Results from Las Vegas: Wins for Gabe Flores, Esquiva Falcao, Elvis Rodriguez

Source: Top Rank

21/02/2021

Results from Las Vegas: Wins for Gabe Flores, Esquiva Falcao, Elvis Rodriguez

Gabriel Flores Jr. KO6 Jayson Velez ... On the Top Rank undercard from Las Vegas, Gabriel Flores Jr., the junior lightweight from Stockton, California, knocked out Puerto Rico's Jayson Velez in the sixth round. Flores (20-0, 7 KOs) knocked down Velez twice in the sixth, punctuating the victory with a left hook. Flores (20-0, 7 KOs) became only the second man to stop Velez (29-8-1, 20 KOs), who was knocked out in ten rounds by Oscar Valdez last July. Flores said, “I could’ve done it earlier. I was playing with my food. {Trainer Gabriel Flores Sr.} told me I just gotta press it. Nothing was really going on those first five rounds, to be honest. I was just feeling him out.  I would love to get the winner of Jamel Herring and Carl Frampton. I’d love that. I’m going to keep on working, and my performances are going to get better and better.”
 
Esquiva Falcao TKO4 Artur Akavov... Middleweight Esquiva Falcao (28-0, 20 KOs) stopped Artur Akavov (20-4, 9 KOs) in round four. Falcao, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist from Brazil, picked up the most significant win of his career with a one-sided drubbing of two-time middleweight world title challenger Akavov. After a rough opening round, Falcao was in command until Akavov's corner stopped the fight following the fourth round. All three judges had Falcao ahead 39-37 at the time of the stoppage.
 
UNDERCARD
 
Elvis Rodriguez W8 Luis Alberto Veron... Junior welterweight: Elvis Rodriguez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) defeated Luis Alberto Veron (18-3-2, 9 KOs) over eight rounds via scores of 79-73 (twice) and 78-74. Rodriguez made his name as an explosive puncher, but showed maturity and boxing acumen against Veron, who has never been stopped as a pro. Rodriguez stunned Veron several times with right hooks, but the Argentine veteran was able to withstand the onslaught. Rodriguez said, “This was my first scheduled eight-round fight, and I actually think I got a lot of good experience. Each fight, you acquire something different, and for this fight, I think the experience of going the rounds actually helped me out. It’s a great experience going the full eight rounds. It’s back to the gym to work on several things, specifically I know I needed to let my hands go a little more. When I did do that, I was able to hurt him. But in the end, I think it was a great experience. He’s a natural welterweight. He’s never been stopped, so I knew it would be a tough challenge, but you know I will go back to the gym and work harder to continue to grow in this sport.”
 
Xander Zayas W6 James Martin... Welterweight Xander Zayas (7-0, 1KO) shut out James Martin (6-2, 0 KOs) over six rounds via three scores of 60-54. The 18 year-old Zayas went past the first round for the first time in nearly a year, outboxing the Philadelphia native Martin. Zayas said, “As a young fighter, you need these types of fights. I haven’t been out of the first round in nearly a year, so for me to get six round in, that was important.”
 
Javier Martinez TKO 1 Billy Wagner... Middleweight Javier Martinez (3-0, 1 KO) needed less than a round to stop Billy Wagner (3-2, 1 KO). Martinez, a southpaw from Milwaukee, unloaded on Wagner, stunning the Montana native early in the first round with a right hook. The one-way traffic was stopped shortly thereafter, and Martinez added a '1' to his knockout total.
 
Omar Rosario KO2 Uriel Villanueva... Junior welterweight Omar Rosario (3-0, 1 KO stopped Uriel Villanueva (1-1) in round two. Former Puerto Rican amateur star Omar Rosario notched the first stoppage win of his career, as two knockdowns in the second round prompted referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight. Source for all results: Top Rank