Mirco Cuello TKO2 Sergio Ríos Jiménez... Argentina has a new "regular" champion — and he needed less than two rounds to get the job done. Mirco Cuello (16-0, 13 KOs), the 24-year old from Arroyo Seco, Santa Fe, captured the WBA interim featherweight title with a second-round technical knockout win over Mexico’s Sergio Ríos Jiménez (19-1, 7 KOs) on Friday night. Cuello's win came on a show at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benghazi, Libya. The bout headlined the KO to Drugs event, marking a historic night for Argentine and Latin American boxing on African soil. Cuello is now the leading contender for WBA Regular Champion Nick Ball, who is set to defend against Sam Goodman on August 16th in Saudi Arabia.

 

From the opening bell, Cuello came out like a man on a mission. A perfectly timed straight right hand dropped Ríos in the first round, immediately putting the Mexican challenger on notice. In the second, Cuello doubled down — first with a left cross to the jaw, then with a body shot that folded Ríos in half. Referee Roberto Ramírez of Puerto Rico stopped the contest after the second knockdown, sealing the TKO.