Parra, 31, started slowly. Pierce, a southpaw, had early success with straight left hands to the body and used his feet to keep Parra in the opening round. Parra stayed steady, moving forward after a measured jab and waiting for Pierce to settle near the ropes.
Midway through the second, Parra closed the distance with his lead hand and pushed Pierce back. He pressed her close to the ropes and let go of her hands. A short right hand landed cleanly, followed by a left hook and another right that clipped Pierce’s head. Pierce stiffened and stopped responding, prompting referee Ricky Gonzalez to quickly intervene.
The nearby power is gone.
The finish came after a competitive start, but when Parra got his feet within striking distance, the gap in power became apparent. Pierce, 29, was on a 12-fight winning streak and was ranked highly by the WBA and WBO. He dropped to 21-3 with 17 strikeouts.
Parra improves to 24-1-1 with 18 knockouts and extends his undefeated streak to 11 fights since his lone loss in 2017. The narrow belt reinforces his standing in a featherweight division characterized by punishing body positioning and mandatory rotation. With Pierce rated near the top, the result puts Parra in the conversation for a title shot at 126 pounds.
Curmel Moton Stops Wilfredo Flores at Two
The 19-year-old dominated the match from the opening bell and forced a stoppage in his first fight scheduled for 10 rounds. Moton improved to 9-0 (7 KOs) with the win. Flores added another loss to his record.
Moton took the center of the ring from the opening bell. He worked behind a strong jab, ripped hooks to the body, and let the short combinations fly keeping Flores backed up and rebuilding his form. When Flores tried to fight back, Moton was already in the middle, pointing him to the ropes and keeping him there.
In the second round, Moton closed the distance. He pressed in, dug up the body, and shot upwards. Flores was forced into a corner, taking punches and unable to create space or string anything together.
As Flores landed a series of clean punches and stopped hitting, the referee stepped in late in the round and waved it off. Flores had nothing in return.
Flores had seen enough by the end of the round and offered no protest. The referee came in and stopped it. The official result came down as a second round TKO.
Moton, who is mentored by Floyd Mayweather Jnr, has attracted attention for his work at the Mayweather Gym. The social media that followed came with it.
The fight marked Moton’s first outing under the Manny Pacquiao banner after being knocked down for a while and moving up in scheduled rounds. He remained stable and in control for the two rounds that were fought.
For a 19-year-old who will take on a more experienced opponent in his scheduled 10-round debut, it was a convincing performance that cemented his standing among the sport’s rising talents and suggests he is ready for a gradual increase in opposition this year.
