INDIO, Calif. – Gregory Morales took a step ahead towards contender standing Friday night time.
Morales dominated Jayvon Garnett throughout the second half of their featherweight struggle, successful by unanimous choice earlier than a partisan crowd on the Fantasy Springs Resort On line casino. Scores have been 99-91, 98-92 and 96-94 for Morales, who improved to 17-1, 9 knockouts.
From the opening bell, Morales walked down the shorter Garnett. Undaunted, Garnett centered his assault to the physique, throwing and touchdown jabs and straight proper arms.
Garnett was efficient at instances, connecting an overhand proper to the pinnacle throughout a lot of the primary half of the struggle.
Morales started connecting extra punches in spherical 4, significantly with lead or counter proper crosses to Garnett’s head. Garnett swung momentum again his method in spherical 5, outlanding and outboxing Morales all through a lot of the spherical.
Each fighters stood within the pocket early throughout spherical seven, producing exchanges the place every fighter landed flush to the pinnacle, with Morales touchdown the cleaner and more practical punches.
Garnett’s punch output noticeably dropped with every spherical throughout the second half of the struggle. Morales threw and landed extra, particularly left and proper arms to the physique. Garnett drained as by the handful of instances referee Ray Armendariz needed to put Garnett’s mouthguard again in his mouth.
Garnett tried mounting an offense throughout the remaining spherical, however Morales continued being the aggressor, resulting in extra openings the place he capitalized by touchdown extra to Garnett’s head and physique.
Morales beforehand fought on January 27, defeating Ronal Ron by unanimous choice. The 23-year-old has now received his final 4 bouts since dropping by unanimous choice to Katsuma Akitsugi in April 2022.
The 29-year-old Garnett, who resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, falls to 10-2, 5 KOs. The loss to Morales was Garnett’s first struggle since a call loss to featherweight contender Luis Nunez in September 2021.
Junior middleweight Grant Flores of close by Coachella battered Juan Meza (4-6, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, earlier than the struggle led to spherical two. Flores improved to 6-0, 5 KOs
Meza selected to face within the pocket with Flores, who scored at will, whether or not to the pinnacle or physique. Throughout the second spherical, Meza’s head snapped again from the variety of hooks or crosses Flores linked. After a sequence of punches landed to the pinnacle of Meza, referee Ray Corona stopped the struggle at 1:54.
Flores is skilled by Joel and Antonio Diaz, and is the cousin of featherweight Manuel Flores.
In featherweight motion, Jorge Chavez of Tijuana, Mexico defeated Mexico Metropolis’s Riku Kitani (8-3,3 KOs) by choice. All three judges scored the bout 60-54 in favor of Chavez, who goes to 12-0, 8 KOs.
Guzman labored behind a jab, touchdown straight proper arms or crosses to the pinnacle of Kitani, who had his moments, however didn’t land on the identical tempo as Guzman.
Light-weight Bryan Lua, who lives and trains in Indio, stopped Diuhl Olguin (16-39-7, 10 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico within the fifth spherical. Lua goes to 10-0, 5 KOs.
Olguin was sport, discovering openings to connect with the pinnacle and physique, however the bodily greater Lua wore him down by strolling him down and attacking him with the next punch quantity. Olguin’s nook noticed sufficient and threw within the towel, prompting referee Ray Corona to cease the struggle at 2:03.
In middleweight motion, Fabian Guzman (5-0, 5 KOs) of Orange, California knocked out Corey Cook dinner at 2:14 of the opening spherical. A left hook to the physique dropped Cook dinner down and out for the rely. Cook dinner, who resides in Las Vegas, falls to 2-2-1, 1 KO.
Within the opening bout of the Golden Boy Combat Evening on DAZN card, light-weight Juan Estrada, Jr. defeated Dyllon Cervantes (3-3-1, 2 KOs) of Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah by choice. All three judges scored the bout 40-36 for Estrada (3-0, 1 KO), who resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has coated boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He might be reached at [email protected]
