Southland’s Oscar Negrete remains unbeaten with victory at Belasco

Los Angeles bantamweight Oscar Negrete remained unbeaten, notching a unanimous-decision triumph Friday over Mexico’s Jose Bustos at the Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Negrete (15-0) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91, relying on superior talent to beat Bustos (11-7-3) to the punch and skirt damage with only a few exceptions.

“This victory is a step closer to getting that shot for the world title,” Negrette said. “Bustos was a difficult fighter-- he came to win, and came prepared and in very good condition, and I love opponents like that. Opponents like that challenge me to be better.”

In the third round, Negrete showed his edge in speed by blasting Bustos with a punch to the head, and closed the round with an effective combination of body blows.

Negrete had Jose Santa Cruz, the father and trainer of World Boxing Assn. featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz, in his corner. The elder Santa Cruz has fought cancer this year.

Negrete continued wailing away in the fifth, but he sustained a noticeable cut at his left eyebrow in the round that was inspected by a ringside doctor.

The wound didn’t deter Negrete from setting up Bustos with jabs that led to clean shots to the face. And in the seventh round, his elusiveness complemented his ability to land more frequent punches.

Bustos rallied impressively in the eighth, backing Negrete with rights before pelting him again so sharply that Negrete lost his mouthpiece.

Given time to gather it – and recover – Negrete gained the upper hand that he showed previously in the bout.

“There was a round where he did catch me off guard, but I felt like I recovered very well,” Negrete said. “I wasn’t too worried about that round because I knew that I dominated throughout the fight.”

The co-main event matched two sturdy, ever-punching foes, and Pacoima super-bantamweight Emilio Sanchez emerged with a unanimous-decision triumph over Mexico’s Hugo Partida to remain undefeated.

Judges awarded Sanchez (13-0) the victory by scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 78-73.

Sanchez and Partida (20-8-2) engaged in an entertaining exchange in the fifth round, and the back-and-forth continued through the start of the sixth until referee Jack Reiss deducted a point from Partida for losing his mouthguard for the third time.

“My uppercuts were the key to pulling out the decision,” Sanchez said. “He kept his head low, so I thought my uppercuts were hurting him. He was a tough fighter and a great experience, and I feel after that I can continue facing tougher opponents and keep climbing the ladder in the division.”

In the Estrella-televised opener, Miami’s Niko Valdes knocked out New Mexico’s Michael Andrews in a super-middleweight bout.