09/05 BOXING

Sanchez appeared out of shape, and hardly compensated in technique. The southpaw was pushing his punches throughout the brief encounter, hardly landing anything of conviction, while never quite figuring out his fellow New Mexico southpaw Zamora.

The first sign of trouble came at the end of the 1st round, when Zamora landed a compact left hand on the inside shortly before the bell, forcing Sanchez to hold on to steady himself.

It didn’t get any better in the second, a round that ended with Zamora pummeling a now staggered and defenseless Sanchez in a corner. It was a combination upstairs which began the rally with about 20 seconds left in the round, and ended with Sanchez doubled over when not stumbling around the ring.

A sense of urgency overcame the hometown fighter, who came out more purposeful at the start of the third. Offense was on his mind, but a leaky defense led to the beginning of the end – a counter right jab from Zamora that opened up a cut over the right eye of Sanchez.

Chants of “Joaquin” began to fill the casino arena, but time was called before any more damage could be inflicted. Sanchez’ cut developed into a gusher, prompting referee Stephen Blea to summon the ringside physician to the ring apron. A thorough exam ended with Sanchez shaking his head as the doctor asked questions, prompting a third round medical stoppage as Blea advised Sanchez’ corner the cut was caused by a punch.

Sanchez refused to believe it, even after it being pointed out on the Telefutura monitors. Whatever the case, he suffers his second loss in three fights, dropping to 21-3 (15KO). More alarming was his speech pattern and body language, both of which suggested a fighter already on the decline, even at just 25 years of age and just seven years into his career.

Zamora’s heading in the opposite direction, racking up by far the biggest win of his six-year career. The Mexican-American has now won 11 straight, as he improves to 16-2-1 (11KO).