Boxing News Boxing News
Former WBO Welter titlist Tony Lopez headlined the Top Rank/8Count Productions card broadcast on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo program from Cicero, IL on Friday night and the seasoned light middle from Durango, Mexico faced slick strategist Vinroy Barrett. The Jamaican native didn’t make things easy for Lopez as Barrett refused to trade blows for much of the bout but rather used movement, showboating and generally negative tactics to frustrate both the crowd and Lopez. On sporadic occasions Lopez found his running rival with bracing single shots but the Jamaican would dance or grab his way out of trouble.
Eventually Barrett slowed down and held his own during the exchanges with the Mexican left hook artist. The dramatic last round featured Lopez cornering Barrett and lacing his irritating adversary with genuine ill will before shaking the Jamaican with a terrific right hand. After the ref broke the resulting clinch, Lopez tried to nail Barrett on the break and had a point taken away for his efforts.
During the closing seconds of the bout, the elusive man from Kingston stunned a charging Lopez with a series of riveting right hands that had “Maestrito” holding on for dear life as the tenth round came to a close.
Barrett gave away far too many rounds in his efforts to tire the hammer fisted Lopez and drops to 21-4 (11). Lopez won the bout by way of well deserved unanimous decision and climbs to
48-4-2 (37).
The main undercard bout was the opener and featured welterweights Gilbert Venegas and Steve Vincent. Venegas, of East Moline, IL, was able to land a lead right hand almost at will as the taller Vincent remained upright and proved unable to keep his opponent at the end of the jab.
The first three rounds featured good two way action but Venegas wore down Vincent with each right hand landed. The fourth started well for St. Louis native Vincent until he was caught with a searing left hook, right hand sequence that left him frozen momentarily. Venegas didn’t miss the opportunity to jump on his reeling victim and rake Vincent with both hands until the end of the round.
Vincent’s corner elected not to send their charge out for the fourth and Venegas picked up the victory to move to 9-1-1 (6). Despite the brave effort, Vincent falls to 8-4 (7).
Next up was a middleweight contest between hometown Chicago fighter David Estrada and Milwaukee’s Kendall Gould. Both men had their moments in this back and forth battle but Estrada’s sharper skills provided the edge as he dropped Kendall with a blazing left hook in second. Kendall came back to lash Estrada with a snapping left hand counter of his own
at round’s end.
Kendall began the third by swinging for the fences but that allowed Estrada the opportunity to
whip in a stinging right to the head, left to the body. Kendall went down in the corner but beat the count. Shortly afterward the man from Milwaukee took a knee from a long Estrada right hand and the bout was called off. Estrada goes to 8-4 (6) while Gould drops to 7-7-1 (4).
In a scheduled four round contest, Mike Gonzales of Bayamon, Puerto Rico overcame a tougher than expected Antoine Hicks of Dallas, TX. After losing a combative first round, Gonzales found the chin of Hicks with a hammering right hand counter to drop the novice in the second. Hicks made it back up but reeled around the ring on unsteady pins before getting hit one too many times, forcing the referee to call off the fight. Gonzales remains perfect at 3-0 (3) with Hick his reverse mirror image at 0-3 (0).
