Rene Tellez Giron battered Guadalupe Acosta before stopping him in round 7 late Sunday afternoon at the outdoor Nuevo Toreo de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico.

With the win, Tellez improves to 15-1, 9 knockouts.

Tellez, who is originally from Queretaro, Mexico and now lives and trains in San Diego, California, broke down Acosta during each round. Tellez was the aggressor and the accumulation of punches he landed bruised Acosta’s face and drew blood from the nose.

Midway through round 7, Tellez back Acosta against the ropes, landing a left-right combination that dropped him to the canvas, prompting an immediate stoppage by the referee.

Acosta (12-6, 7 KOs), who resides in Aguascalientes, Mexico, has now lost his last four bouts.

Tellez had not fought since December 21, knocking out 2016 U.S. Olympian and previously-unbeaten Karlos Balderas. The victory took place six months after suffering his only loss as a pro at the hands of unbeaten lightweight prospect Michel Rivera of the Dominican Republic.

Manager Frank Espinoza was impressed with Tellez’s performance and believes he can make significant noise at either 130 or 135 pounds.

“Rene fought well, but I give credit to (Acosta) as well,” Espinoza told BoxingScene over the phone Sunday evening. “He took a lot of punches and I thought the fight was going to end during the second or third rounds. He was bloodied and possibly had a broken nose, but he came to fight despite the devastating left-right combination to the head that ended the fight.

“I saw the Balderas fight and he impressed me. He does need technical work, but you can’t replace power. He’s only 21, so he has youth on his side. He could take a good punch. I really think I found a ‘diamond in the rough’ with him. He resembles someone I used to manage in (former world titleholder) Israel Vazquez. I believe this kid can be a world champion in 2-3 years. He has that valiant, warrior spirit.”

Tellez is currently not signed to a promoter. Espinoza wants to keep Tellez as active as possible, including a return to the ring in January, whether in the United States or Mexico.

“We’re looking for Rene to fight again in late February or March,” said Espinoza, who also manages WBC junior lightweight mandatory challenger Oscar Valdez, featherweight contender Jessie Magdaleno, and unbeaten welterweight prospect Raul Curiel. “We want to keep Rene very active in the ring.”

Espinoza also credits trainer Carlos Barragan for the amount of time he has invested in Tellez. Barragan has trained the likes of former world junior welterweight title challenger Antonio Orozco, who is also managed by Espinoza.

Despite the amount of work Tellez has put in the gym during the COVID-19 pandemic, Espinoza believes Barragan’s influence outside of the ring has also played an important role.

“Rene is in the developmental stage, but I’ve been a strong believer in how you take care of yourself out of the ring is also important. Carlos has been a great influence thus far. He’s instilled more discipline on Rene, especially what he eats. Rene realizes he can’t always eat tacos. Carlos has brought that tough love to Rene.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing