MIAMI, FL - Jorge Rodrigo Barrios of Argentina won the WBO junior-lightweight title Friday night, stopping previously unbeaten Mike Anchondo in the fourth round.
Barrios dominated Anchondo before an enthusiastic capacity crowd of 1,200 at Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort. With fellow Argentines singing before and during the bout, Barrios frustrated a lackadaisical Anchondo with solid shots to the head and body.
The bout ended when Barrios dropped Anchondo twice in the fourth round, however on the second knockdown, Barrios hit Anchondo while he was on the canvas, resulting in a two-point deduction.
Just as Anchondo was given the mandatory rest period to recover from the foul, trainer Buddy McGirt stepped up on the ring, forcing Referee Kimmons to stop the fight with 2:00 left.
"I knew I was going to win because I felt stronger," Barrios said. "He didn't punch hard and I never felt his shots."
Barrios, 43-2-1 (31 KOs) also sent Anchondo to the canvas with a right to the head in the third round.
Anchondo, 25-1 (18 KOs) previously held the WBO crown, but was stripped of the title for failing to make the junior-lightweight limit of 130 pounds during Thursday's weigh-in. Anchondo looked flat and as a result could not achieve the necessary timing on his punches or defensive strategy.
Barrios weighed 128 pounds in his second attempt at the WBO title after being stopped in a thrilling 12 rounder by former champion Acelino Freitas two years ago in Miami.
In other action, welterweight Joel Julio dropped Carlos Vilches in round one and forced him into submission at the end of round three. Julio is now 22-0 (19 KOs). Also former heavyweight contender Michael Grant survived a first-round knockdown to score an eighth-round technical knockout over Wallace McDaniel. Grant, 40-3 dropped McDaniel, 6-11 three times in the eighth, the third forcing referee Jorge Ortiz to stop the fight with 2:18 left.
Phil Banerjee
Contributing Editor
Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.
