Justin Figueroa put on a show during and after his West Coast debut.
The unbeaten Atlantic City native did ‘the worm’ across the ring in celebration of his third-round knockout victory over Jerome Clayton. Figueroa scored three knockdowns on the night to force the stoppage at 1:57 of the third round Thursday evening on DAZN from Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.
The showcase bout on paper was even less competitive in the ring. Figueroa went to work and made his power felt early. Clayton (3-3-1, 3KOs) was dropped twice in round two and didn’t seem eager to fight back.
Figueroa (7-0, 6KOs) closed the show with a final knockdown in round three to return to the knockout column five months after he went the distance for the first time in his career.
Headlining the show, unbeaten 24-year-old prospect Tito Sanchez (11-0, 7KOs) of Cathedral City, California faces red-hot spoiler Walter Santibanes (12-2, 2KOs) in a scheduled ten-round featherweight contest.
UNDERCARD BOUTS STILL TO COME
Eric Priest (11-0, 7KOs), Los Angeles, 161.4 pounds vs. Paul Mendez (21-4-2, 11KOs), Las Vegas, 160 pounds—8 rounds, middleweight
Jorge Chavez (8-0, 6KOs), San Diego via Tijuana, 123.6 pounds vs. Jerson Ortiz (17-9, 8KOs), Managua, Nicaragua, 123.8 pounds—8 rounds, junior featherweight
Ricardo Ruvalcaba (10-0-1, KOs), Ventura, California, 141.6 pounds vs. Irving Macias (15-3, 10KOs), Monterrey, Mexico, 142 pounds—8 rounds, junior welterweight
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox