Undefeated Deonte Brown of Morgan City extended his perfect record and won the WBA Continental Americas Super Featherweight title by defeating Grimardi Machuca in the main event of Red Owl Boxing: Boxfest XVI at Commerce Casino in California.

Brown dominates Machuca and wins the WBA mainland American title

The 29-year-old Louisiana native controlled the tempo with fluid head movements and acute jabs, frustrating the Venezuelan striker over the course of ten tactical rounds. The judges scored 96-94, 96-94 and 97-93 in favor of Brown, who looked a class above, choosing moments to attack.

“I feel like I went out there and showed my skills,” Brown said after the victory. “We knew he was powerful, so we wanted to come for the knockout. It would have been better if it had been a knockout, but we’ll take it the way we got it. I feel like I can go another ten rounds.”

With this victory, Brown has a record of 17-0 (11 KOs) and is one step closer to fighting for a title in one of the most competitive categories in boxing.

Saul Sanchez and Edwin Rodriguez fight to a stalemate

A rematch six years in the making saw Saul Sanchez and Edwin Rodriguez fight to a majority draw in a hard-fought, eight-round bout. Sanchez was looking to avenge a split-decision defeat in 2019, but said Rodriguez was just as determined in a fight full of back-to-back exchanges.

Sanchez (21-4-1, 12 KO) believes he did enough to win:

“I thought I won the fight. I’m not sure what the judges saw. I wasn’t surprised by his approach.”

Rodriguez (12-9-3, 5 KO) disagreed, claiming he was better:

“The world saw what happened. I came here to fight and I wasn’t the favorite. I thought I did enough to win – I hit cleaner, stronger shots.”

The scorecards read 78-74, 76-76 and 76-76.

Darian Castro overcomes knockout to stay perfect

Super bantamweight prospect Darian Castro showed fortitude and composure by overcoming the first knockdown of his career and earning a unanimous decision in his fight against Criztec Bazaldua. The 4-0 talent adjusted after the initial panic, using timing and volume to turn the game around.

“I worked firm for this victory,” Castro said. “I stuck to the game plan. With firm work and dedication, here are the results.”

Ellis impresses in his professional debut

In her professional debut, 2020 U.S. Olympian Shakilya Ellis outclassed veteran Maria Salinas over six rounds to perform in great style. Using her reach and speed, the Boston-born featherweight won the card 60-54, 58-56, 59-55.

“I feel like I’m just getting started,” Ellis said. “I achieved what I had to in the amateurs – now I’m trying to take over the pros. Most of these women haven’t had to fight someone like me.”

Phipps Edges Thriller, Perez delivers a brutal finish

Super bantamweight Cornellio Phipps (6-0, 2 KO) kept his undefeated streak alive with a hard-fought split decision victory over Jessie Mandapat. In exchanges and exchanges, Phipps showed composure under pressure.

“I thought I did well against a great opponent,” Phipps said. “I should have punched more often, but we did it. I learned a lot from this match.”

Earlier, Angel Perez (10-0-1, 8 KO) set the tone for the evening with a devastating first-round KO over Sachin Rohila.

“It was amazing,” Perez said. “When I took that body shot, I knew it was going to go down. I’m grateful and blessed for this victory.”

Early Card Summary

Before DAZN’s cameras rolled, Kamari Burnside (2-0) had scored convincing points over Obed Sepulveda, and Jorge Ruiz (2-0, 2 KO) stopped Prince Martin with a body shot in the second round.

Narek Hovhannisyan (2-0, 1 KO) scored his first career knockout, defeating Eric Howard in the fourth round, and Isaiah Garcia (1-0) started the evening with a knockout victory over Clayton Hibbert.

In the night’s action, Alejandro Alvarado, Chantal Sumrall, Samvel Gandilian and Sasha Saldana earned a unanimous decision victory to close out an event filled with evenly matched competition – a Red Owl Boxing trademark.

Red Owl Boxing: Boxfest XVI once again lived up to its reputation for real 50/50 fights, with prospects like Brown, Phipps and Ellis taking huge steps forward on DAZN.

About the author

Phil Jay is experienced boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global combat scene. How Since 2010, editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN).Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and the most crucial boxing evenings in the ring were reported.

[View all articles by Phil Jay] and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.