Ricardo Quiroz (left) faces Gabriel Smith. (Photograph by way of Fb @WorldFightingChampionships)
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. — Ricardo Quiroz made it look easy.
Less than three weeks after appearing in action, Quiroz made quick work of Gabriel Smith Friday night, knocking him down and out in the opening round before a partisan crowd at the Chumash Resort Casino.
Quiroz, who resides in Oxnard, California, improves to 13-2 (7 knockouts).
From the opening bell, Quiroz was the aggressor and took the initiative, connecting with left-right combinations to the head and body. Smith fought well in spots, but it was Quiroz who landed the more effective punches.
With less than 30 seconds in the round, Quiroz landed a right uppercut to the head, dropping Smith to the canvas, where he remained as referee Jack Reiss counted him out at 2:49.
The win marks a rebound for the 25-year-old Quiroz, as he fought 20 days ago on April 1 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, facing Rohan Polanco of the Dominican Republic, and lost by unanimous decision. In his previous fight on December 17, Quiroz defeated once-beaten Martin Leon Morales by unanimous decision.
Smith, who resides in Houston, Texas, drops to 11-9-1 (4 KOs). The 33-year-old has lost his last seven fights.
In the co-feature, middleweight Dario Guerrero-Meneses, who is originally from Mexico City and now resides in Long Beach, California, improved to 3-5-1 (1 KO), stopping Kody Koboski in the second round.
Koboski was game, but Guerrero-Meneses was the more effective fighter, connecting with straight and overhand right hands to the head in the opening round. It was the same during the second round, as Guerrero-Meneses put Koboski on the defensive with his aggression and more-accurate punches.
Later in the second round, a right to the head stunned Koboski. Guerrero-Meneses trapped him in a corner, landing a barrage of punches and prompting referee Sharon Sands to step in and stop the fight at 2:29.
The 30-year-old Guerrero-Meneses studied film, graduating with a degree from Harvard University.
Koboski, who resides in Oxnard, falls to 3-2 (3 KOs).
Max Duran of Ventura, California, overcame a knockdown in Round 3 to defeat Darren Smith Jr. by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 38-37 for Duran, who improved to 3-0 (2 KOs). Smith, who resides in Buena Park, California, falls to 0-1-1.
The Duran-Smith fight was fought at a catchweight of 172 pounds.
In middleweight action, Bobby McIntyre of Yelm, Washington, defeated Ventura’s Noel Cavazos (2-1) by split decision. One judge scored the bout 39-37 for Cavazos while the other two scored the bout 40-36 in favor of McIntyre, who improved to 1-3.
In the opening bout of the World Fighting Championships card, lightweight Mathias Radcliffe of Reseda, California improved to 6-0-1 (4 KOs), stopping Luis Gerardo (1-2) at 1:09 of the fourth round. Radcliffe dropped Gerardo of Eagle Pass, Texas, once in the third round.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]
