INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA — What was supposed to be a banner night for one of the famed boxing families in Southern California history slowly unraveled over the last two days and ended in dramatic fashion Thursday night at the Hollywood Park Casino. The three fighting brothers of former heavyweight champion Mike Weaver were positioned to make an improbable comeback, but it was not to be.

Floyd, Troy and Lloyd Weaver, identical triplets, who began their pro boxing careers way back in 1985, had hoped to turn back the clock in their three advertised featured bouts. However by start time, “Pretty Boy” Floyd would be the only member of the clan left on the bill.

Floyd Weaver (18-10-3, 11 KOs) of Diamond Bar, California began the scheduled four-rounder as a ball on fire, quickly catching Santiago Perez (11-3-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Copala, Guerrero, Mexico with an overhand right and scoring a knockdown with the resulting combination.

Perez, 153.2, tried clinging to Weaver, 153.6, once action resumed, but the veteran managed to get space and land a short right. Ever so slightly, the momentum began to change as Perez caught Weaver off balance with a right midway through the first. Weaver was still a frantic offensive-minded force as Perez looked to block as many blows as possible. However, just before the end of the round, Perez, who had regained his footing, landed a hard right hand. The crowd may have noticed it was a clean punch, but little did the pro-Weaver crowd know the fight had completely shifted in favor of the Mexican.

Early in the second, a right hook drops Weaver directly on to his face. Weaver rose on unsteady legs as many in the crowd took a deep breath. Weaver, still wobbly, traded for a moment before another right hurt him against the ropes. Perez continued to flurry until Weaver slumped over, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:37 of the second round.

It would appear to be the end for Floyd Weaver, who had last fought in April of 2007. Weaver has now lost six of his last nine outings, which incredibly dates back to 1998. Floyd was walked to the ring arm-in-arm by his two identical brothers, both of whom had been scheduled to appear on the card Thursday night.

Troy Weaver (20-8-2, 20 KOs) of Diamond Bar was to have fought Billy Bailey (10-11, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California in another four-rounder. However, at yesterday’s weigh-in the Weaver camp withdrew from the fight. According to a member of Team Weaver, they had signed to fight in a 174-pound bout. Bailey, who replaced Alex Armenta, had a contract set for 184. Troy Weaver was last seen in the ring in September of 2004.

Lloyd Weaver (10-7, 6 KOs) of Diamond Bar was to have met journeyman Juan Pablo Montes De Oca (9-19-2, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of San Miguel Zinacantepec, Estado De Mexico, Mexico in a four-round middleweight bout. However just before the first bell Thursday, the ring announcer announced Weaver was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. Word ringside was that there was something that looked off about Weaver’s jaw, and the California State Athletic Commission doctor pulled the fight. Lloyd Weaver was last seen in action in June of 2001.

Jesus Arael Adame (1-0) of Los Angeles made it through his first pro bout and claimed a four-round majority decision over Manuel Machorro (0-4) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a free-swinging, but somewhat amateurish affair.

Adame, 118.8, landed the harder shots, but left several openings for the determined Machorro, 120, to exploit during the twelve-minute contest. Adame ran across the ring throwing to begin the bout, quickly pressing Machorro against the ropes. To his credit, Machorro weathered the storm and took Adame’s punches well. Eventually Machorro turned Adame around and worked over the young local against the ropes.

The second round was fairly even, as both charges threw punches in bunches, but failed to put their body behind many of their offerings. The third was all “Chuy” Adame, as he landed clean with several wild swings. Machorro found his back against the ropes for much of the round and could not turn Adame as he had done earlier in the contest. Adame remained the busier and more successful of the two in the fourth, most notably catching Machorro as he attempted to utilize a feint. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38. That score was overruled by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 for the winner Adame.

Brandon Adams (2-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles scored an impressive fourth-round knockout of Miguel Lopez (2-1, 1 KO) of Oakland, California in the night’s opener. Lopez, 153.6, got off to a good start in round one, as he pressed Adams, 155.8, to the ropes and used his strength to control the pace.

Adams took over the fight in the second, as his body work began to take effect on Lopez. Adams buzzed Lopez in the third with a right that forced the Oakland native to hold on the inside. Adams was the busier and more effective fighter in the round and carried the momentum into the fourth. Lopez came out fighting, forcing a heated exchange in the early going. Again Adams stunned Lopez on the inside which eventually set up a clean overhand right that scored a knockdown. Lopez went down hard, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the bout without a count. Time of the stoppage was 2:09 of the fourth.

Promoters Garcia Promotions and Big Champion Promotions plan to bring another card to the Hollywood Park Casino on June 9th. They expect to announce the main event sometime next week.

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

RENO, NEVADA — Peter Quillin announced his presence amongst the leading middleweight contenders with a third-round stoppage of a suddenly faded former title challenger in Jesse Brinkley at the Reno Events Center on Friday night. The Telefutura-televised fight, which looked like a great crossroads bout on paper, unfortunately ended up being a total mismatch.

Brinkley (35-7, 22 KOs) of nearby Yerington, Nevada never looked sure of himself in the fight, which was almost to be expected after witnessing his physical and emotional state at Thursday’s weigh-in.

Quillin (24-0, 18 KOs) of Hollywood, California wobbled Brinkley, 166.6, early in the first round with a left to his ear. Brinkley retreated to the ropes, but managed to throw just enough to keep a patient Quillin, 165, at bay for much of the remainder of the round.

Brinkley, who entered the fight the IBF #7 ranked super middleweight, was fooled by a feint early in the second, which left him open for a Quillin right that landed clean. Brinkley was briefly inspired and traded with Quillin for a quick back-and-forth exchange. Before the close of the second, Brinkley landed a straight right hand that looked good, but did not seem to affect Quillin.

While Brinkley was competitive for a moment in the second round, it seemed to be more of a case of Quillin letting off the gas pedal, as he looked to pace himself for the scheduled ten rounds. Though the writing was on the wall from the moment the bell rang, the end of the fight came somewhat suddenly in the third. Quillin landed a perfect straight right hand and seriously rocked Brinkley with the ensuing one-two. Referee Joe Cortez apparently thought Brinkley was going down, as he leaped in and reached across Quillin as if a knockdown had been scored.

The Cortez blunder only delayed the inevitable, as Quillin quickly pressured Brinkley against the ropes and let loose with a rapid flurry. Brinkley, either dazed or resigned to the eventual stoppage stood up to the blows, but did not attempt to counter or move out of the corner. After five or six clean punches, Cortez decided that he had seen enough and called the fight at 2:34 of round three. The victory netted Quillin the IBO-affiliated USBO Super Middleweight title, but more importantly sets the unbeaten Grand Rapids, Michigan/New York transplant up for some lucrative paydays.

While it was apparent Brinkley was a shell of his former self, possibly having not shaken off the aftereffects of his damaging loss to Lucian Bute last year, the incredibly humble Quillin still gave him more than his due after the bout. “He ate that first punch, and that was a hard punch I hit him with,” described Quillin. “I don’t know how hurt he was, because I am not him, but he is a tough guy and I am very thankful I had the opportunity to fight him here in Reno. He had all the things I didn’t have. He had the pressure with his home crowd and I didn’t have none of that. I just wanted to go in there and do what I was trained to do.”

The story going into the fight was that Jesse Brinkley was having trouble making the contracted 165-pounds, and there were some disagreements between the camps over what the actual contracted weight requirement was for the bout. In the end, Brinkley officially weighed either 1.6 or .6-pounds over the contract, depending on which side of the dispute you stood. Quillin, the positive guy that he is, remained restrained throughout the whole process. “It’s all about being professional,” said Quillin succinctly after the fight. “We signed a contract to fight at 165-pounds, so be fair and come in at the weight we were supposed to.”

The word after the fight was that the Quillin team has been in serious discussions with the representatives of undisputed middleweight king Sergio Martinez. “They are going to try and secure me a fight with Sergio Martinez,” revealed Quillin. “If that’s what they want me to do, then that is what I am going to train for. They have been having talks, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything. This was the fight to see how well I would do, and I put it out there for the people to see.”

A fight with Martinez would be a monumental step-up in class for Quillin, especially considering the lackluster version of Jesse Brinkley he was presented with on Friday night. However, Quillin talks the talk of a fighter ready for his breakout opportunity. “I am out here to call out all comers,” said Quillin, breaking away from his normally reserved tune. “Whoever want to come and get it, let me hear from you. It’s whatever my team says. If they say ‘fight King Kong’, then I am going to get ready to fight King Kong. So Sergio Martinez, I doubt he is King Kong and I know he is not Superman, because if he is Superman, I have kryptonite.”

In the action-packed Telefutura-televised co-feature, Lonnie Smith (13-2-2, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada impressively moved past former prospect David Rodela (15-4-3, 6 KOs) of Oxnard, California with a six-round unanimous decision.

Smith, 130.8, came out fast, looking to pressure Rodela, 130.8, in the first, and that is exactly what he did. After covering up, taking some headshots and defending others, Rodela briefly turned Smith to the ropes and landed a clean uppercut. As the round came to a close, it was Smith putting it on Rodela, who held up his gloves and leaned into the ropes.

Rodela battled back and did well in the second, but Smith looked reinvigorated at the start of the third. Rodela had his moments, as he timed Smith’s shots in spots. However, Smith landed the harder blows throughout the round, often forcing Rodela against the ropes and into retreat mode.

The fourth round was back-and-forth, but the constant was that Smith remained the harder puncher. Midway through the fifth, Rodela landed a clean two-punch combination at range, but the unfazed Smith countered with a smile before sticking out his tongue, informing the Oxnard native that he was not affected by his offering. Smith proceeded to land a clean left hook out of the corner that stopped Rodela in his tracks momentarily. Smith punctuated the round with an unanswered series against the ropes.

Smith came out for the sixth much like he did for the first, rushing out at Rodela looking to do damage. The wilting Rodela had little left on his punches, but Smith looked fresh and strong. Rodela still landed in spots, but Smith won over the fans ringside as well as the official scorers, who had the fight 58-56 and 59-55 twice for the Las Vegas native.

