In a grueling, punch-filled bout, Andrew “El Chango” Cancio, 29, won a unanimous 10-round decision over Dardan Zenunaj, 31, in a junior lightweight bout.
The match was the featured bout of a Golden Boy on ESPN card on Friday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
Cancio, of Blythe, California, got off to an impressive start, but Zenunaj, of Sherman Oaks, California, was relentless in his pursuit and gradually worked his way into the fight during the second half. His late charge, however, was not enough to overtake Cancio’s big early lead.
Cancio (19-4-2, 14 KOs) won by scores of 96-94, 99-91 and 99-91, but it was far from easy. Zenunaj slipped to 14-5, 11 KOs but shared in the crowd’s cheers after the all-action bout.
In the co-feature, Greg “The Villain” Vendetti (20-2-1, 12 KOs) scored a minor upset by winning a unanimous 10-round decision over Yoshihiro “The Maestrito” Kamegai (27-5-1, 24 KOs) in a junior middleweight bout. The scores in Vendetti’s favor were 97-93, 98-92 and 98-92.