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It was a good weekend of boxing in República Argentina with the biggest fightcard taking place on Friday night in the northwestern city of Salta, where Javier Alberto Mamani KO’d Marcus Hector Vergara in the tenth and final round to claim the vacant WBA Fedebol Light Middleweight title at Estadio Delmi in front of 9,000 fans.
Local hero Mamani looked to dissuade his Cordovan opponent from the start but Vergara was riding a ten fight win streak and knew he’d have to step it up to win on his rival’s home ground.
While Vergara had his moments, lack of previous high level experience and never having gone past the sixth round doomed his bid to unseat Mamani, who worked behind the jab all night before knocking out Vergara via a searing combination with just 4 seconds to go in the contest.
Mamani, 31-5-1 (18), known as “La Cobra”, was coming off an impressive effort this past October in Japan where the 25 year old knocked out Crazy Kim, the Japanese/OPBF/WBC Asia Champion, in thrilling fashion. The Salta native lost a unanimous decision to Joachim Alcine in a WBA title eliminator in June of last year.
Vergara drops to 13-2 (10) with the loss. The bill also saw Javier Osvaldo Alvarez, 34-6-1 (16), win a difficult eight round split decision over cagey southpaw Sergio Eduardo Gonzalez, 21-7-4 (9), at super featherweight.
29 year old Alvarez had trouble with his larger opponent, a former domestic lightweight titlist, and narrowly keeps a bid for a world title opportunity alive.
“El Vikingo” shot to prominence by knocking out by traveling to England in 2005 and knocking out popular fighter Michael Gomez in the sixth round to win the WBU Super Feather belt. Six months later Alvarez outpointed Ricardo Ariel Elias to win the WBO Latino crown.
But it all came crashing down in a wide points decision loss to Mexican legend and five time world titlist Manuel Medina in Las Vegas for an IBF title eliminator. Alvarez was humbled again in his very next outing, losing a bid to unseat reigning South American Super Feather titlist Roberto David Arrieta.
In other action across Argentina on Friday night, Santiago del Estero saw hot southpaw prospect Americo Rodolfo Sagania, 13-0 (7), hammer hapless veteran Walter Acuna, 4-16 (1), in six rounds at light middle.
On Saturday, another left handed light middle prospect was victorious as Ulises David Lopez, 15-1 (8), finished the outgunned Juan Mauricio Marino, 12-18-2 (5), also in the sixth round, at Club Echague in Parana.
Should Sagania and Lopez continue to mow their way through the record building opposition they’ve been put in with so far, a hotly anticipated showdown can’t be far off.
