Emilio Sanchez Wins by KO at Belasco in L.A.

LOS ANGELES-It was reboot time for Emilio Sanchez who punched his way through the dangerous Christopher Martin to return to the win column by knockout on Friday after suffering his first loss earlier in the year.

In front of a favorable crowd at Belasco Theater, Sanchez (16-1, 11 KOs) returned to the boxing ring for the first time since suffering a knockout loss last March and proved he was good enough to defeat Martin (30-11-3).

When the fight was announced many viewed this as a dangerous match for Sanchez (pictured in the black trunks) but it proved otherwise.

Sanchez jumped out early with quick three and four-punch combinations. Martin seemed to settle on a defensive posture and allowed the aggressive Sanchez to take the lead.

For two rounds Sanchez hit Martin with impunity and seemed confident in his abilities. In the third round right uppercuts found the mark and down went Martin who pivoted and hit the floor. Referee Jack Reiss ruled it a knockdown despite Martin’s protest.

Martin was prodded by his corner to get busier and he tried. His favorite weapon was a right uppercut but the punch never landed. In one sequence Martin fired four successive uppercuts. All missed.

Sanchez was sharp with his punches and though he tired briefly in the fifth round, he found a second wind and launched a six-punch volley that had the referee poised to stop the fight. The veteran Martin survived the onslaught, but the referee walked over to his corner when the fifth round ended and again asked the trainer if the fight should continue. This time the corner relented and the fight was stopped at the end of the fifth round.

“I felt fast and strong. This was my first fight after moving up to 126 pounds, and I felt stronger. I was working on landing my uppercuts and shots to the body. I have to talk to my manager Frank Espinoza and with Golden Boy Promotions, but I want to return as soon as possible,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez was ruled the winner by knockout and now regains footing as a featherweight prospect.

Other Bouts     

San Antonio’s Hector Tanajara (15-0, 5 KOs) cruised by Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Morales (7-3, 4 KOs) by unanimous decision in an eight round lightweight bout that lost its way after the third round.

For the first three rounds both exchanged sharp punches. But from the fourth round on it was more MMA than boxing as both clinched and seldom were there clear punching without someone holding.

All three judges scored it 80-72 for Tanajara who trains in Riverside at Robert Garcia Boxing Academy.

Sharp-shooting Ray Muratalla (4-0) floored France’s Guillam Lorenzo (2-2) with a counter overhand right in the third round of the super lightweight fight and went on to win by unanimous decision by scores 40-35 on all three cards. Muratalla, 23, fights out of Fontana, Calif. and was making his second appearance at the Belasco.

A competitive lightweight fight ended with a single punch as Recky Dulay (11-3, 8 KOs) connected with a counter right to knockout San Bernardino’s Juan Sandoval (7-23-1, 4 KOs). After a back and forth tussle Dulay shot a counter-right to the chin of Sandoval and ended the fight at 35 seconds of the fifth round.

“It was a matter of time,” said Dulay of the Philippines. “The key was throwing a lot of combinations.”

L.A.’s Oscar Acevedo (4-0) used his height and reach advantage to near perfection in defeating rugged Mexican fighter Gerardo Molina (2-5) by decision after four rounds in a lightweight contest. No knockdowns were scored in the fight.

“I felt I needed to throw more punches,” said Acevedo. “He was a tough opponent.”

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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