Early undercard fights in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena stood head and shoulders above the rest of the boxing universe this weekend, letting fans breathe a sigh of relief after they stopping cheering.
Rohan Polanco Pounds Fabian Maidana
Rohan Polanco of the Dominican Republic (16-0, 10 KOs) put in a solid ten rounds, thoroughly outworking and dominating a durable Fabian Maidana of Argentina (24-4, 18 KOs), winning a minor WBO Intercontinental Welterweight title with an impressive performance. The scores all read 100-89, a complete shutout for Polanco.
Maidana was competitive enough through the first half of the fight. He is tough and determined like most Argentine fighters. By the end of the third round, Polanco had already landed more punches than Canelo did the entire fight against William Scull. Polanco sapped Maidana’s strength and there wasn’t much coming back to threaten him.
The fight shouldn’t have made it to the final round. Trainer Hector Bermudez told Polanceo, “Don’t take too many risks, you don’t need to.” But Polanco couldn’t help himself and dropped Maidana to a knee with a body shot. Maidana managed to get up with 17 seconds and got the moral victory of finishing the fight on his feet.
Emiliano Vargas Delivers Cinco De Mayo KO
Flashy junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas of Las Vegas (14-0, 12 KOs) won the first of what could be many Cinco de Mayo weekend career victories. The 21-year-old power puncher made his hometown fans happy with a second-round TKO victory over Juan Leon of Spain (11-3-1, 2 KOs).
Accompanied to the ring with a live mariachi band, Vargas, son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, went after Leon with effective aggression. He took a handful of incoming punches, but nothing to trouble him.
Halfway into round two, Vargas landed a right hook followed by a straight right for his first knockdown. Vargas wasted no time firing off a combination of two right hands to the temple of Leon, punctuated by a massive left hook, blasting Leon backward onto the canvas. Referee Robert Hoyle waved off the bout at 1:40 of the round.
After the bout, Vargas said it was important for all the fighters on the card to deliver. “The last few nights of boxing haven’t been the best,” said Vargas. “Some fighters just didn’t want to fight.
“But man, I was so hyped. I saw the Inoue fight. Oh, man, what a performance! I’m very glad to be a part of that special night in boxing. And you know, we saved the boxing weekend,” said Vargas. Top Rank has a rising star on its hands.
Mikito Nakano Wins Pro Debut
Mikito Nakano of Hiroshima, Japan (13-0, 12 KO) enjoyed a successful debut in the U.S., drilling Pedro Marquez of San Juan, Puerto Rico (16-2, 10 KOs) and scoring five knockdowns in four rounds, forcing referee Harvey Dock to step in and stop the fight at 1:58 of round four.
The southpaw Nakano has impressive power in both hands. He scored the first knockdown in round two on a straight left to the head, and the second on a right hook partially blocked by Marquez’s gloves.
Marquez showed determination and bravery in getting up to continue after another knockdown in the third, and twice more in round four, the final time from a vicious right hook to the body. Dock wouldn’t let Marquez continue to take any more punishment.
Art Barrera Jr. of Lynwood, California (9-0, 7 KOs) took it to Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. of Chicago (6-2-1, 2 KO), making for a fun action fight and a TKO win for Barrera Jr.
Barrera Jr. rocked Guerra with a hard shot to the torso in round five, Guerra Jr. staggered but didn’t go down, and it appeared the fight would go to the cards with one round to go. Egged on by his fans, Barrera Jr. let his hands go, forcing referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight at 1:15 of the sixth and final round. The 19-year-old super welterweight is getting attention and gaining fans, and it’s easy to see why.
Featherweight Ra’eese “The Beast” Aleem of Las Vegas (22-1, 12KO) opened the card with a solid performance over Rudy Garcia of Los Angeles (13-2-1,2 KOs). Scores were 98-92, 97-93, 99-91. Aleem, a former WBA interim super bantamweight champion, is working his way toward another title fight opportunity.
READ MORE: Naoya Inoue and Ramon Cardenas Deliver Cinco de Mayo Classic
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.