By Jake Donovan

Ricardo Espinoza hasn’t known the feeling of fighting beyond four rounds in more than 16 months, nor that of going beyond eight rounds at any point in his career.

Suffice to say, Friday’s clash with Panama’s Ricardo Nuñez marked a night of new experiences for the 21-year old banger from Tijuana, Mexico—but one where he’d keep his knockout streak alive when all was said and done.

Forced to go deeper than any point in his career, Espinoza chipped away at a far-too-brave Nuñez before finally putting him away in the 10th and final round of their Telemundo main event Friday evening at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

A flurry of punches punctuated by a left hook forced the stoppage midway through round ten, with Nuñez still on his feet but no longer able to defend himself.

Espinoza opened up the main event the same way he does every other fight—with the intention of ending the night with the first punch he throws. The 21-year old from Mexico forced an aggressive pace from the outset, leaving Nuñez to do little more than absorb as Espinoza scored seemingly at will, primarily with his right hand.

A moral victory came for Nuñez in making it out of round two. The same could not be said of Ricardo Espinoza’s last two opponents on Telemundo, as both Daniel Lozano and Yeison Vargas provided little resistance in suffering early exits in consecutive bouts last year.

As the rounds wore on, Nuñez showed he was here to win—even if not managing to do so in very many rounds. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, as the 28-year old journeyman—fighting in the U.S. for just the second time in his career—was more than willing to trade at a phone booth’s distance.

It ultimately wouldn’t provide a wise strategy.

Espinoza saw the fifth round of a bout for the first time since Oct. ’17, the first sign of a possible distance fight as he’d never previously scored a knockout beyond round four. Nuñez’s confidence grew as the fight went deeper, never really winning any rounds but at least having his say in scoring uppercuts on the inside whenever Espinoza took a breather between power punching spurts.

As the bell sounded to begin round nine, Espinoza entered uncharted territory—having never before been past eight rounds through 24 career bouts.

An opening was found in the 10th and final round, however, as Nuñez was visibly stunned for the first time in the fight. A three-punch combination forced him to hold on for dear life, slipping to the canvas in the process but only for the worst to come.

Espinoza immediately followed up, going straight after his wounded prey. A pair of body shots had Nuñez (29-9) frozen along the ropes for a final left hook upstairs which forced an immediate stoppage.

The win marks 10 straight knockouts for Espinoza, who rolls to 23-3 (20KOs). The rising bantamweight prospect is now 3-0 (3KOs) since joining the Telemundo family last July.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox