Sammy Vasquez vs. Emmanuel Lartey: Winner, Scorecard and Reaction

Sammy Vasquez cruised to an easy victory over Emmanuel Lartey on Friday night inside the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

The judges scored it heavily in favor of Vasquez. Two had it 99-91, while another went 100-90, per Showtime:

A native of Monessen, Pennsylvania, Vasquez unquestionably had the home-field advantage heading into the bout.

As if that wasn't enough to get the fans on his side, Vasquez also boasted a perfect 17-0 record, with 13 of his wins coming via knockout. His aesthetically pleasing style, coupled with his penchant for sending opponents to the canvas, makes Vasquez a thoroughly entertaining pugilist to watch.

Opposing him was somebody who had only lost twice, with both defeats going the distance. Lartey hasn't pulled up any trees over his career, but he's the kind of boxer who serves as a good litmus test for Vasquez.

Before the fight, Vasquez spoke about how he planned to make Lartey uneasy in the ring and then pounce for a knockout, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:

"

I want to make him throw punches that he normally doesn’t throw so I can open him up and capitalize on his mistakes. Fighting in my hometown gives me extra motivation. That's one of the main reasons why I always come back here to Pittsburgh, why I always bring boxing back here. I just love the atmosphere that my fans give me when I fight. I'm just honored to put on a show and give them a great fight. Boxing has always been my dream and fighting in front of my fans in Pittsburgh makes it even better.

"

Although he had to settle for a decision victory in the end, it was pretty much as good as a knockout. A lesser man than Lartey would've been felled well before the final bell. In fact, Lartey seemed to be conceding the fight, only for his corner to send him right back out there:

It was one of those situations where discretion would've been the better part of valor:

The disparity between the fighters' respective scores illustrates how one-sided the bout was. Vasquez began pummeling Lartey early on and never let up until the final bell. As Rosie Perez tweeted, the only thing that kept Lartey on his feet in the final rounds was sheer force of will:

Fellow welterweight Errol Spence came away impressed with Vasquez's performance:

Vasquez set the tone early on. He was looking for that one punch that would end the fight early, but he was smart enough not to leave himself too exposed. Vasquez looked like an apex predator staring down his prey and waiting for a window of opportunity.

Lartey had a brief respite during the second through fourth rounds, but he was on the receiving end of Vasquez's offense more often than not.

Once the fight got to the seventh round, the only drama left was whether Vasquez would get his knockout. Lartey simply had nothing left, and he was well behind on the cards. Some fans will likely be a bit disappointed there wasn't that electrifying KO, but Vasquez's showing was impressive enough on its own.

The emphatic nature of his victory will only help to strengthen his stock as well. Showtime's Steve Farhood argued that the 28-year-old still has some rungs on the ladder to climb but that he's on his way up:

American boxing fans are always looking for exciting homegrown stars; Vasquez ticks both of those boxes.

He'll be a fighter to watch in the coming months. If Vasquez can close out 2015 on a high note, his future will look extremely bright.