Luis Ortiz scores another KO win, Sadam Ali falls to Jessie Vargas

March 6, 2016

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos/Golden Boy Promotions

WBA Interim Heavyweight World Champion Luis "King Kong" Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs) continued his rapid ascent up the heavyweight division Saturday night, knocking down a lethargic and out-of-condition Tony Thompson (40-7, 27 KOs) twice before finishing him with a huge knockout in the sixth round in front of 4,585 fans at the D.C. Armory in Washington D.C.

"I'm hungry and ready for any champion. Let's do it," Ortiz said. "I'm a serious guy, boxing is my job, my passion and I'm committed 100 percent. I work, I train, I spend time with my family. That's all I do. I look to destroy my opponent in the ring and let my fists do the talking."

The southpaw Ortiz came out strong, knocking down Thompson with an overhand left to the head in the first round.  He would later send Thompson to the canvas again in the third round before putting him down for good in the sixth.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos/Golden Boy Promotions

"He is strong as advertised," the 44-year-old Thompson said. "It's sad that my hometown got to see me at the end of my career versus at the peak of my career. I just think it would have been a much better fight with prime Tony Thompson, but the guy is as strong as a monster. Thanks to all the fans that came to support."

Ortiz was paired with the overmatched Thompson partly because many of the better contenders in the division have elected to avoid the dangerous and skilled Cuban.

Prospect Sadam Ali suffers first loss to Jessie Vargas

Two promising young fighters stole the show from the heavyweights in an exciting battle Saturday night, as Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) and Sadam Ali (22-1, 13 KOs) squared off in the co-main event for the WBO Welterweight world championship.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-HoganPhotos/Golden Boy Promotions

Both fighters landed big power shots throughout the first half of the fight, but at the end of the eighth round, Vargas caught Ali with a fight-altering overhand right that dropped the previously undefeated fighter. Ali made it out of the round, but was still on shaky legs in the ninth, as Vargas continued to apply pressure and land big shots until the referee jumped in and stopped the fight.

"I tore him apart piece by piece," Vargas said. "I was patient. I looked for openings and when I had the openings I fired the shots. This is what I have been working for all my life since I was eigth-years-old. Now I'm a two-time world champion."

Ali started off well during the early rounds, relying on his superior speed and quick combination punching.  The punch statistics reflected just how competitive this bout was prior to the knockdown, as Ali landed 93 of his 207 punches, while Vargas landed 95 of his 209 punches.

As the fight progressed however, Vargas began to land his shots with greater regularity, as Ali's right eye began to swell.

"Before the fight I felt really strong," Ali said. "I felt very confident and sometimes that isn't enough. I need to go back to the drawing board and make sure to correct the mistakes that I made in the ring tonight. I'm going to come back better than ever."

As for Vargas' future plans, he made his goals very clear.

"I only want one fight which I deserve to get, a rematch with [Tim] Bradley," said Vargas.  "I don't care if he beats Pacquiao or not, I want Bradley."

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services

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