Boxing Roundup : Aquino Is New WBC Champion

Challenger Lupe Aquino of Mexico knocked down champion Duane Thomas of the United States twice Sunday on his way to winning a unanimous 12-round decision and the World Boxing Council super-welterweight title Sunday at Bordeaux, France.

Aquino, 24, knocked Thomas to the canvas for a compulsory eight-count with a hard left in the second round and knocked Thomas down again in the 12th with a right.

Aquino improved his record to 30-2-1. Thomas, of Detroit, lost for the second time in 31 bouts. Thomas won the title in December when he stopped John Mugabi of Uganda in the third round.

Sunday’s fight originally was scheduled in April but was postponed to allow Thomas to recover from a rib injury.

“I was always confident but I became even more so when Thomas went down in the second round,” Aquino said. “That’s when I knew I wouldn’t let the title get away.”

Aquino, using a devastating left hand, continued the attack after Thomas was knocked down and nearly put the fight away in the second round when Thomas was saved by the bell.

Thomas rallied, however, and, scoring on combinations, had the challenger in trouble in the middle rounds. Aquino recovered in the 10th when he clearly won the round with a variety of punches.

Olympic gold medalist Frank Tate won the vacant U.S. Boxing Assn. middleweight championship with a unanimous 12-round decision over Troy Darrell at Atlantic City, N.J.

The undefeated Tate, who won the light-middleweight gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, stopped Darrell’s attack with a steady left jab and occasional combinations.

Judge Rocky Castellani scored Tate a 118-112 winner, while Frank Brunette scored it 117-111 and John Stewart scored it 117-112.

After losing the first two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, Darrell rallied in the middle rounds by using straight right-hand leads. Tate came back to win the final two rounds on all scorecards.

“I was waiting for him to press me, but he didn’t,” said Tate, who is 19-0 with 11 knockouts. “I think that threw me off a little bit. I was a little tense, but I came out of it successfully.”

Darrell, of Bermuda, is 22-2 with 19 knockouts.