(JAN 17) On Friday night, January 14, 2011, on the Golden Boy Promotions card at the Fantasy Springs Casino, in Indio, California, about one minute and thirty seconds into the first round, Ava Knight was able to catch Gloria Salas with a heavy left hook to the temple that sent her crashing to the canvas.

 Up to that point, Salas was landing some accurate and effective punches. “I was working the plan my team put together for me and I felt it was coming together for me. The next thing I knew Ava delivered a strong hook to my temple….and that’s pretty much all I remember” said Salas. “Ava had a much longer reach than I had anticipated and she made it difficult to get inside.

She is a good fighter and although I would have preferred this end differently, she earned her win. I am a good fighter, explained Salas, fighting at a higher weight is not a road I want to travel again. No excuses, this is Ava’s night, but 106 is really where I belong. The fact is….she was just too big for me. I am not discouraged or disappointed. I am grateful for this lesson and determined to return to my passion with the same dedication, determination and heart I had when I entered the ring for this fight. I respect Ava Knight and I wish her continued success.”

While Knight had not fought for some time, what little we did see would not indicate that she had been away at all. Ava was strong and had not lost her sense of speed or timing. In fact if you were not watching closely, you may have never seen that devastating hook.

She may not have been active in the ring, but it was apparent she did her work in the gym.

With only a minute and a half to watch these women work….it would be fair to say that if they were actually fighting in a weight class that was appropriate for each of them, it may not have ended so abruptly. Either way….Gloria Salas will return with a vengeance and Ava Knight already has.