In what early on seemed to have the potential for a classic slugfest, but which was plagued by several low blows by both fighters, Humberto Soto (65-8, 35 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory over John Molina Jr. (27-5, 22 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The ten-round fight was part of a ShoBox special counting down to the pay-per-view rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marcos Maidana.
Soto, who had only been knocked down once in his previous 75 fights, demonstrated a strong chin and a strong groin as he was the victim of several low blows by Molina.
Molina was deducted a point in each of rounds six and seven.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
The veteran Soto, instead of quickly returning to the fight, took his time to recover, and began picking his shots better going into the later rounds, which also included a point deduction due to a low blow on his part as his pressure grew more and more effective.
Soto also used his experience to get the best of Molina, whose only option against Soto’s pressure was to land counter right hands and left hooks, which Soto’s iron chin absorbed stoically.
Both fighters exchanged at close range throughout the fight, which inevitably led to the several unintentional low blows.
Despite the ever-increasing presence of referee Jay Nady, both fighters landed powerfully into the final rounds.
Two judges scored the bout 96-91, while another two scored the fight 95-92 for the 34-year-old veteran of Los Mochis, Mexico.
Molina, on the other hand, who was looking to take advantage of his recent loss against Lucas Matthysse which earned the respect and attention of many boxing fans, takes another loss in his career.
The 31-year old native of Covina, California has only fought twice in at Light Welterweight—both with losses.
