Karlos Balderas and Two Fellow Olympians Victorious in Pro Debuts

LOS ANGELES-All three former Olympians cleared their first hurdles and the new female middleweight signee also won in front of a boisterous Sunday evening crowd.

More than 500 packed The Novo at LA Live to see another edition of Ringstar Sports. It was the debut for three former Olympians. Karlos Balderas (pictured), Misael Rodriguez and Elmantas Stanionis were victorious.

Balderas (pictured) has the electrifying athleticism and fights like a human hunter seeker missile. He quickly established his credentials with some flashy combinations that overwhelmed his opponent Thomas Smith in their lightweight fight. After three minutes of absorbing Balderas firepower, the corner of Smith ended the fight.

“We spent a lot of time sparring with great fighters to get ready for this fight. I think all the practice paid off and my speed was my biggest asset tonight,” said Balderas who was barely breathing hard when the fight ended. “”I’m happy and excited to be a pro. I have so many people here tonight supporting me coming in from Oklahoma and Texas, so it’s an honor. I felt like a win wasn’t enough. I needed to make a statement.”

Balderas (formerly Carlos Balderas; he changed the spelling of his first name) has that hungry look.

In a super welterweight match, the Lithuanian Olympian Stanionis needed only 2:35 to force a stoppage of Rasheed Olawale Lawal (1-5-1). It will not get much easier than this fight for the Lithuanian but a better match is in store.

“I saw that I was able to land some good shots, and I could tell I was getting to him a little bit, so I started throwing more and more to try and stop him,” said Stanionis.

Mexican Olympian Rodriguez out-pounded Brian True (1-7-1) in a back and forth super middleweight clash. Rodriguez was the more accurate but took some blows from True in winning by unanimous decision after four rounds.

“I honestly thought it was going to be an easier opponent. I haven’t been active since the Olympics eight months ago, but I trained very hard for this fight and got the win tonight,” said Rodriguez.

Maricela Cornejo (7-2) who became first female fighter signed under the Ringstar Sports banner, grabbed a win with a clear victory over Sydney LeBlanc (4-1-1) after six rounds in their middleweight fight. Cornejo is also ranked in the top10.

“She gassed out toward the end,” said Cornejo who trains with Joel Diaz in Indio. “I was in fantastic shape.”

Other bouts

Whittier’s Alejandro Luna (22-0) dominated against Russia’s Andrey Klimov (19-4) in winning by unanimous decision after a 10-round lightweight clash. No knockdowns.

“Klimov is a very tough guy. We’ve seen him go the distance with Terrence Crawford. He’s fought the cream of the crop, so it’s an honor to get a win over him,” Luna said.

Riverside’s Josesito Lopez (35-7) knocked down Saul Corral (23-9) in the last round and won by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in a welterweight scrap.

“I dropped him with a left hook, but he’s a gritty guy. He took some punishment. I was a little careful in there, though. It’s been a while since I fought some good rounds like that,” said Lopez.

Other results

Lindolfo Delgado beat Luis Silva by third round technical knockout in a super lightweight fight.

Money Powell IV knocked out Todd Templeton in the first round of a middleweight bout.

Alejandro Guerrero knocked out Isaac Avalos in the second round of a lightweight fight.

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