By Paul R. Jones! Washington, DC — Emerging 130-pound contender, Jordan “Shortdog” White (17-1, 12 KOs), needed only 65 seconds to take down former world title challenger Jonathan Oquendo-Arnaldi (31-9, 19 KOs) in a Super Featherweight matchup on Saturday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC.
While Oquendo, of Puerto Rico, was looking to bounce back after suffering back-to-back losses to former Champ, Jamel Herring, and gatekeeper, Toka Kahn Clary, White, ranked in the WBA and WBC’s Top 15, aimed to prove that he’s ready for a world title shot.
And prove it he did.
White vs. Oquendo got off to an unusual start: a pre-fight brawl in the audience; followed by a pair of pratfalls by Oquendo and White, who suffered a slip and near fall, respectively, in the opening moments of the fight.
Both fighters rebounded quickly, however, with Oquendo rushing at White trying to land a body shot on White’s core. White parried and dodged most Oquendo’s punches, moving to the far corner to reestablish himself.
When Oquendo chased and then lunged with a right hand, White countered with sneaky left hook, dropping Oquendo to the canvas.
Oquendo would get up, but his balance was off as he raised to his feet.
After beating the count, Oquendo tried to lunge in on White again, but the Puerto Rican veteran was met with a nasty counter left hook that shook him.
“It was a shot that we worked on in camp,” White said. “The left check-hook is the defense, and the right check-hook is the offense,” he added.
Oquendo, still unsteady, kept coming forward.
Shortly thereafter, White seized the moment, landing a short right hand that forced Oquendo into the ropes.
White followed up with a series of punches that left Oquendo reeling along the ropes, and, ultimately, forced referee, Eric Irizarry, to stop the bout at 1:05 of the first round.
Many were surprised at how quickly White finished Oquendo, an experienced and durable opponent who has faced a who’s who of former titlists and contenders during his 20-year career. However, White credited his win to hard work and a prophetic dream.
“No Martin Luther King stuff, but I had a dream [Oquendo] went to sleep,” White explained in the post-fight presser.
The preparation part came from White’s team studying Oquendo’s tendencies and noticing that he often ducked to his left, making him vulnerable to the hook.
Once Team White pinpointed the fatal glitch in Oquendo’s matrix, it was just a matter of time.
“My thoughts were staying patient because [the knockout’s] gonna come. And [Oquendo] ran right into it,” White said.
With this win, White has his sights set on the Super Featherweight elite.
“O’Shaquie Foster [and] Lamont Roach Jr. got a belt,” said White. “We trying to get them world belts, man.”
But he’s especially eager to face former Lightweight World Champ George Kambosos Jr. “I’d love to fight Kambosos,” White said. “S**t, I’d even go up to 135 to fight him. That’d be a good fight.”
Here’s to hoping White gets his chance sometime soon.
***
Other notable results from on the card:
Holmes Jr. MD8 Martinez: In the co-main event of this Davis Boxing Promotions’ card, Super Bantamweight prospect DWayne Holmes Jr. (7-0, 5 KOs) outlasted Juan Hernandez Martinez (4-4-2, 1 KOs) in an exciting matchup. Holmes pulled ahead late to secure a majority decision victory.
Result: Holmes Jr. MD8 Martinez (scores: 78-74, 77-75 [both in favor of Holmes], and 76-76)
Scarboro TKO3 Rodriguez-Crespo: Super Featherweight prospect, Francois Scarboro (7-0, 6 KOs) stopped Jose Rodriguez-Crespo (6-3-1, 1 KOs) in three rounds on the undercard. Scarboro’s heavy punches in the opening rounds wore down Rodriguez-Crespo, leading to a third-round stoppage at the 1:16-minute mark.
Fuller UD6 Dunnaville: In another undercard fight, Super Bantamweight prospect Ervin Fuller, III (7-0, 3 KOs) dominated Donte Dunnaville (5-1, 3 KOs) over six rounds to win by wide unanimous decision.
Result: Fuller UD6 Dunnaville (scores: 60-54, thrice) <
####
Help Spread the Word!
Please share this article on Twitter and Instagram, it would mean a lot to me.
About the Author:
Paul R. Jones! is a longtime boxing writer and ringside photographer. His articles, photographs, and commentaries have appeared online, in print, and in scholarly journals. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @boxingepicenter. You can also email him at prjones1@hotmail.com.
