Moreno Fendero claimed a unanimous decision over Rolando Mansilla in a middleweight bout Saturday at the Centre Gervais Auto in Quebec, Canada, on the undercard of the Christian Mbilli-Mark Heffron headliner.
The 38-year-old Mansilla, already weathered by 14 losses, was fighting a man younger than him by an equal amount in years. The age showed as Fendero (6-0, 4 KOs) bested Mansilla by scores of 60-54 (twice) and 60-53, with one judge seeing one of Fendero’s dominant rounds sufficiently lopsided to give the younger fighter a 10-8 score.
Fendero fought aggressively yet intelligently, banging away at Mansilla (19-15-1, 9 KOs) after working his way in with a jab, yet never disregarding his defense. Mansilla – never a knockout puncher and clearly past his best days as a fighter – threw hard counters but failed to make an impression.
In the sixth round, a stoppage seemed potentially at hand when Fendero launched a brutal body attack. Mansilla survived, though, never going down despite visibly wilting at some of the shots to his midsection.
Though the middleweight division is historically strong, since Gennady Golovkin went inactive and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez moved up in weight, 160 has been somewhat wanting for titleholders whose popularity and skills appealed to fans outside boxing lovers. The 24-year-old Fendero will try to continue making his way forward in the relatively barren division.
Christopher Guerrero Blasts Through Kenny Larson
Christopher Guerrero (11-0, 6 KOs) demolished Kenny Larson (7-2-1, 5 KOs) in the opening round of a welterweight fight scheduled for eight rounds.
A vicious overhand right sent Larson crumpling into the ropes, causing the referee to step in and administer a count. Larson bravely stepped to Guerrero once the bout resumed, but a counter left had him on wobbly legs again. A follow-up flurry from Guerrero decked Larson once more, at which point the fight was waved off.
The 23-year-old Canadian Guerrero had seen a five-fight stoppage streak end in his previous outing, but he emphatically flashed his power against Larson, 34.
Alexandre Gaumont Escapes With Win Over Santiago Fernandez
Home favorite Alexandre Gaumont won a questionable split decision over Argentinean Santiago Fernandez. The Quebec crowd even booed the result of the middleweight bout.
Gaumont (11-0, 7 KOs) had moments of success, but Fernandez (8-1-1, 4 KOs) frequently was first to land his offense, stinging Gaumont with powerful right hands and buzzing him at times. “A 6-2 scorecard for Gaumont [one judge scored the fight 78-74 for Gaumont] is horrifyingly bad,” said broadcaster and former BoxingScene writer Corey Erdman.
Jhon Orobio Batters Alexis Gabriel Camejo
In the opening bout on the card, Jhon Orobio (9-0, 8 KOs) forced Alexis Gabriel Camejo to cover up almost constantly during a four-round lightweight shellacking.
Orobio, a 20-year-old Colombian-born prospect living in Canada, varied his attack effectively between the head and body, throwing an unyielding barrage of power shots. Camejo (8-2-3, 1 KO) became the first to last the distance with Orobio and never went down but was unable to do much besides throw the occasional counter during momentary respites in the siege.