Emiliano Moreno gets stoppage of Cesar Francis despite dodgy ending

JAMESTOWN, Calif. – Welterweight Emiliano Moreno’s seventh round technical knockout of Cesar Francis on Wednesday was overshadowed by the controversy of a premature stoppage by the referee.

The bout ended at 2:44 of Round 7 on “Wednesday Night Fights” on ProBox TV here at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort.

Moreno, 19, of Long Beach, California, got off to a slow start against the tricky 34-year-old Francis, a veteran from West New York, New Jersey. Francis landed a jab-right-hand combination to conclude the second round, nodding in approval at his effective blow to Moreno. Francis used elusive defense and accurate punches early on. Moreno gradually intensified his aggression by the third round, steadily gaining ground.

By the fifth, Moreno’s forward pressure was becoming clear as Francis began fighting backward. In the seventh, Francis was momentarily wobbled by a punch from Moreno, yet Francis remained composed and in control, keeping his hands up and making boxing maneuvers. However, the referee intervened prematurely, stopping the fight as Francis was unable to defend himself. The stoppage overshadowed what had been an entertaining fight that felt ready for a dramatic finish.

Moreno, 19, improved to 12-0 (11 KOs), while Francis fell to 13-3 (8 KOs).

In a junior welterweight bout, Anthony Cuba won an eight-round unanimous decision over DeMichael Harris despite a late scare.

The scores were 78-73, 77-74 and 77-74.

Cuba controlled the action early with a well-timed jab that kept Harris away from him. However, Cuba, 22, of Fontana, California, was dropped in the final round by Harris, 27, of Smyrna, Georgia, with a series of close punches that forced him to one knee while Cuba exchanged punches with him.

Cuba, who trains at Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy, bullied Harris in the second round, pushing him backwards. The two fighters engaged in spirited exchanges, though the pace slowed until Harris landed a decisive blow that sent Cuba down for the late theatrics.

Cuba improved to 9-1-2 (4 KOs) while Harris took the first professional loss of his career, dropping to 12-1-1 (11 KOs).

Kevin Soltero, an undefeated 19-year-old junior bantamweight from Kansas City, won a six-round majority decision over local 21-year-old Andrew Rodriguez, of nearby Salinas, California.

The judges scored the bout 57-57, 60-54 and 58-56 in favor of Soltero.

Soltero, 4-0 (2 KOs), landed heavy shots in the opening round that caused redness on Rodriguez’s face. An accidental clash of heads in Round 2 caused a cut over Rodriguez’s left eye, which caused the fighter trouble throughout the bout – though Rodriguez showed tremendous heart as blood flowed down his face. 

Soltero moved to 4-0 (2 KOs) while Rodriguez slipped to 5-1 (1 KO) after suffering the first loss of his career.

After the fight, Soltero told BoxingScene he took the fight on two weeks’ notice.

In the opening bout, 18-year-old Jennah Creason fought to a majority draw with 34-year-old Samantha Ginithan. The judges scored the bout 39-37, 38-38 (twice).

Creason, of Visalia, California, is now 2-0-1, and Ginithan, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is 1-0-1 (1 KO).

Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, eventually finding his stride in gyms and media. For the past decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed training camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and worked with top professionals such as Mike Bazzel. Ketelle is also an author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.