Perez Delivers Big in 6th; Diaz Passes Gritty 10 Round Test

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    Michael Perez took on Luis Sanchez in the co-feature of Mauricio Herrera and Hank Lundy’s HBO Latino main event at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.

     

    Perez started off in a hurry, maybe trying to make it an early night against a late replacement opponent in Sanchez, who replaced Sharif Bogere a few weeks ago after Bogere suffered an injury, but the pressure was working against him.

     

    Sanchez landed some really big shots early, but none of them flush enough to take Perez off of his game. Perez, on the other hand, was relentless when it came to instituting his fight.

     

    Perez was cut in the fight due to an accidental headbutt, and then again later in the fight. It didn’t have much effect on the New Jersey fighter, but he seemed to utilize his aggression better.

     

    In the 6th, Perez finally caught Sanchez with a flush shot that sent him to the canvas where he was unable to continue in the fight.

     

    The televised opener of the HBO Latino telecast was a featherweight bout between Joseph Diaz and Rene Alvarado in a scheduled 10 round bout. This matchup continued the ongoing trend for Diaz who has been in some really tough fights against solid opposition.

     

    There might be some casual fans out there in hardcore wrappers that might say Diaz hasn’t fought anyone, but the truth is Diaz is fighting talented fighters at this stage in his career. It is very unusual to see a young fighter like Diaz at such an early stage fighting quality opponents.

     

    This was exactly the case with Alvarado as he gave Diaz all he could handle throughout the 10 round contest.

     

    Diaz remained composed and showcased skill whenever he got the opportunity, but Alvarado made it a gritty fight and forced Diaz to fight his fight with little exception. Diaz scored a somewhat questionable knockdown in round 1. It was a knockdown within the confines of the rules, but it wasn’t a knockdown caused by effectiveness or intensity of the punch thrown, and Alvarado was up quickly and was clearly not hurt in the least.

     

    Diaz was winning the fight early, but Alvarado was making his presence felt, especially in the 3rd when he took control of the action. Alvarado wasn’t dictating the fight by any means, but he was winning with volume in round 3 and it was the first round where he showed a clear understanding of punches in bunches to the result of scoring.

     

    It was a close fight at times, but Diaz was always the better looking talent in terms of skillset and athleticism. I doubt that Alvarado ever cared about looking good in the fight, but he was clearly putting in the kind of work that results in closely won rounds.

     

    Diaz went down in the 10th, but it was ruled a trip, although it was a similar circumstance as the Alvarado knockdown in the first round.

     

    The fight went the distance and Diaz won a fairly close decision on the judges’ scorecards. The scores were 98-91, 96-93, and 95-94, giving Diaz the unanimous decision win.

     

    It was a closely fought fight and Diaz could be considered fortunate that he got the nod on all 3 judges’ scorecards, but the win was worth much more than another notch on his resume because he got all kinds of experience.