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In what was a magnificent
back-and-forth battle, WBF World
Super Middleweight Champion
Marco Antonio Rubio made a
successful first defense of his
title Saturday night, December
22, in Morelia, Mexico, when he
stopped courageous challenger
Michel Rosales in the eleventh
round.
Rubio, now 56-6-1 (49), scored a
knockdown very early in the
first round when he connected
with a right hook to the jaw of
Rosales, and it appeared that
“El Veneno” would have an easy
nights work.
But Rosales gamely beat the
count, and furiously fought back
immediately after.
The action was breathtaking from
then on, and both boxers had
periods where they were in
control, only to see the other
man come right back and connect
with his own punches. In round
seven it again looked as if
Rubio would be able to end
matters when he forced Rosales
to the ropes by connecting with
several left and right hands in
succession.
But, again, Rosales, 32-6 (26),
managed to weather the storm and
fight back with everything in
his arsenal to keep the bout
close and extremely entertaining
for the 4000 fans, who were at
the edge of their seats from
start to finish of each round.
At this point it was still
anybody’s guess who the eventual
winner would be.
However, in round eleven Rubio
finally managed to overcome the
stubborn challenge of Michel
Rosales. As the two warriors
were trading blows, Rubio landed
with a powerful left hook
followed by a huge right hand to
the face of Rosales, who
dramatically crashed to the
canvas.
Proving his tremendous heart,
Rosales staggered to his feet
but was rightly declared unable
to continue as the referee waved
off an unforgettable classic. At
the time of the stoppage Rosales
was ahead on one scorecard,
while Rubio was leading on the
other two.
Promoters of the fight, which
could easily win WBF Fight Of
The Year honors, was Promociones
Del Pueblo and HG Boxing.
Televisa televised live in
Mexico and the USA.
One day earlier, on Friday
December 21, Interim WBF World
Light Welterweight Champion
Antonio Lozada Jr. put on a
devastating display of
body-punching, when he retained
his title in three impressive
rounds against David Cavita at
the Auditorio Ernesto Rufo in
Rosarito, Mexico.
The 22-year-old champion from
nearby Tijuana imposed his will
on Cavito from the start, and
already in the second round the
writing was on the wall as
Lozada floored the challenger
twice with well-placed
body-shots. Cavita beat the
count both times, but it was
only a matter of time before
Lozada would catch up with him
again.
The end came only forty-two
seconds into the third, as
Lozada cut off the ring
beautifully and finished the job
with one more devastating
body-shot. Referee Juan Jose
Ramirez waved off the fight, and
the enthusiastic crowd
celebrated another impressive
victory for their hero.
Lozada Jr. improved his
professional record to 30-1
(26), and is now in line to face
full champion Zolani Marali of
South Africa in the first half
of 2013. Cavita, game but
clearly out-gunned, fell to
7-2-2 (6). The fight was
promoted by Promociones Del
Pueblo in association with Baja
Boxing.
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