Heavyweight prospect Lenier Pero is attempting to make a case to be considered a contender rather than a prospect.
Pero stopped Guillermo Andino on Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Pero, who is originally from Camaguey, Cubai, improved to 10-0, 7 knockouts.
From the opening bell, the southpaw Pero was on the attack, putting Andino on the defensive and forcing him to fight off his back foot. Pero landed multiple combinations to the head, stunning the Argentine fighter.
Towards the end of the round, Pero landed a barrage of punches. Another combination to the head forced Andino to drop to the canvas, in a corner. Referee Samuel Burgos immediately waved the fight off at 2:32.
The 30-year-old had previously fought on a Showtime Championship Boxing telecast, stopping Viktor Vukhryst in the eighth round in a clash of unbeaten prospects. The win over Andino was Pero’s fourth consecutive knockout win.
Pero, who currently resides in nearby Miami, has fought at the same venue as Friday’s fight. On January 1 of last year, Pero defeated previously-unbeaten Geovany Bruzon by unanimous decision.
Entering Friday’s fight, Pero was ranked No. 4 by the WBA. He is promoted by Shane Shapiro and fights under the Warriors Boxing banner.
Andino, who resides in Posadas, Argentina, falls to 17-9, 6 KOs. The 32-year-old has mostly fought as a cruiserweight and super middleweight, and was fighting for the first time as a heavyweight.
In junior featherweight action, Ariel Perez de la Torre, who also grew up in Camaguey, defeated Victor Abreu by unanimous decision. Scores were 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92 for Perez de la Torre, who improved to 11-1, 7 KOs.
Perez de la Torre, now residing in Mexico City, has won his last three bouts since losing to Jose Sanchez on June 4 of last year.
Abreu, who resides in nearby Sunrise, drops to 3-1, 1 KO.
The card was promoted by Kris Lawrence.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since October 2012 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 by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing