LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Rising featherweight prospect Javier Fortuna flashed the speed, athleticism and power that combine to make him one of the most talked about prospects in the game in a two-round destruction of former champion Cristobal Cruz at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Friday night.
Fortuna (20-0, 15 KOs) of Oxnard, California by way of La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic came out swinging in the first before eventually landing a left on the top of Cruz’ head to score a knockdown. Cruz (39-14-3, 23 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico got up and looked to hold, but wound up tripping to the canvas, which was ruled a slip. Cruz returned to his feet, but was soon rocked by a wild left. Fortuna, almost coming out of his shoes with some of his swings, shortened up on a right to Cruz’ ear that hurt the Mexican late in the round.
Fortuna, 129, continued to rely on his left to great effect in the second. Fortuna, the WBA #3/IBF #6/WBC #8 ranked featherweight, hurt Cruz, 128, with a left hand over the top early in the round. Seconds later, Fortuna decided to lead with his left, which came at Cruz like a laser. Cruz, clearly not coping with Fortuna’s speed, tried to roughhouse and grapple, but Fortuna made room with a backwards step and landed a hard short left to drop the Mexican flat on his face. Referee Robert Byrd counted, but his efforts were not really necessary. Time of the stoppage was 2:22 of the second round.
With the kayo, Fortuna became the first to stop Cruz in nearly ten years. Though Cruz his not the same fighter that defeated Orlando Salido to claim a featherweight strap four years ago, Friday’s win was an impressive result for Fortuna nonetheless.
What looked to be a solid, competitive co-feature on paper turned out to be a one-sided drubbing, as Magomed Abdusalamov (15-0, 15 KOs) of Oxnard by way of Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia remained perfect with a second-round stoppage of Maurice Byarm (13-2-1, 9 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Both landed some sweeping shots in the early going, but Abdusalamov, 229, appeared to be unfazed by anything Byarm, 239, managed to land. By the end of the first, Abdusalamov had broken through Byarm’s guard as the Philadelphian covered up in a neutral corner. When the bell rang to end the first, Byarm had weathered a storm, but found his corner as if he was taking a sobriety test after a few too many drinks.
Abdusalamov’s corner saw Byarm’s struggle to find his stool, and instructed their man to come out and finish his opponent. Abdusalamov landed a crushing left that put down Byarm, who gamely rose before referee Tony Weeks could finish his count. However, it was just a matter of time before Abdusalamov flurried, forcing Weeks’ hand for the stoppage at 36 seconds of the second round. With the win, Abdusalamov retains his WBC USNBC Silver Heavyweight title and will likely find himself in the WBC’s top fifteen world rankings next time they are released.
Still searching for his first professional knockout, local favorite Rocco Santomauro (9-0) of Las Vegas pleased the crowd on hand in taking a four-round unanimous decision over awkward southpaw DeWayne Wisdom (2-4, 1 KO) of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Santomauro, 124 ½, pressed perhaps looking for the stoppage and came close to scoring a knockdown in the second round, but Wisdom, 125, was never in any serious danger. After closing the show in the fourth, Santomauro went on to win by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice.
Sampson Boxing prospect Ronald Gavril (3-0, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Bucharest, Romania gave the crowd little time to warm-up in the show’s opener, as a series of unanswered punches were enough to warrant a stoppage in referee Joe Cortez’ eyes against Kenneth Taylor Schmitz (2-3, 1 KO) of Saint Joseph, Missouri.
Gavril, 167, pressed Schmitz, 169 ½, from the early going, eventually forcing him against the ropes. Schmitz did little more than cover up for a half round. Realizing such, Gavril kept throwing until Cortez leaped in at the 1:53 mark of the first. Though he did not appear hurt, Schmitz seemed at peace with the referee’s call.
In what became a four-round war of attrition, William Mitch Williams (6-2-1, 4 KOs) of Jackson, Michigan survived a rocky third round en route to a four-round unanimous decision over Manuel Otero (2-4, 1 KO) of Peralta, New Mexico in the walkout bout.
Williams, 181, controlled the first two rounds before Otero, 184, caught him in the third. Williams was in trouble, but made it out of the round. Otero left nearly all he had in the third, leaving little to get him through the fourth and final round. Williams, rejuvenated, punished him for most of the three minutes, but the New Mexican resident made it the distance. Despite his solid third round showing, all three judges gave the fight to Williams via shutout, 40-36.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
