Ismael Barroso put on a strong display of power on Saturday night, knocking out Ohara Davies in the first round to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super lightweight belt in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Venezuelan puncher rushed a fight in which on paper he was not the favorite and showed that at 40 years old he is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the category.
Barroso came out calm and walking around the ring but throwing strong blows. From Davies’ first offensive it was clear that the South American was going to use his counterattack to try to hit the Brit and he landed a good blow that did not have much effect on Davies. However, the action was repeated seconds later and on that occasion the damage was evident in Davies, who staggered and went to the canvas after another combination from Barroso.
Although the Englishman got up from the canvas, he looked quite damaged and Barroso returned to the attack to send him to the canvas again. Davies got back to his feet but the referee decided to stop the action due to his poor condition.
The left-hander achieved his goal of winning the belt and is now interim champion of the category, in which the injured Rolando Romero holds the belt. Barroso now has 25 wins, 4 losses, 2 draws and 23 knockouts, while Davies improved his record to 25 wins, 3 losses and 18 knockouts.
