Jaycob Gomez took another step toward solidifying his place in the lightweight division with a second-round technical knockout of Jerry “The Joker” Perez in the co-feature of ProBox TV’s “Wednesday Night Fights” at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida.
Gomez (11-0-1, 7 KOs) secured the win when Perez (14-5-1, 11 KOs) was unable to answer the bell for the third round, a technical knockout. The official time of the stoppage was 3:00 of the second round.
In the first round, the 22-year-old southpaw Gomez, from Puerto Rico, strategically waited for the 31-year-old Perez, who trains in Southern California. Gomez began to assert his power midway through the round, landing a right hook that proved effective. By the end of the first, Gomez floored Perez with a combination of an overhand left and a right hand, causing Perez to fall face-first – though he managed to beat the ensuing count.
The second round began with Gomez continuing to control the action. Perez, who struggled to handle Gomez’s speed and accuracy, was knocked down again, by a left hand that was followed by a right hook. Gomez, showing patience and composure, targeted Perez, back on his feet, with a body shot that further hurt him. Perez appeared defeated, sitting on the ropes as Gomez remained calm and poised as the round ended.
Perez’s corner stopped the fight before the third round could begin. Gomez, who was considered to be stepping up in competition, handled the challenge with ease, handling the fight like a routine outing.
Additionally, middleweight Yojanler Martinez (4-0, 2 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of Cuba, earned a split decision victory over Franyerson Puerta (5-5, 5 KOs) of Portuguesa, Venezuela.
The judges scored the fight 57-56 for Martinez, 57-56 for Puerta and 57-56 for Martinez.
The bout began with both fighters aggressively exchanging punches. Martinez, a Cuban amateur turned professional, appeared focused and powerful, while Puerta targeted Martinez’s body. Despite Martinez’s impressive amateur pedigree, he aimed for power shots – though Puerta effectively countered and pressured him.
In the second round, the intensity increased. Puerta grew more aggressive, recklessly throwing power shots, while Martinez sought to counter. Martinez was caught in a corner and floored by a big right hand from Puerta. Despite Puerta’s journeyman record, he proved to be a formidable opponent, pushing forward even after knocking Martinez down.
Martinez, determined to land a knockout punch, continued to seek power shots in the third round. Puerta slipped while attempting a right hand but later landed another clean right hand, which didn’t drop Martinez but was effective. The fourth round showcased Martinez’s technical skill, though his predictability allowed Puerta to control the pace and pressure him with power shots.
As the fight entered the final two rounds, both fighters began to tire from their earlier power exchanges. In the fifth, Puerta threw a high volume of punches, while Martinez looked for precise counters. Puerta’s repetitive combinations allowed Martinez a lot of opportunities.
In the final round, Martinez sought to secure his win and began to take control. However, Puerta landed a flashy right uppercut and a left hook that appeared to trouble Martinez, who started to hold but then landed clean punches until the final bell.
In the opening bout, welterweight Yoel Angeloni (4-0, 2 KOs) handed Juan Carlos Campos Medina (3-1, 3 KOs), of Jalisco, Mexico, his first professional loss, securing a hard-fought unanimous decision.
The judges scored the fight 58-56, 58-56 and, bizarrely, 60-54 in favor of Angeloni.
Trained by the renowned Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, who also works with Terence Crawford, Angeloni faced a challenging opponent in Medina. Despite a strong amateur background, Angeloni struggled with Medina’s awkward movement in the early rounds. Medina, who refused to sit on his stool between rounds, grew more confident as he targeted Angeloni’s body and aggressively pressed forward.
In the third round, Angeloni turned the tide, hurting Medina with a right hook to the head and taking control of the round. Medina’s heavy jab had disrupted Angeloni’s rhythm, but Angeloni’s effective body shots began to wear down Medina.
Medina continued to press in the fourth, switching between orthodox and southpaw stances. However, he began to slow down in the latter half of the round, likely due to the body shots he absorbed and the fact that he had never fought beyond six rounds as a professional.
Angeloni’s strategy to target Medina’s body paid off in the fifth, when he landed several solid body shots and followed up with uppercuts as Medina attempted to advance.
In the sixth round, Medina maintained his relentless approach, walking Angeloni to the ropes and continuing his aggressive style. Despite Medina’s efforts and Angeloni’s lack of a jab and reduced punch output, the pedigree of Angeloni prevailed.
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.
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