By: Sean Crose
The 2-0 Armando Barbier took on the 0-2-1 Ricardo Jiminez in a welterweight affair scheduled for 4. The fight was on the undercard of Boxing Insider Promotion’s Friday night card from Midtown Manhattan. The first was a feeling out process for both men, with Barbier looking for opportunities and Jiminez working off the southpaw jab. The second was a far faster paced affair with Barbier landing well. The man went on to briefly switch to southpaw in the third before returning to an orthodox stance. The final round saw Jimenez hit the mat – though it was ruled a knockdown. He got up, and both men went for broke, often in close quarters. Indeed, it was hard for either man to land cleanly on the other. With that in mind, Jiminez was tagged hard before the final bell. He stayed on his feet, however.
The judges ultimately ruled in favor or Barbier, via split decision, who improved his record to 3-0.
Next up, the 5-4 Andres Martinez took on the 13-2 Nadim Salloum in a light heavyweight throwdown scheduled for 6. Martinez was very aggressive throughout the first – so aggressive that he dropped Salloum towards round’s end. Salloum was able to beat the count a moment before the round ended. Martinez went for broke right away in the second, but Salloum remained on his feet until it looked like Martinez was beginning to gas a bit.
By the third it looked as is Martinez was getting exhausted. He still had his bursts and threw with bad intentions, but Salloum was landing on his own, and also appeared to have more energy. The fourth was a high octane affair. Martinez was clearly the stronger man who landed the better blows, but there was no doubt the man was breathing heavy. Things remained energetic in the fifth – but it was clear that, tired or not, Martinez was successfully outgunning his man. The final round was a legitimate slobber knocker. It wasn’t pretty, but it held the viewer’s attention.
When all was said and done, the judges ruled in favor of Martinez via split decision.
George Arias
