Manfredo landed the last punch.
After the former finalist on “The Contender” landed two left hooks, driving Hernandez into the ropes in the 10th round, referee Steve Smoger stepped in and stopped the fight, giving Manfredo the victory at 1:19.
“This world championship took me ten years, actually, all my life to get,” said Manfredo, who is now 35-6 (19). “It’s very special.”
Hernandez tried to make the fight into a brawl in the first round, pinning Manfredo in a corner and landing some hard overhand rights.
In the second round, Manfredo used the ring more and established his jab. By the third round, Hernandez’ left eye was cut and swollen.
“It was not an easy fight,” Manfredo said. “He wanted to take me out. The kid is a bull. My dad [Peter Manfredo Sr., his trainer] said for me to use my jab and make it an easy fight. He’s tough. He’s crazy.”
In the fifth round, Hernandez closed the distance a little on Manfredo and continued to trade heavy shots. Hernandez was visibly tired and held occasionally, but he found enough energy to return fire until the fight was stopped.
“He got hit with a few shots,” said Peter Sr. “[Hernandez] came to win, but we knew eventually he’d break down.”
Manfredo was ahead on all three judges’ cards at the time of the stoppage. Steve Weisfeld and Roark Young had him up, 88-83. Glenn Feldman had Manfredo leading, 87-84.
In a fight for the North American Boxing Federation and North American Boxing Organization featherweight titles, Matt Remillard of Manchester, Conn. stopped Carlos Rivera of Port Richey, Fla. in the fourth round of a scheduled ten.
In the second round, Remillard put Rivera on the canvas with a shot that was low. Later in the round, the two fighters clashed heads and Remillard was cut next to the left eye.
Remillard, 22-0 (13), dropped Rivera twice in the fourth round, first with a left uppercut to the body, then a right uppercut that dislodged Rivera’s mouthpiece. Rivera got up both times and Remillard continued his attack until Arthur Mercante stopped the fight at 2:22.
Rivera is now 16-5-2 (5).
Lightweights Logan McGuinness of Orangeville, Ontario, Canada and Walter Estrada of Monteria, Columbia fought to a six-round majority draw. The scores were 57-57 (twice) and 58-56 for Estrada. McGuinness is now 10-0-1 (4); Estrada is 35-13-1 (24).
Adelita Irizarry of West Hartford, Conn. outpointed Kita Watkins of Camden, Ark. In a four-round welterweight fight. The scores were 40-36 and 39-37 (twice) for Irizarry, who is now 8-4 (2); Watkins is 5-7 (1).
J’Leon Love of Dearborn Heights, Mich. won a four-round unanimous decision against Fernando Calleros of Albuquerque, N.M. at super middleweight. The scores were 40-36 and 39-37 (twice) Love is now 5-0 (4); Calleros is 1-2-1 (4).
Joseph Elegele of Melbourne, Fla. knocked out John DeJean of Marshall, Texas, in the first round of a scheduled four. Elegele is now 7-0 (5); DeJean is 3-4-1 (3).
In a six-round junior welterweight bout, Danny O’Connor of Framingham, Mass. won a unanimous decision against Broderick Antoine of Troy, N.Y. The scores were 60-54, 58-56 and 59-55. O’Connor is 12-0 (3); Antoine is 10-10-1 (5).
Joseph Perez of East Hartford, Conn. won a four-round unanimous decision against debuting Joel Aliacon of Fall River, Mass. at lightweight. Perez is now 4-0 (1).
In his debut, Reinaldo Graceski of Springfield, Mass. outpointed Paul Gonsalves of Harwich, Mass. at light heavyweight. Gonsalves is now 2-1 (2).
In a battle of debuting light heavyweights, Ron Scott of Waterbury, Conn. stopped Derrick Krantz of Marshall, Texas in the third round of a scheduled four.
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