Jose “Chuy” Elizondo (1-0) of Reno did not exactly thrill his local fan base, but he did emerge victorious in his professional debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Rodrigo Espinoza (0-1-1) of Lindsay, California.

Elizondo, 155.4, has freakish height for a junior middleweight, but did not use that to his full advantage. Espinoza, 154, could never get close enough to do any real damage and was consistently outworked by the taller Elizondo over the four rounds. When the Lindsay resident did get in close he was usually too off balance to throw a punch in the manner he would like.

Espinoza finally got Elizondo pinned against the ropes in the third, but unfortunately for the Lindsay native, it was the local fighter that got work done in that instance. Elizondo tired in the fourth, as he held after nearly every combination, but alas Espinoza could still not get anything of significance to land in close. All three judges scored the fight a shutout, 40-36 for the southpaw Elizondo.

Jose Sandoval (1-0, 1 KO) of Modesto, California was successful in his pro debut as he pounded away at the amateurish Andrew Rempp (1-3-1) of Yerington en route to a fourth-round corner stoppage. Sandoval, 124.6, rocked Rempp, 126.4, with left hooks all night. Rempp was in trouble in both the second and third rounds, getting a short reprieve when Sandoval punched himself out briefly in the latter round.

The fight went from one-sided, to brutally one-sided in the fourth as Rempp took an unanswered series of head shots against the ropes with referee Joe Cortez looking on. With the result a formality and Rempp taking many blows to the head, a stoppage seemed to be the obvious call. With Cortez unwilling to take the initiative, Rempp’s corner finally threw in towel to force the ref’s hand. Official time was 2:04 of the fourth.

Trevor McCumby (3-0, 3 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona ran through a less than stiff opponent just inside of one round in the final bout of the evening. Ritchie Cherry (2-2, 1 KO) of East St. Louis, Missouri provided no test and did little to earn his free airfare to the Biggest Little City in the World.

McCumby, 180.4, rocked Cherry, 178.4, with the first left hook he landed. Cherry was awkward, which may have provoked McCumby to throw the Midwest club fighter to the ground. Cherry’s one shinning moment came when he caught McCumby off balance with a quick combination that made him stumble over his own feet. It was a fleeting feeling for Cherry, as he was soon deposited onto the canvas by a right uppercut followed by a glancing left. Cherry’s gingerly fall to the mat left many at ringside questioning the validity of his instability.

Another left put Cherry down again, but the St. Louis fighter did make it back up. However, when Cherry leaped off the ground, only to fall back on to the canvas, he turned away from McCumby which forced referee Vic Drakulich to stop the mismatch. Time of the stoppage was 3:00 of the first.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

Former two-time world title challenger Richard “Bam Bam” Duran passed away Tuesday, one week after suffering a stroke at the far too young age of 44. Though he had an excellent six-year pro run, preceded by a long and meritorious amateur career, Duran may have touched even more lives in gyms near his Sacramento, California home in recent years. Duran survived by seven children, and their loss is mourned by the large Sacramento boxing community.

Duran turned pro at 22-years-old in 1988 and quickly became a staple on Sacramento boxing cards while running his mark to 26-0. His unbeaten run led to an April 1993 crack at respected IBF Super Bantamweight titleholder Kennedy McKinney. The fight took place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, but resulted in a unanimous decision defeat. However, Duran’s impressive showing led to another title bout, this time against another respected champion in Tracy Harris Patterson, who turned back the challenge via unanimous decision in Reno, Nevada.

Duran fought once more, three months later, dropping a decision to prospect Eddie Croft in San Mateo, California. In his immediate life after boxing, Duran did encounter some personal setbacks, which included a jail term for manslaughter as the result of a bar fight. However, Duran managed to turn his life around and become a positive example for aspiring boxers in Sacramento.

“I knew Richard “Bam Bam” Duran for a few years,” recalls former California Golden Gloves champion Michael Ortega. “I would usually run into him at local amateur boxing events here and there. I knew Richard as a good coach. I never trained with him, but I knew he looked out for his fighters and was a solid coach who knew the ins and outs of a boxing ring. From what I knew he was a very cool and outgoing dude that always had fun fight stories to tell. I also know he was one bad ass fighter, as I heard great things from my first trainer Angelo Nunez and most every trainer after. Richard “Bam Bam” Duran will always have a place here in Sacramento’s fight scene. May he rest in peace, and his memory live on.”

“Rest in peace champ, my prayers are with you and your family,” says former fighter and current matchmaker Edward Rodriguez, who fought Duran in the amateurs. “We had fun in the ring when we were both fifteen years old in Hayward, California. You will be missed. I still remember what we talked about. You might have beat me, but I beat the guy that beat you, and you said I might have lost but we did get best fight of the night. It put a mile on my face. God bless.”

“I would like to offer my condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of “Bam Bam” Duran,” said world ranked light heavyweight contender Otis Griffin. “ I did not know him close, but I recognize him as one of Sacramento’s historical gym legends. He has passed a great deal of boxing IQ to myself and younger NorCal fighters. My last memory of “Bam” was just this weekend as Gilbert Zaragoza told me of the legendary PAL wars and how so many fighters came before us that never got the spotlight. “Bam” you are remembered, and the stories will never fade from the Sacramento gyms and because of this you will live forever in the heart of the city.”

“I am truly saddened by Richard Duran’s death,” said Sacramento-based lightweight prospect Stan Martyniouk. “He was not only a great boxer but an amazing person as well, who helped out a lot in the boxing community as a trainer and mentor. He will always be remembered. My prayers go out to his family. Rest in peace, champ.”

“I will tell you that Richard has helped his community for many years,” said Sacramento fight legend Tony “The Tiger” Lopez. “He worked at helping keep kids off the streets while never asking nothing from anybody. He was a true warrior in and out of the ring.”

“They don’t men like him no more,” said former Sacramento fight favorite Richard Savala. “He worked to keep kids out of trouble as the boxing coach at Lord’s Gym. He was a great mentor in Sacramento. This guy was always trying to help kids learn the sport of boxing, which kept those kids out of trouble. He was a great man, and he will be greatly missed in Sacramento.”

There will be services held for Richard Duran on Monday at the Lord’s Gym in Roseville, California. For more information, e-mail info@lordsgym.org or call the gym at 916-783-1989.

Richard “Bam Bam” Duran (1966-2011)

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

Photo courtesy Greg Huerta/Smash Time Boxing

RENO, NEVADA — Weeks of bargaining and negotiation culminated with some bad blood at Thursday’s weigh-in at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, as hometown favorite and former title challenger Jesse Brinkley came in heavy for his Telefutura-televised bout with undefeated prospect Peter Quillin, which takes place down the street at the Reno Events Center tonight. After deliberation between the two camps, the intriguing crossroads fight will go on as scheduled with the vacant USBO Super Middleweight title at stake.

Brinkley (35-6, 22 KOs) of nearby Yerington, Nevada is coming off a ninth-round stoppage defeat to Lucian Bute in a failed attempt and claiming the IBF 168-pound crown last October. The loss ended a properly matched nine-fight win streak highlighted by an upset decision win over Curtis Stevens last January in Reno. Brinkley’s run to a title shot was as unlikely as one could be if you think about where he was back in 2007, having lost four of five fights. With a win over Quillin, Brinkley is instantly back in the mix at super middleweight, but a loss could mean the end of his viability as a contender.

Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs) of Hollywood, California does not have a resume littered with big names, but he has beaten everyone he has been in the ring with to this point. Brinkley represents a step-up in competition for Quillin, who wants to campaign at 160-pounds after tonight’s fight. Quillin last fought just over two months ago, as he quite easily dispatched journeyman Dennis Sharpe inside of four rounds in Fairfield, California. Quillin initially weighed-in over at 165.2-pounds, but took the scale in the nude and came in at 165 even.

Brinkley, who has publicly admitted to ballooning up in weight between fights in the past, apparently had trouble making the contracted 165-pound weight limit. In Nevada, there is a one pound leeway in the contract weight unless specified. Due to a communication error perhaps, Brinkley’s contract stated 165-pounds, while Quillin’s stated 165-pound max. Brinkley came in at 166.6-pounds, which would have been over the allowance by .6 pounds anyway, but Quillin’s camp vehemently declared that Brinkley needed to come in at 165-pounds even. A deal which included a pay increase for Quillin salvaged the fight.

Brinkley was determined to show that he had made 166-pounds, which is what his contract allowed him to weigh, but by the time he came back to the weigh-in the digital scale had been taken away. Brinkley, either bitter over the weight discrepancy or testy because he had been in a sauna all day, refused to pose for any pictures and made his presence at the weigh-in very brief.

In the Telefutura-televised co-feature, Lonnie Smith (12-2-2, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada will take on once-promising prospect David Rodela (15-3-3, 6 KOs) in a six-round super featherweight fight. Smith, an exciting action fighter, has rebuilt his career, reeling off seven straight wins since his last defeat back in 2007. Rodela, who has seen his career take a downturn, going 1-2-1 in his last four bouts, represents a major step up in opposition for Smith. The jury is still out on what David Rodela will show up in Reno tonight however. Since suffering a third-round knockout to Dante Jardon over a year ago, Rodela struggled to a split decision over Eric Cruz and wound up with a draw against 4-3-1 Juan Montiel last September. Smith and Rodela both scaled 130-8-pounds Thursday.

Former amateur standout Jesus “Chuy” Elizondo of Reno will make his long awaited professional debut against Rodrigo Espinoza (0-0-1) of Lindsay, California in a four-round super middleweight fight. Elizondo, once nationally ranked as an amateur, has been attempting to make his debut several times over the last two years, but injuries have always popped up at the wrong time. Espinoza, who trains out of the McDermont Field House in Lindsay, was cut in the first-round of his only pro bout, which resulted in a technical draw. Elizondo weighed in at 165.4-pounds, while Espinoza scaled 164.

