Filipino Moralde stopped in first round by Mexican foe

Photo from Top Rank

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino fighter John Vincent Moralde lost unceremoniously in his second Las Vegas fight, bowing to Mexico’s Jose Enrique Durantes Vivas in the first round of their featherweight bout at The Bubble inside MGM Grand Sunday (Manila time).

Moralde first hit the mat less than a minute into the fight after Vivas struck him with a short left cross when they got tangled up.

Vivas then, launched an offensive barrage down, landing a couple of hooks and following it up with two more body shots that knocked the Filipino out 1:16 into the fight.

UNDERCARD 🔥➡️ Jose Enrique Vivas wasting NO time in chopping down Moralde to finish the deal in Round 1. 😮#LomaLopez | LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/9maiFQrEf5

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 18, 2020

Appearing in the undercard of the lightweight unification match between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez, a showdown won by Lopez, Moralde seemed lethargic and out of rhythm.

Moralde (23-4), a natural super featherweight, has now lost two of his last four fights with both losses coming off stoppages while Vivas (20-1) tacked on his third straight win after losing to title contender Ruben Villa in September 2019.