It was a night of sheer skill and will on this past Friday’s edition of the “Path to Glory” card that took place at The Doubletree Hotel Ontario.
The night opened up with undefeated prospect Darley Perez (22-0, 17KO) outworking veteran Baudel Cardenas (19-22-2, 7KO). Cardenas succumbed to a hard body shot and was counted out at just 1:08 of the opening round. The Colombian native Perez continues his rapid rise in the lightweight division with his 22nd win of his career.
Following the opener was an all out 4-round welterweight war as debut fighters Rigoberto Flores (0-1) and Javier Albonica (1-0, 1KO) went back and forth in an exciting slugfest which saw Albonica dropped in the first round only to rebound and continue on to the fourth round where he landed a direct overhand right to Flores’ head leaving the referee no choice but to stop the fight and call in for Albonica by way of knock out 1:34 into the final round.
In afour round flyweight match up featuring undefeated prospects Takashi Okada (4-0-1, 1KO) and Daniel Roman (2-1-1, 1KO) fight fans were able to witness all out action. The dominant Okada opened up a cut over the right eye of the resistant Roman. Okada successfully defeated Roman by split decision victory.
In a scheduled 6-round super bantamweight bout Jonathan Arellano improved his record to (9-0-1, 2KO) by outclassing Felipe Cordova (2-3, 1KO). Arellano dropped Cordova in the first round with a strong right and again 2:06 into the second round when referee Raul Caiz, Jr. had to call the fight for Arellano by TKO victory over Cordova.
Preceding the co-main event saw a battle of junior welterweights. Hard hitting Jhon Ortega (6-0-1, 6KO) took apart southpaw Jon David Charles (7-4, 1KO) and ended the fight in the 4th round with an impressive combination that caused Charles to nearly take a knee in the corner. Ortega relentlessly attacked and landed a left look that put Charles on the canvas. Ortega improved his record to (6-0-1, 6 KOs).
In the co-main event undefeated rising featherweight Lopez used his speed and power to triumph over Olvin Mejia. Lopez knocked down Mejia early in the first round and again 1:46 further into the round when referee Raul Caiz, Jr. called the fight. Lopez improves his record to (15-0, 11 KOs) while Mejia drops to (4-4-3).
In the main event of the evening WBC featherweight title challenger, Juan Carlos Burgos (27-1, 19KO) took on veteran Gilberto Sanchez Leon (29-11-2, 11KO). The back and forth fight went the distance and judges scored the fight 100-90, 97-93 and 98-92, all in favor of Burgos.
Said Burgos about his performance, “At my level, I probably should have done better. He came here to do his job and that was to grab and clinch. I will use it as a lesson for me never to be over confident. I want to show everyone that I am committed to being a world champion and that is what I am trying to do. ”
Thompson Boxing Promotions congratulates all of the “Path to Glory” warriors who did the sport proud on Friday night. Be sure to watch the delayed broadcast featuring Burgos vs. Sanchez-Leon and Lopez vs. Mejia on Fox Sports Espanol on Friday, August 5. Check your local listing for the time.