LATE SUBSTITUTE MENDOZA PULLS A HUGE UPSET BY STOPPING OLAJIDE 2:26 INTO THE OPENING ROUND! By Saratogamist

The sweet science has a way of humbling us all, and Epifanio "Diamante" Mendoza demonstrated just how humbling the sport can be by defeating much heralded Junior middleweight Tokunbo Olajide in the first round -no less- of their match this Sunday, October 13 at the Regent Wall St. Hotel in New York City.

Both men went into this fight undefeated; Mendoza, 26, with a 15-0, 15 KOs record and Olajide, 25, with 17 wins, 15 by way of the short route. On paper they were very well matched, but practice beats theory every time and when at 2:26 of candle numero uno Mendoza connected a huge hook and right hand combo, Olajide went down hard. He got up, but on rubbery legs, prompting the arbiter Pedro Santiago to call a halt to the fight.

Olajide claims he twisted his right ankle when he went down, and couldn't muster enough strength to get up. "These are the things that happen in the sport," said Olajide, "sometimes you're on the wrong side of these things and today I was.

"I twisted my ankle going down, but still felt I was going to be able to get up. As you saw, I couldn't, but I wouldn't call it a real knockout."

Mendoza, fighting outside his native Colombia for only the third time, took the bout two weeks ago when countryman Nicolas Cervera was unable to obtain a visa.