Raul Curiel Gets Weird Stoppage, Manny Flores Shines on Golden Boy Card
Fight fans got their second midweek card in two nights. This time it was the prospect-based Golden Boy Live card at the Fantasy Springs in Indio, California, live on DAZN. In the evening's main event, surging 147-pound prospect Raul "Cugar" Curiel, a former Mexican Olympian, looked to stay hot and follow up on his impressive stoppage victories over Kendo Castaneda and Brad Solomon, when he locked up with Courtney Pennington, a savvy Brooklynite.
After a slow and strategic opening round, Curiel picked it up in the second. He began getting aggressive, cutting off the ring and backing the Brooklynite into the ropes. However, Pennington stayed calm and worked off the jab. He scored with the jab and little else. He was losing rounds but was competitive and very much in the fight.
the fight stayed strategic in round three, and the contrast of styles was on full display. Curiel was trying to come forward but not firing all that much. While Pennington was jabbing and moving off the back foot and firing the job. He was able to avoid most of Curiel's fire. The Mexican was winning the rounds by firing off combinations in spots and landing and partly landing with big left hooks and right hands here and there, but the action was slow through four.
Curiel picked up the pace in the eighth and ninth, seemingly having his eye on the stoppage. Cugar was ripping body shots, and Pennington really started to slow down. The New Yorker remained crafty, but his punches became more and more sparse, as he was clearly in survival mode. Curiel began trapping him in the corner and against the ropes and punishing him on the inside until Pennington could slide out of trouble. Pennington came out aggressive with a bit more gusto in the 10th and final round. However, that was quickly silenced by a big left hook from Curiel that put his man back on the defensive, and Pennington went Fully in survival mode. The former Olympian scored with a couple of left hooks at the one-minute mark that caught his opponent's attention, but Curiel seemed content going the distance as well. That's when something really bizarre happened. With 10 seconds left, Curiel landed the final punch of the night, another solid hook that sent Pennington backward but not in any particular trouble at all. The referee stepped in and called a halt to the bout. Awarding Curiel a 10th-round TKO with seven seconds left. Pennington's corner protested, but to little avail, and Curiel moved to 13-0 (11).
In the evening's co-main event Manny Flores, of Coachella, California, bounced back from his first career loss about as well as you possibly can. Flores took on Jerson Ortiz of Nicaragua, a tough journeyman expected to go rounds with Flroes and make him work. However, he offered very little resistance as Flores scored two knockdowns in the first round courtesy of the right hook. Flores, a southpaw, stayed aggressive. Knowing he had his man in trouble, he unleashed a chopping right hand when he had Ortiz backed into the corner that landed squarely and dropped the Nicaraguan for a third time. The bout was immediately waved off, giving the Coachella Valley native the second KO and improving his record to 16-1 (12).
The card also features Flores's little cousin, a sharp-looking prospect, by the name of Grant Flores, who we've seen on the Golden Boy Live series before. He scored a six-round unanimous decision over Jaleik Bogle, dropping him in the fifth on his way to moving his record to 3-0 (3).
The undercard featured two other highly touted blue chip prospects, including Golden Boy's newest acquisition, Daniel Luna of Victorville, California. A tall rangy 5'9, 130 pounder who is just 21 years old. Luna looked super impressive in scoring a second-round KO. A one-punch body shot stoppage. A single left hook to the body dropped an outgunned Alexander Gutierrez, tried valiantly to get up. However, he couldn’t make it to his feet, and Luna got his hand raised. Moving his record to 3-0 (3). Also, Jorge Chavez scored an impressive third-round KO of rugged veteran Marvin Solano to improve his record to 8-0 (6).
