By Cliff Rold

28-year old southpaw Welterweight Sammy Vasquez (17-0, 13 KO) of Monessen, Pennsylvania, continued his assault on the division with a first round stoppage of 27-year old Alberto Mosquera (21-2-2, 14 KO) of Panama City, Panama on Friday night at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The win was Vasquez’s eighth knockout in a row.  Mosquera suffers his second consecutive knockout loss.

Both men came in below the division limit of 147 lbs., Vasquez at 146 ¾ and Mosquera at 146 ½.  The referee was Gary Rosato.  Vasquez won a vacant WBC sub-title in the division.

Vasquez scored two knockdowns to earn the stoppage at 2:35 of round one, the finish coming to the body.  Vasquez is currently unrated by the major sanctioning bodies but, now with a foothold with the WBC, may find himself rated soon.

After ten brutal, bloody rounds, 31-year old Rod Salka (20-4, 3 KO), 134 ¼, of Bunola, Pennsylvania, scored a unanimous decision over 33-year old Monty Meza-Clay (36-4, 22 KO), 134 ¾, of Rankin, Pennsylvania.  The loss ended an eight-fight win streak for Meza-Clay dating to 2009.

Their war of attrition produced cuts over both of Meza-Clay’s eyes.  Salka left with a cut over his left and a nasty purple swelling under his right.  They bled copiously on each other and referee Ernie Sharif as Salka outpunched and outmaneuvered the always-aggressive Meza-Clay.  The fional scores were a fair 98-92, 97-94, and 99-91for Salka, but those totals didn’t give a full picture of the punishment both men delivered.

For Salka, the bout was a violent affirmation of his qualities as a fighter when battling in his proper weight class.  Salka was making his first start since a highly criticized Welterweight match with reigning Jr. Welterweight Champion Danny Garcia in August.  Salka was stopped in two rounds that night.  Matched more appropriately on Friday, Salka earned one of the grittiest victories of his career. 

In the televised opener, 19-year old Jr. Middleweight Erickson Lubin (8-0, 6 KO), 154 ½, of Orlando, Florida, got a stern early test, coming off the floor in round one and scoring a knockdown in round four to earn an eight-round unanimous decision over 33-year old veteran Norberto Gonzalez (20-6, 13 KO), 153 ½, of Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.  The referee was Rick Steigerwald.

The southpaw Lubin made adjustments after a right hand clipped him in the first.

It was the sort of fight that any young fighter can use early on without providing a dreaded setback.  Scores came in at 78-73 and 78-72 twice.    

The card was broadcast on BeIn Sports and webcast on www.ironmikeprouctions.com , promoted by Iron Mike Promotions.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com