Upset in a closely contested fight by hard-nosed journeyman Jason Gavern this past April, heavyweight contender Manuel Quezada expressed his desire to get his conqueror back in the ring as soon as possible in the bout’s immediate aftermath. Quezada, who had been riding an 18-fight win streak, was on cusp of some potentially big fights before the split decision verdict was announced. On May 8th, exactly one month after their first encounter, Quezada will get his chance at redemption in a ten-round rematch on the Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron undercard at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Their first meeting, which took place on Quezada’s home turf at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California, was an entertaining scrap, especially by heavyweight standards. Quezada (29-5, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California had a solid first round, but both fighters agreed that the momentum of the bout changed directions after an accidental head clash bothered the local favorite in the second round. “I came out ready to fight, but I wasn’t the same after the headbutt and the cut,” admitted Quezada recently. “After that, it was all downhill for me. I got into fighting his fight instead of fighting my fight. I am not going to let that happen this time. The cut actually healed really good, so we are ready to go and I can’t wait.”
Gavern (19-7-3, 8 KOs) of Kissimmee, Florida seemed to gain confidence in that second round and turned up his offense as the fight progressed. What resulted was a heated action fight, which Goossen Tutor Promotions has made available in its entirety on YouTube. “I was able to watch [the fight] and see our mistakes,” said Quezada. “We are going to correct those mistakes and be ready for May 8th.”
Aiding in Quezada’s preparation for the rematch will be the return of famed trainer Joe Goossen to his camp. Goossen joined the Quezada team in early 2009, prior to a fifth-round knockout of Eric Boose. Quezada reeled off two first-round kayos and a ten-round decision in his next three fights, but a scheduling conflict made working with Goossen prior to the first Gavern bout unfeasible. “We didn’t go to camp with Joe because he was really busy with Edison Miranda, getting ready for his fight,” explained Quezada. “Everything is good now. We are back with Joe and getting ready for this fight.”
The end goal of the Gavern rematch for Quezada is to erase the damage the first defeat did to his world ranking and prospects of landing a big fight. Quezada had been ranked by the WBC as high as #4 in late 2009 and was still in the top ten at the time of the Gavern bout. While there was movement above and below him in the WBC rankings, Quezada found himself frozen out of the action as the year began. “It was hard. We were in the top ten in the WBC and we couldn’t get any fights,” explained Quezada. “We were out of the ring for six months almost. It gets frustrating, but that is part of the business and we can’t really do much about it. We just have to wait our turn.”
If Quezada is able to turn the tables on Gavern in emphatic fashion on May 8th, he could see his turn come up sooner rather than later. “We are going to give the best performance we can give, so we can stay in the top ten and they can see that the loss was just something that happened and that we are back where we left off,” says Quezada. The Wasco native knows what to expect this time out, and the fans in attendance at the Home Depot Center should know to expect fireworks. “Gavern always comes to fight, but we are just going to be ready for him, so you are definitely going to see an exciting fight.”
Photo by Jason Pachura
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.