Perez Gets 8th-Round Knockout to Beat Taylor at Irvine Fight
Super welterweight Tommy Perez scored an eighth-round knockout of Sammy Ray Taylor Monday in the main event of the monthly boxing program at the Irvine Marriott in front of 1,218.
It was the 11th knockout for Perez of Santa Ana, who improves to 17-3. Taylor of San Diego is 10-4-1.
The fighters spent the first two rounds trading light punches, but Perez opened the third round with a stunning right that hurt Taylor.
Perez then dominated the rest of the fight. He had Taylor ready to fall in the sixth and seventh but couldn’t land the final punch.
The eighth opened slowly as the fighters appeared to rest, standing clinched in the center of the ring. But Perez opened up 1:30 into the round and chased Taylor to the ropes with two strong combinations.
Perez then hit Taylor with three consecutive hard sweeping rights before the fight was stopped at 1:52.
“I was surprised that he didn’t go down sooner,” Perez said. “I hit him with some pretty hard punches before the eighth round.”
Perez earned $3,500 and Taylor received $1,500.
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