Photos: Sumio Yamada
WBA super featherweight champion Andrew “El Chango” Cancio (21-4-2, 16 KOs) scored a spectacular third round KO over former champ Alberto “Explosivo” Machado (21-2, 17 KOs) to erase all doubts in their rematch on Friday night at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Cancio was cut early, but he battered Machado in round two. A body shot dropped Machado in the third to end it. Time was 1:01.
“It feels good,” said Cancio.”I was going for the head and the body was there and I took it. I’m here to stay. It’s not a fluke, and I’m ready for the other champions. After the knockdown, I thought he was getting up, but he knew if he got up I was coming for him.”
“Like I said, I’m here to stay. It’s not a fluke. I did this twice, and you got to see the new and approved Andrew Cancio. Rene Alvarado has been sitting there waiting patiently as the number one mandatory, and he’s has proven himself and he’s number one. He’s has been waiting long enough, so let me get my cuts healed up and talk to my team and promoter. I told them I don’t care who it is, Rene Alvarado or JoJo Diaz.”
Machado stated, “Look he’s a great champion and he showed that tonight. I had an excellent training camp and he did his job. I have to check with my team and see if I should move up because this division is small for me. Look I was ready to get up, but the referee decided to stop the fight. I wanted to keep going. It was always my decision to have this fight be my last fight in this division. It was the risk I was willing to take in this rematch. Cancio did his thing tonight, and now I have to make a decision.”
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Way to rob the fans of what could have been another entertaining fight. The man beats the count and still the fight gets stopped.
In the first fight, Cancio showed that Machado is vulnerable to body shots. I believed he would repeat the knockout in the rematch, if he was able to avoid Machado’s bombs. His fight was at midrange and in close where Machado can’t get full extension on his punches. Machado had to keep Cancio at the end of his punches.
Cancio would not be denied and kept advancing into punching range taking some shots but avoiding many shots as well. He focused on the body in the rematch and got the knockout even quicker than before. That was a perfect liver shot that hit Machado in the third and took all the fight out of him.
Congratulations to Cancio for the great win and possibly a move up to lightweight for Machado. A note to Machado: lightweights in general hit harder than super featherweights.
He can try two soft ones at 135…….Teofimo Lopez and Richard Commey
Machado please retire!
Another example of trying to squeeze into one of these made up divisions. He is already really a lightweight.
Machado was close to beating the count. He went down at 2:12, got up at 2:02. I think he thought he would get up at 9 right before 10, but the ref didn’t want to give him the benefit of the doubt and let him continue. If Machado thinks he can make it at 135, might as well try 5 fights up there, and see if he wins all of those, or 4 out of 5. If not, it’s time to retire after 5 more fights for sure.
Anthony Joshua, pay attention.
Machado did not look interested in continuing. Gassed. May be able to survive in a higher weight class. Good luck. Not enough power to ward off Cancio.