Heavyweight and former Team USA star Ali Feliz made a perfect start to his professional career, but his opponent’s caliber made the headlines.
Feliz was signed to Top Rank after a stellar amateur career to be in contention for world titles in the future. There’s no doubt the 20-year-old has talent, but groans from fans on social media followed as his hapless foe, Anthony Woodson III, fell in two rounds.
Heavyweight Ali Feliz
“My dude came to the fight in compression under basketball shorts. Nasty work. He looks like a truck driver fighting between loads,” said one.
Another added: “They took this guy from selling hot dogs in the car park and threw some gear on him.”
Despite the detractors, Felix finished the job and moved on with a 1-0 record. There will be much stiffer tests to come for the talented youngster.
Further results from Anderson vs Merhy provided by Top Rank
Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição (18-2-1, 9 KOs) scored his first victory in two years by stopping Jose Guardado (15-2-1, 5 KOs) in the seventh round. Returning from a majority draw against Emanuel Navarrete in November, Conceição quickly demonstrated the skill disparity with rapid combos in the opening chapters.
Conceição continued volume punching in rounds five and six, which prevented Guardado from mounting an attack. And in the seventh, the Brazilian landed a left hook to the body that dropped Guardado, who rose from the canvas, only to be stopped moments later with a flurry at 2:27.
Middleweight: Julian Delgado entered the paid ranks in front of his hometown fans today. The 22-year-old, who became the first Corpus Christi native to win a national Golden Gloves title in four decades, decisioned Juan Tamez (1-1) across four rounds of sustained action. Scores: 40-36 2x and 39-37.
Featherweight: Ruben Villa IV (22-1, 7 KOs) moved one step closer to a second world title shot by decisioning Cristian Cruz (22-7-1, 11 KOs) over ten rounds to pick up the WBC Silver belt. Villa scored in the initial rounds with combinations from the outside, while Cruz found success with the body in rounds four and five. Villa retained control with constant pressure and counters in the final rounds. Scores: 98-92 2x and 97-93.
Welterweight: Corpus Christi’s John Rincon (9-0, 2 KOs) defeated Yainel Alvarez (3-4-2, 1 KO) via a six-round majority decision. Rincon worked behind a southpaw jab to land early, though he had to overcome Alvarez’s erratic offense. Alvarez pressured in the final two rounds, but it was not enough. Scores: 57-57, 58-56, and 59-55.
Abdullah Mason
Lightweight: 20-year-old phenom Abdullah Mason (13-0, 11 KOs) delivered a resounding fourth-round TKO against Ronal Ron (14-6, 11 KOs). Mason landed a flawless left hand that floored Ron while attempting a left hook. A Mason left to the solar plexus dropped Ron for a second time. He stepped on the throttle in the fourth and ended matters at 1:02 of the round.
Junior Lightweight: Filipino Olympian Charly Suarez (17-0, 9 KOs) tallied a skillful unanimous points verdict following eight rounds against Louie Coria (15-7, 7 KOs). Coria worked off a good jab and occasionally landed sharp uppercuts, but he was overwhelmed by sudden left hooks and right hands from Suarez. Coria scored a knockdown at the final bell, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Scores: 77-74 2x and 76-75.
Junior Lightweight: Texas native Alejandro Guerrero (13-4, 10 KOs) upset Jalen Walker (12-1-1, 10 KOs) by flooring him twice before forcing Walker’s corner to halt the action at 1:36 of the seventh. Guerrero, who snapped a four-fight losing skid, was dropped in the sixth before regaining the momentum in the seventh. He was ahead on all three cards, 56-55, at the time of the stoppage.
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