stream.
Ortega officially stopped their bout 1:06 into the eighth round.
Guadalajara’s Curiel (14-0, 12 KOs), who represented Mexico at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, has won nine straight bouts by knockout or technical knockout. The 29-year-old Diaz (12-2, 7 KOs), of National City, California, lost inside the distance for the first time in 14 professional fights.
In the round before Ortega decided Diaz had taken too much punishment, a clubbing right hand by Curiel knocked Diaz into the ropes with just under 50 seconds to go in the seventh round. Curiel connected with another right hand to the side of Diaz’s head with under 10 seconds on the clock in the seventh round.
Curiel nailed Diaz with a left hook that knocked him into the ropes a minute into the sixth round. Diaz did his best to survive as Curiel stalked him for the remainder of the sixth round.
Curiel continued to catch Diaz with hard rights and left hooks to the body in the fifth round. He drilled Diaz with a right hand that dropped him with less than 10 seconds remaining in the fifth round.
Diaz got up and the bell rang before the action could resume. Swelling surrounding Diaz’s left eye made it difficult for Diaz to see in the fifth round.
A sweeping left hook and then a right hand by Curiel wobbled Diaz with just under 1:50 on the clock in the fourth round. Diaz bled from a cut over his left eye at that point in the fight and seemed to start fading.
Diaz provided some resistance during the third round, but Curiel landed an overhand right and then a right uppercut as Diaz moved into the ropes toward the end of the third round. Diaz was forced to hold on once Curiel cracked him with that uppercut.
Curiel clipped Diaz with a right hand as Diaz pulled straight back with just over 40 seconds remaining in the second round. A left hook by Curiel knocked Diaz off balance barely a minute into the second round.
Curiel caught Diaz with a left hook and then a right hand after Diaz moved toward the ropes as the first round drew to a close. Curiel’s right hand landed with about 50 seconds to go in the opening round.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
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