By Robert Coster

In a mammoth card offered by Cruz and Rodriguez Promotion on Monday night in Santiago, Dominican Republic, hot prospect Junior Almonte (11-0, 8 KOs) retained his WBC Fecarbox bantamweight title with a clear-cut eight round decision over countryman Donny Garcia (16-4, 5 KOs).

As is his custom, the baby-faced Almonte did honor to his nickname of “Bombita “(little bomb) by punishing Garcia with body punches and uppercuts, looking to make it a short night. Garcia held tough up to the final bell however, counterpunching enough to make the fight interesting and action-packed.

Said Almonte, “Garcia was game. I accepted the fact that he might last the distance. I almost did knock him out in the last round but the bell rang.”

Manager Frank Aybar from New York promised that American boxing fans will see Almonte in action in 2019: “Bombita will be fighting in the USA soon enough. He has the style and the talent to become a TV favorite.”

Other fights on the card: American Ronald Ellis (16-0-2,11Kos) KO1 Eduardo Mercedes (32-23,27Kos), super-middleweights; local idol Dayana Vargas (7-0,4Kos) wins the Dominican Featherweight title W 10 over Diana Garcia-Dominguez; Oliver Flores (28-3-2,17Kos), Nicaragua, W8 Andres Zapata(8-6,5Kos), lightweights (a good action fight); Windry Martinez (7-0,4Kos) wins the Dominican jr welterweight title W 10 Willy Morillo(5-6,3Kos), a close, hard-fought battle; Carbose Welch,USA, TKO2 Cristian Galvez, for the heavyweight WBA fedecaribe title; Wilson Santana K0 1 Juan Ramon Santos, light-heavyweight; Juan Carlos Cordones TKO 3 Marco Acevedo, lightweight; Oxandia Castillo TKO 1 Diana Garcia, super-middleweight; Jefris Castillo TK0 2 Eduardo Vargas, jr featherweight; Orlando Del Valle, Puerto Rico, TKO 3 Juan Carlos Contreras, bantamweight; John Ortiz, USA TK0 2 Francisco Rosario, jr flyweight; James Torre, USA W4 Wilkin Bladimir, welterweight; Jaime Ramirez KO1 Alejandro Brito, lightweight;Henry Delgado TKO 1 Jesus Miguel Martinez, lightweight.