Torres can’t slip Holt this time

Steve Marcus

WBO junior welterweight champion Ricardo Torres, left, falls against the ropes during his title fight with Kendall Holt at the Planet Hollywood Casino.

By John Katsilometes (contact)

Sunday, July 6, 2008 | 12:19 a.m.

Well, uh, no 11th-round controversy this time. Three knockdowns. One knockout.

It took but a minute.

Rising twice from the canvas in a ferociously paced opening round, Kendall Holt knocked out Ricardo Torres one minute and one second into the highly anticipated title bout to win the World Boxing Organization super lightweight title in front of a crowd of 3,226 at the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Torres stayed on the canvas for several minutes after a stunning combination from Holt, who moments earlier was reeling after being knocked down twice in the early moments. After the second knockdown, at the 2:25 mark, Torres waded in, attempting to finish the fight himself in quick fashion before Holt ripped into the champion's midsection with a left hook. Torres spun away, staggering into the ropes, when Holt connected with an overhand right that drew a loud gasp from the crowd. Torres sank into the ropes and it was evident immediately that he would not beat the count.

"This is better than a dream come true," Holt said from the ring during the post-fight interview by Showtime, which broadcast the bout to 60 countries. "I know I beat him the first time. Now everyone saw what happened tonight. Let the blood flow. Let them see the blood. I may go down, but I get back up."

No argument there. Holt was definitely down and looked like he, not Torres, would suffer an early knockout.

Torres bolted from his corner and floored Holt at 2:46 with an overhand right, then put him down a second time with a short left hook at 2:25. Holt, backpedaling and on the defensive, then turned the bout around with the shot to Torres' body, and one punch later, shockingly, it was over.

"The first knockdown, I was distracted and he caught me," Holt, now 24-2 with 13 KOs, said. "The second knockdown, I saw it coming but I couldn't do anything about it. But I wasn't hurt … I caught the guy perfect and I was pretty sure that would end it."

Torres, 32-2 with 28 knockouts, was still foggy even 15 minutes after the fight.

"I had him. He was in my hands," said Torres, who claimed a head-butt was one reason Holt knocked him backward. "I got careless and he got me … I was off-balance. I never saw that last punch."

As has been widely reported, the first fight between the two ended controversially and led to a tantalizing storyline entering Saturday's fight. In that first bout, held Sept. 7 in Torres' hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia, Torres was awarded a technical knockout after dropping Holt on a ring surface made slick by ice and beverage thrown from the crowd. The fight was abruptly halted, but Holt maintained then and since that he was able to finish the fight.

Saturday's fight essentially eradicated memories of that weird finish.

"That was incredible," promoter Bob Arum said while walking through press row soon after the fight. "It was boxing history."

Certainly. Made in a minute.

Notes: Paris Hilton and her boyfriend, Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden, caused quite a to-do when they arrived at ringside. They sat with Planet Hollywood Chief Executive Officer Robert Earl and production-show firebrand Jeff Beacher, but cut out after the first round of the Rogelio Castaneda-Lamont Peterson junior welterweight "special attraction" bout that preceded the main event … Peterson, who probably wakes up flinging punches, won on a technical knockout at 2:50 of Round 9 when Rogelio Castaneda's corner had finally seen enough of Peterson treating their guy like a snare drum. Peterson is 25-0 with 12 KOs … Mike Tyson, a super-heavyweight these days, was seated at ringside and entertained a steady stream of well-wishers, including Earl and Planet Hollywood President Mike Mecca. Tyson, who at one point dabbed at a bloody nose, is still a major curiosity … The lone women's bout, a six-rounder between Ana Julaton and Johanna Mendez, ended in a draw. Julaton, who was cut over her right eye, has adopted the nickname "Hurricane." As PR man Steve Flynn noted, it should be "Her-ricane." And as a fan near ringside somewhat less artfully noted, when female boxers fight to a draw, is it like kissing your brother? … More stars: Steve Lawrence (who looks terrific) was at ringside, and Vegas entertainers Amazing Johnathan and Clint Holmes (separately) were also in the house. Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants carried the celeb-athlete mantle … Stephanie Jordan, vocalist for Fantasy at the Luxor, sang the national anthem. Her entertainment career on the Strip dates when she was 17 years old and was a showgirl in Halleluiah Las Vegas at Bob Stupak's Vegas World. It was a 99-cent show.