Lightweight Omar Salcido revived his career by stopping Chris Colbert in nine rounds Wednesday night at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida.
Two fights ago at the same venue, Salcido had lost for the first time when he was dropped by Jose Nunez in the process of recording a unanimous decision defeat.
Against a proven opponent for which he was the underdog, and having previously been dismissed as a fighter whose level was demonstrated when losing to Nunez, Salcido proceeded to gradually bully the 28-year-old Colbert, and to the extent that his opponent’s corner threw in the towel.
Salcido, 24 and of Mexico, sought to impose himself from the opening bell. His range contributed to him succeeding with a left hook to the body in the second round, shortly before they exchanged left hands and Colbert chose to attempt to fight on the back foot.
Colbert attempted to land his right uppercut and found the target with lefts to the body and head, and in the third round he started to succeed in outworking his opponent, largely because of his superior speed of hand.
After competitive fourth and fifth rounds, Colbert started the sixth with a combination that captured the extent to which Salcido was already becoming predictable. Salcido also briefly looked tired when his hands slowed as he attempted to fight with greater intensity, but he was then rewarded by finding Colbert to both body and head.
A right hand followed when Colbert was trapped in the corner, and Colbert responded by throwing a similar right to the head. When he was then attacked to the body and hurt and trapped towards the ropes, Salcido followed up with a right to the head that hurt Colbert, for the first time suggesting that he might not survive.
When in the seventh Salcido, with his consistent pressure, again trapped Colbert by the ropes, he followed doing so by again attacking to the body. If Colbert looked troubled, Salcido’s excessive confidence was shown by him throwing a sloppy right hand, but he then landed another right that again weakened his opponent. Though Colbert eventually threw a right in exchange, he already lacked the strength he had previously shown.
Where Colbert had appeared to have recovered in the eighth and impressed in landing a strong right hand, he again quickly started to tire in a way that suggested the previous seven-plus rounds were catching up with him. A left to the body made him hesitant; he was then caught twice more and hurt once again.
Salcido started the ninth detecting the possibility of the early finish, and watched Colbert then stumble with fatigue. When Colbert was again under attack and struggling to finish himself, his corner threw the towel in. The stoppage was recorded at 1 minute and 2 seconds of the ninth round; Colbert initially protested, but beyond the surface he knew that his team had made the right call.
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