Nicklaus Flaz turned in an aggressive performance in a sixth-round stoppage of Luke Santamaria on Wednesday at the ProBox Event Center in Plant City, Florida.
For Flaz (12-2, 8 KOs), the win marked his third straight – and a notable one in that it was the first career knockout loss for Santamaria (14-4-1, 7 KOs).
“I had fun in the ring,” Flaz said. “It was the toughest fight of my career. I had to prove myself in the welterweight division.”
To start, Flaz took the center of the ring and Santamaria appeared content to work off the back foot. Santamaria began to hold the ring for the rest of the first round, landing a quick body-to-head combination in his first successful attack.
But with less than 20 seconds on the clock, Santamaria was on the canvas. Flaz landed a pinpoint straight right hand to the chin, sending Santamaria immediately to the floor. Santamaria was quick to jump to his feet, and rejected his stool at the interval.
Flaz came out for the second round full of confidence, but he couldn’t quite capitalize on the early knockdown. Santamaria had appeared to recover during the break, and slowed the rest of the round to his rhythm.
Round 3 saw the action pick up in the opening minute, with Santamaria pressing the action but Flaz changing pace to stifle his opponent. Flaz landed a beautiful right uppercut-straight-right combination to finish out a clever round.
Santamaria refused to take a backward step in the fourth round – but it would prove costly. Flaz connected with a right hand over the top that stunned the forward-marching Santamaria, followed by a good left hook and a straight right hand with a minute left in the round. Flaz landed a huge uppercut to end a big round.
After a relatively quiet fifth round, Santamaria was on the floor again barely 30 seconds into the sixth. Flaz landed a good right hand, switching his stance to floor his opponent with a jab. He went for the finish, landing two good body shots, and kept the pressure high, swinging in left and right combinations that landed to the body and head.
With a minute left in the round, Flaz dug a left to the body followed by a left hook to the head, ending Santamaria’s night without a count from the referee.
Kelvin Davis Stops Mario Ezequiel Say Lozano in Round 2
Welterweight Kelvin Davis stopped Mario Ezequiel Say Lozano in the second round to maintain his undefeated record.
Davis (12-0, 7 KOs), a southpaw, began the eight-round bout working the center of the ring, making the most of his height and reach advantages, and peppering Lozano (18-13, 9 KOs) to the body. Lozano threw a big overhand left that drew a gasp from the crowd, but Davis was unfazed. He went calmly about controlling the rest of the round, primarily with that jab to the body.
The action in Round 2 didn’t pick up until Lozano launched another overhand right (which failed to connect) halfway through the frame. Davis began exerting precise and intense pressure late in the round, and Lozano hit the canvas in its final seconds. He wilted as Davis walked him down, and although Lozano was able to make the count, the referee waved off proceedings as soon as the Argentine made it to his feet.
Vershaun Lee Escapes in Tough Fight With Luis Vega Sanchez
Vershaun Lee was lucky to score a points win against Luis Vega Sanchez in a four-round welterweight bout to open ProBox TV’s Wednesday Night Fights.
Sanchez, still seeking his first win as a professional, was more than competitive, even if the official scoring (39-37, 39-37 and 40-36) might have indicated otherwise – especially the card that gave every round to Lee.
It was a scrappy opening 30 seconds, until Lee (2-0, 1 KO) landed a left hook to give Sanchez (0-4-1) some food for thought. Lee settled down behind his jab to control the rest of the round, landing a good right to the body with just under 60 seconds left. A strong body-to-head combination closed out the opening three minutes for Lee.
Lee started the second round in smoother fashion, working behind his jab and landing straight right hands to the head and body. But Sanchez landed a good right hand while trading halfway through the round, turning the tide somewhat for the rest of the round. A stiff double jab and overhand left gave Sanchez an argument for winning the round.
Round 3 saw another scrappy opening 90 seconds. Midway through the round, Sanchez again came forward, landing a big right hand on three separate occasions to take control. Sanchez came out swinging in the fourth, but Lee slipped away from danger. Although Sanchez’s uppercut inside was finding a home and he fought hard to the bell, the judges ultimately saw it for Lee.