Andrew Rempp (1-2-1) of Yerington will take on debuting Jose Sandoval of Modesto, California in a four-round featherweight fight. Rempp has been out of action since dropping a four-round decision to 0-2 Johnny Mancilla in December of 2009. Rempp scaled 126.4-pounds, while Sandoval scaled 124.6.

Cameron Dunkin-managed Trevor McCumby (2-0, 2 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona will take on Ritchie Cherry (2-1, 1 KO) of East St. Louis, Missouri in a four-round cruiserweight fight. McCumby, who scored a first-round stoppage in his last outing just last month, weighed in at 180.4-pounds. Cherry, who fought to a no-contest in March due to a headbutt, scaled 178.4-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Let’s Get It On Promotions and Don Chargin Productions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

USBO Super Middleweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Brinkley 166.6
Quillin 165

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Smith 130.8
Rodela 130.8

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Elizondo 165.4
Espinoza 164

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Rempp 126.4
Sandoval 124.6

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
McCumby 180.4
Cherry 178.4

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com.

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

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — Giving away 52 ½-pounds, local heavyweight and current James Toney sparring partner Hector Martinez avenged a closely-contested decision defeat with a six-round unanimous decision over Yohan Banks in the featured attraction at the Red Lion Hotel on Friday night.

The fight was not the action-packed slugfest their first encounter was last year, but surely Martinez (6-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California was happy to reverse the result no matter how the route. Banks (4-5-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California was tentative in the early going, as he allowed Martinez to control the distance with his long arms.

Martinez, 225, landed his first telling combination in the second, catching Banks, 277 ½, with a jab, followed up by a right. Once the punch landed, Martinez was in Banks’ range, and thus forced a clinch to get back on the outside. It would be a strategy that would work well for Martinez for much of the contest. In the moments that Martinez would stay in range, Banks was quick to fire his right, but the shot hit the target only sparingly.

Banks began the third well, snapping Martinez’ head back with a looping right. Martinez quickly got on his bicycle. Once Martinez got his legs back to one hundred percent, the local favorite went right back to his one-two and hold technique to great effect. Action picked up in the fourth, as Martinez began to fire quick combinations when on the inside, before backing back out at range. Banks looked quite drained by the fourth, as the big guy threw even less and often took heavy breaths.

Wearing out Banks further, could have been Martinez’ longs arms and tall body hanging on him when they would clinch. When the fight was a wrestling match, Martinez had the advantage because he would look for an opening to throw in those situations. Banks on the other hand, looked to be looking for a rest when they would come together on the inside. After some mauling rounds, Martinez took the fight by scores of 58-57, 59-56 and 60-54.

“I felt that I had to redeem myself,” said Martinez Monday. Banks had scored a four-round split decision over Martinez in Oroville, California in March of last year. Martinez has been in training camp with future hall of famer James Toney. “It’s like going to college,” said Martinez of the experience. “I’m going to the school of hard knocks and learning from the professor. The living legend: James “Lights Out” Toney.”

Martinez will return to the ring on the undercard of Toney’s upcoming fight with Vinny Maddalone. That bout will take place May 21st at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Martinez is already scheduled to come back to the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th as well.

In the co-feature, rising prospect Maximilliano Becerra (5-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California scored a four-round unanimous decision as he turned back the challenge of a game Christian Gonzalez (2-1, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California by way of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.

Gonzalez, 136, came out throwing in the first, but his punches clearly did not have the same force behind them as the ones that would be uncorked by Becerra, 136. After competitive exchanges in the first, Becerra turned the fight completely in his favor in the second round. Seconds in, Becerra unloaded a right hook that dropped Gonzalez into a corner. Gonzalez got up, but was soon downed by a flurry which looked to be helped by the tangling of their feet. When Gonzalez got up he was rocked by a straight left and right hook combo that almost put him down a third time. Had Gonzalez not stayed up, the fight would have been over.

Gonzalez managed to make it out of the second, even throwing back as the round concluded. In the third, the Bakersfield resident caught Becerra with a solid right, which began a good back-and-forth between the two. Gonzalez’ main problem was getting inside on the much taller and longer Becerra. The Mexican native almost had to eat one or two punches just to get close enough to throw one of his own.

Still, Gonzalez continued to press the fight, even landing a pretty combination in the fourth. The power difference remained clear however, as Becerra shook off the Gonzalez rally before taking all three official cards by the scores of 38-36 and 40-34 twice. Becerra will likely be back in the ring June 3rd at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California and then return to the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th.

Former New York Golden Gloves champion Joshua Landers (1-0, 1 KO) of Hollywood, California spoiled the pro debut of locally popular former Badge VS. Badge and toughman competitor Larry Ward (0-1) of Sacramento via first-round stoppage to silence the boisterous Red Lion crowd.

Ward, who works full-time at the California Medical Facility, a state prison in nearby Vacaville, backed Landers to the ropes early and seemed to get overconfident after his brief success. Landers, 230, turned the momentum in his favor with a right that stunned Ward. Landers followed up the right with a left hook that rocked Ward, 223, almost wobbling him to the mat.

For a moment, it looked as though Landers was letting Ward off the hook, as he backed into the ropes and allowed Ward to come in throwing shots. With his back to the ropes, Landers landed a left hook that dropped Ward hard to the canvas. Referee Ed Collantes immediately waved off the fight at the time of 2:47 of the first round. Despite the loss, Ward will try it again June 17th back at the Red Lion Hotel.

In one of two exciting four-rounders on the card that evenly matched fighters making their pro debut, Brett De La Torre (1-0) of Vacaville scored a four-round majority decision over Will Walters (0-1) of Sacramento.

The action was fast and furious from round one on and throughout the fight. De La Torre, 142 ½, got things going as he quickly backed Walters, 142 ½, into the ropes. De La Torre, who kept his hands unusually low almost the entire fight, got a little cocky, which opened the door for Walters to take a turn at forcing the action. De La Torre then landed a pretty one-two combination before Walters came on again just before the bell.

After Walters had a successful round two, De La Torre clearly took the third with some excellent combination and counter-punching. The high work rate seemed to catch up to De La Torre late in the third, as he was visibly breathing heavily before the round ended. With De La Torre still looking a bit winded, Walters rocked the Vacaville native against the ropes in the fourth.

The tired De La Torre was in retreat much of the final round, but Walters did not cut off the ring enough to do any real damage. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38. The other two favored De La Torre, 40-36 and 39-37. The 40-36 card seems highly questionable, considering De La Torre barely landed a punch in the fourth.

The joy of yet another Sacramento fighter’s pro debut was dampened by an out-of-towner, as Lee Reyes (1-0) of Hollywood scored a unanimous decision over Juan Luna (0-1) of Sacramento in an action-packed four-round affair. Reyes, the son of well known Santa Clara, California-based martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr, was also making his pro debut.

Luna, 159, got off to a great start, landing a stiff left hook that got the attention of Reyes, 160. Reyes soon landed a left hook of his own and the fight was on from there. Luna was controlling the round with his boxing for a moment, before Reyes landed another left hook that rocked the local product and likely stole the round.

Reyes, who trains out of the Wild Card, found himself bloodied over his left eye sometime in the second, but that turn of events would not deter him as he controlled the round with his higher output. Reyes began to utilize his right more in the third, often following it with a left that would rock Luna. In the fourth, Luna came out determined and forced Reyes into a neutral corner. Reyes adeptly fought his way off the turnbuckle and had a winded Luna in some trouble as the round progressed. Luna then briefly turned the tide, before getting stunned again to close out a thrilling final round of action. In the end, all three judges favored Reyes, 40-36. However, just as in the De La Torre-Walters bout, the loser had nothing to be down about and looks to have a bright future as a fighter for pay.

Fighting for the first time in almost two-and-a-half years, Andrey Kim (3-3, 1 KO) of Sacramento jumpstarted his pro career again with an impressive third-round knockout of Matt Mahler (0-3) of Stockton, California. Mahler, who himself had been out of action since a January 2009 knockout, was never a factor in the bout.

Kim, 137, wobbled Mahler, 137, with the first left hook he landed in the bout’s opening moments. The left would be there all night for Kim, who also controlled the distance with his movement. Finally in the third, Kim caught Mahler with a straight right, followed by that left hook again. The combo had Mahler stumbling around the ring, before Kim planted him with a right hook that put him down flat on to the right side of his face. No count was need, as referee Jon Schorle waved it off at 2:01 of the third.

Mixed Martial Arts

Derrick Burnsed (7-1, 3 KOs, 4 Submissions) of Citrus Heights, California flashed some power with a scary first-round knockout of Moses Baca (3-5) of Pleasant Hill, California. Burnsed, 154, dropped Baca seconds in and quickly pounced on his prone body before the referee could step in and call off the fight. Official time of the knockout was 1:01 of the first round. Baca was taken out of the ring by paramedics on a stretcher.

Amateur Boxing

Five amateur boxing exhibitions combined to open and close the card. Drew Heneffe of Overcome Training in Cameron Park, California scored a first-round stoppage of Arnulfo Rizo of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, California in the opening fight of the night. Heneffe, 199, forced a standing eight count with two left hooks. When action resumed, Heneffe again landed a couple clean left hooks against Rizo, 192, which was enough for referee Ed Collantes to end the bout.

Joshua Green out of California Total Fitness in Manteca, California scored a three-round unanimous decision over Koran Richardson of the Cal Street Fight Club. It was a competitive contest throughout. Green, 161 ½, closed out the first well, while Richardson, 172 ½, did well in the second. With the fight apparently on the table, both fighters fought the third hard. Green did best with a straight right hand, while Green had his moments with the Manteca resident against the ropes. In the end, all three judges gave two of the three rounds to Green, 29-28.

Ukrainian import Aleksander Muza continually found a home for his overhand right on his way to a three-round unanimous decision over Jesus “Chuy” Sandoval of the Cal Street Fight Club. Muza, 116, who trains out of Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville, California, fought a very measured fight throughout. Muza seemed comfortable waiting for Sandoval, 123, to throw and leave an opening before offering up any offense of his own. Muza did come out of this shell in the third, as he closed the fight as the aggressor. In the end, all three judges gave the fight to Muza and his overhand right by scores of 30-27 three times.

