LAS VEGAS – Xavier Martinez patiently waited all night to almost instantly deliver one of the knockouts of the year.
The junior lightweight prospect spectacularly knocked out Jessie Cris Rosales just 21 seconds into the first round of their scheduled 10-rounder Friday night at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall. A left-right combination by Martinez left Rosales sprawled out on the canvas.
He attempted to get up, but referee Vic Drakulich quickly stopped their “ShoBox: The New Generation” main event. A disoriented Rosales stumbled around the ring once he reached his feet, and eventually fell again.
The 22-year-old Martinez (15-0, 11 KOs), a junior lightweight prospect from Sacramento, California, delivered his second straight impressive knockout on “ShoBox.” Martinez, who’s promoted by Floyd Mayweather, stopped another Filipino fighter, John Vincent Moralde, in the third round April 5 at Sam’s Town.
The Philippines’ Rosales lost a third straight fight and was knocked out for the second time in the past nine months. Newly crowned WBO featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson stopped Rosales in the fourth round of their January 18 bout in Verona, New York.
Rosales (22-4-1, 10 KOs) also lost an eight-round split decision to Tyler McCreary on July 19 in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.