Krystal Rosado was emphatic and brief in her pro debut.
The 20-year-old former amateur standout from Carolina, Puerto stopped Tarrethia Dixon in the second round of their junior bantamweight contest. There were no knockdowns in their DAZN-televised opener but Dixon was hurt to the point of turning her back, which forced the stoppage 1:00 at of round two Friday evening from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Dixon (1-1, 1KOs) scored a first-round knockout of two-time National Golden Gloves winner Natalie Gray in her pro debut just eight weeks ago. The self-proclaimed ‘female Deontay Wilder’ vowed to present the same harsh reality to Rosado, who wasn’t having any of it. Rosado—who is managed by Amanda Serrano (45-2-1, 30KOs)—hurt Dixon in the opening round with a flush right hand down the middle.
Both boxers let their hands go in the opening round. Rosado got the best of the action and continued to bring the pain in round two. Dixon was stopped in her tracks by a body shot and later reached a point where she no longer wanted to continue. Referee Alycia Collins intervened, with Rosado (1-0, 1KOs) able to celebrate her first win just three minutes into her pro journey.
Also on the show, Elijah Flores (6-0, 2KOs) rode a late surge to a six-round, majority decision win over Elijah Williams (6-1, 2KOs) in an entertaining welterweight battle. Scores if 58-56 and 58-56 for Flores overrode an even 57-57 tally in a very competitive fight.
The battle of unbeaten Elijahs saw both boxers consistently land heavy leather. Williams rocked Flores with a right hand and follow-up left hook early in round two. Flores found his groove late the frame and landed a left hook to the body and right hand upstairs shortly before the bell.
Flores turned a corner in rounds five and six to surge ahead and preserve his unbeaten record.
Headlining the show, Puerto Rico’s Nestor Bravo (21-0, 15KOs; 1NC) faces Will Madera (17-2-3, 10KOs) of Albany, New York in a scheduled ten-round junior welterweight contest
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox