Highlights: Oscar Duarte stops Madueno in 7 bloody, action rounds

Oscar Duarte fought smart, then savagely in a highlight reel main event win over Miguel Madueno

Oscar Duarte notched an impressive 7th round TKO victory over late replacement opponent Miguel Madueno in a spirited, gory fight on DAZN.

Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KO), was originally set to face former champion Regis Prograis, a crafty southpaw with a one-of-a-kind style, but adjusted brilliantly to the ‘all gas, no guard’ righty power of Madueno instead. Madueno (31-4, 28 KO) was very active in the first few rounds, but seldom got much through the tight, disciplined guard of Duarte.

Duarte hurt Madueno to the body in the 4th round, and it was almost all Duarte from that point on. Madueno suffered a bad cut over his left eye on a legal punch in the 5th, and the immediate cut work in the corner was some of the worst I can recall seeing for a main event fighter. As one of our commenters said, “of all the times [for Madueno] to use head movement, that was not it.”

Between the cut and Duarte’s body work, occasionally of questionable elevation, Madueno found himself in increasingly difficult territory. Duarte really started swarming him in the 7th, forcing referee Tom Taylor to intervene and end the fight early.

Tremendous fun for a makeshift main event, with highlights galore:

Darius Fulghum TKO-4 Winfred Harris Jr

Darius Fulghum effectively won this fight midway through the 1st round, when he caught Winfred Harris Jr with a counter that Harris never fully recovered from. Fulghum (14-0, 12 KO) put Harris down ugly late in the 2nd, but too late to finish him off before the bell.

Harris (22-3-2, 10 KO) deserved the sort of loving and merciful support team that might have noticed his return walk to the corner would have failed a field sobriety test. Unfortunately for his future neurological health, he didn’t have one. Referee Ray Corona looked very ready to jump in in the 3rd round, but Fulghum couldn’t quite put the combination together to force it. Corona called for a doctor evaluation before the start of the 4th, but the fight was allowed to continue until almost the end of the round, when Corona finally saw enough to wave it off.

Ricardo Sandoval UD-10 Saleto Henderson

A clear win for Ricardo Sandoval and a clean sweep on two of the official cards. Saleto “Mr. Personal” Henderson gave a very solid account of himself despite what the scorecards might imply, and despite weighing in at 107 lbs for a 112 lbs limit and fighting for just the 2nd time since June of 2021.

Sandoval (26-2, 18 KO) edged the early rounds, then accumulated damage and slowed Henderson (10-2, 7 KO) down significantly in the latter half. Even with Sandoval threatening an early finish, Henderson did not just fight to survive, showing a solid chin on the handful of occasions that Sandoval seemed to really have him buzzed. One judge gave Henderson two rounds, which I didn’t see despite respecting his performance overall.

Kenneth Sims Jr UD-10 Kendo Castaneda

Kendo Castaneda was active and fun, but Kenneth Sims Jr was boring and successful in a clean decision that might have been scored a round or two wider than appropriate. Sims (22-2-1, 8 KO) was putting body damage on Castaneda early, but never really pressed the advantage. Castaneda (21-8, 9 KO) came to fight, but just didn’t quite have the reach to challenge Sims until some lively rallies in the 7th round and after.

Sims just patiently waited for Castaneda to give him openings, and collected the rounds to win by official scores of 98-92, 99-91, and 99-91.

Joel Iriarte TKO-2 Darel Harris

Not a lot learned about Iriarte (6-0, 6 KO), who promised to take on a stiffer challenge in his post fight interview.

Commentary said Harris (19-24-2, 14 KO) came in with the goal to survive until Round 2. Despite a 7 inch height disadvantage and a knockdown late in the 1st, he managed the feat. No shade intended, as Harris showed good footwork and body movement, and took more than a few solid punches before the fight was waved off halfway through the 2nd after another knockdown.

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