James Davis out of Smash Time Boxing in Sacramento scored a hard-fought three round decision over Jared Moore of Anaheim, California. Moore, 175, took round one with two left hooks. Davis, 178, found a right hook and a solid body shot with his left in the second to take that round. The third was competitive, but judges favored Davis 29-28 across the board.

In the final fight of the evening, amateurs Jason Williams and Albert Avina of the Cal Street Fight Club traded at close quarters and fought at a steady pace for three rounds. In the end, all three judges had the fight for Williams.

Promoter Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions is arranging to host the next event at the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th. When tickets for the event, planned to be held outdoors, do go on sale, they will be made available by calling the hotel at 916-782-4757.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — Promoter Nasser Niavaroni brings professional boxing and mixed martial arts back to the Red Lion Hotel for the first time in over a year-and-a-half tonight. In the featured attraction, heavyweights Yohan Banks and Hector Martinez will look to pick up where they left off in March of last year as they engage in a six-round rematch. Also, rising local lightweight prospect Maximilliano Becerra will take on unknown Christian Gonzalez in the co-feature. Fighters weighed in Thursday afternoon at JB’s Lounge inside the hotel.

Banks (4-4-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California met Martinez (5-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California at the Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, California in a short-notice match-up just over a year ago. That night, Martinez took a little while to warm up and was dropped in the second round. Once Martinez regrouped, the fight quickly turned into a heavyweight shootout. As the fight progressed, it was Martinez that was getting the better of the exchanges. However the point Martinez lost for the knockdown proved to be the difference in the scoring, as Banks won over two of the judges, 38-37.

Since their initial meeting, Banks has gone 1-1, getting stopped by unbeaten Adam Kownacki and upsetting overhyped Quadtrine Hill via fourth-round knockout. Martinez has fought just once since the Banks loss, dropping another split decision heartbreaker to Lamont Williams this past January. Banks weighed in at 277 ½-pounds Thursday. Martinez, who launched into a Muhammad Ali-inspired rant while still on the scale, weighed in at 225.

Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California returns to the site of his first three pro bouts against the unknown Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California by way of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico in the four-round co-feature. Becerra, who has grown into a solid ticket seller in the area, pleased his local following with a dominant four-round unanimous decision over Omar Sanchez at the Fairfield Sports Center in nearby Fairfield, California this past January. Gonzalez, who has been out of the ring since 2009, weighed in at 136-pounds, as did Becerra.

The fighter most responsible for the popularity of the Badge VS. Badge series of events in Northern California, Larry Ward of Sacramento, will make his pro debut against former amateur standout Joshua Landers of the Bronx, New York. Landers, who currently trains out of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, is also making his professional debut. Ward, who is known for his colorful personality, was unusually subdued at the weigh-in while scaling 223-pounds. Landers, a former novice division New York Golden Gloves champion, weighed in at 230-pounds.

Perhaps looking for a fresh start, Andrey Kim (2-3) of Sacramento fights for the first time almost two-and-a-half years in a four-round lightweight bout against Matt Mahler (0-2) of Stockton, California. Mahler himself has been out of action since a January 2009 knockout suffered at the hands of the aforementioned Maximilliano Becerra. Kim’s last bout ended via second-round stoppage to prospect Gabriel Tolmajyan in December of 2008. Kim and Mahler both weighed-in at 137-pounds Thursday.

Juan Luna of Sacramento will make his professional debut against Lee Reyes of San Jose, California in a four-round middleweight fight. Reyes, the son of well known martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr, is also making his professional boxing debut. Luna weighed in at 159-pounds. Reyes, who trains out of the Wild Card, originally came in one pound over at 161, but made 160-pounds after taking the scale in the nude.

In another pairing of pro debutants, Brett De La Torre of Vacaville will take on Sacramento’s Will Walters in a four-round light welterweight fight. The baby-faced De La Torre, who trains alongside Maximilliano Becerra at the Vacaville PAL, weighed in at 142 ½-pounds. Walters, who impressed ringside observers during the California Golden Gloves last year, also weighed in at 142 ½-pounds.

Mixed Martial Arts

Derrick Burnsed (6-1, 2 KOs, 4 Submissions) of Citrus Heights, California will take on Moses Baca (3-4) of Pleasant Hill, California in a three-round welterweight fight. Burnsed, who trains alongside Urijah Faber in Sacramento, weighed in at 154-pounds. Baca, who trains out of the Cesar Gracie Sports Center in Pleasant Hill, had trouble finding the hotel and weighed in at a later time.

Former California Golden Gloves Champion boxer Michael Ortega (1-1, 1 KO) had hoped to continue his MMA career in a scheduled three-round welterweight bout against Chris Quitiquit (4-0, 1 KO, 1 Submission). However their fight was a late scratch. Ortega fights for Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male and Quitiquit is part of the Nick Diaz camp. Reportedly the two camps have a gentlemen’s agreement to not match-up their fighters.

Amateur Boxing

Six amateur boxing exhibitions will open up the card. Drew Heneffe, who fights out of Overcome Training in Cameron Park, California, will take on Arnulfo Rizo out of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, California in three-round heavyweight bout. Heneffe weighed in at 199-pounds, while Rizo scaled 192.

Joshua Green, fighting out of California Total Fitness in Manteca, California, will take on Koran Richardson of the Cal Street Fight Club in a three-round light heavyweight fight. Green weighed in at 161 ½-pounds. Richardson weighed in at 172 ½-pounds, which infuriated Green’s trainer and former pro heavyweight Gilbert Martinez. However, the weight difference is within the allowance for an amateur exhibition, and the fight will go on as scheduled.

Ukrainian import Aleksander Muza will take on Jesus Sandoval of the Cal Street Fight Club in a three-round bantamweight fight. Muza, who trains out of fight promoter Nasser Niavaroni’s gym, Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville, California, weighed in at 116-pounds. Sandoval, yet another fighter out of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, weighed in at 123-pounds.

Jared Moore of Anaheim, California will take on James Davis out of Smash Time Boxing in Sacramento in a three-round light heavyweight fight. Moore weighed in at 175-pounds, while Davis came in at 178.

Fighters for the last amateur exhibition, Jason Williams and Albert Avina, will weigh in tomorrow.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Uppercut Promotions, are available by calling the Red Lion Hotel at 916-782-4757.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Banks 277 ½
Martinez 225

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Becerra 136
Gonzalez 136

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Ward 223
Landers 230

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Kim 137
Mahler 137

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Luna 159
Reyes 160

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Walters 142 ½
De La Torre 142 ½

Mixed Martial Arts Weigh-in Result:

Welterweights, 3 Rounds
Burnsed 154
Baca*

Amateur Boxing Exhibition Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Heneffe 199
Rizo 192

Light Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Green 161 ½
Richardson 172 ½

Bantamweights, 3 Rounds
Muza 116
Sandoval 123

Light Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Moore 175
Davis 178

*weighed in late Thursday

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

It has been both a great and busy time to be a Northern California fight aficionado or roving fight scribe in 2011. After years of sporadic events and a club scene that was almost nonexistent, professional boxing is thriving again in the region, thanks in large part to Don Chargin and his team of co-promoters, with additional shows being put on by fight promoters both new and old as well. The trend continues this week, with several other shows in the offing in the not too distant future.

Banks-Martinez II, Becerra Featured in Sacramento

One of the promoters that has been active in the region over the years, Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions, will host his first event of the year at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento, California this Friday. In the featured attractions, local heavyweight Hector Martinez will look to even up the score against Yohan Banks in a six-round rematch and rising lightweight prospect Maximilliano Becerra will take on Christian Gonzalez in the four-round co-feature.

Banks (4-4-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California took a highly competitive four-round split decision over Martinez (5-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California at the Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, California back in March of last year. Banks scored a second-round knockdown that proved to be the difference in a wildly action-packed heavyweight slugfest. Martinez has fought once since, dropping a hard-fought four-round split decision to Lamont Williams this past January. Banks was last in the ring this past September, as he weathered three rounds against hyped former football player Quadtrine Hill, before scoring the come-from-behind stoppage in the fourth round of a pay-per-view undercard bout at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California returns to the intimate venue at which he fought his first three pro bouts against the unknown Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico in the four-round co-feature. Becerra, who proved to be a solid ticket seller, pleased his local following with a dominant four-round unanimous decision over Omar Sanchez at the Fairfield Sports Center in nearby Fairfield, California this past January. Gonzalez has no fights reported since 2009, but it is likely he has fought during that time in Mexico.

In another intriguing bout, former toughman and Badge VS. Badge competitor Larry Ward of Sacramento will make his pro debut against former amateur standout Joshua Landers of the Bronx, New York. Landers, who currently trains out of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, is also making his professional debut.

Three other boxing matches and two mixed martial arts fights will round out the card. Tickets for the event are available by calling the Red Lion Hotel at 916-922-8041.

Sanchez Back in Action June 3rd

Locally popular welterweight Alan Sanchez (7-2-1, 2 KOs) will return to the Fairfield Sports Center for the third straight time in his career as the main event on June 3rd. Sanchez, who trains out of the JL Tepito Boxing Club in Fairfield, had been scheduled to fight at the venue on March 25th, but had to pull out with a minor arm injury. Sanchez packed the Sports Center for his two fights there, and will likely do the same in June.

Sanchez’ gym mate Lamont Williams (4-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield will be featured on the card in a four-round cruiserweight bout. Williams fought just this past Friday in San Francisco, California, as he rose from a first-round knockdown to drop Juan Hernandez twice and cruise to a four-round unanimous decision.

Exciting lightweight prospect Guy Robb (3-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento will also be on the bill in Fairfield in June. Robb thrilled his local following last time out at the Sports Center, as he went toe-to-toe with relentless Manuel Morales for four-rounds en route to a majority decision victory. Robb, who is slated to take to the ring one week prior in Reno, Nevada, drew large crowds in Fairfield in both February and March. In his previous outing, Robb dominated Fairfield’s Omar Sanchez, scoring two knockdowns on his way to a four-round unanimous decision.

