Elwin Soto stops Katsunari Takayama in 9 to retain junior fly belt on Canelo-Saunders card

ARLINGTON, Texas – Elwin Soto retained the WBO junior flyweight title for the third time with an quaint beat down of former four-time strawweight titlist Katsunari Takayama, whom he stopped within the ninth spherical on Saturday night time within the co-feature of the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders card at AT&T Stadium.

Soto was making his debut beneath a brand new co-promotional deal he signed on April 9 to carry on Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn to work with Zanfer Promotions, and he was spectacular, albeit towards an previous warrior, whose greatest days had been previous.

Soto (19-1 13 KOs) dominated from the outset, rocking Takayama with a fierce proper hand early within the opening spherical and he by no means let up. He despatched Takayama reeling within the last seconds of the spherical with a flurry of punchers, however he additionally nailed Takayama (32-9 12 KOs) with a left hook after the bell ended the spherical, which prompted referee Laurence Cole to dock him one level.

They spent lengthy stretches of the battle buying and selling punches at shut quarters however Soto was clearly touchdown the heavier photographs whereas Takayama was throwing extra however had far much less steam on his landed blows. However that didn’t cease him from motioning to Soto to carry it on again and again.

Soto, 24, of Mexico, continued to rain photographs on a clearly weakening Takayama within the ninth spherical and when he was staggered by a proper hand and took a couple of extra photographs, Cole stepped in and waved it off at 2 minute, 44, seconds.

Takayama, 37, of Japan, is greatest recognized for a call loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr. in an action-packed strawweight unification battle that was the 2014 battle of the 12 months however he didn’t battle between August 2016 and December 2020, leaving skilled boxing in 2017 in an effort to make the 2020 Japanese Olympic workforce. However when the Olympics had been postponed he returned to skilled boxing in search of yet one more title alternative.

Cissokho edges Conway

Junior middleweight Souleymane Cissokho (13-0 8 KOs) rode his higher abilities and lengthy jab to a cut up determination win over Kieron Conway (16-2-1, 3 KOs) in a battle that lacked any semblance of motion till the ultimate two rounds.

Two judges had the battle, which was initially scheduled for December on the Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev undercard however postponed, it for Cissokho, 96-93 and 95-94, and one decide surprisingly had it 97-92 for Conway.

They fought the primary eight rounds at a really measured tempo and it had little or no motion. Conway, 24, of England, who had promised to strain the extra technical Cissokho, didn’t dwell as much as that promise and Cissokho, who’s skilled by Virgil Hunter, appeared to choose him aside from the skin along with his jab.

Conway’s massive second got here within the ninth spherical when clipped Cissokho with a left uppercut to knock him down within the opening seconds. Conway tried to unload and get him out of there however Cissokho, 29, a 2016 French Olympian, who was wobbly, made it by the spherical and had shaken it off by the ten^th.

Sanchez dominates Aguilera

Heavyweight Frank Sanchez (18-0, 13 KOs), who shares coach Eddy Reynoso with Alvarez, scored a sixth-round technical determination win over Dominican journeyman Nagy Aguilera (21-11, 14 KOs), 34, of Newburgh, New York, when the battle was stopped after Aguilera complained he couldn’t proceed following being grazed with a proper hand behind the top.

Sanchez received 60-54 on all three scorecards when referee Rueben Perez dominated that Aguilera couldn’t proceed because of the unintentional foul, though the punch couldn’t seen touchdown on replays.

Within the third spherical, Sanchez, 28, a Cuba native combating out of Las Vegas, nailed Aguilera with a proper hand whereas he was complaining to the referee a few borderline punch behind the top.

Aguilera continued the antics within the sixth spherical. Sanchez threw a proper hand and Aguilera bent over to attempt to keep away from it. The punch grazed him throughout the again of the top; it barely appeared prefer it made contact on video replays however Aguilera walked to the ropes, put one hand behind his head and dropped to his knees earlier than falling to the mat in exaggerated trend.

He was examined by the physician and because the crowd was booed loudly the battle was ultimately referred to as off at 1 minute, 42 seconds and despatched to the scorecards. Aguilera had pulled the identical stunt in a battle in Poland towards Sergiej Werwejko, who was awarded a fourth-round knockout win.

Castro bloodies, cease Castillo

Junior light-weight Marc Castro (3-0, 3 KOs), 21, of Fresno, California, combating on his third Alvarez undercard in a row, pummeled Irving Macias Castillo (9-2, 6 KOs), 20, of Mexico, in a fourth-round knockout victory.

Castro, who was 177-7 in a adorned newbie profession that included two youth world championships and 17 nationwide champions, together with the U.S. Nationals and Golden Gloves, thrashed Castillo all through the primary spherical. He nailed him repeatedly with clear proper fingers to the top and bloodied his nostril. Castro continued to pound away for the remainder of the battle.

By the fourth spherical, Castillo’s face was exhibiting heavy injury as Castro continued to land punches virtually at will till he put collectively one other heavy flurry that pressured referee Rueben Perez to step in and wave of the battle off at 2 minutes, 4 seconds.

Additionally on the undercard:

-Junior welterweight Keyshawn Davis (3-0, 2 KOs), 22, a speedy southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, rolled to a shutout determination over Jose Antonio Meza (6-5-1, 1 KO). Davis received 60-54 on all three scorecards. He was showing on his second Alvarez undercard, having turned professional on his Feb. 27 present towards Avni Yildirim in Miami.

Davis, a 2017 Nationwide Golden Gloves champion and 2019 newbie world championships silver medalist, rocked Meza on the finish of the primary spherical with a proper hand and issues by no means bought any simpler for Meza. Late within the fifth spherical, Davis trapped him in a nook and teed off on him with a two-handed assault that will have resulted in a knockout had the bell not sounded.

–Welterweight Christian Alan Gomez Duran (20-2-1 17 KOs), 27, of Mexico, drilled Xavier Wilson (11-3-1, 1 KO), 29, of San Antonio, within the second spherical of their scheduled eight-round bout. After a reasonably even opening spherical, Duran took care of Wilson with a clear left hook on the chin within the second spherical. Wilson’s legs had been a multitude as he struggled badly to rise up however he beat the rely. Nonetheless, referee Rosario Solis elected to wave off the battle at 2 minutes, 19 seconds, eliciting a powerful protest from Wilson.

–Junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (2-0, 1 KO), 24, the older brother of fellow prospect Keyshawn Davis, who was additionally on the cardboard, survived a tough knockdown with 30 seconds left within the battle to win a unanimous four-round determination over Jan Marsalek (8-3, 7 KOs), 33, of Czech Republic.

Davis received 38-37 on all three scorecards however Marsalek gave him a really powerful battle culminated when by a clear proper hand on the chin that knocked him beneath the underside ring rope. Davis beat the rely and was unsteady however survived the ultimate moments of the bout.