Angel Fierro proves Erik Morales right, KOs Alberto Machado

Late substitute and Erik Morales protege Angel Fierro surprised many by knocking out former champion Alberto Machado in round 6.

Former world champion and boxing Hall-of-Famer Erik Morales said that his boxer Angel Fierro would defeat Alberto Machado on March 18, and Fierro made Morales’s words a reality.

Fierro (18-1-1, 14 KOs) took the fight against Machado on short notice replacing Hector Tanajara but was training for a fight and felt ready to challenge Machado on his home turf at the Albergue Olímpico training center in Puerto Rico.

Morales (52-9, 36 KOs) has trained fighters in Mexico after his 19-year professional boxing career. He worked with 22-year-old Fierro for his last several fights and told the media two days before the fight that Fierro would beat Machado.

“We know we are in Puerto Rico, so it’s complicated,” said Morales. “It’s going to be a tough fight. That’s the tradition because it’s Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. But he is going to come here and beat Machado in his hometown. We trust that the judges will do their job, but there’s no doubt about it, we are going for the knockout.”

Fierro proved Morales’s word to be prophetic as he knocked out the highly favored Machado in round 6.

Angel Fierro fulfilled Erik Morales’s prophecy and floored Alberto Machado in round 6 for the KO win.

Machado (22-3, 18 KOs) was the WBA “regular” junior lightweight champion for a little over a year but lost via knockout to Andrew Cancio in February of 2019. He was again knocked out by Cancio four months later.

Machado won one fight following the Cancio losses and looked like he would defeat Fierro in the early going of their Ring City USA main event.

At the end of round 1, the southpaw Machado dropped Fierro with his lead right hook. Fierro immediately popped up but sacrificed a 10-8 round to Machado.

Fierro ate another Machado right hook towards the end of round 2. That punch put him to the canvas for a second time, and he looked like he was in serious trouble. Fierro made it out of the round, and Machado missed a golden opportunity to end the fight early.

Fierro started to claw his way back in round 3 and dominated the fading Machado in rounds 4 and 5. Fierro’s punches to Machado’s body started to wear the former champion down.

Less than a minute into round 6, Fierro caught Machado on the chin with a left hook, and Machado fell hard to the ring floor. Machado writhed in pain and eventually made it to his feet but didn’t beat the referee’s 10-count.

https://twitter.com/ringcityusa/status/1372756950962774023?s=20

Fierro’s round 6 knockout of Machado is the upset that Morales predicted. Fierro’s stock rises while Machado looks spent at 30 years old.