Boxing Result: Edwin Valero Wins WBC Title Amid Night Of Upsets

ByRichard Eberline

Edwin Valero continued the most impressive KO streak in boxing last night at the Frank Erwin Centre in Austin, Texas, moving to to lightweight and stopping heavy-handed Colombian danger man Antonio Pitalua to win the vacant WBC title.

The Venezuelan southpaw had made four defenses of the WBA Super Feather crown and was going up in weight against tough customer Pitalua but any questions as to whether Valero’s power would follow were soon dispelled as Pitalua was finished off in the second frame.

In the first round, Valero established his control over the bout’s pace, using a busy offense to force Pitalua onto the defensive and using good footwork to avoid trouble when Pitalua did thow anything.

Valero and Pitalua traded big shots as the first came to a close, the only exchange thus far into the bout.

Within moments after the second round started, Pitalua went down hard after getting nailed by a lightning fast Valero right hook. The 39 year old Colombian beat the count but was on very shaky legs.

Valero moved in immediately and leveled a sustained two-handed barrage at Pitalua, who fell to the floor. The big hearted former title challenger beat the count again but was trapped in a corner by Valero, who again unloaded everything he had.

Pitalua was unable to throw anything back, causing referee Lawrence Cole to step in and stop the one-sided affair at 0:49 of the second.

Edwin Valero captured the vacant WBC Lightweight title while improving his record to 25-0 (25) in the process.

Antonio Pitalua loses for the first time in nearly eight years, going to 46-4 (40).

In other action at Austin, former two-weight world champion Jesus Chavez, 44-5 (3), did not come out for the seventh round against Australia’s Michael Katsidis, 25-2 (21), at lightweight.

In a big upset, Rolando Reyes, 31-4-2 (20), stopped ex-IBF Lightweight titlist Julio Diaz, 36-5 (26), in five frames while another former world champion, Carlos Hernandez, 43-8-1 (24), was outboxed by Vincente Escobedo, 20-1 (12), over ten rounds, losing a points verdict.