by James Slater – Last night, in Cabazon, California, 26-year-old former Olympian and hot prospect Vicente Escobedo of Woodland, CA scored his best pro win yet, as he stopped the previously unbeaten Dominic Salcido of Rialto, CA in the 6th round of an entertaining lightweight clash..
A big left hand to the head badly hurt 24-year-old Salcido, before a follow up series of punches sent him down. Salcido, who was sporting a flashy hairstyle that mirrored his confident and cocky attitude, bravely beat the count, but he was hit with a vicious assault as he did so – prompting the referee, David Mendoza to stop the fight. The official time was 42-seconds of the 6th round and Escobedo improved to 19-1(12), while Salcido fell to 16-1(8).
Big things were expected of Escobedo back when he turned pro after representing his country in the 2004 Olympics. He won his first nine bouts, all inside the distance, before being upset on a split decision by Puerto Rico’s Daniel Jiminez in April of 2006. Shortly after this setback Escobedo teamed up with top trainer “Nacho” Beristain (who will train Oscar De La Hoya for Manny Pacquiao, of course) and last night he looked to have well and truly found his groove. Once again showing the promise he showed when he signed up with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotional outfit, the 26-year-old has set himself up for some big fights in the future.
Showing power and speed, Escobedo did away with a rival who was convinced beforehand he would beat him. Salcido claimed Escobedo does not have the same heart and desire for boxing as he has, and that his wanting it more would tell the story. It didn’t. This is not to say the Rialto man was without his moments. Indeed, on occasion Salcido – a man who fought no less than seven times in 2007 – looked like a future world title contender. But in the end he perhaps got a little too cocky and was slammed with that stunning left hand. Despite the brutal stoppage loss he suffered, Salcido will surely come again.
As for Escobedo, his future looks extremely bright and without a doubt it will be titles, and highly regarded ones, he will soon be aiming for. The lightweight division is currently red-hot with talent, but the gifted Vicente Escobedo may well fit right in.