Junior welterweights Lindolfo Delgado and Omar Aguilar gave the fans quite a show prior to the main Top Rank on ESPN telecast. 

Delgado won a hard-fought eight-round unanimous decision at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. Scores were 79-73, 79-73, and 77-75 for Delgado, who improved to 16-0, 13 knockouts.

Saturday’s fight was anticipated as an all-action fight between two boxer-punchers. Both fighters did not disappoint from the opening bell.

Delgado and Aguilar stood in the pocket, resulting in solid exchanges between the two fighters. Aguilar had to deal with blood profusely coming out of his nose, but continued to stay in the pocket. 

Although he was outgunned, Aguilar pressed the action, but Delgado landed the more-telling punches. In the fourth round, a vicious right uppercut to the head stunned Aguilar. A few moments later, Aguilar dropped to the canvas, but referee Jack Reiss ruled Aguilar went down due to losing his balance.

The action slowed during the second half of the fight as Delgado chose to create distance and outbox Aguilar. Aguilar did find some success, landing an occasional hook and cross, but Delgado continued to accumulate points by outboxing Aguilar.

Delgado represented Mexico at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguilar, who resides in Ensenada, Mexico, drops to 24-1, 23 KOs.

Preliminary action

Featherweight contender Luis Lopez scored a knockout win over Colombia’s Yeison Vargas (20-11, 15 KOs). 

Lopez dropped Vargas twice early in the second round, the latter from a vicious left hook to the body. Vargas remained on the canvas as referee Jose Cobian counted him out at 1:00.

A winner of his last nine bouts, seven by knockout, Lopez (26-2, 15 KOs) is the No. 1 contender to face IBF titleholder Josh Warrington. 

Lightweight Miguel Contreras of Bakersfield, California improved to 12-1-1, 6 KOs by defeating Josec Ruiz by unanimous decision. 

Scores were 80-72, 80-72, and 79-73 for Contreras.

Ruiz was the aggressor from the beginning, but Contreras’ more accurate punches began taking a toll on Ruiz. Contreras repeatedly landed lead and counter left hooks to the head of Ruiz, whose punch output dropped in each round.

Ruiz, who is originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras and now resides in Miami, Florida, drops to 23-7-3, 16 KOs.

In a clash of unbeaten featherweights, Austin Brooks, who resides in the San Diego area, dropped Los Angeles’ Oliver Galicia (5-1-1, 3 KOs) once in the opening round en route to a unanimous decision win. All three judges scored the bout 40-35 in favor of Brooks, who goes to 8-0, 2 KOs. 

In the opening bout of the Top Rank card, 6’9” heavyweight Antonio Mireles (5-0, 5 KOS) of Des Moines, Iowa overcame a knockdown in the opening round to stop Los Angeles’ Kaleel Carter (2-2, 2 KOs) at 1:00 of the second round.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing 

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