When tickets go on sale for the event, promoted by Don Chargin Productions, Golden Boy Promotions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, they will be made available by calling Paco’s Mexican Restaurant at 530-669-7946.

Griffin Gets another Shot

World ranked light heavyweight Otis Griffin (23-7-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento came up short in a recent IBF title eliminator against Yusaf Mack, but will not have to wait long to get right back in the mix at 175-pounds. Griffin has signed to fight IBF #9 ranked Karo Murat, with the IBF #2 position at stake, on May 7th in Germany.

“After the Yusaf Mack fight, I didn’t take much time off and I was right back in the gym,” Griffin told 15rounds.com Wednesday. “I didn’t have any injuries or anything, so I need to go out and take advantage of this opportunity.”

In scouting Murat (23-1, 13 KOs) of Kitzingen, Bayern, Germany, Griffin has come to expect an action-packed encounter. “I expect him to come forward and bring a high pressure style, much like Arthur Abraham,” says Griffin, the IBF #7 ranked light heavyweight. “He is going to try and put a dent in me or hurt me and finish me off. So that is pretty much what we are preparing for.”

Rarely do two opportunities, such as the fights with Mack and Murat, come back-to-back. This is something that is not lost on the 33-year-old Griffin. “I am tremendously looking forward to this fight,” said Griffin, who has been sparring USA Boxing #3 ranked amateur super heavyweight O’Jayland Brown. “It is an opportunity for redemption. It’s my third world title eliminator. So we are praying it turns out victoriously this time around.”

The light heavyweight elimination bout, which will be Griffin’s second career bout in Germany, serves as one of main undercard attractions to the IBF Middleweight title bout between champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Daniel Geale.

Notes

-Plans are coming together for a July 3rd event at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California. WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California would be in the main event. Local unbeatens Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) and Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) are already pegged to fight in separate bouts on the undercard. All three fighters notched wins last Friday in San Francisco.

-According to eyewitnesses, perhaps not the most unbiased, but eyewitnesses nonetheless, longtime San Francisco-based prospect Karim Mayfield has been giving Manny Pacquiao excellent work in training camp down at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. Promoters of last Friday’s event in San Francisco made attempts to get Mayfield (13-0-1, 8 KOs) on the bill, but had trouble finding an available opponent. Mayfield made a quick trip up to the City anyway to cheer on fellow Straight Forward Club fighter Jonathan Chicas, who was making his pro debut. Chicas (1-0, 1 KO) stopped debuting Maja Khali in just over a minute.

-Another Straight Forward Club fighter, Miguel Lopez of Oakland, California, returns to the ring next Friday on the undercard of Jesse Brinkley-Peter Quillin at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Lopez (2-0, 1 KO) will take on former nationally ranked amateur Jose “Chuy” Elizondo of Reno, who will be making his pro debut in a four-round light middleweight bout. Despite turning pro back in May 2009, Lopez has only two pro fights under his belt even though he is always in shape, should his phone ring. Elizondo has been trying to turn pro for about the last two years, but has had injuries flare up at inopportune times.

-Former amateur standout Jason Montgomery (2-1-1) of Hayward, California returns to the ring for the first time since suffering his lone loss against another well regarded young pro in Alejandro Galarza (1-0, 1 KO) as part of a private show at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, California on May 19th. Montgomery, who trains under Arvin Jugarap at the Kennel Boxing Club in San Leandro, California, dropped a hard-fought four-round unanimous decision to prospect Cleven Ishe on March 5th. Also on the card, cruiserweight Tony Johnson (4-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California takes a step up in class against Brent Urban (7-3-1, 5 KOs) of Dallas, Texas in a four-rounder.

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

World ranked 175-pound contender Otis Griffin has just informed 15rounds.com that he has signed to meet once-beaten Karo Murat in an elimination bout with the IBF #2 light heavyweight ranking at stake on May 7th at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Griffin (23-7-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California rode a four-fight win streak into an IBF title elimination bout against Yusaf Mack this past March. Griffin had received a lowball offer to fight reigning IBF kingpin Tavoris Cloud, but opted to take the Mack bout instead in order to optimize his earning potential for the title bout. However, Griffin’s strategy backfired a bit, as Mack took a twelve-round split decision after several postponements of the bout. Now Griffin, currently the IBF #7 ranked light heavyweight contender, gets a second chance at making the Cloud bout a reality.

Murat (23-1, 13 KOs) of Kitzingen, Bayern, Germany is coming off of an eight-round unanimous decision over Griffin acquaintance and fellow Sacramento resident Christian Cruz which took place this past February in Germany. Murat’s only defeat came at the hands of current WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title holder Nathan Cleverly via tenth-round stoppage at the ringside physician’s request last September. Murat is currently the IBF #9/WBO #10/WBA #13 ranked 175-pound fighter.

Their light heavyweight elimination bout serves as one of main undercard attractions to the IBF Middleweight title bout between champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Daniel Geale.

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

In today’s internet age, the way a fighter markets himself has a huge bearing on the progression of his professional career. Promoters, television producers and venues need fighters that put butts in seats in order to do business. One fighter, yet to even turn professional, has proven to have the ability to do just that. Heavyweight Larry Ward expects to pack the Red Lion Hotel in his home city of Sacramento, California this Friday night, just as he has recently as an amateur.

Ward’s road to professional boxing is in many ways a familiar one, and in others quite unique. Like many eventual pugilists, Ward liked boxing as a kid, but had aspirations in other sports. “I always messed around with [boxing] as a kid, but never took any classes or anything,” recalls Ward. “I thought I was going to turn professional in football, but that didn’t pan out. I wanted to do something with my athletic background and started boxing.”

Ward found organized boxing while in the Army in the late 1990’s. “I fought in a couple smokers after I joined the military and I did really well in those little tournaments,” says Ward. “From there, I just continued boxing because I was pretty good at it. I got second place in my first tournament, and from there did some more smokers in the military and won all of them.”

When Ward left the Army he found toughman competitions in Colorado. His success in those tournaments convinced him that he may have a future as a fighter for pay. After finding work at a prison, Ward continued to box before moving to California in 2004. “When I finally came to California I didn’t want to start boxing right away, so I took some time off,” says Ward. “I eventually got back into it and started doing the battle of the badges. I asked for the toughest guy they had and ended up knocking him out. He wanted a rematch, so we did it again, and the same thing happened again.”

If you have heard the name Larry Ward, but you are not quite sure where, it may have been on a Bay Area newscast. On May 21, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, Ward, who works at the California Medical Facility, a state prison in nearby Vacaville, took on Casey Johnson, a police officer from Oakland, California. The event was the initial promotion of Badge VS. Badge, which is run by respected trainer Gary Shurley and Tom Gaffney, and matches amateur boxers/law enforcement officers in bouts sanctioned by the International Association of Boxing.

According to most accounts, Ward was the clear victor when the fight was over, and indulged the pro-Johnson crowd, many of whom were likely off-duty Oakland PD, by returning their taunts with some gestures of his own. Soon thereafter, before the decision had even been read, a fracus broke out in the crowd. It was clear some of the out-of-the-ring activities involved Oakland PD and when the YouTube video surfaced many local news outlets picked up on the story.

While the situation that occurred is not the way a promoter or a fighter would like to get their name out there, that is the way it happened for Badge VS. Badge and Larry Ward. “It was bittersweet in a way,” says Ward. “It got publicity. Maybe not the right publicity, but either way, it got publicity.”

Now that some time has past, Ward seems to have put the event in the right perspective. “You get a whole bunch of guys in a crowded area and you mix booze and testosterone, of course occasionally you are going to get a couple guys trying to do too much,” says Ward. “At every event, you get guys shadowboxing, thinking they can do the same thing, and you mix alcohol with it, and they can get a little carried away with it.”

If there is another positive to take away from the incident for Ward, it would be that no matter where he fights in his professional career, he is likely to never enter a more unfriendly environment than he did that night in Sacramento. “That wasn’t even the only incident that night,” says Ward. “That just happened to be the one that was videotaped. There were a couple other incidents that night with me and a couple of the guys. It was just one of those nights when you walk into a hostile area, and you just want to leave in one piece. But if you are a fighter, then you love to fight. So for me, I didn’t have a problem with it. It just let me know it was going to be a fight pretty much all night.”

What most of the news outlets did not pick up on in their coverage of the incident, was that the bad blood may have started in the weeks leading up to the actual fight. Ward, and the promoters of Badge VS. Badge, have done what some professional promoters have only slowly begun to do in recent years, and that is build up fights and their fighters by using the internet, and more specifically sites like YouTube, as their primary vehicle.

Ward, who goes into character in his pre-fight videos, had angered supporters of the Johnson camp with some of his remarks in those YouTube-hosted segments. “The video is how the whole incident started with the Oakland crowd,” explains Ward. “They watched the videos and they didn’t appreciate what I had to say about their boy Casey Johnson and it kind of blew up.”

The videos helped make the event a box office success, as over 2,000 patrons jammed into the Radisson that night to see the Ward-Johnson main event. “I try to get things sparked up and get people a little upset,” says Ward. “I mean, anybody can get some gloves and box. But if you put a personality behind the gloves, you can go a long way. Like Kimbo Slice, he used to have all these YouTube videos, but when he started fighting he actually wasn’t that good. But if you are pretty good at fighting, and have a personality with it and a few videos, the sky’s the limit.”

Ward plans to continue shooting videos with his persona, “Cyco,” as he embarks on his journey into the professional ranks seeks bigger and better things. “It is good to get people wound up,” says Ward. “But me, I am just a regular dude. I have dreams and aspirations just like the next person, but I have got to pump myself up so I will be that guy that people love to hate. I am glad that it is turning out well for me and I keep winning and people keep hating to see me win. So far, it is just a dream come true for me. I am going to keep putting the videos out. I am going to keep talking stuff. I am going to keep dancing in the ring and hopefully one day I will be a household name. That is my main objective at the end, to be someone that everybody talks about.”

