Jamaine Ortiz continued to climb the ladder Friday with a victory even more impressive than his last.
The undefeated Worcester, Mass., native kept his perfect intact with a first-round knockout win over Brazilian Vitor Jones (15-5) on Friday night at Twin River Casino Hotel, stopping his opponent at 1:50 of the opening round. The event, promoted by CES Boxing, featured nine bouts, five ending by knockout.
Two months after capturing the WBC World Youth Lightweight Championship with a win over Ricardo Quiroz, Ortiz (11-0, 5 KOs) made quick work of his next victim, sending Jones into the ropes with a hard, overhand right. Jones got to his feet, but stumbled as he tried to make his way back to the center of the ring, prompting referee Danny Schavione to stop the bout.
In what might’ve been the most impressive performance of his career, Taunton, Mass., welterweight Marqus Bates (7-2, 5 KOs) won his fifth consecutive bout, stopping previously unbeaten Southbridge native Wilfredo Pagan (6-1) at the 2:34 mark of the third round. Bates dialed up the intensity in an action-packed second round, peppering Pagan with overhand rights, but Pagan fought back and started to find his groove by sneaking a series of rights through Bates’ guard.
In the third, Bates finished the fight for good with a right hand to the midsection, knocking the wind from Pagan, who couldn’t get to his feet in time. Bates now has three knockouts during his five-fight winning streak.
The co-feature saw featherweight Ricky Delossantos (8-0) of Pawtucket, R.I., stalk down Mexican veteran German Meraz (62-55-2), who had 119 bouts on his resume entering Friday. Delossantos got the better of the exchanges and worked the body effectively, earning an 80-72 decision on all three scorecards.
Stepping up in his toughest test to date, Providence super welterweight Lamont Powell (4-0) handled the challenge with ease, cruising past seasoned Lazio, Italy native Luca Podda (7-3) for a 39-36, 40-35, 40-35 unanimous decision win. Powell scored a knockdown in the opening round and established a consistent pace the rest of the way. Podda opened the third with a hard-charging flurry, but Powell regained his composure and continued to work the jab to keep Podda from attacking the body.
In an entertaining lightweight scrap, Providence’s Michael Valentin (6-0) kept his perfect record intact, narrowly defeating the game Charles Johnson (0-3-4) of Saint Louis by majority decision, 38-38-, 39-37, 39-37. Johnson got off to a strong start, using his height and reach to keep Valentin at a distance. Valentin eventually turned on the pressure and got the better of the exchanges over the final two rounds to pull out the victory.
StablemateVictor Reynoso (4-0, 4 KOs) of Providence also remained unbeaten in the super welterweight division, earning his fourth knockout when Miami’s Yasmani Pedroso (2-6) quit at the end of the second round due to a neck injury. Reynoso scored a flash knockdown earlier in the round to build a comfortable lead on the cards. Pedroso rebounded by finishing strong over the final minute, even taunting Reynoso toward the end, but was ultimately unable to continue onto the third round due to the injury.
Also on the preliminary card, New Bedford super lightweight Wilson Mascarenhas (1-1) earned his first career victory, outworking and outboxing the game Stacey Anderson (0-6) of Virginia for a clean sweep on all three scorecards, 40-36 across the board.
Making his Twin River debut, Providence super welterweight Anthony Concepcion (3-0, 3 KOs) earned his third knockout victory in as many nights, stopping Leonard Ladeira (0-1) of Revere, Mass., at the 2:28 mark of the second round. Super welterweight Nicholas Briggs (4-0, 3 KOs) earned his third career knockout win, stopping Virginia’s Latorie Woodberry (2-9-2) with a body shot at 43 seconds of the opening round.