Mexico’s Hernan “Tysoncito” Marquez took a leaf out of Sergio Martinez’ book last night and knocked out Louis Concepcion in the 1st round of their flyweight rematch. Concepcion (23-3) didn’t learn the lessons of 2010’s Knockout of the Year, and came to the second date with the same attitude as the first.
The Panamanian played the role of Paul Williams to a tee, his wild style allowing Marquez (32-2) the perfect opportunity to land a huge looping counter right hand. Once he had his man hurt, the Mexican southpaw never let up — putting Concepcion on the floor with a 1-2-3 combination.
Though Concepcion survived the referee’s eight count, he never recovered. Marquez leapt out of the neutral corner like a hungry animal, punching Concepcion into the ropes before flooring him with the same right hand. The Panamanian again beat the count, but referee Rafael Ramos waved the fight off after a monster left sent Concepcion to the floor anew.
While Marquez triumphed in Hermosillo, Giovanni Caro went to bloody war with The Ring’s number five junior featherweight, Takalani Ndlovu, in Colima. While the South African eventually won a one-sided decision, “El Ruso” made him work for it all the way. Caro (22-9-4) roared out of the blocks, catching Ndlovu (33-6) with a picture perfect left hook to send him to the canvas in the 1st.
After that it was battle stations. Caro probably got the best of the action in the 2nd, though both men were hurt. In the 3rd, Ndlovu landed a left hook to Caro’s liver that buckled his knees, but not his will. The Mexico City native bit down on the mouthpiece and fired back twice as hard.
Though Ndlovu’s sharpshooting and stiff punching increasingly took control of the fight from the 4th onwards, Caro had his moments. Despite a bloodied face featuring a gruesome headbutt-caused cut on the bridge of his nose, Caro found a looping right that badly hurt Ndlovu with 10 seconds to go in the eight.
Ndlovu was largely in control down the stretch, but Caro made it great viewing, refusing to quit despite a massive accumulation of punishment. At the final bell Caro was right to raise his hand, not because he thought he’d won, but because he knew what a great show he’d put on. Ndlovu’s closed left eye said much more about the fight than the judges’ scorecards.
TV Azteca also played the Panamerican Games’ heavyweight gold medal match from Guadalajara, one of the best amateur fights you will ever see. Mexico’s Juan Hiracheta went down to Ecuador’s Ytalo Antonio Perea in a fight where both men were given standing eight counts, Hiracheta was knocked down twice and Perea barely made it to the final bell.
The fight left Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and Canada with one boxing gold medal apiece and Cuba with eight. Not a single American boxer was in the finals.
