What top middleweight contender Yoenli Hernandez had in speed, strength and size Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, he lacked in refinement against Francisco Daniel Veron.
Might not be enough at the championship level.
Hernandez capped the undercard of Rolando Romero’s WBA welterweight title defense against two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez with an uninspiring 99-91, 98-92, 95-95 win. The 29-year-old Cuban power puncher’s speed and aggression were mitigated by the 27-year-old Argentine’s pressure and craft, but not to the point where it cost him the win.
The middleweight division is devoid of depth and Hernandez’s talent is tantalizing, hence his N0. 1 contender rating by the WBA and the WBO. Grizzled Cuban veteran Erislandy Lara has the WBA’s 160-pound title while British boxer Denzel Bentley has the WBO’s middleweight belt.
Hernandez (11-0, nine KOs) had knocked out nine of his first 10 opponents amid his climb from prospect to contender, but couldn’t set up the power shots required to knock out the rugged Veron (17-2-1, 10 KOs). Completing the middleweight championship picture are Dominican slugger Carlos Adames (WBC) and Irish boxer Aaron McKenna, who won the IBF title earlier this month.
“This was a fight that gave me valuable experience,” Hernandez said. “I got the victory, and now I’m waiting for my big opportunity.”
Also on the undercard Saturday, Gary Antonio Russell (22-1, 13 KOs) claimed the WBA interim super bantamweight title from Victor Santillan (16-3, seven KOs) with a 119-108, 119-108, 118-109 unanimous decision. A stylistic southpaw clash prompted stretches of holding and inactivity that led to restlessness inside the arena.
Russell of Capital Heights, Maryland, and 33 years old was more effective with his activity, scoring a 12th-round knockdown with a counter right hook that awoke the crowd. Santillan, a 31-year-old Dominican living in Las Vegas, clinched for most of the final round, determined to hear the final bell.
“The last round I really wanted to take it to him,” said Russell, whose brother, WBA super lightweight champion Gary Antuanne was cheering him on from ringside. “I felt like I had taken all the other rounds clear. I wanted to finish strong and give the fans what they came to see.”
In the pay-per-view undercard’s opener, super lightweight prospect Carlos Utria (15-0, 11 KOs) scored a 97-93, 96-94, 94-96 split decision victory over Israel Mercado (13-2-2, seven KOs) — much to the budding crowd’s chagrin. Utria and Mercado traded combinations and seemingly rounds as the fight progressed.
Mercado fought with more guile and gumption, winning over the crowd’s respect.
Not for nothing, the 22-year-old Colombian — who weighed in eight-tenths of a pound over the contracted 140-pound limit — was sharp deploying his power shots. Mercado fought with more wit and craft, throwing and landing from awkward angles. In the 10th and final round, the 31-year-old Californian called upon his conditioning, overwhelming Utria with volume.
Boos followed Jimmy Lennon Jr.’s announcement.
“I thought I won the fight,” Mercado said. “I’ve been here many times before. I’ve been on the downside of decisions like this. This fight meant a lot but we keep moving forward.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
