Emiliano Vargas KO1 Alexander Espinoza ... Emiliano Fernando Vargas (15-0, 13 KOs) wanted to show out in his New York City Debut, and he needed less than a minute to do it. The 21 year-old junior welterweight blitzed Ecuador’s Alexander Espinoza (20-4-1, 9 KOs) via first-round knockout. Vargas measured Espinoza’s jab, slipped to avoid it, and returned with a sharp right hand to the chin. Espinoza hit the floor, and the referee waved it off at 42 seconds. This  was the final show of the long-running contract between promoter Top Rank and the ESPN broadcast platform.  Vargas said, “I’m just a Mexican kid trying to make it to the top. Twenty-six years ago, my father [former world champion Fernando Vargas] fought here, and history repeats itself. If I could be half as great as my father was, I’ll make it a long way. Alexander Espinoza is the most experienced fighter I’ve ever fought. I was ready for 15 rounds tonight. It’s a blessing that I got to do it so quick. They don’t pay me for overtime, though. I had to get it done fast. Like I said, I’m ready for top, elite competition. My skills are going to show through.”

 

ADDITIONAL BOUTS

 

Welterweight Rohan Polanco (17-0, 10 KOs) cruised to a ten-round unanimous decision against Quinton Randall (15-3-1, 3 KOs). Polanco was aggressive, but Randall’s veteran tactics made him hard to catch. By the middle rounds, Polanco landed by stepping in and punching around Randall’s gloves, but he could not gain enough offensive momentum to stop him. Scores: 100-90, 99-91, and 97-93.

 

Second-generation Puerto Rican star Juanmita Lopez De Jesus (3-0, 2 KOs) registered a second-round TKO over countryman Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez (5-3, 4 KOs). Fighting as a super flyweight, Juanmita scored two knockdowns in the opening stanza and forced a stoppage at 1:14 of the following round.

 

Dominican featherweight Yan Santana (15-0, 12 KOs) shut out former world title challenger Aaron Alameda (30-3, 17 KOs) over ten rounds. Santana easily controlled range from a shoulder roll stance, popping Alameda with counters nearly every time he tried to mount an offense. Santana landed frequently, but Alameda's chin withstood the punishment. 

 

Junior bantamweight Steven Navarro (7-0, 5 KOs) prevailed over Cristopher Rios (11-3, 7 KOs) via eight-round unanimous decision in a battle between Southern California natives. Navarro used lateral movement and short punches to stifle Rios' nonstop pressure, absorbing a steady flow of body punches. He won the eighth round on the judges' cards to secure the win by three scores of 77-75.

 

Lightweight Julius Ballo (1-0), a former U.S. amateur standout from San Diego, debuted in the paid ranks with a four-round unanimous decision against Brandan Ayala (2-1, 1 KO). All three official scores were 40-36.