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LAS VEGAS -- Kendall Holt survived two knockdowns in the first 35 seconds, then landed a right that stopped Ricardo Torres just over a minute into the first round to capture the WBO junior welterweight championship Saturday night.
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The Colombian fighter stopped Holt last September in their first 140-pound title fight, and dropped him with a right to the head just 15 seconds into this one. Holt was knocked down a second time moments later, and Torres could have been deducted a point when he took a swipe at the American as he tried to stand back up.
Not that it would have mattered.
Holt regrouped and landed a left to the body that forced Torres to drop his hands and fall backward off balance. The usually light-hitting Holt then landed a looping right to the head that draped Torres over the bottom rope, prompting referee Jay Nady ref to stop the bout at 1:01 of the first round.
The 27-year-old Holt improved to 24-2 with 13 knockouts, getting a bit of payback for a suspect loss to Torres in his hometown of Barranquilla last September. Holt was leading on all three judges' scorecards when that fight was halted.
The 28-year-old Torres (32-2) was defending his version of the junior welterweight title for the third time since winning it in November 2006.
