Atif Oberlton wants to make his case known as a prospect to watch in the light heavyweight division.

Oberlton made quick work of gatekeeper Cleotis ‘Mookie’ Pendarvis on Friday night, winning by knockout in the second round  at the Live Casino in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The 25-year-old Oberlton improved to 9-0, 7 knockouts.

Standing approximately eight inches taller than the 5’7” Pendarvis, Oberlton walked down his opponent, also a southpaw, closing the distance and attempting to force Pendarvis to stand and trade in the pocket.

During the second round, Oberlton landed a short left uppercut that dropped Pendarvis to the canvas. Pendarvis barely got to his feet at the count of nine, but the fight was waved off, saving Pendaris from further punishment.

The win over Pendarvis was Oberlton’s first fight since defeating Artem Brusov in a clash of unbeaten prospects on January 20 of last year. The fight aired on a ShoBox telecast. In his previous fight in October 2022, Oberlton stopped Christian Thomas in the second round.

Thomas was also unbeaten prior to facing Oberlton.

Oberlton, an amateur standout prior to turning pro in January 2021, was featured in Part 2 of the Ring’s Under The Radar series, which highlighted some of the top prospects and young unbeaten fighters in the sport. The article appeared in the May 2023 issue.

Christian Carto (right) – Photo by Darryl Cobb, Jr.

Pendarvis, who resides in Lancaster, California, falls to 22-20-2, 9 KOs. The 37-year-old lost to unbeaten Maidel Sando by unanimous decision in his previous fight on November 7. He has now lost 16 of his last 17 bouts, with the only win coming against Bastir Samir on August 19.

In junior featherweight action, Christian Carto, who also resides in Philadelphia, knocked out Ardin Diale (35-19-4, 17 KOs) of the Philippines in the second round.

Carto improved to 21-1, 14 KOs and has now won his four bouts since suffering his only blemish at the hands of Victor Ruiz in February 2019.

The card was promoted by Marshall Kauffman.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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