Oscar Collazo stops Reyneris Gutierrez, Darius Fulghum outpoints Alantez Fox
He wanted an emphatic win in front of the man who inspired his name, and he got it.
Oscar Collazo stopped Reyneris Gutierrez towards the end of the third round on the Jaime Munguia-John Ryder undercard at Footprint Center in Phoenix, in a new defense of his WBO strawweight strap.
The first round was spent by Collazo (currently rated at No. 4 by The Ring at 105 pounds) trying to figure out Gutierrez’s unpredictable movements in the ring, with the Nicaraguan contender using a smart and agile footwork to stay away from harm. Gutierrez did manage to make use of his bigger frame and his solid power in the second, and he earned a measure of confidence when he found out that he could take Collazo’s punches in close quarters. But slowly, Collazo’s superior technique began to show.
Collazo’s speed began making the difference in the third, and after several counterpunches that landed flush on Guitierrez, finally the challenger went down on his face after a long combination that began with a demolishing right hook from Collazo’s southpaw stance.
Darius Fulghum – Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Gutierrez promptly got up at then count of nine, but after a long barrage of punches referee Chris Flores moved in to halt the carnage as the round was ending.
“It was a good way to show the world that I am the best 105-pounder out there,” said Collazo, who was named Oscar in a tribute by his mom to her favorite fighter, none other than current Collazo promoter Oscar de la Hoya. “I knew I could pick my punches and it was just a matter of time. I am a good finisher in the ring, and when I see them stumbling in the ring I go for the kill.”
In the previous fight, Darius Fulghum remained undefeated but failed to keep his knockout streak alive with a one-sided but lackluster win over Alantez Fox in ten rounds in the super middleweight division.
Fulghum (now 10-0, 9 KOs) went the distance for the first time in his young career against a proven trialhorse in Fox (28-6-1 with13 KOs) who was never quite able to take advantage of his superior height and reach advantage. Sensing a complicated fight ahead of him, Fulghum started slow and may have given up a few rounds earlier on, but began unloading on Fox in the second half of the bout. In the eighth round, the ringside doctor was summoned to a neutral corner to check on Fox’s facial lacerations, but the fight went on.
The scorecards were all over the place, with judge Javier Camacho seeing a completely unwarranted 95-95, overruled by Craig Harmon with 100-92 and Dennis O’Connell with a more appropriate 98-92, both for Fulghum, who clearly outpunched and outmuscled his foe in almost every round.
Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.
