Results: Valero defeats Velazquez in Venezuela; Garcia KOs Perez in Texas; Starks McLaurin and Fort Shine in Hinckley

Making his first defense of his title, World Boxing Council lightweight champion Edwin Valero (26-0, 26 KOs) took out 34-year-old challenger Héctor Velázquez (51-14-2, 35 KOs) by a 6th round TKO tonight at the at the Polideportivo Jose Maria Vargas in La Guaira, Caracas, Venezuela. The bout was stopped after the 6th round. The 28-year-old Valero was cut on the nose and eyebrow from head butts. Next up for Valero will likely be WBC interim lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco..

Undefeated Ray “LINO” Gatica Makes Sensational Cestus Debut, KO’s Julio Perez in 5 Rounds!

Raymond “LINO” Gatica made his Cestus Management debut an exciting one by knocking out tough and durable Texan Julio Perez in the fifth round of a scheduled six round bout. The fight card was heldon Thursday December 17th at the San Antonio Events Center in San Antonio, Texas. The arena was filled with Gatica fans who traveled from the nearby city of Austin,Texas to give their support to Gatica who also hails from the Texas state capital.

The undefeated Gatica (11-0-0 w/6kos) was sharp throughout the contest and clinically dissected the game Perez with hard combination and a lethal jab. Perez, who hails from the Rio Grande Valley , found himself immediately on the defensive as “Ray LINO” unloaded power shots that quickly hurt Perez. Julio attempted to stop Gatica’s aggression by upping his own aggression. This would be a fatal mistake as “Ray LINO” countered Perez’ attacks; brutalizing the Rio Grande native and then knocking him out.

After the fight, Gatica said, “I felt very strong and fast and I love fighting. I’m very excited to be signed with Cestus Management and 2010 is going to be a big year for me.

Gina Iacavou, Cestus Management’s CEO , said, “We are very proud of Raymond (Gatica) decision to sign with us and welcome him to our great stable of fighters. Raymond is a charismatic dynamic person that fans gravitate too, and is also a very talented and gifted fighter who has skill speed and power and he showed these attributes in the way that he destroyed and stopped a very tough opponent. We look forward to a very bright future with “Ray LINO”.

Mike Michael, who is Cestus Management’s Chief Advisor said, “The knockout of Julio Perez was a great win for Gatica. The way our kid (Gatica) dissected Perez and the kind of power that he showed is just a sign of things to come. I believe that this young man is the real deal and we will do whatever it takes to make sure that Raymond reaches his full potential; as he is ready to walk through the door and start fighting at the next level.” Michael added, “2010 is definitely going to be the year that Ray “LINO” establishes his presence in boxing. So lock the doors and run for cover.”

Starks McLaurin and Fort Shine in Hinckley

Hinckley,MN- In a card that featured Shawn Porter, Fernando Guerrero, and Gary Russell Jr, Minnesota threw a few of it’s own rising stars into the mix. Fighters representing Midwest Sports Council came away with a clean sweep Friday night, as Javontae Starks and Cerresso Fort both stopped their opponents early, and Jeremy McLaurin took home an impressive unanimous decision. Derek Winston of Hoffman Brothers Promotions also cruised to an easy decision victory.

McLaurin set the tone with his length, and made it difficult for Texas native Darryl Hayes to get anything off. McLaurin now moves to 6-0.

Javontae Starks made short work of Andrew Kato, punishing him with body shots, and power punches until Kato finally succumbed to the assault for a first round stoppage. Starks is now 2-0 with two knockouts.

Cerresso Fort was the last of the Minnesotans featured on the card, and finished off Mike Davis in round two. Fort tagged Davis continuously throughout the bout until a right hand combination culminated in a stoppage.

Also on the card Gary Russell Jr. dazzled in a 3rd round stoppage of Rodrigo Romero, Lanard Lane stopped Sid El Harrak in round two, Shawn Porter picked up a 4th round knockout of Jamar Patterson, and Fernando Guerrero stopped a game but overmatched Jesse Nicklow in round four.

Midwest Sports Council will return to the Twin Cities in late January, and once again feature it’s exciting stable of local prospects.