Knockout Kissimmee Strikes Again On Navarrete-Diaz Undercard
It only seems like Memorial Day weekend of 2019 when I was back at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, to watch people get stopped here courtesy of Top Rank that aired on ESPN+.
This past venture to Silver Spurs Arena seemed to pick up where those stoppages left off.
It started early when I got into the building to report when Jaycob Gomez moved to 2-0 as he made quick work of Mobley Villegas as the first bout on the evening. After a spirited four-rounder that had Jeremy Adorno edge out Ramiro Martinez, Xander Zayas only needed 56 seconds to wipe out Demarcus Layton. It was a huge win for the 18-year-old who got the pro-Puerto Rico crowd welcome in the victory.
Dropping the Ringside ? of that @XanderZayas blast-out into your feed because, man, do you need it. ?#NavarreteDiaz | Undercard LIVE NOW on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/XTZ1P8TFX4
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 24, 2021
“This was amazing, something I was looking forward to for a long time,” Zayas said after the fight. “The last time I fought in front of a crowd, it was in Puerto Rico. Doing it here in Kissimmee, in front of my Puerto Rican fans, was memorable. First-round knockout, what else can I ask for?”
After a spirited eight-rounder that had Orlando Gonzalez out work Juan Antonio Lopez for the unanimous decision victory, Jamaine Ortiz and Joseph Adorno picked up the intensity and hands. At the same time, Ortiz was knocked down twice in what was easily the night’s fight that resulted in a majority draw between the two. The crowd on hand here at the Silver Spurs Arena was about to boo announcer Mark Shunock out of the arena, but the draw is the right call.
The madness continues in a WILD fight in Kissimmee ?@_blessedhands scores his second knockdown of the fight, which could factor in HUGE with one round to go …#NavarreteDiaz | Undercard LIVE NOW on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/AA3QtXnF2Z
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 25, 2021
Willie Shaw and Josue Vargas were the last part of the undercard action before the main card turned over to ESPN, and Shaw looked to end this one early, catching Vargas with shots in the first round. Vargas withstood that and was able to pepper Shaw throughout ten rounds to pick up the unanimous decision victory to close out the undercard.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
