Boxing in Puerto Rico: Hitchins Beats Paro in a Split Decision
Dec 8, 2024 at 4:40 AM
In the world of boxing, Saturday night at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, witnessed some intense matchups. Liam Paro, the BF Super Lightweight champion with a record of 25-1 and 15 KOs, faced off against Richardson Hitchins, the IBF North American, WBC Silver, and WBO NABO champion with a perfect 20-0 record and 7 KOs. In the first three rounds, Paro had the upper hand in terms of landing punches. However, in the fourth round, a right cross from Paro hit Hitchins, driving him several steps to the left. In the fifth round, Hitchins managed to draw blood from Paro's nose. In the seventh round's final minute, Hitchins landed a solid right on Paro's chin. In the eleventh round, Hitchins outworked Paro. And in the twelfth and final round, it was a back-and-forth affair, with Hitchins having a slight edge. The scores were 117-111 for Paro, 116-112, and 116-112 for Hitchins.WBO Latino Super Feather champ Henry 'Moncho' Lebron, with a record of 20-0 (10), took on Christopher 'Pitufo' Diaz, who had a record of 29-5 (19), for the vacant IBF Latino title over ten rounds. Throughout the first eight rounds, Lebron mostly had his way against the aggressive Diaz. But in the ninth round, a clash of heads caused a cut on Lebron's left eyebrow. In the tenth and final round, Diaz chased Lebron throughout the round. The referee was Ramon Pena, and the scores were 97-93 twice and 96-94.WBC Youth Silver and WBA No. American Welter champ Jalil 'Major' Hackett, with a record of 9-1 (7), lost a split decision to Jose 'Chito' Roman, who had a record of 14-1 (6), over ten rounds. In the first six rounds, Hackett was mostly ahead. But in the eighth round, having had problems making weight, Hackett seemed to slow down as Roman took the round. In the ninth round, Roman countered Hackett, who kept coming forward with swelling outside Hackett's right eye. In the tenth and final round, Roman, who lost the first half of the fight, came back and took the last three rounds with swelling under his right eye at the end. The referee was Roberto Ramirez, and the scores were 96-94 for Roman, 96-94 for Hackett, and 96-94 for Roman. A draw would not have been a bad outcome.Continental Americas Light champ Marc Castro, with a record of 13-1 (8), lost by split decision to Agustin 'Sugar' Quintana, who had a record of 21-2-1 (13), over ten rounds. In the first three rounds, it went back and forth, with Castro having an edge. But in the fourth and fifth rounds, Quintana came back and took both rounds. In the sixth and seventh rounds, Castro mostly outlanded Quintana. In the eighth and ninth rounds, Quintana came back and took the rounds. In the tenth and final round, both were swinging wildly, and Castro had Quintana against the ropes for the most part. The referee was Ramon Pena, and the scores were 97-93 twice for Quintana and 96-94 for Castro.WBA Continental Americas & WBC Silver champ Yankiel 'El Doctorcito' Rivera, with a record of 7-0 (3) and ranked #112, stopped NABF Fly champ Angel 'Set if off' Gonzalez, with a record of 14-1 (7) and ranked #110.8, from Longwood, FL, at 2:10 of the fourth round of a scheduled 10 rounds. In the fourth round, Rivera dropped Gonzalez with a combination to the chin for an 8-count from Referee Pabon. Seconds later, he hurt Gonzalez with a right on the chin and another on the back, and Gonzalez went down for an 8-count. Referee Luis Pabon waved it off.In the opening bout, WBA Continental Americas Welter champ Stefanie 'The Medicine' Piniero, with a record of 8-0 (2) and ranked #146.4, from Bayamon, PR, defeated Kalinda Faria, with a record of 2-3 (0) and ranked #139.8, from Sao Paulo, BRZ, over 8×2 rounds. In the first three rounds, Piniero had the edge. In the fourth round, Pinero rocked Faria with a right hook to the chin at the halfway point. In the seventh round's final seconds, Faria ran from Piniero to reach the bell. Faria was bruised on both eyes. In the eighth and final round, the taller southpaw Piniero continued to dominate Faria. The referee was Melva Santos, and the scores were all 80-71.Super Light southpaw William 'Willito' Ortiz, with a record of 7-0 (4) and ranked #140, from Toa Alta, PR, easily defeated Lionell 'Taz' Omar Colon, with a record of 6-1 (3) and ranked #139 ¼, from PR and Ocala, FL, over 6 rounds. In the first round, both had their moments. In the second round, Ortiz rocked Colon several times with lead lefts to the chin. In the fourth round, Ortiz continued to outwork Colon, who didn't seem to do much until the final seconds, possibly trying to steal a round. In the fifth round, with a minute remaining, Ortiz landed a left on the chin, knocking Colon back several steps. Colon had an abrasion around his left eye at the end. In the sixth and final round, Ortiz continued to dominate Colon. The referee was Louis Pabon, and the scores were all 60-54.Bantam Juan 'Juancito' Zayas, with a record of 11-0-1 (8) and ranked #117.4, from Bayamon, PR, defeated Geraldo 'Rigondiaux' Valdez, with a record of 16-3 (11) and ranked #116.6, from Santo Domingo, DR, over 8 rounds. In the first four rounds, Zayas had the lead. In the sixth round, Zayas suffered a cut over his right eyelid. In the eighth round, Zayas was warned for holding throughout the round. The referee was Melva Santos, and the scores were 78-73 twice and 77-74. The ring announcer was David Diamante.
