Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, Texas – Top Rank prospect Omar Henry got a few rounds under his belt while facing some adversity in going the distance for the first time in his young career. Henry traveled to Corpus Christi to fight alongside his stable mate and fellow rising prospect Jerry Belmontes at the minor league baseball stadium which houses the Houston Astros Double-A team.

After five consecutive first round knockouts to begin his professional career, Henry faced off with rugged veteran Cuban Carlos Aballe now hailing from Miami, Florida. Aballe had knocked off unbeaten prospects before and had never been stopped in a four round fight.

Henry tested Aballe early in the fight landing flush combinations to the chin and attacking the body. But Aballe knew how to survive and dug into his bag of tricks looking for something to rattle the younger fighter. With an awkward stance, Aballe swung his head in all directions to avoid punches and caught Henry a few times with headbutts during the contest.

Two headbutts left welts on Henry’s forehead and another opened a gash on his right eyebrow. The fouls tested both Omar’s resolve and his ability to withstand a blow as one of the illegal blows actually wobbled him slightly. Aballe also tried to distract Henry by mocking him with blown kisses and tongue wagging.

Omar was able to keep his composure and land many heavy shots while avoiding any legal punches that Aballe attempted. In the fourth round Henry clipped the Cuban with a right cross that dropped him down to the canvas scoring a knockdown. Again the wily veteran showed his survival skills by spitting out his mouthpiece and buying himself more recovery time.

“I’m glad I got to go the distance in a four rounder before moving up to six round fights,” Henry stated. “I learned that you can’t knock every guy out. I’m happy that now I have some video to study so I can see what to work on to keep getting better.”

Omar is a twenty-two year old light middleweight who won the Texas Golden Gloves and USA regional before attending Northern Michigan University as part of the USOEC program.  He now is a full time student in Houston studying business.