Last week, the sixth episode of Campeón Azteca aired in the United States on Azteca America. The third bout of the featherweight tournament matched Cristian Lopez (14-0-1, 13 KOs) of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico against Daniel Ruiz (16-1, 11 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico over six scheduled rounds. Their bout was taped October 6th at the Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
In the opening video montages, Ruiz was shown doing his roadwork at four in the morning, before working on houses with his father Jose. Ruiz’ manager Luis Gonzalez gave a favorable assessment of his charge’s chances in the tournament. Lopez was shown working in a grape field and getting his road work under the unrelenting sun in Hermosillo.
Ruiz got off to a fast start, rocking Lopez with a couple short left hooks early in the first round. For much of the round, Ruiz controlled the distance and landed solid shots when he moved into range. Lopez came back late in the round, but it should not have been enough to sway any judges to give him the nod.
Ruiz continued his aggression in the second, pounding Lopez, who flailed away in an attempt to halt his opponent’s attack. Ruiz wound up and landed a clean left hook that wobbled Lopez early in the third. After he regained his footing, Lopez gamely attempted to mount an offense. However, Ruiz’ footwork made it difficult for Lopez to get into any rhythm offensively.
After closely contested fourth and fifth rounds, Ruiz closed the fight in dominant fashion. After appearing a bit drained in the previous two rounds, Ruiz regained his energy level and stunned Lopez early in the round with a two-fisted attack. Back on his toes, Ruiz landed and moved before the flat-footed Lopez could answer back.
In the end, Ruiz had nearly pitched a shutout on the judges’ scorecards in winning the unanimous decision. Two judges gave Ruiz every round, 60-54, while the third judge scored the bout 59-55. With the victory, Ruiz moves on to the semi-final round to meet the winner of the bout between Miguel Roman (25-5, 17 KOs) and Andres Romero (14-1, 8 KOs).
The next episode features first round lightweight action, as veteran Ivan Valle (27-8-1, 23 KOs) takes on Enrique Colin (29-4-3, 24 KOs). Their bout was taped on October 20th.
Notes & Observations
-Each fighter in the tournament is given a “padrino,” or godfather, which is an all-time great Mexican boxer who is supposed to give them inspiration. Ruiz’ padrino was former WBC Bantamweight Champion Victor Manuel Rabanales. Lopez’ padrino was former WBC Minimumweight Champion Jose Antonio Aguirre.
-TV Azteca’s unofficial scorer, commentator Eduardo Lamazon, had the fight scored 59-55 for Ruiz.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.