Junior Welterweight Pena Wins Split Decision From Faltering Walsh

Three months ago, La Mirada junior welterweight Michael Walsh seemed on the verge of a top-20 ranking. But Thursday night after his second consecutive bloody loss, Walsh is simply looking for answers.

He was knocked down twice in the first round by Northridge’s Hector Pena and wound up losing an eight-round split decision in front of a sellout of 1,282 at the Irvine Marriott.

“He’s got the tools, he just not using them,” said Walsh’s trainer and manager, Jesse Reid.

Pena jolted Walsh to the canvas with an overhand right midway through the first round, then knocked down Walsh again 30 seconds later with a left uppercut.

“Mike’s got to learn to make adjustments during the fight, but he got hurt and that had something to do with it,” Reid said.

Walsh (16-2-4) did stage a comeback through the middle rounds. He also suffered a deep gash on his forehead from a head butt and cuts to his nose and right eye from punches. Pena had points taken away from hitting after the bell in the second and for the head butt in the fifth, but still won, 75-73, on Pat Russell and Gwen Adair’s scorecard. Judge Lou Filippo scored it 75-74 Walsh.

“I won by my aggressiveness, by outboxing him and by taking it to him,” said Pena, a former kickboxer who improved to 17-4-1.

Bosnian heavyweight Joe Powder (3-0) showed off his powerful right hand in stopping an awkward and overmatched John Paul (0-1) of Las Vegas at 1 minute 20 seconds of the third round. But Powder also looked like a fighter with only three professional fights. He threw few combinations and most of his power punches were telegraphed, looping right hands.

One of Powder’s right hands found the back of Paul’s head, causing referee Pat Russell to take a point away from Powder.