While Ward is turning pro in his own backyard, he is not getting the luxury of going up against fall guy this Friday night at the Red Lion Hotel. Promoter Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions has matched Ward against Joshua Landers, a well regarded amateur formerly of the Bronx, New York that now trains at the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

“I have never had an easy fight either,” says Ward. “Every guy that I have fought was the best at his craft. In a way it is good, because I want to see if I really have it or if I don’t. So I want to be in with somebody that really has it. Somebody is going to be upset, and it is not going to be me. It is going to be a test of wills. I feel that this guy has never fought anybody like me, and I can’t say that I have fought anybody like him. So we are going to see what is going to happen.”

This Friday is the culmination of a lot of hard work and sacrifice for Larry Ward. The clock may not be on the side of the 34-year-old, but he feels everything has come together for a reason and at the right time. “I definitely wanted to turn pro when I came to California when I was 27, but I didn’t have enough confidence in myself at the time,” admits Ward. “So I figured if I had a couple more fights under my belt I could gain some confidence and then I would be ready. At this point I am very confident, so it might have taken a long road, but I am here now and I am ready to make the most of my opportunity.”

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — World ranked super featherweight contender Eloy Perez jabbed, bobbed and weaved his way to an utterly one-sided ten-round decision victory over Alejandro Rodriguez at the Longshoremen’s Hall on Friday night. With the victory, a crack at a world title may be right around the corner.

Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California just had too much class for Rodriguez (12-2, 6 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to have any chance in the bout. Perez, 129 ½, gave a performance the great Willie Pep would have been proud of, as Rodriguez, 129, could not crack the code that was the Salinas resident’s defense.

Perez, the WBO #2 ranked super featherweight, won many of the rounds with his jab and defense alone. There were no openings for the tentative Rodriguez to exploit, as Perez was selective with his offense while still controlling every second of the fight.

Rodriguez was by no means an immovable object either, as he routinely jumped back two steps from every moderately stiff shot. By the seventh round, Perez began to open up for longer stretches than he had earlier in the fight, but Rodriguez offered little in return. In the eighth, Perez stunned Rodriguez with a short left hook, prompting the Mexican to hold on for a bit.

For the most part, Perez seemed satisfied putting on a boxing clinic and never really pressed for anything more. When it was all said and done, Perez had won every round, if not every minute, of the fight and all three judges handed in identical scorecards of 100-90.

With the victory, Perez successfully defended his WBO NABO Super Featherweight title and remains in line for a crack at the WBO 130-pound title holder Ricky Burns. Word after the fight was that Perez may finally get to headline an oft-talked about event in Monterey County this summer.

2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (15-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland easily outboxed Adolfo Landeros (21-19-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico en route to a six-round unanimous decision in the televised co-feature.

Russell, 128, just had too much speed for the serviceable Mexican journeyman Landeros, 128, to handle. Russell got a knockdown in the first, when he rocked Landeros with a straight left and followed with a quick combination. However, the experienced Landeros managed to cover up and survive the round. Other than that, Russell never seemed to have Landeros in any serious trouble.

The bout became more of an inside fight in the second and remained one much of the rest of the way. Landeros began to land more frequently in the third, but most of the telling blows were coming from the former U.S. Olympian. Perhaps Landeros’ best shot was an uppercut he landed that gave Russell reason to pause late in the third. Landeros followed up with two clean blows upstairs.

Throughout the fight, Landeros remained game, continuously coming forward, despite the quick hands of Russell. When Russell utilized his speed, Landeros had absolutely no chance. However, when Russell stood still and sat down on his punches, it gave Landeros the opportunity to land in spots. Even in those instances, Landeros was clearly outgunned.

The fight closed with some entertaining action in the sixth. Russell got Landeros motivated again briefly with a hard short left. With Landeros coming forward again, Russell landed a right, straight left combo that hurt the Mexican. Russell closed out the round pressuring Landeros, but the journeyman would not end the fight in retreat, deciding to throw with him, even with his back against the corner. In the end, scores read 60-53 three times for Russell.

Lamont Williams (4-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield, California regrouped from a first-round knockdown to down Juan Hernandez (1-1, 1 KO) of Redwood City, California in the same stanza before boxing his way to a four-round unanimous decision victory.

Hernandez, 197 and listed at 5’8” tall, dropped the 6’2” Williams, 194, with a right hook which came on the heels of a solid left hand. Hernandez came rushing at Williams once the fight resumed and appeared to have the Fairfield resident in some trouble. However, Williams managed to get some space and land a short right that stunned Hernandez. Williams followed up with a flurry that dropped Hernandez into the ropes, thus evening up the knockdown tally for the round.

Hernandez was clearly hurt by the knockdown, but managed to make it out of the first. Not surprisingly, Williams seemed to have the clearer head going into the second. With about a minute to go in the round, Williams caught Hernandez with a right uppercut and sent him down against the ropes with the following combination to score his second knockdown in the fight.

Over the next two rounds, Hernandez was never really able to get close enough to do the damage he did with his right hook in the first, and Williams boxed his way to the clear decision. Scores read 40-35 across the board for Williams.

In mere seconds, Jonathan Chicas (1-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco got his pro career off to a rousing start via first-round knockout of Maja Khali (0-1) of Oakland, California. Chicas, 140, scored a quick knockdown with a right, left hook combination. Khali, 139, gamely rose to his feet, but soon found himself on his knees after a well-placed left to his body put him in that position with referee Ed Collantes counting to ten in front of him. Collantes would reach the full count at the time of 1:07 of the opening round.

Increasingly locally popular brawler Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California demolished pro mixed martial artist Harry Gopaul (0-1) of Sacramento, California in about half of a round, exciting his throng of fans on hand at the Longshoremen’s Hall.

Gumina, 181, rocked Gopaul, 183, with a right hand as the two came together and traded before the sound of the opening bell had the chance to fade away into the night. Gopaul looked to tie up Gumina, but the local hero kept his right hand free and scored a knockdown with three clubbing blows. Gopaul unwisely came rushing toward Gumina as soon as referee Jon Schorle finished his eight count and was caught in an exchange of right hands that sent him down for the second time. Gopaul got back up and looked to brawl with Gumina some more, but was rocked again by a left uppercut that sent him into a corner. With Gopaul taking shots, Schorle leaped in and stopped the bout at 1:31 of the first round.

Gumina, who will be in camp with super middleweight champion Andre Ward this coming week, has a tentative fight set for July 1st at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California, but hopes to get back into the ring sooner than that.

In the closing fight of the night, which pitted two southpaws, former amateur star Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines impressively steamrolled normally durable journeyman Shaun Solomon (1-3-1) of Moreno Valley, California inside of two rounds.

Escalante, 120, was too quick and even too strong, despite giving away size to Solomon, 121 ½, who had been stopped just once in his professional career prior to Friday night. Escalante stunned Solomon with the first straight left he landed in the bout and dropped him with the same shot seconds later.

Escalante focused some of his attack on Solomon’s body to begin the second, prior to landing a left uppercut that sent the Moreno Valley resident down like a redwood. Referee Ed Collantes immediately called a halt to the bout at the time of 46 seconds of the second round. Escalante is slated to appear on the aforementioned July 1st event in Burlingame, but he may take a fight before that date as well.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — The most dangerous times for leading contenders are the fights they take while waiting for that world title shot. Super featherweight contender Eloy Perez has had a top three world ranking for sometime now, but still waits for that right opportunity to come his way. Tonight at the Longshoremen’s Hall, Perez steps into the ring against unknown once-beaten Mexican Alejandro Rodriguez, risking everything he has worked so hard for in the process. Their ten-round bout headlines the Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecast. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Radisson Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf just around the corner from where the fights take place tonight.

Perez (20-0, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California will be making the third defense of his WBO NABO Super Featherweight belt, a regional title he claimed with a fifth-round stoppage of Juan Santiago back in December 2009. It was a win that catapulted Perez into the WBO world rankings at 130-pounds. Currently, Perez sits at the WBO #2 position in the division, a spot that means the next call his manager Kathy Garcia gets could be from Scotland – the home of world champion Ricky Burns.

Before Perez can look at that possibility, he must first get past Rodriguez (12-1, 6 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Rodriguez represents that great unknown, as almost all of his fights have taken place in a small arena in Jalisco. In fact, every one of his widely reported bouts have taken place in Jalisco, while it is likely he has more fights under his belt than his listed record indicates. Rodriguez’ claim to fame, if you could call it that, was that he scored a twelve-round stoppage of a 5-0 fighter for the Jalisco State Lightweight title in August of last year. However, Rodriguez’ last win was over an 0-1 opponent, a level of opposition that will not adequately prepare anyone for Eloy Perez. Rodriguez weighed in at 129, while Perez scaled 129 ½-pounds Thursday.

In the televised co-main event, 2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (14-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland will take on long tenured Mexican journeyman Adolfo Landeros (21-18-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico in a six-round super featherweight fight. Russell had been slated to appear on a pay-per-view card last Saturday, but had several opponents fall out before finally his bout was scratched. Russell, competing for the second time this year, weighed in at 128-pounds Thursday.

Landeros (21-18-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico is as experienced as they come, and enters the bout off of a rare victory. Landeros ended an eight-fight winless streak with a four-round stoppage of usually durable Juan Jose Beltran on April 1st. Prior to the win over Beltran, the last time Landeros tasted victory was a June 2008 split decision over then unbeaten prospect Alejandro Perez. Making the win stand out even more, Perez recently bombed out contender Antonio Escalante and looks to be a player at 126-pounds. Landeros, a super bantamweight in his prime, weighed in at 128-pounds Thursday.

In the first television swing bout, now likely to make air with the announcement today that Solo Boxeo will run two hours long, San Francisco’s Jonathan Chicas will make his debut against Maja Khali of Oakland, California in a four-round light welterweight fight. Chicas has been one of the better amateurs from the Bay Area in recent years while training under Ben Bautista at San Francisco’s Straight Forward Club. Khali, also making his pro debut, weighed in at 139-pounds, while Chicas scaled 140.

