“I made a statement tonight that needed to be made,” said Amari Jones. “I proved that my win against veteran Luis Arias wasn’t a fluke by going out here and knocking out an experienced former world champion. Coming into the fight, I knew he [Gualtieri] was an awkward fighter, knew his way around the ring, and that it was going to take some time to settle into the fight. I didn’t think it’d be that quick, though. I started to put my shots together really well.”
Continued Jones, “after the first round, I came back to my corner, and Virgil [Hunter] told me that Gualtieri had already shown me everything he had. It was only a matter of time after that. I was trying to set up traps for him to fall into. He was blocking shots well, but I knew if I could sneak my right hand through his guard, I could put combinations together. I finally landed my shots, and it knocked his equilibrium off. I’m an ultimate finisher. I put the combos together and hit him in the body, went back to his head, and finished him. I’m not doing this for no reason. A star was made tonight, and I put the middleweight division on notice.”
In the co-main event, undefeated cruiserweight Robin “ROBZ” Safar (19-0, 13 KOs) captured the WBC Silver Cruiserweight Title with a hard-fought victory over Argentina’s Yamil Peralta (18-2-1, 10 KOs) in a grueling 12-round battle that went the distance. Safar overcame adversity after suffering his first knockdown in the second round. The tightly contested bout saw Safar edge out Peralta via split decision, with judges scoring the fight 116-111 for Rudy Barragan and 114-113 for David Soliven, while Melissa McMorrow scored it 114-113 in favor of Peralta.
“I didn’t plan for the fight to go the distance,” said Safar. “I wanted to get him [Peralta] out of there in the later rounds. He was an awkward fighter. I have to give him props; he was a tough opponent with an unorthodox style. Although I had him on his back foot for most of the time, I feel like I waited too long to put the pressure. We live and we learn.”
Continued Safar, “I did get dropped in this fight. That was the first time ever for me getting dropped. It was a little flash knock down, but I had to recuperate and adapt. We came back and won the fight. That’s all that matters. I want to fight the top dogs. I want Noel Mikaelian.”
Also on the televised DAZN card, rising contender Darius “DFG” Fulghum (15-1-1, 13 KOs) stopped Miami-based Yoanki Urrutia (17-3, 7 KOs) in their light heavyweight bout when a debilitating body shot prompted Urrutia’s corner to throw in the towel at the end of the third round. In a jaw-dropping stoppage, Las Vegas’ Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (17-1, 12 KOs) took on cruiserweight Marco Canedo (8-4-1, 5 KOs) of Michoacán, Mexico. Scheduled for 10 rounds, Kalkreuth finished things early with a sixth-round knockout at 0:51. Opening the DAZN broadcast with a firefight, Jordan Fuentes (7-0, 2 KOs) of Fresno, Calif., competed in a six-round super flyweight bout against Dante Hernandez (3-2, 3 KOs) of Jalisco, Mexico. The action-packed match went the distance, with Fuentes securing the victory by scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55.
In the preliminary bouts, Jose Medrano (3-0, 2 KOs) of Salinas, Calif., made a splash with a fourth-round knockout win over Anel Dudo (4-9-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colo., in a four-round super featherweight fight, finishing at 0:44. Jordan “The Patriot” Panthen (12-2, 10 KOs) is the new WBA Continental middleweight titlist after defeating Jean Rivera (10-3, 1 KO) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by knockout. Panthen dropped Rivera multiple times before securing the stoppage in the third round at 1:30. John “Scrappy” Ramirez (17-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles defeated Lucas Fernandez (14-5-2, 9 KOs) of Rosario, Argentina, in a 10-round super flyweight contest by scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91. Opening the evening, Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu (8-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles defeated Adrian Herrera (10-5, 8 KOs) of Jalisco, Mexico, in an eight-round super flyweight matchup. The judges scored the bout unanimously for Kharkhuu by scores of 77-75, 80-72 and 78-74.