San Antonio native Ramon Cardenas pleased his regional fans with an outstanding efficiency, utilizing a book left-hook to tear down and upset Rafael Pedroza in the 2nd round of their launching on SHOBOX: The New Generation. The fight, which happened at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, was transmitted live on SHOWTIME.
Cardenas sent out Pedroza to the canvas two times in the 2nd round with completely carried out jumping left hooks. Referee Rafael Ramos right away waved off the fight after the 2nd knockdown, as Pedroza had a hard time to get up and landed awkwardly on his side. The success marked the 235th time in the history of SHOBOX that a fighter lost their unbeaten record on the possibility series.
Speaking about his success, Cardenas stated, “I discovered his defense was weak, so I capitalized and dropped him with my left hook. I understood it would work once again, so I went all out and it ended the fight. This win is my greatest achievement up until now, and I wish to keep impressing SHOWTIME and ultimately deal with the champs.”
For Pedroza, the fight was a frustration as he suffered his very first loss beyond his native Panama. He got in the match with high expectations, unbeaten and ranked 5th in the WBA at extremely bantamweight. On the other hand, Cardenas appeared calm and gathered, battling in his home town for the ninth time. With the win, Cardenas enhanced his record to 22-1 with 12 knockouts, while Pedroza dropped to 15-1 with 11 knockouts.
In the co-feature, Mirco Cuello beat Rudy Garcia in a difficult 10-round consentaneous choice in their featherweight bout. Cuello won by ratings of 99-90 on all 3 judges’ scorecards, handing Garcia his very first loss. Although Cuello was not able to protect a knockout, he landed several tidy shots and controlled the fight, landing 35% of his jabs and power punches.
The telecast opener saw Freudis Rojas preserve his unbeaten record with a dominant efficiency against Saul Bustos, training under Freddie Roach. Although Rojas could not protect a knockout, he showcased his slick boxing abilities, quickly hands, and power in an eight-round welterweight bout. Rojas won by consentaneous choice, with ratings of 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
The whole card was promoted by Sampson Boxing and Paco Presents. The telecast will be replayed on SHOWTIME EXTREME® on Monday, September 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
