BOXING : Paez’s Easy 10-Round Decision Could Lead Him to De La Hoya

Former International Boxing Federation featherweight champion Jorge Paez won a lopsided 10-round decision over Juan Gomez in their lightweight bout Saturday night at the Forum.

Paez, from Mexicali, Mexico, started slowly but took clear command by the fourth round to win by scores of 97-92, 97-92 and 99-90 on the judges’ cards.

The victory improves Paez’s record to 51-6-4, with 31 knockouts. It probably also secures a July 29 match against undefeated Oscar De La Hoya.

Paez weighed 134 1/4 pounds. Gomez, also from Mexicali, weighed 132 3/4. He is now 13-4-2.

In another featured bout, flyweight Mark Johnson won his 19th fight in a row, knocking out Jose Quirino in the third round of their scheduled 12-rounder. Johnson, from Washington, D.C., weighed 111 as he improved his record to 20-1, with 13 knockouts. Quirino, from Tijuana, weighed 112 and is now 34-14.

In a pair of 10-round bouts, Carlos Hernandez, 133 1/2, of Bellflower, knocked out Tijuana’s Tommy Valdez, 134, in the second round; and former World Boxing Council champion Daniel Zaragoza of Mexico City, 126, won a unanimous decision over Francisco Soto, 124 1/4, Durango, Mexico.