Raul Curiel Defeats Courtney Pennington By Odd Late Stoppage

Raul Curiel (13-0, 11 KOs) took on Courtney Pennington (17-7-3, 7 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight fight which he won by tenth round stoppage. The clash headlined a Golden Boy Fight Night event at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. Golden Boy Promotions promoted the card that was broadcast around the world live on DAZN. Viewers could also watch the event on the Golden Boy Boxing YouTube channel.

Pennington began using his jab to keep Curiel at bay in the opening round. Curiel pressed forward and began to land some eye-catching shots in the second. In the early rounds, Pennington would tie-up to prevent getting hit whenever Curiel closed the distance. As the fight went on, Curiel began to land more and more as he attempted to close the distance. However, these shots were not enough to break down and stop Pennington.

Both men increased their output in the tenth and final round with Curiel doing the better work. Bizarrely, referee Gerard White stopped the fight with only seven seconds to go. This gave Curiel the KO victory. Pennington’s corner showed their displeasure at the decision. Commentators Beto Duran and Shane Mosely Jr. were also surprised by the stoppage. In the end, Curiel earned his eight consectutive stoppage win.

and the ref waves off the fight in the 10th. Raul Curiel leaves with the victory tonight.#CurielPennington | LIVE on our YouTube Channel and DAZN September 7thhttps://t.co/diRO96adfn pic.twitter.com/OzF2YyxqmW

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) September 8, 2023

Curiel-Pennington undercard results

Just before the main event, Manuel Flores (16-1, 12 KOs) stopped Jerson Ortiz (17-8, 8 KOs, 1 NC) in round two. In the opening round, Flores dropped Ortiz twice. After dropping Ortiz for a third time in the second, the referee waved the super bantamweight fight off.

Grant Flores (3-0, 2 KOs) won a six-round unanimous decision over Jaleik Bogle (4-2-2, 2 KOs) in a super welterweight contest. Scores were 60-53 across the board for Flores, a cousin of Manuel Flores. Bogle was knocked down in round five.

Recent Golden Boy Promotions signing Daniel Luna (3-0, 3 KOs) defeated Alexander Gutierrez (0-3, 0 KOs) via second round KO. In a four-round lightweight bout, Luna dropped his opponent with body shots in the second. Gutierrez attempted to get up but was unable to do so before the count was up.

Opening the card was a six-round super bantamweight bout between Jorge Chavez (8-0, 6 KOs) and Marvin Solano (24-11, 8 KOs). Chavez gradually broke down Solano to eventually claim a third round KO win.

A six-round super featherweight bout between Leonardo Sanchez (5-0, 4 KOs) and John Alimane (8-4, 4 KOs) was not broadcast during the telecast.