SAN BERNARDINO, California – Kevin Anton tried to make an impressive case regarding his quality as a rising junior middleweight.
He had to settle for quick work.
Anton, a 27-year-old from Palmdale, California, finished off Kudratillo Abdukakhorov, 22-6, on a doctor’s stoppage following the first round Saturday, improving to 13-0 (12 KOs).
The 6-feet-3 southpaw Anton, working on lobbying for a top-15 ranking spot among the four sanctioning bodies, sought to use his arm-length advantage to score points via the jab against his Uzbek foe early.
Supported by his impassioned countrymen from Guatemala who came to the Orange Show Events Center to cheer on main event fighter Lester Martinez, a puzzled Anton looked on across the ring as the ringside physician inspected a dazed Abdukakhorov.
As a trainer rubbed Abdukakhorov’s head and unwrapped his gloves, the bout was stopped and Anton raised both arms in victory.
The short night will surely mean a quick return for Anton on the ProBox TV schedule.
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
