Two Impressive Knockouts at Fantasy Springs

Venezuela’s Ismael Barroso, a 34-year-old veteran, proved to be too strong and too tough for Albuquerque’s Fidel Maldonado Jr. in a battle of southpaws on Friday night at Fantasy Springs in Indio, CA. Barroso knocked Maldonado down with a left to the jaw in the third round and then ended the junior welterweight contest in the sixth with a wicked left to the liver.

Barroso, a former interim world lightweight champion, had been inactive for 17 months following his lone career setback at the hands of Anthony Crolla in Manchester, England. In that match, Barroso was ahead on points when he was stopped by a body punch in the seventh round. On Friday he turned the tables, in a manner of speaking, improving his ledger to 20-1-2 (19 KOs) with a body punch of his own.

The loss was a bitter pill for Maldonado, now 24-4-1, who is managed and trained by his father. The New Mexico lad appeared to have turned the corner in his most recent fight when he came off the deck to out-point former world title challenger Pablo Cesar Cano.

Mexico’s Pablo Cesar Cano was in the co-feature, looking to get his career back on track, but instead suffered his most devastating loss. He was knocked out in the second round by Argentina’s Marcelino Lopez.

Cano had the better of a robust first round, landing a big right hand that opened a cut over Lopez’s left eye. But in the next round he got careless. Lopez (pictured) countered a lazy jab with a looping right hand that knocked Cano off his pins. He beat the count, but was in no shape to continue and the referee waved it off.

Lopez, who joined countryman Lucas Matthysse in the Golden Boy stable this past spring, improved his ledger to 33-2-1 with his 18^th knockout. Both of his defeats were by narrow margins. Cano declined to 30-7-1.

In the swing bout, Marvin Cabrera (6-0, 5 KOs) scored a fourth round stoppage of 42-year-old Tijuana trial horse Hector Valazquez (57-30-3). The usually durable Valazquez has now lost 10 of his last 11.

Other Bouts:

Oscar Duarte RTD 4 Juan Jose Montes, 8 rounds lightweights.

Francisco Martinez UD Ricardo Arias, 6 round featherweights.

Ruben Rodriguez UD Israel Villela, 4 rounds welterweights

Photo credit: Tom Hogan / Golden Boy Promotions

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