Carbajal Tunes Up for Title Fight With Fifth-Round KO of Monzote

Michael Carbajal, in his last tuneup before defending his International Boxing Federation junior-flyweight title in December, knocked out Luis Monzote in the fifth round of their scheduled 10-round fight here Thursday night.

Carbajal, 17-0 with 11 knockouts, decked Monzote with a left hook to the midsection late in the third round, but Monzote got up at the count of eight. Monzote (21-7) was on his hands and knees again after another Carbajal body shot in the fifth round when referee Bobby Ferrara counted him out at 2:58.

“The two body shots were two good left hooks to the liver,” Carbajal said. “I knew he was a very slick mover. There was nothing I could do except work the body.”

Carbajal, 23, controlled the fight to the delight of 10,000 hometown fans at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Carbajal is scheduled to make his first title defense Dec. 8 in Scottsdale, Ariz., against Panama’s Leon Salazar and is guaranteed $200,000. He earned $10,000 for Thursday night’s bout.