BOXING
Albuquerque鈥檚 Sanchez outpointed in tough Whitmire bout
Local boxer goes the distance but falls by unanimous decision to Whitmire
In a boxing ring, heart and grit, as essential as they are, take a fighter only so far.
Then, skill and power take over.
In Hanover, Maryland, unbeaten prospect David Whitmire out-punched and out-boxed Albuquerque鈥檚 Jose Luis 鈥淕uero鈥� Sanchez, earning a victory by unanimous decision in an eight-round bout on a pro boxing card Friday at the Casino Hotel Maryland.
Whitmire, of Washington, D.C., improved his record to 12-0 with eight knockouts. Sanchez, drawing praise for his toughness from commentators on the streaming of the card, is 14-7-2 with four KOs.
The official scorecards read 77-75, 79-73 and 80-72 for Whitmire. The Journal, scoring the bout off the ProBoxTV streaming, had it 79-73, scoring the fourth round for Sanchez.
Whitmire appeared to stun Sanchez in rounds two, seven and eight, but there were no knockdowns. Though out-punched and out-landed by wide margins, Sanchez at times landed effectively to the head and the body.
Nicknamed 鈥淭he Bodysnatcher鈥� due to his predilection for body shots, Whitmire did not disappoint in that regard. But it was his punches to the head, particularly with the right hand, that exerted the most effect on Sanchez.
Sanchez weighed on Thursday at 150.6 pounds, Whitmire at 149.
The Albuquerque fighter has lost four of his last five fights, but against opponents with a cumulative record of 68-1 entering those bouts.
In his previous bout, Sanchez fought to an eight-round draw with unbeaten (13-0-1) Justin Lacey-Pierce in the latter鈥檚 hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Sanchez has been stopped short of the prescribed distance just twice 鈥� against Avious Griffin (then 16-0 with 15 KOs) in February 2025 and against fellow Albuquerquean Josh Torres (then 10-2-1) in Sanchez鈥檚 third professional fight.
