Trujillo Floors Nakatani in "Battle Off the Saddle"

Elvis (Heartbreak) Trujillo floored Corey (Knockout) Nakatani in the third and final round and went on to win a unanimous decision in the much-anticipated “Battle Off the Saddle” Saturday night before a raucously enthusiastic crowd at Del Mar’s Seaside Terrace.

The three round bout between two of the nation’s top jockeys was the climax of a card of boxing with a portion of the proceeds going to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

Nakatani was the aggressor in the first round as Trujillo jabbed and moved after being hit with a solid right hand early in the fight, most observors awarding the round to Nakatani.

In the second round, Trujillo changed tactics and attacked as the two boxers mixed it up in several multi-punch exchanges. Trujillo appeared to win the round, so going into the third and final two-minute period it seemed either fighter could win.

However, Trujillo landed the best punch of the bout, a hard overhand right early in the round,  knocking Nakatani across the ring and down. Nakatani rose and took an eight count, but the knockdown was the decider in what had been an even battle until then.

Guest judges at ringside were Hall of Famers Mike Smith and Alex Solis plus Cisco Alvarado. Smith scored it 29-28; Solis, 29-27, and Alvarado, 30-27, all in favor of Panamanian Trujillo.

Source: Del Mar