By Cliff Rold

The fifth time was not the charm.

Unlikely 33-year old WBC 108 lb. titlist Gilberto Keb Baas (35-20-4, 22 KO) of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, made his first defense of the title with a ninth round corner stoppage of 35-year former strawweight titlist Jose Antonio Aguirre (35-10-1, 21KO).

It was Aguirre’s fifth attempt to win a Jr. Flyweight title since being stopped for his Strawweight title in his seventh defense in 2003.

Fighting for the first time since upsetting the respected Omar Nino last November, Keb Baas utilized a smothering body attack and steady aggression to eventually break down Aguirre, who is now 2-8 in his last ten fights and suffers his fourth career stoppage loss.

For Keb Baas, the win keeps him in the moneyed class and garners a measure of family revenge.  Keb Baas’s brother, Juan Alfonso Keb Baas, was stopped by Aguirre in a title match in 2003.

Both men weighed in a quarter lb. under the 108 lb. limit.

The card was televised online via WBCBoxing.tv


Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com