Boxing News Boxing News
Six months after their well-documented first bout ended in a fiasco, super featherweights Humberto Soto and Francisco Lorenzo went at it again, this time for the vacant WBC title, at Parque Andres Quintana Roo in Cozumel, Mexico.
The much shorter Lorenzo came out strong, backing up Soto and enjoying a few good moments in the first frame, landing overhand rights but was also clipped with sharp counters from Soto for his efforts.
With each successive round, Soto became more effective at picking off the oncoming Lorenzo but the Mexican allowed his Dominican opponent to stay in the bout by slugging it out rather than using his height and reach advantage to good effect by boxing.
Soto fought Lorenzo’s fight and the action wasn’t pretty. Lorenzo found the target plenty of times to be sure but was decked and hurt on more than one occasion and didn’t help his cause in losing two points for infractions.
But the outcome was really never in doubt as Soto outclassed his opponent to win the vacant WBC title by scores of 118-108 and 117-109 twice, improving to 46-7-2 (29). Lorenzo falls to 33-5 (14) after mounting a far better performance than during the first bout with Soto.
The big undercard featured a lot of good bouts with undefeated super flyweight Jose Salgado, 16-0 (14), getting the biggest win of his career to capture the vacant WBC Cabofe title over iron-chinned 40 year old former WBO/WBC Light Fly Champ Melchor Cob Castro, 71-12-4 (34), after 12 tough rounds.
Ex-WBC Featherweight Champion Guty Espadas Jr, 44-7 (28), won a tenth round technical decision against Nicaragua’s Fredy Blandon, 9-15-1 (5), at lightweight.
Mia St. John, 45-9-2 (18), was back in action, capturing the vacant WBC International Female Lightweight belt with an eight round points verdict against Darys Pardo, 20-6-3 (16).
Flyweight Wilbert Uicab, 22-5-1 (14), stopped Victor Rojas, 5-18-2 (3), in the sixth, while lightweight Antonio Lozada Jr, 18-0 (16), was taken the six round distance by granite jawed Tomas Sierra, 1-7 (1).
