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Rising welterweight Sammy Vasquez, Jr. got the chance to show the viewing public what he's got and he took full advantage, outclassing and battering the gritty Jose Lopez in the latest installment of PBC on FS1.
From the beginning, Vasquez (20-0, 14 KO) used great footwork and control of distance to potshot his hard-charging foe with counters to the head and body. Lopez (25-4-1, 15 KO) was aggressive throughout, but his tendency to fight only in a straight line and his inability to deal with Vasquez's pivoting proved his undoing.
Late in the fourth round, Vasquez started putting brutal punches together and never slowed down. He knocked Lopez down with a vicious flurry in the fifth and, while he got some egg on his face for celebrating prematurely, made up for it by smashing him with another combination to force the referee into action.
Vasquez's power, combinations, and especially his footwork looked terrific tonight. I eagerly await his future efforts in the crowded 147-pound division.
The middle fight pitted newly-minted 19-year-old super lightweight Milton Santiago (who has his own Wikipedia page, I found out) against club fighter Alvaro Ortiz in a six-round fight. Santiago (12-0, 3 KO) showed some solid offensive prowess, with crisp combinations and a good ability to stand his ground and counter, but seemed every bit as powerless as his record suggests. Ortiz (7-4-1, 5 KO) was predictably outgunned in the technical department, though he did manage to score with a handful of body shots and force Santiago to the ropes.
Santiago eventually walked away with the shutout win; the talent seems to be there, and he's got plenty of time to develop. Here's hoping he can learn to properly knock some heads.
In the opening bout, 130-pound prospect Omar Douglas went ten rounds for the first time in a unanimous decision win over former prospect Braulio Santos. Douglas (15-0, 11 KO) dropped Santos once each in the first two rounds, the first time with a bazooka jab and the second time with a hard left hook. His size, strength, and powerful left hand basically carried the day as he forced Santos (12-3, 10 KO) onto the back foot and went to work with jabs and body shots.
To his credit, Santos did manage to do some work in the middle rounds with well-timed punches into clinch entries, but never seemed able to faze Douglas. His tendency to dip extremely low did, however, result in a point deduction on each side, Douglas for rabbit punches and Santos for low blows.
Though Douglas' defense seemed a little porous, his body work and jab both looked excellent. Further, he looks massive for the weight class and took some powerful punches without flinching. At only 24, he's worth keeping an eye on.
For the full live coverage of the night's events, click here.