CANYONVILLE, OREGON — On a Saturday night that featured excellent fights, but horrendous scoring nearly all the way through, unbeaten and wholly untested Mike Gavronski was lucky to escape the Seven Feathers Hotel Casino & Resort with win number ten over a shocked, deserved victor in Kevin Hand.
Gavronski (10-0-1, 8 KOs) of Tacoma, Washington got off to a slow start and was sporadic at best with his offense. Hand (3-3-1, 3 KOs) of Albany, Oregon clearly took the first two rounds, highlighted by a head-snapping right hand that seemed to hurt Gavronski in the second. Hand’s uppercuts landed with regularity in the round as well.
Entering the third round, the pro-Gavronski crowd was nearly silent, with only a few mutters of ‘Come on, Mike’ to be heard. After Hand tired for a moment midway through the round, Gavronski came on a bit to quite possibly earn the nod in scoring. However, Hand got his wind back in time for the final three rounds. Over the course of those frames, Hand seemed to be clearly the harder, more active puncher. Gavronski did little in stretches other than cover up, waiting for Hand to take a break in punching.
When lopsided scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice were read, the overwhelming thought in the ring and in the building was that Hand must have been the winner. If Gavronski somehow won the fight, it would have to been with very close scores. But alas, the winner turned out to be a previously dejected-looking Gavronski. Unfortunately, the decision only continued a theme that plagued most of the scoring over the course of the night.
Decorated former amateur star Mike Wilson (7-0, 3 KOs) of Central Point, Oregon finally had the opportunity to fight before his supportive local fan base for the first time as a professional and sent his huge crowd home happy with a four-round unanimous decision over determined slugger Harry Gopaul (1-4, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California.
Wilson, dropping down well below the cruiserweight limit after fighting as a heavyweight throughout his pro run, used his natural size advantage against the more natural 175-pounder Gopaul. Wilson flashed the boxing skills that made him a national amateur champion some years ago as he kept the onrushing Gopaul out at range as much as possible.
In the third, Gopaul made inroads to close range, but Wilson did well enough for the most part, tying the Sacramento resident up and moving back out behind his jab. Aiding Gopaul’s aggression was a minor hand injury Wilson began showing signs of in the third stanza, which likely prevented him from committing to some of his blows. Still Gopaul is to be commended for bringing the fight to the bigger fighter, which was his only hope going into the bout.
When the final scores were read, Wilson had taken every round on every card, for tallies of 40-36 across the board. Given his strong local following, it is more than likely Wilson will be returning to the Seven Feathers Hotel Casino & Resort sooner than later.
In a fight more competitive than the scores indicate, Guillermo Delgadillo (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Walla Walla, Washington hammered out a four-round unanimous decision over Corben Page (4-4, 1 KO) of Springfield, Oregon in an action-packed super featherweight encounter.
The bout featured many give-and-take moments, but it was Delgadillo that was more consistently effective throughout the fight. In the end, all three judges had the fight a shutout, 40-36.
Marco Antonio Cardenas (4-3) of Salem, Oregon impressed in front of his home crowd with a well deserved four-round unanimous decision victory over Danny Martinez (2-2-1, 2 KOs) of Azusa, California.
Martinez, 129, was in trouble from the early going, as Cardenas, 129 ½, staggered him with a flush right hand midway through the first round. Despite the damage, Martinez refused to stop throwing his own arsenal, a theme that made for an entertaining contest all the way through.
After a solid comeback round for Martinez in the second, Cardenas seized complete control of the bout in the third as he began breaking down the Azusa resident slowly. The action went both ways, but it was clear Cardenas’ power shots were taking their effect. Martinez was badly wobbled again later in the third, but managed to throw enough back so that the referee could not rightfully stop the fight. After another solid round for Cardenas, scores read 40-36 and 39-37 twice.
Manuel Mendez (2-1) of Ontario, Oregon pounded out a four-round majority decision over boxer-mover Ronnie Reams (1-1) of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mendez, 139 ½, worked over Reams, 139, from the outset in a fight that was undeserving of the even score handed in by one of the official scorers.
Reams looked to counterpunch, but was simply not aggressive enough to take any of the four rounds. Mendez continually pressed the action, often forcing to defend himself off the ropes. Mendez took what potshots Reams offered up well, and continued to move forward. In the second half of the fight, Reams seemed inclined to avoid the combat rather than trying to pull out the victory. Mendez again forced him to the ropes and pounded away as the bout came to a close. One judge surprisingly had an even score, 38-38, but was thankfully overruled by scores of 39-37 twice.
In one of several excellently matched fights on the card, Kevin Davila (1-1-1) of Puyallup, Washington outworked Gerardo Reyes (1-2-1) of Salem early, but faded late en route to a four-round split decision draw.
Reyes, 129 ½, boxed well in the first, outworking the tentative Davila, 129 ½, for the three minutes. Despite wobbling from a headbutt in the early going of round two, Davila came back and controlled the round with his constant pressure and relentless output. By the third, Davila looked a little spent which seemed to spark a fire underneath Reyes. After four hard-fought rounds, judges had it 39-37 for Davila, 39-37 for Reyes and 38-38 even.
From ringside it looked as though George Thompson (1-1, 1 KO) of Bellingham, Washington had done more than enough to edge out his second pro victory, but it was not to be as it was Sylvester Barron (6-1, 1 KO) of Anacortes, Washington that won over the official scorers in a wildly entertaining fight.
The two southpaw heavyweights slugged it out early, as Thomspon, 238, managed to press Barron, 219, into the ropes and launch and all-out attack. However, Barron quickly regrouped and soon had Thompson taking unanswered blows.
The second round looked a lot like the first, as both big men took their turns unloading on one another and playing to the crowd in between exchanges. Finally by the third, fatigue began to play a part as Barron began to show signs of slowing down. Thompson took full advantage and landed some clean left hands while Barron had his hands lowered. The two slugged it out throughout fourth as the packed house cheered until the final bell. In the end, scores were somewhat surprisingly unanimous for Barron, 39-37 across the board.
David Courchaine (1-2) of Spokane, Washington claimed his first professional victory in emphatic fashion, stopping Rafael Umarov (1-5) of Seattle, Washington 1:44 into the opening round. Courchaine, 170, connected with a clean straight right hand that sent Umarov, 163, crashing to the canvas. Though Umarov was clearly out on his feet when he beat the count, the referee allowed the fight to continue. However, it only took one more one-two before the fight was mercifully stopped.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