In the next swing bout, former amateur standout Bruno Escalante Jr. (2-0-1, 1 KO) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines will take on tough journeyman Shaun Solomon (1-2-1) of Moreno Valley, California in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Though he does not have a glossy record, Solomon should provide Escalante with a stern test. Escalante, the 2008 National PAL Champion at 112-pounds, admittedly would be better suited for a lower weight class, but has taken fights at super bantam due to the dearth of available opponents any lower down the scale. Escalante scaled 120, while Solomon came in at 121 ½-pounds.

Exciting brawler Joe Gumina (1-0, 1 KO) of nearby San Bruno, California makes his much anticipated return to the Longshoremen’s Hall Friday against debuting Harry Gopaul of Sacramento, California in a four-round cruiserweight fight. Gumina excited the local fight fans with a first-round demolition of Jose Jesus Hurtado at the Longshoremen’s Hall in February. Gumina had planned to return to the ring in late March, but promoters in Fairfield, California had a hard time finding an opponent willing to get in the ring with the slugger. Gopaul, a professional mixed martial artist, gets the assignment tonight. Gumina weighed in at 181, while Gopaul came in at 183-pounds.

In another interesting cruiserweight attraction set for four rounds, Lamont Williams (3-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield will take on Juan Hernandez (1-0, 1 KO) of Redwood City, California. Williams comes in off of a hard-fought four-round split decision over much larger heavyweight Hector Martinez in February. A rematch had been planned between the two, before Williams was sidelined with a minor injury. Hopefully Williams is fully healed, because he may have his hands full with Hernandez, a powerhouse cruiserweight in the mold of former champion Kelvin Davis. Hernandez bombed out Seth Keeling in his debut in August of last year, but has been idle since. Hernandez scaled 197, while Williams came in at 194-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, are available online at http://theboxingtruth.vbotickets.com/events

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO NABO Super Featherweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Perez 129 ½
Rodriguez 129

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Russell Jr. 128
Landeros 128

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 140
Khali 139

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Escalante Jr. 120
Solomon 121 ½

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Gumina 181
Gopaul 183

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Williams 194
Hernandez 197

Photos by Mark Ortega

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

Featherweight prospect and 2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. will make his second ring appearance of the year this Friday night in the televised co-main event on Telefutura Solo Boxeo. Russell, who had been slated to appear on the ‘Action Heroes’ pay-per-view event this past Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada will take on long tenured journeyman Adolfo Landeros in a six-round bout.

Russell (14-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland was slated to fight on the free preview portion of the televised card at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Saturday, but had several opponents fall out before finally his bout was scratched. Russell was pegged for a step-up opponent in the form of former prospect Ira Terry, who withdrew earlier last week. Then Russell had been tabbed to me undefeated replacement opponent Sherali Dostiev, who missed his flight to Las Vegas.

Luckily for Russell, the co-feature slot had yet to be filled for this Friday’s edition of Solo Boxeo, emanating from the Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco, California. Landeros (21-18-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico is as experienced as they come, and enters the bout off of a rare victory. Landeros ended an eight-fight winless streak with a four-round stoppage of usually durable Juan Jose Beltran just eleven days ago, April 1st. Prior to that, the last Landeros victory was a June 2008 split decision over Alejandro Perez, a win that looks even better in retrospect. Perez recently bombed out contender Antonio Escalante and looks to be a contender at 126-pounds.

In the televised main event, WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez defends his WBO NABO Super Featherweight title and risks his world ranking against unknown Mexican contender Alejandro Rodriguez in a ten-rounder.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, are available online at http://theboxingtruth.vbotickets.com/events

Photo by Jim Wyatt

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

This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Golden Boy Promotions hosted a highly entertaining HBO Pay-Per-View dubbed ‘Action Heroes.’ In the main event, light welterweight contender Marcos Maidana survived a surprisingly stiff challenge from aging former champion and all-time great Erik Morales. The undercard featured several other surprises and thrills, as did the post-fight press conference, thanks in large part to the emcee work of Oscar De La Hoya.


Watch Morales-Maidana Post-Fight Press Conference in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Marcos Maidana may have turned back the challenge of Erik Morales at the MGM Hotel & Casino tonight, but it was the Mexican legend’s unexpectedly heroic performance that will undoubtedly be remembered most.

Few gave Morales (51-7, 35 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico any hope of even making the fight competitive in the days and weeks leading up to the fight. More than a few experts were fearful for Morales’ well-being. But after twelve wildly entertaining rounds, some of those same experts were calling for a rematch.

One of the top four fighters in the light welterweight division, Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina took the Mexican head on and pounded his way to the deserved majority decision.

Maidana, 140, got off to a solid start, as he forced Morales, 140, to the ropes in the very early going. Maidana found Morales’ body with his left hand and shot an uppercut that got the Mexican’s attention. Morales did land one right in the first that seemed to perk up Maidana and prompt the Argentine to close out the round throwing. Morales returned to the corner with a rapidly swelling right eye at the end of round one.

Maidana, the WBA #1 ranked light welterweight, began the second surprisingly measured, but eventually forced Morales to the ropes with a left to the body and a following combination. Morales came off the ropes throwing, and landed one right that looked good and excited the crowd.

In the third, again Maidana fought more tentatively than advertised, and may have allowed Morales to take the round with his jab and greater output. Early in the fourth, Morales landed a counter left hook that landed clean, but the round was mostly Maidana’s. If Morales’ right eye was not bad enough, he was now dealing with a cut over his left as well.

Maidana caught Morales with a right early in the fifth, but the Mexican returned fire with a combination that stopped the always fearless Maidana in his tracks. The warriors took turns rallying off flurries, but Morales landed a right uppercut that backed up Maidana. Glimpses of a younger Morales would flash intermittently throughout the fight. In one such instance, Morales made Maidana miss and countered beautifully circa 2002. Maidana walked slowly across the ring to his corner when the bell for the fifth sounded.

Each fighter had their moments in the sixth, as Morales did well early, but began to tire towards the end. Maidana came on, catching Morales clean with a looping right. Morales fired back and had Maidana in trouble before the round ended. Maidana began the seventh with a jab that staggered Morales, and took the round pretty clearly.

Morales, ranked WBA #5 entering the bout, battled back in the eighth, staggering Maidana, who rolled around behind his opponent and went for a rabbit punch. Morales came back with a one-two combination that had Maidana in trouble again. Not to be outdone, Maidana fired a right, left combination, to which Morales nodded back. Maidana tried pressuring Morales, but the Mexican warrior managed to evade the Argentine until the end of the round.

Maidana hurt Morales with a left to the body, and followed with two more to his back. Just as Maidana began to put the hurt on Morales, “El Terrible” battled back with a combination that stunned the Argentine. Morales pressured Maidana against the ropes and appeared to have Maidana in some trouble. Morales went for a wild punch that missed and forced his head through the ropes. Maidana, who had been rough and somewhat dirty, missed an opportunity to capitalize. By the end of the ninth, Morales’ right eye was not only swollen shut, but a large knot was forming around the socket.

Morales continued to keep the fight in close in the tenth, landing a right. Morales caught Maidana lazily waiting for a break with an overhand right, and followed with a left uppercut. Maidana was forced back to the ropes, but landed a stiff left that had Morales in trouble before the bell.

Another Maidana left hurt Morales in the eleventh. Just when everything was going his way, Maidana gassed out and stood winded, looking to gain a breath. But the 2011 version of Morales could not take advantage of the moment, and Maidana came on to close out the round strong.

Another right rocked Morales to start the twelfth, but it was the Mexican that got the best of the following exchange. As the round came to an end, it was Marcos Maidana that pulled an Erik Morales – throwing everything right at the ten second warning for the final bell. HBO’s unofficial scorer Harold Lederman had the fight a draw, as did one of the official scorers. But alas, the potentially monumental upset was not to be, as Maidana took the other two cards 116-112.

At the post-fight press conference, promoter Oscar De La Hoya pointed the finger at some of those media members who talked down the fight when it was made and said, “I told you so.” De La Hoya stated he would like to put together the Maidana-Morales rematch, something both Maidana and Morales seemed to welcome.

In a thrilling action fight, Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) of Gilroy, California waged war for twelve rounds with Michael Katsidis (27-4, 22 KOs) of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It was the type of fight Katsidis has become known for, but this time he met up with a stronger and more scientifically skilled foe in Guerrero, who came away with a wide unanimous decision to claim two interim titles.

Guerrero, the WBA #1/WBO #1/IBF #4 ranked lightweight entering the bout, flexed his muscle early and often. Determined as always, Katsidis, the WBA #2/WBO #3 ranked 135-pounder, came forward and was effective in spots, especially when Guerrero could be enticed to go blow-for-blow.

In the second round, Katsidis rocked Guerrero with a left. When Guerrero fell back, it appeared that his right glove touched the canvas. It was not ruled a knockdown by referee Russell Mora, who may have felt the fall was the result of contact between their feet. Whatever the cause, it seemed to provoke Guerrero into a firefight. Guerrero comes back with two hard lefts inside.

After a close third round, Guerrero was rocked by a straight right in the fourth, which kicked off another fiery exchange. The momentum of the fight began to turn more heavily in Guerrero’s favor in the fifth, as the three-time champion wobbled Katsidis with a straight left. Still on unsteady legs, Katsidis fired back, but Guerrero was clearly getting the better of the exchange.

In the eighth, the referee got unnecessarily involved after a stray low blow from Katsidis. Though it did not appear flagrant, a point was deducted from Katsidis for the infraction. Motivated to get the point back, Katsidis went for Guerrero’s body, which seemed to be taking an effect. One stray shot, prompted the referee to stop the action and deduct another point from Katsidis, which gave Guerrero time and effectively end the Aussie’s rally. Somewhat comically, the referee Mora seemed to make up for one of the Katsdis deductions by taking a point from Guerrero in the following round for an inadvertent low blow.

The action continued through the tenth, before Guerrero got back out at range and boxed Katsidis in the eleventh. Katsidis came out determined in the twelfth and caught Guerrero with one stiff shot before Guerrero took back over and closed out the fight landing the harder blows again. By scores of 118-107, 118-106 and 117-108, Guerrero claimed the interim versions of both the WBA and WBO Light Welterweight titles.

