By: Sean Crose
Junior lightweight Oscar Duarte was supposed to be facing former world titlist Regis Prograis on Saturday. Yet an injury led to Prograis having to step away. The 28-2-1 Duarte then ended up scheduled to fight the 31-3 Miguel Madueno in a scheduled 12 rounder at California’s Honda Center. The bout was the main event of a Golden Boy Promotions card and was broadcast live on the DAZN streaming service. A secondary title was at stake.
The first round saw Madueno fighting behind a solid jab while Duarte was able to land some strong shots. The second was something of a surprise as Madueno was able to fire off more punches than his more highly thought of opponent. While Duarte had his moments, it was Madueno who was shining brighter. Duarte continued to try to employ pressure in the third while Madueno was effectively illusive. Still, Duarte landed well to the body at times which might have started paying off later in the bout.
Indeed, Duarte was able to rock Madueno witj a powerful left in the fourth. He was now able to catch his determined foil. Duarte put Madueno on the ropes and fired away in the fifth. Madueno, however, was still very much still in the fight, despite the fact that he now had a cut. In the sixth, Duarte appeared to have taken over the tempo of the bout, using effective aggression and cutting off the ring.
The seventh saw Madueno getting hurt by Duarte. And once he smelled blood, Duarte went in for the kill. After seeing the impact of Duarte’s blows, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout. Madueno was unhappy with the call, but it was hard to blame the ref for trying to keep Madueno from absorbing serious damage.
“It was a great fight for us,” Duarte said afterwards in reference to himself and his team.” When asked who he wanted next, Duarte wasn’t picky. “Any champion,” he said, “right here, let’s do it right now.” It was a strong and successful performance that gave Duarte the victory. Rather than being flustered by his opponent’s early success, the man remained patient, letting his fists and footwork break his man down. It was a strategy that proved to be successful.
Without doubt, Duarte is a fighter worth following. With performances like Saturdays, he may well have a bright future ahead of him.
*Image: Golden Boy