Highlights
–Danny Aquino pressured early behind his jab, appearing to get off first mostly by leading with and landing the left hook between Jonathan Guzman’s guard. Guzman did land a solid counter hook just prior to the bell ending the first round.
–Guzman scored two second-round knockdowns—the first off a hook, and the second a right hand that followed a hook. Guzman’s initial shot dropped Aquino at the 2:07 mark, but the fallen fighter quickly got to his feet. Guzman floored Aquino once more with a left-hook, right-hand combination with 13 seconds left, but once again Aquino made it to his feet and lasted the round.
–As the fight progressed, Guzman used Aquino’s aggression against him despite often fighting as a counter-puncher in retreat. In the ninth, he landed a right hand and a finishing left hook that dropped Aquino once again as referee Jackie Morrell stepped in and waved an end to the fight at the 1:19 mark.
Jonathan Guzman not only improved to 20-0 with 20 knockouts with a ninth-round stoppage of Danny Aquino on Saturday night, but the hammer-fisted fighter demonstrated veteran poise and the ability to be a boxer-puncher.
He also demonstrated incredible pain tolerance, fighting with two broken hands after the second round, according to his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz.
Guzman floored Aquino twice in the second round and counter-punched beautifully into the ninth, finally finishing his opponent with a head-swiveling right hand followed by a left uppercut for a technical knockout in a 122-pound clash at Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts.
After never having to fight past the fifth round in any of his previous contests, Guzman (20-0, 20 KOs) demonstrated solid stamina—even through it appeared the 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic would have another quick night after registering second-round knockdowns with his left hook and right hand, respectively.
After the initial knockdown at the 2:07 mark, Aquino (17-3, 10 KOs) rose on stable legs before referee Jackie Morrell reached the count of eight. Aquino went down yet again with 13 seconds remaining in the round from a left-hook, right-hand combination, yet he made it to his feet right before the bell sounded.
Guzman boxed well from the third round on, setting traps off counters, occasionally dangling his hands by his side starting in the sixth, and splitting Aquino’s guard—and his wild punches—with crisp counters of his own.
The end officially came at 1:19 of the ninth, with Guzman connecting with a strong straight right hand followed by two misses and a crunching left uppercut just as Aquino was on the way down.
It was the first time the 25-year-old from Mexico had ever been stopped.
Jonathan Guzman connects with a big right hand against Danny Aquino on Saturday in Lowell, Massachusetts. Guzman scored a ninth-round TKO to improve to 20-0, all by knockout. (Joey Sylvester/Premier Boxing Champions)
