By Francisco Salazar

Featherweight Toka Kahn Clary broke down John Moralde, forcing the Filipino fighter to remain on his stool after the seventh round Friday night at the Strand Ballroom and Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island.

After the opening round, the southpaw Clary (24-1, 17 knockouts) walked Moralde down, mixing his attack to the head and body. Anytime Moralde wanted to mount an offense, Clary would use his speed to effectively counter with two-three punch combinations.

The amount of punches Moralde was receiving along with the amount of energy he was exerting began taking a toll by the fifth round. Moralde's punch output dropped considerably, and he was pushing the few punches he was throwing.

After the end of the seventh round, Moralde (19-1, 10 KOs) decided it was best to remain on his stool.

Clary, who is originally from Liberia and resides in Providence, has won his last five bouts since his surprising knockout loss to veteran Jhon Gemino in September of last year.

The 25-year-old Clary signed a promotional deal with Real Deal Sports and Entertainment, which is run by former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

Clary is ranked number 14 by the WBA and is eyeing a big-money fight in 2018.

Cruiserweight Fabio Turchi made his U.S. debut a successful one, stopping Demetrius Banks after the fourth round.

Turchi, who resides in Florence, Italy, battered Banks around the ring throughout the fight. By the end of the third round, the 37-year-old Banks (9-4, 4 KOs) looked exhausted, backing up from an aggressive Turchi.

Rather than receive another four rounds of punishment, Banks did not come out for the fifth round.

Featherweight Irvin Gonzalez (8-0, 7 KOs) scored an impressive knockout victory over Marlon Olea (13-2, 12 KOs), who's only defeat was a one-sided decision loss to current WBA junior featherweight titleholder Danny Roman.

Amateur standout and 2017 National Golden Gloves champion Poindexter Knight made his professional debut a successful one, stopping Samuel Forjoe (0-2) at 1:03 of the opening round.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for krikya360.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV.com, and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing