Kenny Galarza

Galarza debuted on May 16, 2007, being promoted by Seminole Warriors Boxing and trained by his father and José Bonilla. In his first contest, he fought Jesse Francisco in the welterweight limit, as part of a card held in Hollywood, Florida. After both pugilists scored knockdowns in the first round, Galarza defeated Francisco by technical knockout in the second.[19] His next fight took place in the same venue, it was the first match of the card and he was paired against Carlos Oyola, who was in his debut. After two rounds, Galarza earned his second victory, when the referee stopped the contest.[20] His next fight was against James Sangrey and lasted only one round, after a punch left Sangrey unconscious.[21] This was followed by two technical knockout wins over David Maund and Amaury Torres in the light welterweight division.[22][23] On June 21, 2008, he scored a knockout victory over Heraclides Barrantes, after scoring two knockdowns in the first round.[24] In the undercard of last 2008 episode of ESPN2's Wednesday Night Fights, Galarza defeated Devarise Crayton by knockout at the 2:57 mark of the second round.[25][26] He closed the year on November 11, fighting against Sebastian Hamel of Canada.[27] Galarza controlled the offensive throughout the contest, scoring a knockdown in the latter part of the second round.[27] During the intermission, Hamel's corner decided to "throw in the towel". With this action, Galarza was awarded a technical knockout.[27] In December, ESPN.com's boxing writer, Dan Rafael, included Galarza in a list of "future stars".[28] Leonardo Rojas was scheduled to be the opponent for his next fight, which was supposed to take place in Montreal, serving as part of the Juan Urango–Herman Ngoudjo undercard. However, this contest was cancelled due to local rules, which prohibit the organization of fights one hour before midnight.[29] He returned to action on February 28, 2009, competing against Eduardo Adorno. The card was held at the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium in Ponce, marking the first time that Galarza performed in Puerto Rico since becoming a professional.[30] He won the fight, scoring a technical knockout at the 1:59 mark of the first round.[31]

On April 22, 2009, Andrew Eisele of About.com ranked the pugilist in the twentieth place of a list titled "Top 25 Boxing Prospects for 2009 and Beyond", where he compiled boxers that he considered to possess the potential of becoming "the next generation of boxing superstars".[32] Galarza's next fight was against Roberto Acevedo, performing as part of a card titled "Boxeo de Campeones" which was presented by Universal Promotions. Prior to this fight, the negotiations with Acevedo's team stalled and Javier Bustillo, who organized the event, contacted a second rival to fill the vacancy if his offer was refused.[33] The matchup served as the midcard's final contest and was set for a catchweight of 142 pounds. Galarza defeated Acevedo by technical knockout after 2:10 had passed in the seventh round.[34] Subsequently, Universal announced that he would be active on September 18, 2009, performing in the undercard of César Seda Jr. versus Omar Soto. This event marks the inauguration of a coliseum in Juana Díaz, the municipality where Galarza was born and Seda resides. His opponent was Joshua Allotey, with the North American Boxing Organization's interim title being sanctioned during the contest. Originally, Iván Hernández was selected to fight for a different regional championship, but his management withdrew from the negotiations two weeks before the scheduled date.[35] The fight featured exchanges from both pugilists, Galarza used his offensive to weaken Allotey with left hooks and uppercuts, moving the punches towards his opponent's head as the contest advanced.[36] However, Allotey was able to display some resistance to the constant attack. In the tenth round, Galarza pressed the attack forcing a knockdown with a body punch, Allotey recovered after a count of eight, but the referee stopped the fight when he was unresponsive following multiple punches.[37] This victory earned him "Prospect of the Month" accolades from boxing writer, Theodore Sares. To close the year, Doug Fischer of The Ring included the pugilist in his list of "Top prospects to watch in 2010".[38] His first contest of 2010 was scheduled for January 29, fighting against former International Boxing Organization super flyweight champion, Ilido Julio, co-headlining a card held at UIC Pavilion along Donovan George.[39] Galarza scored two knockdowns in the first round and one in the third. Consequently, Julio received a warning from the referee, but continued unresponsive to the offensive, with the fight being stopped by technical knockout between the fourth and fifth stages.[40] His next participation was in a preparatory contest against Miguel Casillas, held on March 12, 2010, as part of ESPN Deportes' Viernes de Combates series. Galarza dominated the first two rounds, using the first to study his opponent before pressuring the offensive as the fight progressed. In the third round, he pinned Casillas to the ropes and connected several consecutive punches, the attack continued without response and the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout at the 1:27 mark.[41]