By Ricardo Ibarra

In a battle of unbeaten fighters, Marietta, Georgia’s Deonte Brown (15-0, 11 KOs) scored a ninth round TKO win over WBA #10 ranked lightweight Jesus Saracho (10-1, 9 KOs) on Saturday night at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington.

The two southpaws traded momentum for much of the early portion of the fight, Saracho effective pressing forward with heavy combinations, while Brown worked well maneuvering around the ring and stepping in with crisp right jabs and hooks to the mid-section.

As the fight wore on Brown proved to be a crafty fighter, picking his shots well and using an effective defense to avoid a lot of Saracho’s heavier offense. Brown came out pressing hard in the eighth, pushing Saracho back with hooks to the head and body, landing consistently on his slowing opponent.

In the ninth, Brown stunned Saracho early with a sharp left-hand counter as Saracho pressed in close. Brown pounced, unloading with a barrage and rocking Saracho once again. Moments later a hard left to the body sent Saracho down to his knees. The Mexican fighter was up at four, but he was visibly hurt and grimacing in pain. The referee called it at 1:09 of the ninth.

With the win, Brown adds his fourth consecutive victory inside the distance. Meanwhile, Saracho, who hails from Guanajuato, Mexico, suffers his first defeat in his U.S. debut.

In the co-main event, undefeated featherweight Johnathan Javier Fiero (13-0, 12 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico, overcame an early knockdown to stop Miami, Florida’s Daniel Bailey (10-1, 5 KOs) and claim the vacant NABA 126 lbs. title. Both fighters engaged early in the first round, trading heavily and slamming each other with hard shots in close. The fierce pace almost got out of hand as the two got tangled up and almost resorted to wrestling to the ground, drawing quick admonishment from the ref. Late in the opening round, Bailey drilled Fiero with a body shot that sent him down for a count.

Fiero rallied back in the second, catching Bailey repeatedly with hard one-twos out of his southpaw stance. Midway through the round Fiero tagged Bailey with a vicious assault along the ropes, dropping him for a count. The referee stepped in and stopped it at 1:46 of the second round

Squaring off in a rematch, Seattle’s Richard Vansiclen (12-0, 6 KOs) took an eight round unanimous decision win over Cameron Sevilla-Rivera (9-7-4 6 KOs), of Fife, WA. The two had met once before with Vansiclen claiming a decision win in their 2019 bout. This time around the fight was a closely contested one, with both fighters trading momentum. Early it was Vansiclen who seemed to find his mark more often through the first three rounds, working behind his jab and landing to Sevilla-Rivera’s body. The pace intensified in the fourth with Sevilla-Rivera stepping up his body attack and landing at a higher rate. In the fifth, Sevilla-Rivera stayed busy and staggered Vansiclen late in the round. The pace continued in a close final stretch of the fight, though it was Vansiclen who seemed to land the cleaner shots. Final tallies read 77-75, 79-73, and 79-73, giving Vansiclen his second win over Sevilla-Rivera.

Tempe, Arizona’s James Browning (9-0, 7 KOs) maintained his unblemished record, stopping Alaska’s William Parra-Smith (3-10-1, 3 KOs) in the fifth round. Browning worked well behind his jab for the first few rounds, following up with effective shots to the head and body. In the fifth, Browning drilled Parra-Smith with a solid right to the ribs, sending him to the canvas and forcing the referee to call it. The bout was waved off at 2:19 of the round.

Local fan-favorite William Hernandez (8-2, 5 KOs) claimed a third round TKO win over Jacob George (1-2, 1 KO). George pressed the action in the first round, finding some success with rights to the body. After losing his mouthpiece in the middle of an exchange and a small break being called to put it back in, George began to lose the momentum. Hernandez began to assert himself with stiff jabs, forcing George to cover up. Hernandez kept up the pressure in the second, working well to the body and landing repeatedly with hard shots. In the third, Hernandez continued his sustained assault and, after a volley of punches to the mid-section had George weary, the referee stepped in and called it at :52 of the third.

Yakima, Washington’s Gilberto Duran (4-5, 4 KOs) took a second round TKO victory over Jahelel Brito Carrillo (2-2-1, 2 KOs). Duran dropped Carrillo with a right half-way through the second round. After Duran buckled Carrillo’s knees with a barrage once again, the referee made the call to step in and call it at 2:22 of the second round.

In a close fight, Wapato, Washington’s Margarito Hernandez (2-1-1) eked out a four round split decision win over Jose Cervantes (2-1, 2 KOs) of Fife. Scores were 38-37 twice for Hernandez and 40-37 for Cervantes, giving Hernandez his second win as a pro.

Julio Ocampo Hernandez (1-0, 1 KO) made a successful entrance into the paid ranks, scoring a first round TKO win over Marcos Lopez (0-1), a mixed martial artist also making his debut as a paid boxer. Hernandez dropped Lopez with body shots twice, finally ending matters with a flurry to the mid-section. The referee called it at 1:30 of the opening round.

In a close four round super middleweight match-up, Auburn, Washington’s Alarenz Reynolds (4-0) notched his fourth victory as a pro, taking a majority decision win over Juan Jackson (2-5), of Tacoma. Scores were 40-36 twice and 38-38.

In the evening’s opener, Devontae McDonald (1-0, 1 KO) claimed a first round stoppage win over Kelton Hall (2-1, 1 KO). After a brisk start from both fighters, McDonald cornered Hall and unloaded with a left-right combination, sending him to the canvas. The referee stepped in and waved it off at 1:16 of the opening round.