Jesse Magdaleno overwhelms Santos, scores early stoppage

If this keeps up, Jesse Magdaleno is going to have to either leave town to fight or face someone bigger and stronger.

The undefeated 20-year-old Las Vegas super bantamweight again made short work of his opponent during Friday's Top Rank fight card at Texas Station. This time, it was veteran Aldimar Santos who failed to last long, as he got knocked down twice and was taking a beating before referee Robert Byrd stopped the scheduled eight-round bout at 2:54 of the second round.

It was the third straight fight for Magdaleno (11-0) that failed to reach the third round. The previous two ended in the first round.

"I knew I hurt him early, and when I saw his eyes get wide, I figured, 'Let's turn it up,' " Magdaleno said. "I was trying to work the body, and I think he felt my power."

Santos (16-3) was overwhelmed by Magdaleno's superior hand speed from the opening seconds, and with Magdaleno effectively cutting off the ring and not giving Santos much room to maneuver, it was just a matter of time before Magdaleno finished the fight.

"We've been working on a lot of different things in the gym, and I was able to do a lot of it in the fight," Magdaleno said. "I wanted to stay on top of him and not give him any openings."

After tagging Santos with flurries of combinations early, Magdaleno landed a swooping overhand right to the side of the head that sent Santos to the canvas in the waning seconds of the first round. It was more of the same in round two, as Magdaleno continued to apply pressure and used a short, straight left to the chin to knock down Santos with 40 seconds to go.

Santos got up, but Magdaleno was all over him and was on the verge of doing serious damage when Byrd stopped the fight.

Magdaleno's trainer, Pat Barry, said the best thing about the performance was that it came under control.

"He didn't rush," Barry said. "It's hard to teach a young fighter patience. But Jesse took his time, and I thought he looked more seasoned in the ring than his last few fights."

Magdaleno may have to find a more seasoned fighter to test him. Few quality young fighters want to tangle with him and risk a setback early in their careers. And the experienced fighters don't want to face Magdaleno in Las Vegas, where he enjoys substantial fan support.

"I'll leave that up to Top Rank," Magdaleno said. "I just want to keep doing the things I'm doing in the gym and continue to take what I learn into the ring on fight night."

In the main event, lightweight contender Mercito Gesta dominated Ty Barnett, scoring a ninth-round technical knockout to improve to 26-0-1.

Gesta consistently landed solid shots to the head of Barnett (19-3-1), then knocked him down twice in the ninth to seal the victory. The final blow came just as the bell rang.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.