LAS VEGAS – Ricardo Salas’ formula to defeating Mexican countryman Jesus Saracho was simple: just keep punching.
By repeatedly finding Saracho with heavier blows, Salas posted an eighth-round technical knockout in Sunday’s Zuffa Boxing co-main event at the Apex.
The end came 2 minutes, 5 seconds into the eighth on a hurtful combination that backed Saracho, 16-3-2, to his corner and caused referee Robert Hoyle to wave the bout over.
“It was a tough fight … we spent a lot of time preparing for,” Salas 23-2-2 said.
Salas delivered a stiff left on Saracho early in the second round, but the Mexico product showcased his tenacity by responding with a hard short right and power lefts while Salas backed to the ropes.
A Salas combination was effective in the third, and then Saracho one-upped him by cornering him and inflicting hard body blows.
Salas leaned into his power, jarring Saracho late in the third, then sending him reeling across the canvas early in the fourth. The pair blistered each other during the round, raising the question, ‘How long can this last?’
A Salas combination dented Saracho, but the southpaw remained the busier fighter to close the session in the fifth.
A body and head shot by Salas in the sixth put Saracho in reverse and Salas found the uppercut effective, clearly winning the round.
Roughing up Saracho on the ropes in the seventh, Salas worked to double his foe’s fatigue with pain while pushing to ensure victory.
Saracho fell back from a Salas combination in the eighth, leading to the finishing combo that triggered the stoppage.
