By Jody Kohn
Jessie Vargas kept his momentum going, improving his record to 21-0. Delighting the hometown fans, Vargas captured a unanimous decision in the main event at Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas. The judges scored the bout 98-91 twice and 98-90.
It was clear early on that Vargas was going for the body of his Armenian foe. He continued the attack throughout the bout, and on occasion his punches went too low. Eventually, in the 8th, referee Vic Draculich deducted a point for the low blows.
Despite Vargas’ domination throughout the early rounds, Gasparyan continued to press forward as Vargas was unable to get to his granite chin. Finally, with ten seconds left in the ninth round, a vicious uppercut wobbled Gasparyan, and Vargas tried to get him out before the close of the round, but Vito hung on to the bell.
As the final round began, Vargas appeared a little tired and content to ride out a decision victory. Gasparyan had a few moments to close, but nothing put Vargas in any real jeopardy.
With this win, Vargas appears ready to take the next step and challenge some of the division’s elite fighters. It will be interesting to see how he handles it, as I believe the step up in competition will serve to elevate his game. Top Rank needs to quit babying him and see what they have.
Oscar Valdez (2-0) dominated Corben Page (4-5-1) in their featherweight tilt. Page took a lot of punishment, bravely hanging in there until his corner threw in the towel at 2:24 of the second round. Valdez, twice an Olympian for Mexico, appears to be the real deal. Look for him to move up the ranks quickly.
Raul Hirales (17-2-1) scored a knockdown in the first round and continued that momentum to the final bell, scoring a slight upset over Oscar Gonzalez (20-2)
Hirales didn’t have it easy as a cut over his right eye in round three and a lat rally by Gonzalez made for some tense moments.
Andy Ruiz (17-0) beat Elijah McCall (11-2-1) by TKO at 2:59 of round three. This fight is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. The portly Ruiz surprised those who were not familiar with his previous work with his quick hands.
McCall is the son of former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall. He had a difficult time dealing with the speed of Ruiz, and after suffering through a barrage of unanswered punches throughout the third, referee Kenny Bayless finally waved it off just before the bell.
Welterweight prospect Lucky Boy Omotoso (24-0) and Irving Garcia’s (17-9-3) fight ended in a third round no contest due to an accidental head butt. Omotoso’s glove hit the canvas in the 2nd round and it was ruled a knockdown. Omotoso was not in any real trouble, but was certainly behind in the fight when it was called.
Trevor McCumby remained undefeated (9-0) with a win over Eric Watkins (7-4) via unanimous decision. The judges had it 59-55 twice and 60-54. Watkins was competitive, despite the judges wide margins of victory. His incredible chin was on display as he survived some devastating shots from McCumby.
Kenny Abril (15-5-1) beat Dennis Laurente (40-4-4) by split decision in a major upset to open the night’s action. Abril scored a knockdown in the third and effectively counterpunched his more experienced opponent.
Following the fight, King Mo of MMA fame caught up with the victorious Jessie Vargas
http://youtu.be/HapLuJSpb_o
all photos by Jody Kohn/ PBI
