GLENDALE, Ariz. –Ray Beltran is known for going the distance. Any distance. But this time it was too long. Two rounds too long.
Jose Pedraza ended Beltran’s short reign as the World Boxing Organization’s lightweight champion, scoring a knockdown Saturday night with a left uppercut in the 11th round and a blitz of undefended punches in an emphatic finish to the bout in the 12th.
On the scorecards, there was never a doubt. Pedraza was 117-110, 115-112, 117-110 winner over Beltran, the favorite of a lively Gila River Arena crowd of nearly 5,000.
“We did everything that we needed to do to win this fight,’’ said Pedraza (25-2, 12 KOs), a switch-hitting Puerto Rican who cut Beltran (35-8-1, 21 KOs) above the left eye in an early round and endured his brawling power in the later round. “We followed the game plan perfectly. I knew how tough this fight was going to be and at moments it got very difficult, but thanks to the focus and the guidance from my corner, we were able to win round by round and get the win.”
For Pedraza, the victory means a probable date on December 1 against pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko, who has been on the mend from shoulder surgery.
“Now I can talk about the future,’’ Pedraza said. “I want to unify the division. I want to battle against all the champions. I want the big names. Bring Lomachenko! I have the perfect style to beat him.”
He might, he just might, said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.
“He beat a very, very tough guy with a very, very cerebral fight,’’ Arum said. “He believes he has the style to beat Lomachenko.’’
For the 37-year-old Beltran, the future was not so certain. However, Arum said the Phoenix lightweight intends to keep on fighting. Anything else would have been surprise. Beltran, a Mexican, has never been the retiring type, not in his career or his ongoing quest of green card.
“As far as the future, it’s too early to tell,’’ said Beltran, who entered the ring with Phoenix Hall of Famer Michael Carbajal. “This fight, I think was tough and very close.
“The knockdown was the difference.’’
Dogboe delivers royal statement, scores first-round stoppage
There’s royalty in the blood and power in the hands.
Phoenix super-bantamweight Carlos Castro has a new deal and the same record. He was unbeaten when he signed with Top Rank. Castro (21-0, 9 KOs) is still unbeaten, winning the deal’s debut — a unanimous decision Mexican Diuhl Olguin (12-12-2, ( KOS) in front of a hometown crowd at Gila River on a card featuring Beltran-Pedraza.
Lozado struggles to a dull draw
Mexican lightweight Antonio Lozada Jr (40-2-1, 34 KOs) couldn’t sustain much of anything long enough over eight rounds in and-up down bout fight with Hector Ambriz (12-7-2, also of Mexico. It was dull. It was also a draw. It’s not clear what’s next for Lozada. Top Ranks hopes to put him in against Teofimo Lopez.
Phoenix featherweight De Vaca wins gutsy decision
Phoenix featherweight Francisco De Vaca (19-0, 6 KOs) had less power, but more resiliency than Mexican Jesus Serrano (17-7-2, 12 KOs) in crowd-pleasing featherweight brawl. De Vaca, who had ex-Oscar De La Hoya trainer Pedro Alcazar in his corner, prevailed, winning a decision that was gritty as it was unanimous.
AZ bantamweight Macias strikes with huge KO punch
It didn’t take long for some Arizona punch to be added to the mix. Breenan Macias (3-0, 2 KOs), a Goodyear, AZ, bantamweight trained by Robert Garcia, delivered it, a right hand that landed, 10 proof, in the final second of the third round.. Philip Adyaka (7-12, 4 KOs), of St Paul, Minn, never recovered. He was dazed and done, officially stopped at 3:00 of the third.
Trevor McCumby wins TKO
Phoenix light-heavyweight Trevor McCumby (24-0-0-1, 18 KOs)continued the AZ theme, overwhelming Jessie Nicklow with punches that fell like rain out of micro-burst storm. With a defenseless NIcklow (27-9-3, 9 KOs), Baltimore, slumping in a neutral corner, the referee stopped it at 40 seconds of the third round.
Beltran-Pedraza card heats up AZ with first bell
An empty, cool arena was a refuge from the desert’s soaring temperatures, but it was no escape for junior-welterweight Sagadat Rakhmankul and Christian Aquirre, who began to heat things up at Gila River Saturday afternoon in the first fight on a card featuring Ray Beltran and Jose Pedraza.
Rakhmankul (3-0, 1 KO), a Kazak managed by Vasiliy Lomachenko manager Egis Klimas, landed repeated uppercuts against the wild swinging Aguirre (7-3, 3 KOs) of West, Valley, Utah. In the Rakhmankul got bloodied and a unanimous decision over Aquirre, who somehow remained upright in spite of a swing-for-the-fences style that left him spinning like a top.
