Aguilera Shocks Maskaev in One

Previously unheralded Nagy Aguilera ended the title hopes, and likely the career, of former WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev via devastating first-round knockout before a near capacity crowd at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California on Friday night.

Seconds into the bout, Aguilera (15-2, 10 KOs) of Newburgh, New York pressed Maskaev (36-7, 27 KOs) of West Sacramento, California into the corner with a left hook to the body. The shot caught Maskaev, 243, cold and Aguilera, 229, quickly followed up with a left hook upstairs that dropped the WBC #2 ranked heavyweight to the canvas.

The pro-Maskaev crowd was immediately silenced. The former champion rose on very unsteady legs, and was promptly battered into a corner by Aguilera. The New Yorker, unranked by the major sanctioning organizations entering the bout, unleashed a two-fisted flurry, finally landing two hard right hands in succession to send Maskaev down again. This time no count was needed, as referee Lou Moret called a halt to the bout. Official time of the stoppage was 1:54 of the first round.

Aguilera was not even a professional fighter when Maskaev belatedly claimed the WBC title in 2006, but he showed the poise of a veteran in finishing off the former champion when he had him hurt. “I am a guy who knows how to finish his opponents,” said Aguilera after the fight. “I saw him hurt and stayed to my plan and did what I have to do. We were ready for twelve rounds, but the knockout came quick. The knockout came, and I would not let the opportunity go.”

When Maskaev’s promoter Dennis Rappaport was searching for an opponent for tonight’s fight, Aguilera’s promoter Lou Savarese received a call inquiring about one of his other fighters. Savarese, once a top heavyweight who had sparred with Maskaev on several occasions, suggested Aguilera thinking he would be shot down. “That was a terrible fight for Oleg,” said Savarese after the bout. “Nagy is so fast. Oleg, like myself, we get used to fighting guys that stay in front of us all day. But a guy like [Aguilera,] with speed, gives us a lot of problems. This is a career-changing victory.”

The purpose of tonight’s fight was to keep Maskaev busy, and give him the opportunity to fight in his adopted hometown of Sacramento, before a WBC Heavyweight Elimination bout could be scheduled against WBC #1 ranked Ray Austin. Should Maskaev have got past Austin as well, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow would have been a lucrative fight against WBC Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko, an old amateur rival. With those plans now dashed, Maskaev, a 40-year-old heavyweight who has seemingly had nine lives, has likely fought his last fight.

In a super middleweight slugfest, undefeated Denis Grachev (8-0-1, 5 KOs) of San Diego, California was taken to the limit by the always tough Ernesto Castaneda (11-8-2, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, as the two fought to an exciting six-round draw. Castaneda, 169, found success early as the aggressor, but was wild at times and would fall out of position when he missed. Grachev, 170, would find his greatest success by taking advantage of those openings.

The second and third rounds were Castaneda’s best. The Sacramento resident controlled the second, consistently landing over Grachev’s lowered defensive guard. From the third round on, Castaneda reverted to counter puncher, firing his best shots with his back against the ropes. In the third round especially, Castaneda flashed some defensive wizardry, as he managed to avoid the majority of Grachev’s punches, despite being pinned against the ropes, and landed his counters with great regularity.

As the fight moved into the fourth and beyond, Castaneda’s output plummeted and Grachev took over the role of aggressor. Castaneda would open up offensively in short bursts, but would often loose his balance and leave himself available for counter shots. Still, the last three rounds featured some exciting exchanges, with both fighters having their moments. Grachev’s greater activity level and ring generalship seemed to give him the edge down the stretch. In the end, one judge scored the bout for Grachev, 58-56. That score was overruled by the other two judges, who scored the bout even, 57-57.

Geraldo Lopez (5-0, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California systematically beat down undersized Kyle Dundas (0-2) of Yuba City, California, eventually scoring a fourth-round stoppage. Lopez, 158 ¼, held a clear size and strength advantage over Dundas, 155 ¼, from the outset. Lopez started out aggressively and hurt Dundas in the first with a left hook. In the second, an accidental head clash forced blood to flow from Dundas’ nose. By the close of the second round, Lopez had slowed to a methodical, but controlling pace.

In the third round, Dundas landed a couple of flashy shots that just seemed to wake up Lopez. It was quite clear that Dundas did not have the type of snap on his punches that could hurt Lopez. By the fourth, Dundas was fading and got on his toes to avoid further punishment. Eventually Lopez closed the distance and landed a hard left hand, followed by a glancing jab that put Dundas down to the mat. Dundas slowly rose to his feet, but did not give referee Lou Moret the answers he was looking for, and the bout was stopped at the 2:36 mark of the fourth. Lopez had previously scored a decisive four-round decision over Dundas in January.

In a competitive and exciting battle, Maximilliano Becerra (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville scored a unanimous four-round decision over Thomas Herrera (2-4-1) of Tucson, Arizona. Becerra, 134 ½, started the fight out fast, opting to take a swing at Herrera, 135, during the customary touch of gloves. Late in the first, Herrera landed and Becerra tripped and fell to the canvas. Becerra popped up and waved off his own knockdown, and the referee agreed.

Herrera found some success early in the second, rocking Becerra with a looping blow. Becerra shook it off and quickly took over the fight, primarily with a concentrated body attack. By the fourth round, Herrera’s pace had slowed, while Becerra upped his aggression. In the fourth, Becerra pressured a fatigued Herrera to the ropes and unloaded a heavy arsenal, highlighted by some punishing hooks. Herrera covered up and survived, mounting a short retort late in the round. In the end, all three judges scored the bout 40-36 for Becerra.

Mike Guy (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento held nothing back and blasted out Ayo Olorunsola (0-1) of Oakland, California with a series of stiff right hooks in the first round. Guy, 165 ½, came straight out and threw everything but the kitchen sink at Olorunsola, 167 ½, who was overwhelmed by his opponent’s offensive strategy. While Olorunsola covered well, enough snuck through his guard to send the Oakland resident in retreat. Guy leaped in with a right hook as Olorunsola backed to the ropes, and followed with two more to score a knockdown. The referee called a halt to the bout at 1:32 of the first.

Former amateur star Richard Hargraves (1-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco, California scored two knockdowns en route a first-round stoppage of John Dunham (0-5) of Stockton, California. Hargraves, 151, may have started the bout a little over anxious, considering he was making his professional debut, but quickly settled down. Early in the round, Hargraves landed a right hook to the head of Dunham, 155 ¼, and followed with a glancing left to force the Stockton native to the mat. Dunham appeared to have steady legs, but that soon changed when Hargraves landed a chopping right to score the second knockdown. Dunham had trouble getting to his knees and the referee stopped the bout at 1:50 of the first.

The presence of several local fighters, of both past and present, was announced before the main event. Light middleweight prospect Karim Mayfield, lightweight prospect Stan Martyniouk, cruiserweight Michael Simms, former contenders Eric Regan and Juan Lazcano and former champions Loreto Garza and Tony Lopez were on hand Friday night.

Uppercut Promotions’ next boxing event is tentatively scheduled to take place in February at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento, California.

Photo by Arturo M. Espindola Jr.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.