In a 10-round welterweight clash on DAZN at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, Santiago Domínguez won a split decision over Jose Sanchez by scores of 96-94, 97-93, and 93-97.
The 32-year-old Dominguez (27-0, 20 KOs) was the aggressor from the beginning, marching forward, though Sanchez (14-4-1, 4 KOs), 31, proved too tough to be steamrolled, landing clean counters and at times eluding Dominguez’s offense.
In the end, Dominguez was simply the more powerful fighter, landing the most impactful punches of the fight. But his performance was perhaps not as emphatic as his impressive record.
Dominguez forced Sanchez into retreat immediately, but one minute into the fight, as the fighters exchanged punches with Sanchez on the ropes, Sanchez landed a hard shot that suggested he would not go quietly.
Dominguez consistently attacked the body throughout the fight, landing to the midsection at the end of the second round. At the end of the fifth, a fierce combination to the body seemed to affect Sanchez for the first time in the fight.
For his part, Sanchez looked to counter and skip away from Dominguez’s assault. But he would exchange at times as well, despite facing a power deficit. Even when he landed cleanly, though, Dominguez seemed unaffected, pounding his gloves together Manny Pacquiao-style.
In the second half of the fight, Dominguez started to land more hurtful shots, most notably huge overhand rights in rounds seven and eight that tilted the fight in his favor for good.
Sanchez had an excellent last round, fighting in the middle of the ring in a refusal to continue retreating. Though the 97-93 card in his favor seemed far too generous, he made Dominguez work for the victory.
The winner had a flawed performance, not throwing enough jabs in his pursuit of Sanchez. But he has a deserved victory over a tricky opponent that will likely serve him well in the future.