Lindolfo Delgado W10 Elvis Rodriguez ... In a battle of junior welterweights on the undercard of Saturday's Top Rank show in Las Vegas, Lindolfo Delgado (23-0, 16 KOs) maintained his unbeaten record with a razor-thin ten-round majority decision over Dominican puncher Elvis Rodriguez (17-2-1, 13 KOs). The official scores — 95-95 and 96-94 (twice) — were indicative of a closely contested tilt that had ringside observers split. Rodriguez had the most consequential blow of the night, a straight left hand that caused Delgado to stumble into the neutral corner. Delgado, however, shook off the shakiest moment of his career to win the tenth round on all three judges' cards and escape with the victory.
Delgado said, "I feel good. I was very prepared, and I was very concentrated. In the ninth round, he got me with a good shot. But aside from that, we knew how to handle him. I want to fight for a world title. This was a WBC title eliminator. So, I deserve a shot at the WBC champion. I'm also willing to fight any of the champions of my division."
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Lightweight Abdullah Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) celebrated his 21st birthday with a sixth-round TKO over Carlos Ornelas (28-5, 15 KOs). Mason was too big, too fast, and too strong. He forced Ornelas to take a knee with pinpoint shots in rounds two, four, and six. Ornelas' corner let him continue, but the ringside doctor waved it off following the end of the round. Mason said, “Every fighter has something coming with him. I felt myself loading up a bit to get him out there early, but he’s a strong guy, and you still have to be smart in there. You still have to break them down and not look for the perfect shot. I was looking for the perfect shot. I didn’t find it, but I got him with many good shots. And the ref eventually waved it off."
Featherweight Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez (13-0, 7 KOs) earned a workmanlike unanimous decision over gritty Australian Dana Coolwell (13-4, 8 KOs). Gonzalez pressed forward behind a high guard, slipping and parrying as he walked Coolwell down. The Aussie answered with sharp shots around the guard, but Gonzalez was more accurate and consistent on the inside. Scores: 77-75, 78-74 and 80-72.
Junior bantamweight Steven Navarro (6-0, 5 KOs) stepped up in class in only his sixth fight and emerged victorious by vanquishing Mexico's Juan Garcia (14-2-2, 11 KOs) in four. Navarro peppered Garcia with shots in the opening rounds, but Garcia found his distance and returned fire. The Mexican stunned Navarro with a sharp four-punch combo to start the fourth, but the 21-year-old maintained his composure and fired back with a relentless barrage to force the stoppage at 2:56.
Junior middleweight Robert Garcia-trained prospect Art Barrera Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs) painted another devastating masterpiece, stopping Daijohn Gonzalez (12-6, 6 KOs) in the second round. Barrera notched a pair of knockouts in the same stanza, the second coming courtesy of a sweeping left hook. Gonzalez rose to his feet at the count of nine, but referee Thomas Taylor stepped in after another furious Barrera flurry.
Middleweight Jahi Tucker (14-1-1, 6 KOs) tallied a dominant ten-round unanimous decision over former British junior middleweight champion Troy Williamson (20-4-1, 14 KOs). Tucker started strong, slipping and rolling punches before countering with quick lefts and right hands. Tucker faded in rounds five and six as Williamson pressed him to the ropes, but he regained control in the eighth with a left hook that sent Williamson to the canvas. All three official scores were 99-89.
Junior lightweight: Las Vegas native DJ Zamora (16-0, 11 KOs) registered a fourth-round TKO against Mexico’s Hugo Castañeda (15-2-1, 11 KOs). After two rounds of toe-to-toe action, Zamora floored Castañeda twice in the third before forcing the stoppage in the following stanza.
In the junior welterweight division, Sammy Contreras (1-0, 1 KO) earned his first professional victory, defeating Robert Jimenez (2-3-1, 1 KO) via first-round TKO. Time of stoppage: 2:16.
