Highlights
–Javier Fortuna might have been lighthearted to start the bout, giving Carlos Velasquez a little bit of the matador routine, but he wasn’t playing. Fortuna rocked Velasquez with a combo to the head in Round 2 that put the Puerto Rican on the ground.
–Velasquez had plenty of heart, though. After Fortuna busted Velasquez’s nose open early in the third, he waved El Abejon forward, looking for more.
–After spending the middle rounds deftly avoiding anything Velasquez threw, Fortuna unleashed hell at the end of the eighth, again in the ninth and early in the 10th before he finally came up with the stoppage as referee Russell Moore pulled Fortuna off his beleaguered foe.
Javier Fortuna announced himself early with a second-round knockdown of Carlos Velasquez. And he definitely announced himself late, earning a 10th-round stoppage to retain his 130-pound world title.
Fortuna caught Velasquez with a quick combo to the head in the second that sent the tough Puerto Rican to the canvas.
He followed it up with a ruthless barrage in the third that opened the spigot on Velasquez’s nose.
It was apparent that Velasquez was going to have a tough time catching Fortuna with a big shot of his own, as the shorter Dominican was quick to spin out of any real trouble.
Fortuna pecked away at Velasquez through the middle of the fight, finally unleashing another whirlwind of punches at the end of the eighth right before the bell.
He did it again at the end of the ninth before finally pummeling Velasquez from one corner to another in the 10th. Referee Russell Mora stepped in between the fighters to stop the bout, pushing back Fortuna, who somersaulted on the canvas in celebration.
Javier Fortuna nails Carlos Velasquez with a left hook during their 130-pound title fight in Las Vegas. (Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
