Lightweight Manuel Jaimes bested former world titleholder Jonathan Romero on July 13 at Centre Plaza in Modesto, California.
Jaimes secured a unanimous decision victory over Romero, who lost his two previous bouts by KO, with judges scoring the bout 79-72 and 80-71 (twice).
Jaimes (15-1-1, 11 KOs), from Stockton, California, improved his record with a relentless work rate against Henderson, Nevada-based Romero (35-4, 19 KOs) who at 37 was the older man by 13 years. The fading Romero, a former IBF junior lightweight titleholder, struggled with Jaimes’ youthful vigor and speed. Jaimes appeared to drop Romero in the first round, but it was ruled a slip. He did secure a knockdown in the second round, but the stoppage never occurred.
Jaimes coach, Steve Salas caught up with BoxingScene to share his thoughts on Jaimes recent win.
“This camp was different cause Manny did not have the normal Robert Garcia sparring like the last few camps. The work was done at home in 209 (Stockton),” said Salas. “Although not ideal we did not have the sparring available in our local region that we usually have but Manny’s condition was on point.”
Jaimes, known for his high-volume ring style that is often likened to a bumblebee, controlled the pace throughout. Jaimes was not entirely satisfied with his performance, however, feeling he lacked the sharpness he desired.
“That wasn’t the cleanest performance,” said Jaimes after the fight. “I had a long camp, I had that fight that got canceled in May [versus Charlie Sheehy], and we pretty much jumped back into camp after that one.
“I felt I could have ended it early,” Jaimes added, underscoring his ambition and confidence in the ring.
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