Welterweight prospect "Speedy" Rashidi Ellis stayed undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Alberto "Metralleta" Mosquera on Friday night. The match was the main event of a Golden Boy on ESPN card held at the Grand Oasis Cancun in Cancun, Mexico.
Ellis (20-0, 13 KOs) dominated the bout but failed to shine against an opponent who had very little to offer except courage and a sturdy chin.
The 97-92, 98-92 and 98-91 scores in favor of Ellis accurately reflected the action inside the ring. But despite the urging of his corner, Ellis, 25, couldn't produce the knockout that would have enhanced his box-office appeal.
According to CompuBox, Ellis landed 210 punches compared with 127 for Mosquera. It appeared, however, that many of Ellis' offerings were arm punches, lacking the power to put Mosquera on the floor.
Mosquera (25-4-2, 16 KOs), a 31-year-old southpaw from Panama, plodded after his quicker rival but was greeted by blows to the body and rights to the head as he advanced.
Ellis, of Lynn, Massachusetts, utilized superior footwork to outmaneuver Mosquera, and although he appeared to tire slightly in the last few rounds, he never lost control of the fight.
Referee Florentino Lopez penalized Ellis one point for punching low in the ninth round, but by then Mosquera needed a knockout to win.
In the co-feature, Francisco "Panchito" Horta (17-3-1, 10 KOs) won a unanimous eight-round unanimous decision over David "El Zamorita" Reyes (17-5-1, 6 KOs) by scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 80-72 in a battle of Mexican junior featherweights.
Try as he might, Reyes, 23, couldn't handle Horta's four-inch reach advantage, and when he did manage to get close enough to connect, his blows had little effect.
Horta, a 24-year-old from Cancun, boxed intelligently and punched in sharp combinations that did damage. He wobbled Reyes in the second round with a right to the head and buckled his knees with another right in the fifth.
Reyes, of Ciudad Obregon, wasn't bashful about exchanging with his harder-hitting opponent, but Horta usually got the better of it.
In the TV opener, Hiram Gallardo (7-2-2, 1 KO) upset previously undefeated Eduardo Nunez (10-1, 10 KOs) by scores of 58-55, 57-56 and 57-56 in a lively six-round featherweight bout. Nunez was penalized one point for punching low in the third round.