He missed the opportunity of a lifetime when he allowed his No. 1 position in the IBF lightweight rankings to expire due to weight issues, but unbeaten prospect Gustavo Lemos is back with a bang at 140 pounds.

In the main event of a card that took place in the fabled Luna Park Stadium on Friday night, “El Eléctrico” Lemos improved to 29-0 with 19 knockouts with a brutal one-punch first-round stoppage win over Javier Clavero (30-11-2, 7 KO) in a scheduled ten-rounder at junior welterweight.

After a 22-month hiatus forced by weight issues and cancelled fights, Lemos stormed out of his corner to chase Clavero around the ring until he found him with a left hook that landed flush in Clavero’s face and sent him down on his back for the full count, less than 50 seconds into the bout.

“I am glad to be back,” said Lemos. “I came in well prepared and I found the perfect hand at the right moment, and I am happy for this victory. I hope to fight once again in early 2024, hopefully abroad.”

In an exciting co-main event, unbeaten prospect José “Sanson” Rosa (24-0, 17 KO) scored a very close unanimous decision win over Juan Leal (15-4, 4 KO) in a rematch of a similarly close fight that took place back in May of 2022.

Jose Rosa (left) and Juan Leal engaged in a brutal war for 10 rounds – Photo by Nelson Quispe/Boxeo de Primera

The bout, scheduled for ten rounds in the junior welterweight division, had Rosa dominating the early going and scoring a dubious knockdown in the third round, which was initiated by Rosa (a southpaw) stepping on Leal’s toes seconds earlier. The episode would have an important effect on the scorecards. Earlier in the second round, one of Rosa’s gloves split up at the seams and both gloves had to be replaced in the ring.

Leal won the fourth and was staggered in the fifth to lose that round, but in the second half of the bout he landed the more telling punches and had Rosa on the run and spitting his mouthpiece in the eighth round as he gasped for more air. The scorecards were 96-93 (twice) and 95-94 for Rosa, in a decision that was loudly booed by the audience. The Ring had it 95-94 for Leal.

“I gave an opportunity to a great boxer, and I never underestimated him,” said Rosa to a choir of loud boos. “I won the first one, and this second one was more difficult but I won it too.”

Leal replied that “I respect every point of view, but I did a great job, that’s what I did. He ran all night. The whole Luna Park saw it, and this expression (by the audience) says more than any words can.”

In the lone women’s fight of the night, Uruguay’s Maira Moneo (14-1, 3 KO) produced one of her usual high-energy, all-action performances at the expense of Bolivia’s Lizbeth Crespo (15-7, 4 KO) in a fight in which Moneo did exhibit some technical progress in an entertaining ten-rounder in the lightweight division.

Crespo, 33, did a great job in keeping a healthy distance throughout the bout to neutralize Moneo’s custom of leading with her head, and Crespo also connected with lots of power to Moneo’s body in what was a futile effort to slow down the “Little Panther.”

But in the end, it was Moneo’s volume punching what saved the night for her, as she outscored a willing and very able Crespo in almost every round to earn a unanimous decision with scorecards of 99-91 across the board.

“It was a rough year for me, a lot of personal problems,” said Moneo. “I had to make tough decisions but I am very grateful for Argentina for giving me these opportunities.”

In the first televised bout, Pablo “Pacman” Corzo (18-0, 15 KO) scored a dominant but pedestrian shutout over Leonel Avila (9-3, 3 KO) in a super middleweight ten-rounder.

A heavy puncher with solid defensive skills, Corzo dominated every round working behind a very precise jab and a steady stream of punishing straight rights that found their way into Avila´s face with power and precision. Avila resorted to a spirited but ineffective stick-and-move strategy that never really paid any dividends, and was forced to hold Corzo repeatedly in order to avoid further punishment.

Corzo’s inability to put together meaningful combinations of more than two punches may have cost him the stoppage win, but he did score a unanimous decision win with scorecards of 98-92 (twice) and 97-93.

In a comeback of sorts, former titlist Diego “La Joya” Chaves improved to 29-9-1 (24 KO) with a stoppage win over Matías Díaz (9-12-3, 1 KO) in the third round of a junior middleweight bout scheduled for eight episodes.

Diaz opened the hostilities with great movement in the ring, scoring at will and winning the first round handily. Chaves took control in the second round, and after feeling the effects of an accidental headbutt in the third he came out charging at full speed agains Diaz, who found himself under a barrage of punches in his corner that led the referee to call for a standing eight count. The count was stopped at four when it was clear that Diaz would be unable to continue.

Earlier, Marco “Kid Dinamita” Garcia (13-1, 10 KO) took his stoppage column to double digits with a demolition of José Vargas (9-6, 2 KO) in the junior middleweight bout. Vargas visited the canvas midway through the opening round and survived the count, only to be overwhelmed by Garcia in the second round to force the stoppage.

In other opening outs, Baltazar Noria (9-0, 7 KO) stopped Guillermo Gutiérrez (3-2, 3 KO) in the first round of a junior middleweight bout, while Silio Vilte (5-0, 3 KO) stopped Franco Flores (0-4-1) in the first round of a junior welterweight clash.

A couple of debutants gave the early birds a treat when Tomas Mamani and Dario Peralta fought to a draw in a junior middleweight four-round barnburner. Mamani was the favorite and seemed to land the harder punches, but Peralta never stopped coming and the result was considered fair by most observers.