Taras Shelestyuk & Ruben Villa Successfully Defend Unbeaten Records on Saturday Night
ORANGE, Calif. (July 3, 2017) – In the “Locked n’ Loaded” main event, welterweight Taras “Real Deal” Shelestyuk (16-0, 10 KOs) made quick work of Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez (15-3, 11 KOs) by knocking him out in the third round Saturday night from Omega Products International in Sacramento, Calif.
Shelestyuk, who is ranked No. 5 by the WBO, predicted a knockout win in his prefight interview with the Olympic bronze medalist (London 2012) saying he planned to be aggressive from the start.
“I didn’t want this fight going the distance,” said Shelestyuk, who attributes the aggressiveness to new trainer Joel Diaz. “Joel and I worked on increasing our punch output and it showed in this fight.”
Shelestyuk, who is from the Ukraine but now makes his home in Los Angeles, rocked Rodriguez in the first round. He connected on a two-punch combination that sent the Mexican to the canvas. In the third round, Shelestyuk struck early and often, earning the knockout win at the 2:05 mark.
Top featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (7-0, 4 KOs) of Salinas, Calif. delivered a beating to overmatched veteran Jonathan Alcantara (7-16-2, 1 KO) of El Salvador. Villa, who swept all three scorecards (40-36), looked equally comfortable fighting on the outside or in the pocket.
“I think this fight showed how versatile I am,” Villa said. “I boxed him well and mixed it up inside without taking any hits. It was a solid performance.”
Villa, indeed, looked the part of an elite prospect. He was aggressive the entire fight, yet was extremely disciplined on the defensive end.
“There’s no doubt I frustrated him,” Villa continued. “I could tell he was having a hard time. I never let him relax.”
Shelestyuk and Villa are co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Lightweight Jose Roman (24-1-1, 16 KOs) of Garden Grove, Calif. shook off early ring rust to thoroughly outpoint Miguel Angel Mendoza (23-13-2, 22 KOs) of Mexico. Roman’s unanimous decision win (79-73, twice and 78-74) was the first of the year and first fight in roughly 12 months.
Roman settled into a groove by the fourth round and proceeded to land heavy shots against the shorter Mendoza. Throughout the rest of the fight, Roman continued to land effective shots and was rewarded with a lopsided decision win.
Junior lightweight Jose Salinas (2-0, 1 KO) of Fresno. Calif. defeated hometown kid Tyler Marshall (0-3) of Sacramento by split decision on what turned out to be the most closely contested fight of the night.
Two judges scored the bout for Salinas (40-36, 39-37), while the other saw it for Marshall (39-37). Salinas controlled the fight early with solid pressure, but Marshall came on in rounds three and four to narrow the gap. Salinas, however, had built an early lead to grab his second professional win.
Lightweight Brandon Trejo (2-0) of nearby Napa, Calif. used a steady work rate to stifle Devin Parker (2-8, 2 KOs) of New Orleans. Trejo worked behind an effective jab and opportunistic power punching to ring up a unanimous decision win (40-36, twice and 39-37).
The “Locked n’ Loaded” show opener was a brief, yet entertaining brawl between cruiserweights Marco Antonio Delgado (3-0, 3 KOs) of Turlock, Calif. and Richard Rigmaden (0-2) of Stockton Calif.
Rigmaden connected first with a counter right hook that dropped the shorter Delgado. Delgado, unfazed, return fire moments later and knocked out Rigmaden at the 2:22 mark of the opening round.
Thompson Boxing Promotions returns to the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. on Friday, July 21. Details will be announced shortly.
“Locked n’ Loaded” was presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Lucas Oil, in association with Everlast.
For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com.
For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check our Facebook Page, watch our YouTube channel on Thompson Boxing TV, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing.
