By REYNALD MAGALLON
Weljon Mindoro kept his record pristine but not his knockout streak after scoring a unanimous decision victory over tough Mexican Elias Espadas in their 10-round super middleweight bout at the University of Texas on Saturday, June 6 (Manila time).
The Filipino knockout artist found his Mexican foe a tough nut to crack, knocking him down in the fourth round but managed to remain competitive until the final bell.
It was a gritty showing for Espadas, who tried to rally back in the final rounds, even staggering Mindoro with a couple of big hits. He even left Mindoro with a swelling right eye but not enough to turn the scorecards which had the Filipino winning 96-93, 98-91, 97-92.
The win marked Mindoro’s first decision victory after winning all of his first 16 bouts via knockout. He improved to a 17-0-1 record while Espadas dropped to a 28-9-1 slate.
Mindoro set the tempo in the first three rounds but Espadas came back in the fourth round and caught the Filipino on the corner and showered him with solid punches.
The 26-year-old Filipino pug however regained control after detonating a booming overhand right that had Espadas out of balance enough to score a knockdown.
Mindoro tried to finish Espadas off but ran out of time in the fourth round. As if not bothered by the earlier knockdown, the Mexican put on the offensive in the second half of the bout but the Filipino held his ground enough to secure the win.
