By James Blears

 

WBC Light Flyweight Champion Edgar Sosa proved he can sting like a bee as well as be as busy as one, with a seventh round TKO over Filipino number-one challenger Juanito Rubillar in Mexico City's Arena.

 

In the seventh, Edgar trapped Juanito three times on the ropes. The first time Juanito managed to bravely fight his way out of trouble. But the heavy barrage resumed and a clouting body shot had him back on the rack, and Edgar moved in to end it. He caught Juanito with a flurry of punches to the head just after the lights came on, warning there were just ten seconds left in the round. The referee stepped in with just six seconds left, when Juantio's head sagged and he was in no position to defend himself. 

 

It had been a thrilling blood and guts competion. The guts was that cracking left to the liver of Juanito. The blood flowed from a deep cut above and slightly to the side of Edgar's right eye, following a clash of heads in the third. By the fourth, Edgar was finding his range, but was getting caught by well timed right leads from his stubborn southpaw opponent. Both were trading body shots, but Edgar's were doing the most damage and there was a palpable sense of urgency as the blood flow was increasing.

 

Edgar stepped up the pressure a number of notches in the sixth and Juanito's three months of hard training plus his fighting heart kept him firing back. But Edgar's long rights were catching him and he finally buckled right at the end of the seventh.

 

This is Edgar's seventh defense in nineteen-months since defeating Brian Viloria for the title, and it was his most spectacular, but he's going to need a good rest and a time to heal up, as this was a tough one.

 

The King crowned the Duke, when Reyes "El Rey" Sanchez TKO'd Orlando "El Duke" Membreño from Nicaragua with just three seconds of the sixth round remaining. The Continental Championship of the Americas Lighweight bout was keenly fought. Orlando fought fiercely and scored well with some punishing body shots. But Reyes often kept him at bay with a weathervane left which measured him for lightning long straight rights.

 

Before the opening, Reyes green hornet mask was good for laughs from the crowd, who then cheered him on in the bout, as he connected with a high proportion of accurate punching, coloring Orlando's face, who returned the compliment by making Reyes' nose bleed quite heavily. Better technique, longer reach and heavier punching and superior hand speed won it for Reyes.

 

Mariana Juarez retained her WBC International flyweight belt with a workwomanlike ten round scrap, which resulted in a unanimous decision, against stocky hewn and determined Esmeralda Moreno. Mariana won it with superior boxing skills, but too often got tangled up in a telephone booth style brawl with her shorter opponent, who often chased her down with grim determination. Mariana didn't use her height and reach advantages and although she landed the clearer punches and more frequently, she herself got cuffed around the head to a fair degree.  Esmeralda lost, but won cheers with her gutsy walk forward "Pier Nine" style.

 

Lightweight prospect Daniel Estrada continues to impress. He KO'd  Jose Luis Rodriguez in two minutes and thirty-seven seconds of the opening round. Tall Daniel who looked lean and ripped, tore into the hapless Jose Luis with long left leads and powerful short rights, which felled him. Daniel finished it with a looping left hook to the jaw, after hardly breaking sweat.