By Paul R Jones! Former welterweight contender Dusty Hernández-Harrison (34-0-1, 20 KOs) was scheduled to fight Jose Humberto Corral (20-31, 12 KOs) Saturday night in the featured bout on the Beltway Battles: Round 3 card at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC.
The matchup would have marked Hernández-Harrison’s first fight since tragically losing his father and trainer, Buddy Harrison (62), to gun violence back in September. Given this set of circumstances, as well as a reported ongoing search for suspects and open investigation of Harrison’s fatal shooting, it’s understandable that Hernández-Harrison would be coping with a lot emotionally and psychologically going into his bout with Corral.
And, ultimately, Hernández-Harrison’s inner circle decided that removing him from Saturday’s card was in the best interest of his overall health and well-being.
Nevertheless, with Hernández-Harrison officially off the card, 29-year-old prospect, Greg “Sharp Shooter” Outlaw (11-1, 6 KOs), of Maryland, was presented with a golden opportunity to showcase his skills as the headliner in a rematch against hard-charging Colombian, Wilfrido Buelvas (22-16, 16 KOs).
Outlaw and Buelvas’s first bout ended in a no contest due to an accidental headbutt that caused a deep cut over Outlaw’s right eye in the first round. And it was after this disappointment that Outlaw vowed to this writer that, “If [Buelvas] wants to run it back, we can run it back. But he got to go to sleep next time.”
And boy did Outlaw deliver on his promise.
Despite Buelvas’s experience against former world champs (Prograis, Hooker), Outlaw seized the moment, and handed Buelvas arguably the most one-sided beatdown of his pro career.
The bout opened with both fighters throwing racing to the center of the ring to trade heavy leather.
Buelvas landed the first meaningful blow, however, a short counter-right hand that landed flush on Outlaw’s jaw. Buelvas quickly followed suit with a barrage of punches to Outlaw’s core, which caught the Marylander’s attention.
Shortly thereafter, Outlaw returned the favor, firing back with thudding shots of his own.
But, as both fighters were heating up, Outlaw fired an errant low blow under Buelvas’s beltline midway through the round. The punch drew a stern warning from the referee, and gave Buelvas valuable time to recover.
When the bout resumed, Outlaw amped up his attack, and caught Buelvas with a crushing right hand that rattled the Colombian’s and forced him to clinch.
Outlaw followed up with a monster left hand that wobbled Buelvas. And, at that point, Outlaw knew Buelvas was in trouble.
“I could tell the way he was breathing when I hit him. I knew he was hurt,” said Outlaw in his post-fight interview with East Side Boxing’s Paul R. Jones!
“And, I can punch,” Outlaw added. “If I punch anyone flush and clean, I know what it is.”
Smelling blood in the water, Outlaw quickly pounced on his foe, raining down punches on Buelvas’s body and head.
Outlaw punctuated the flurry with a well-placed right hook that decked the Colombian, and ultimately finished him off.
With Buelvas unable to beat the count, the fight was stopped at the 2:53 minute mark of the first round with Outlaw earning a KO win.
When asked about his performance, the Marylander remained humble in his assessment.
“I give myself a C+ or B- maybe,” said Outlaw. “Because I don’t like taking punches, and I was taking some stupid shots.”
However, Outlaw was more straightforward when explaining his keys to victory. “Hard work, dedication, smart boxing, and discipline,” Outlaw said.
“I don’t cheat the sport,” He added.
Although Outlaw was reluctant to name drop when it came to calling out potential opponents, his immediate plans were clear.
“We’ll be back in the gym on Monday,” he said. “And we’ll see from there.”
About Paul R. Jones!
Paul R. Jones! is a longtime writer and photographer for East Side Boxing. His articles, photographs, and commentary have also appeared in outlets like Boxing News 24, Round by Round Boxing, Boxing Insider, Medium.com, and more.
You can keep up with more of what Paul R. Jones! is thinking about on Twitter and Instagram @boxingepicenter. You can also e-mail him at prjones1@hotmail.com.
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