Sanchez KOs July on Peterson-Holt card

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a shocker, Elvin Sanchez, of Paterson, N.J., rose from a second-round knockdown before flooring and finishing off previously unbeaten cruiserweight Venroy "Hard Work" July, at 2:55 of a third-round knockout at The D.C. Armory on Friday night.

A native of St. Catherine, Jamaica, July was floored with a left cross by the southpaw Sanchez, against whom he was gunning for his third straight stoppage win. July, 29, rose on unsteady legs, and referee Malik Waleed, against the loser's protest, waved an end to the bout.

Sanchez (6-2-1, 4 KOs) faced July (13-1-2, 6 KOs) on the undercard of a man event featuring IBF junior welterweight titleholder Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs) against ex-beltholder Kendall Holt (28-5, 16 KOs) that will be televised on ESPN2.

A resident of Suitland, Md., July is an attorney in Baltimore who is trained by Adrian Davis, who once trained Hasim Rahman to an upset fifth-round knockout that dethroned Lennox Lewis as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in April of 2001.

July attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he walked on to the wrestling team there and won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship at 197 pounds in 2004.

July left Jamaica at the age of 11, went to junior high in The Bronx, N.Y., and  began boxing in law school. He began his amateur career in in 2007.

Two years later, after a successful amateur career, July turned pro under Davis, earning a unanimous four-round decision over Melvin Miller in July of 2009 in Hilton Head, S.C.

In the evening's first bout, which featured second-round knockdowns by each fighter, featherweight Raul Lopez (9-1-1, 4 KOs), of the Bronx, secured a unanimous decision over DeWayne Wisdom (2-10, 1 KO), of Indiannapolis, Ind., 59-55 twice, and, 58-56.

In another featherweight bout, the second of the evening, Gevonte Davis, of Baltimore, made his professional debut by twice dropping Desi Williams (0-5) on the way to stoppage in 1:29.

The third fight featured Washington, D.C., heavyweight Danny Kelly earning his third knockout in as many victories without a loss over South Carolina's 309-pound Schyuler Marshall (1-2, 1 KO) in 2:11.

Photo by Juan Marshall

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lemuel.satterfield@gmail.com