On Saturday’s fight night in the main events, two-division world champion Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) faced off against top 130-pound contender O'Shaquie Foster (20-2, 11 KOs), former bridgerweight world title challenger Ryan Rozicki (17-1, 16 KOs) met Artur Gorlov (10-3-1, 8 KOs) and British prospect Adam Azim (8-0, 6 KOs) squared off against Santos Reyes (12-1, 3 KOs).
In the first event in San Antonio, Texas, O'Shaquie Foster unexpectedly outclassed previously unbeaten former two-division world champion Rey Vargas and won a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC super featherweight title. The results were the following: 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109.
Vargas, 32, lacked the speed and athleticism necessary to compete with Foster, a speedier native of Orange, Texas, in this battle. The 5’10” Vargas had a tremendous size advantage when he competed at 122 and 126 pounds, but at 130 pounds, his bulk wasn't enough to prevail.
Official main event highlights:
In the undercard, former WBA light welterweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (27-2, 18 KOs) looked very impressive when he stopped the tough-as-nails Jovanie Santiago (14-3-1, 10 KOs) in the eighth round of a ten round fight. In the eighth, the 27-year-old Barrios successfully dropped Santiago with a lovely left to the body. After Santiago heroically rose to his feet, Barrios unleashed a barrage of strikes that forced his corner to declare victory by throwing in the white towel. The fight was stopped by the referee at 1:42 in the eighth round.
Also, Lenier Pero (9-0, 6 KOs), a heavyweight prospect, maintained his record with a stoppage victory over previously unbeaten Viktor Faust in the eighth round (11-1, 7 KOs). Pero, a 29-year-old Cuban heavyweight, battled early on and was wounded in the third round by Ukrainian Faust. However, in the eighth round, Pero landed a strong shot to the 30-year-old Faust's midsection, injuring him. At that point, referee Rafael Ramos intervened and called the fight off. The halt came at 2:28 of the eighth round.
In the second event, but already in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Ryan Rozicki, the ninth-ranked cruiserweight in the WBC rankings and a past challenger for the bridgerweight world title, defeated Artur Gorlov. Rozicki floored Gorlov in round three after dropping him with a left hook at the end of round two. It was 2:29 when the fight came to an end.
In the last event of the night, Adam “The Assassin” Azim improved his professional boxing record by defeating Nicaraguan boxer Santos Reyes by a majority decision inside Wembley Arena. Even though Reyes, who had previously gone undefeated, resisted being finished off, in large part because of his tight guard, The Assassin not only scored an early knockdown but also won every round in a spectacular performance and eventually he won by a unanimous score of 100-89 from the three judges.
Image Credit: Showtime