Walsh, O’Brien Don’t Disappoint in Marriott Card

Twenty-one-year-old Mike Walsh’s return and 41-year-old John O’Brien’s professional debut brought out 1,218 Thursday night to the Irvine Marriott, one of biggest crowds in the show’s 11-year history.

Neither the kid nor the veteran disappointed the fans. Walsh knocked out Raymuno Gonzalez in the sixth round and O’Brien stopped Eliseo Torres on cuts in the third.

Walsh’s future looks to be a little brighter than O’Brien’s, though. Walsh, a junior welterweight from La Mirada, improved to 12-0-2 when he floored Gonzalez (7-4) with big right hook 30 seconds into the sixth.

“I waited for it and I caught him perfect,” said Walsh, who hadn’t fought at the Marriott in two years and will next fight in Las Vegas as part of an ESPN card in March.

O’Brien, who weighed in at 145 pounds, as did Torres, appeared nervous and stiff in the early going as he was knocked down with right hands twice in the first round. O’Brien often turned his back on Torres and was subsequently hit from behind and from the side.

Late in the first round, O’Brien fell into Torres as he threw a right hand. Referee Dave Nelson ruled it a knockdown and that was the beginning of the end for Torres, who developed a large cut over his left eye midway through the first round. With one minute, 53 seconds left in third round, the ringside physician stopped the fight.

Promoter Roy Englebrecht said O’Brien sold 125 tickets and brought in $3,400 in ticket sales, but said he doubts O’Brien will return to the Marriott soon. “I’d love to see him retire undefeated (Thursday),” Englebrecht said. “I’m concerned who we’d get to fight him. I thought John looked pretty pooped out there.”

In the main event, featherweight Ricardo Vargas of San Diego won a unanimous 10-round decision over Antonio Ramirez of Pueblo, Mexico.