Team Puerto Rico Fighters Shine on Boricua Invasion I Undercard!
On the ESPN-televised undercard, tonight at the Boricua Invasion I event at Roseland Ballroom in NYC, Team Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme won his first professional title, the vacant NABA Welterweight Championship, tonight by way of a dominant 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley.
Carolina, Puerto Rico’s Dulorme (12-0, 10 KO’s) was in control all the way, even dropping Washington, DC’s Corley (37-18-1, 22 KO’s) with a left hook in the third round, but the cagey Corley kept it interesting by doing just enough to deny the monstrous punching Dulorme his eleventh consecutive knockout.
It was a learning experience for the highly promising puncher, who hadn’t seen round three since 2008. “I fought intelligently behind my jab so I could dominate the fight,” said Dulorme, post-fight. “Corley was looking for one big shot. That’s why I couldn’t put too much pressure on him. He’s a guy with a lot of experience, but I feel I fought a lot smarter than he did.”
Also on the undercard, but televised on ESPN Deportes, Team Puerto Rico super prospect Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (3-0, 3 KOs) put on a body punching clinic against Minot, North Dakota’s Tomi Archambault (1-2, 1 KO), stopping him in the first round (2:21).
A media darling in his homeland because of his enormous potential, Pedraza admitted he knew he had his man very early on. “I felt I had the fight after I connected the first punch. I already know I could knock him out.”
Pedraza’s co-promoter, Lou DiBella (along with Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions) heaped lofty praise on his young prospect. “Jose is the most poised fighter I’ve seen since Oscar De la Hoya. He’s truly blessed.”
“I’m very happy to have this victory on ESPN,” Pedraza continued. “I was very well-prepared and tonight we saw the results.”
Saturday’s Boricua Invasion II will feature four more members of Team Puerto Rico: featherweight Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs) vs. Dat Nguyen; junior middleweight Jonathan “Mantequilla Gonzalez (12-0, 12 KOs) vs. Richard Gutierrez for the NABA and WBO Latino Youth Middleweight Championships; and light welterweight Hector Sanchez vs. Vincent Arroyo. Also scheduled for action are Team Puerto Rico light welterweight Jorge “Machito” Maysonet Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs); plus a special off-TV appearance by Puerto Rico-born light welterweight Gabriel “Tito” Bracero (15-0, 1 KO) of Brooklyn. The main bouts of Boricua Invasion II will be broadcast live on Showtime: The New Generation.