Orlin Norris Floors Hembrick in Round 8 : Boxing: Former Olympian knocked out in cruiserweight bout.

Orlin Norris might be without a manager now, but after Wednesday night’s domination of Anthony Hembrick, it might not be for long.

Norris knocked Hembrick around the ring at the Sports Arena for seven rounds before finally stopping the former Olympian at 2:40 of the eighth to retain his North American Boxing Federation cruiserweight title in front of a crowd of 2,214.

Norris (32-3, with 17 knockouts) floored Hembrick halfway into the eighth with a overhand right. Hembrick barely stood up before referee Lou Filippo counted to 10. He stumbled down to the canvas again without another punch being thrown, but Filippo ruled it a slip.

Norris then sent a wobbly Hembrick down two more times, before Filippo finally stopped it because of California’s three-knockdown rule.

“The referee did the right thing,” Hembrick’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, said. “The other guy was a hell of a fighter. That was a hell of a shot in close. Norris was too strong for him. Anthony couldn’t keep him off.”

Hembrick (23-3-1), who was fighting his first bout as a cruiserweight (190 pounds), said Norris was simply too strong.

“It wasn’t the weight class so much, it was Orlin himself,” Hembrick said. “I wasn’t prepared for how strong he was.”

Norris, who moved down from heavyweight only three fights ago, took control from the opening bell. He stormed across the ring and landed two hard left hooks and then a left uppercut.

“I knew I could go out there and rock him,” Norris said. “I didn’t feel I could be hurt. I knew I had him from the first round on.”

Hembrick lost the first five rounds badly, but he started gaining some momentum in the sixth and seventh rounds. In the sixth, Hembrick backed Norris into the ropes and landed a flurry of blows. But none of the punches appeared to faze Norris.

“I wanted him to spend all his money,” Norris said. “I heard Angie (Dundee) pumping him up. I’ve gone against Angie twice now. I knew what he was doing.”

Hembrick also carried the seventh as Norris appeared to be trying to catch his second wind.

“He hit me with a few good shots,” Norris said.

But midway though the eighth, Norris landed his right just as Hembrick was emerging from a crouch.

“Once the referee got him to stop holding me, I was ready to throw the right,” Norris said. “He was open for it all night.”

Abel Sanchez, Norris’ trainer, said he’s never seen his fighter in better form.

“He just looked different,” Sanchez said. “He had something to prove.”

After leaving Joe Sayatovich, his manager of six years, last week, Norris is looking around for a new manager.

Bob DePhilippis, a local promoter and manager, said Norris shouldn’t be looking for long.

“Orlin could fight as a heavyweight again and do well,” he said. “I think with his skills, he’s one of the top three or four heavyweights around. I think he’d be even money with Evander Holyfield right now.”

Will DePhilippis pursue Norris?

“If he’s a free agent, I’ll give him a shot.”

Norris said he fight again next month in the Sports Arena against an undetermined cruiserweight opponent. After that, he hopes to take on WBC cruiserweight champ Anicit Wamba.

Then, he hopes to move back up to heavyweight. Dundee said it couldn’t be too soon.

“Norris a very strong individual,” he said. “He should stay in the heavyweight division.”

In an undercard bout, middleweight Paul Vaden (9-0) of San Diego faced his toughest opponent yet in his nine-fight professional career, pounding out a unanimous six-round decision against James Rivas (2-3-1) of Phoenix.

Vaden, a Patrick Henry High graduate, who closed out an illustrious amateur career to turn pro last April, now has his sights on a California middleweight title bout.

“He was a tough competitor, especially when he was squatting low,” Vaden said. “He allowed me to go over the top, but it was tough all the way.”

In other undercards, welterweight Engels Pedroza of Las Vegas improved to 35-3 with a third-round knockout of Alberto Castro of Tijuana (26-11). Castro was knocked down by two blows to the back of the head. Castro and his trainer Carlos Madrid alleged the second blow was illegal, but ring doctor Robert Karnes said they were legitimate because Castro was facing Pedroza.

“I thought I was doing fine until then,” Castro said.

Pedroza preceded the knockout with a flurry of body punches. Pedroza has won 34 of his 35 fights by knockout.

Heavyweight Vince Jones (9-3) of Houston used a powerful left jab to dominate Rocky Pepeli (13-4-1) of Burbank in a 10-round bout. Jones won every round on two scorecards and won nine of 10 on the other. Jones came close to putting Pepeli down in the 10th round with an overhand right, but he could not finish him off.

Pepeli provided little offense but a sturdy chin that proved durable enough to weather a succession of heavy left jab.

Featherweight Rogelio Perez of San Diego took a beating in the first round, but came back to knock out Juan Castaneda of San Jose at 1:24 of the second round. Perez (5-5-1, 2 knockouts) dropped Castaneda (4-3) with a straight right hand.