Undefeated Welterweight Retains Title In Knock-Out At Fantasy Springs

INDIO, CA — Undefeated welterweight Raul "El Cugar" Cúriel retained his North American Boxing Federation championship with a 10th-round technical knockout of Courtney Pennington Thursday evening in the main event of a six- bout card at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio.

Referee Gerard White stopped the bout with seven seconds left in the scheduled 10-round fight.

The knockout was the eighth straight for Cúriel (13-0, 11 knockouts) of Guadalajara, Mexico. Pennington (17-7-3, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York lost for the third time in five fights, all by knockout.

Cúriel weighed-in Wednesday at the 147-pound welterweight limit, one pound heavier than Pennington.

The 27-year-old Cúriel was fighting for the first time since Dec. 17, when he knocked out Brad Solomon 44 seconds into the second round. Cúriel had been sidelined by an eye injury suffered in March.

Cúriel won the then-vacant title with a ninth-round knockout of American Ferdinand Kerobyan June 19, 2021 in El Paso, Texas. He knocked out American Kendo Castaneda in the seventh round Dec. 18, 2021, in San Antonio, in his first title defense.

Cúriel is studying to become a lawyer.

The 36-year-old Pennington has fought in Madison Square Garden -- where he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Charles Conwell for the vacant U.S. Boxing Association super welterweight title on June 8, 2019 -- Colombia, Canada and Jamaica.

Manny Flores (16-1, 12 KOs) of Coachella knocked out Nicaraguan Jerson Ortiz 50 seconds into the second round of the scheduled 10-round super bantamweight co-main event. Flores knocked down Ortiz twice in the first round and once in the second.

Referee Ray Armendariz stopped the fight when Ortiz (17-8, 8 KOs) was knocked down in the second round.

The bout was Flores' first since the first loss of his professional career, when he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to fellow Walter Santibanes June 8 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

Super welterweight Grant Flores, a cousin of Manny Flores, won a six- round unanimous decision over Jaleik Bogle of Tampa, Florida, improving to 3-0. Grant Flores knocked Bogle (4-2-2, 2 KOs) down in the fifth round and won 60-53 on all three judges' scorecards.