Former WBA Interim Light Middleweight titleholder Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2, 8 KOs) of Osaka, Osaka, Japan scored three first round knockdowns in an unbelievable upset over James Kirkland (27-1, 24 KOs) of Las Vegas. Kirkland, 158, fighting for the third time in a month after a two-year absence, came right out at Ishida, 158. The much taller Japanese import met him square on and took some decent shots.

Kirkland, already the WBO #4 ranked middleweight despite fighting complete fall guys in his two previous bouts this year, stepped right into a straight right from Ishida that dropped him and silenced the crowd. Ishida, the usually light-punching WBA #4 ranked junior middle, dropped Kirkland a second time with another right. Despite moving on wobbly legs, Kirkland still came forward throwing punches. It was an unwise move, as Ishida came straight with a third right to score a third and final knockdown.

With the three knockdown rule in effect, referee Joe Cortez waved off the fight at the 1:52 mark of the first. Afterwards, Kirkland claimed he was not hurt, and that his trips to the canvas (there were three of them) were flash knockdowns. With the victory, Ishida immediately becomes a player at junior middleweight. With the loss, the talk of Kirkland fighting Sergio Martinez for the middleweight crown looks pretty foolish in retrospect.

Paul Malignaggi (29-4, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York jabbed and move his way to a wide unanimous ten-round decision over undersized Jose Miguel Cotto (32-3-1, 24 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Cotto, 147, came out firing in the first and had Malignaggi, 147, in retreat for much of the round. Towards the end of the second, Cotto roughed up Malignaggi with a few right hands. However, by the third round, Malignaggi, the IBF #11/WBO #12 ranked welterweight, settled in to his usual stick-and-move style took over control of the bout.

Cotto, the WBO #11 ranked light welterweight, could not get into range for most of the fight, as Malignaggi moved three steps back anytime the Puerto Rican took one forward. By the late rounds, what steam Cotto carried up to welterweight had mostly come off of his punches, so when he did get his one shot in, it did not have close to the same effect it had early in the contest.

Unable to get in on Malignaggi, Cotto attempted to lure the former champion to him by languishing against the ropes. It was a tactic that did nothing but maybe give both men a short rest, as Malignaggi did not take the bait. In the end, Malignaggi won comfortably by scores of 97-93 and 99-91 twice. With the victory, Malignaggi gained a small measure of revenge over the Cotto family, as younger brother Miguel broke his right cheekbone en route to issuing him his first defeat back in 2003.

Emerging light welterweight contender Danny Garcia (21-0, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia Pennsylvania did everything better, faster and harder on his way to a ten-round unanimous decision over faded former champion Nate Campbell (33-8-1, 25 KOs) of Jacksonville, Florida.

Garcia, 139, showed the poise of a veteran throughout a classy performance. Campbell, 140, did a little showboating and posturing, but never committed to any serious offensive attack. Garcia, the WBC #9 ranked light welterweight, was not baited by any of Campbell’s tactics, even remaining composed when the veteran took a swing at him long after the bell to end round nine. In the end, all three judges had the fight wide for Garcia, by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.

With his decisive victory, Garcia looks to be more than ready for the next level of competition. Campbell on the other hand appears to be comfortable in playing the role of opponent at this stage of his career. Campbell had announced his retirement after a loss to journeyman Walter Estrada last November before returning to the ring for tonight’s bout.

2008 Russian Olympic Gold Medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev (9-0, 7 KOs) of Hamburg, Germany by way of Tobolsk, Russia continued rolling as a professional with a measured performance en route to a third-round knockout of journeyman Harvey Jolly (11-16-1, 6 KOs) of Adrian, Michigan.

Chakhiev, 203, pressured and chased Jolly, 203, around the ring for the most part. In the second, Chakhiev was credited with a knockdown when he forced Jolly to hunch over from a body shots. Although Jolly did not go down, he was not defending himself and referee Joe Cortez separated the fighters to administer a standing eight count. Finally in the third, Chakhiev landed the power shot he was looking for, an overhand right that sent Jolly down. The journeyman opted to sit out Cortez’ ten count, with the stoppage coming at 2:18 of the third.

In the opener, heralded former amateur star Mikael Zewski (9-0, 5 KOs) of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada had all he could handle in the form of rugged swinger Clint Coronel (4-2-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California in a six-round split decision victory.

Despite his solid amateur background, Zewski, 151, opted to stand and trade with Coronel, 151, who knows how to do little else. It turned out to be a solid scrap, with Coronel winning over the small crowd and rocking Zewski in the final round. In the end, two judges inexplicably had each fighter a shutout winner, 60-54. The third judge had the fight 59-55 for Zewski, thus maintaining his unbeaten mark.

Photo courtesy Golden Boy Promotions

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

IBF #6 ranked lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo is in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend, taking in the anticipated Erik Morales-Marcos Maidana HBO Pay-Per-View event at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino tonight. Escobedo (23-3, 14 KOs) of Woodland, California is a knowledgeable observer, considering he fought both co-main event participants, Robert Guerrero and Michael Katsidis, and was in negotiations to fight Morales some time back. Escobedo, who was also presented with the Cinturon Tecate title for getting the most votes via text message during Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecasts as the boxer who displayed the most character, weighed in on both of tonight’s fights with 15rounds.com.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Beloved Mexican boxing icon Erik Morales returns to Las Vegas as a long shot to knock off fearsome puncher Marcos Maidana with a vacant interim title at stake to headline an event dubbed ‘Action Heroes’ at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino tonight. Fighters for the HBO Pay-Per-View event weighed in Friday at the same venue where the fight will be taking place tonight.

The match-up has many questioning aloud Morales’ readiness for such stiff competition and worrying about his well-being. Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico returned to the ring a year ago last March, and has scored three wins against mid-level opposition. Morales, the WBA #5 ranked light welterweight, won over the hearts of Mexican fans everywhere over his long career with his aggressive and fiery style. Though he is a classy boxer when he wishes to be, he has a penchant for trading once the action heats up and the crowd gets into it. It is a penchant that could get him in serious trouble tonight. Morales weighed in at 140 Friday, bearing no resemblance to the anorexic guy that used to make 122-pounds.

Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina claimed the interim WBA title which is at stake tonight back in June of 2009 with an upset of Victor Ortiz and made three defenses before running into full champion Amir Khan last December. It is Maidana’s obscene knockout percentage that has many worried about Morales’ health. If there is one thing to pick out on Maidana’s resume that could give Morales supporters hope it would be the Argentine’s off night against DeMarcus Corley last August. Even though he won a clear decision, Maidana struggled with the classy boxer in a bout that went the full twelve. Maidana, the WBA #1 ranked light welterweight, weighed in at 140-pounds.

In the fight most insiders are predicting will steal the show, Robert Guerrero (28-1-1, 18 KOs) of Gilroy, California will take on Michael Katsidis (27-3, 22 KOs) of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia in a twelve-rounder with two interim belts on the line.

Guerrero, the WBA #1/WBO #1/IBF #4 ranked lightweight, appears to be on the cusp of breaking through as a major player in the sport and an impressive victory over Katsidis would go a long way in making that happen. In Katsidis, the WBA #2/WBO #3 ranked 135-pounder, Guerrero has an adversary that could make for a thrilling war, which is the type of fight that could launch the Gilroy native into stardom. Guerrero claimed titles at featherweight and super feather before abdicating the latter title for a move up to 135-pounds a year ago. Guerrero came in at 134-pounds Friday.

Katsidis is a blood and guts warrior in the mold of the late Arturo Gatti. Katsidis, a former WBO Interim Lightweight titleholder, has tripped up at the elite level, but always given a good account of himself in those situations. Does Robert Guerrero represent the elite level of the sport? That is the question that will be answered tonight. Katsidis, who unveiled a beach bum character throughout fight week, donning sunglasses and suntan lotion on his nose, scaled 134 as well. If you try to keep on the crazy title belt situation, this fight is for both the WBO and WBA interim versions of the lightweight crown. Juan Manuel Marquez holds the more recognized versions of both those titles.

In his first test since regaining his freedom after a 17-month prison term, former rising star James Kirkland (27-0, 24 KOs) of Las Vegas take on former interim belt holder Nobuhiro Ishida (22-6-2, 7 KOs) of Osaka, Osaka, Japan in an eight-round middleweight attraction. Kirkland returned to action for the first time in two years just one month ago and has already scored two quick stoppage victories. However, the former junior middleweight contender did look rusty in his last outing on March 18th, which ultimately ended in the second round.

Ishida, who claimed the WBA Interim Light Middleweight title in 2009 before dropping it to Rigoberto Alvarez by split decision last October, does have a sizeable height and reach advantage over the power-punching Kirkland. The loss to Alvarez was Ishida’s only fight outside of Japan, and it was a loss. Kirkland, already the WBO #4 ranked middleweight, and Ishida, the WBA #4 ranked junior middle, both scaled 158-pounds Friday.

The always colorful Paul Malignaggi (28-4, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York, who takes on Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-1, 24 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico in the ten-round pay-per-view opener, stole the show at Friday’s weigh-in, as came out painted up like a golden Green Lantern, spandex shorts and all. The former 140-pound title holder is now campaigning at welterweight and will take on the diminutive brother of Miguel Cotto in his second fight at the new weight class.

Cotto, who was underpowered as a lightweight title challenger, did rock current 154-pound titlist Saul Alvarez early in their meeting last May before succumbing to a ninth-round stoppage. Malignaggi has a history with the Cotto family, having fought Jose’s brother Miguel to a twelve-round decision defeat in a war back in 2006. Malignaggi, the IBF #11/WBO #12 ranked welter, and Cotto, the WBO #11 ranked light welterweight, both scaled the 147-pound welterweight limit Friday.

Fast-rising light welterweight contender Danny Garcia (20-0, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia Pennsylvania looks to embellish his reputation a victory over faded former unified lightweight champion Nate Campbell (33-7-1, 25 KOs) of Jacksonville, Florida in a ten-rounder that will be televised just before the pay-per-view hits the air at 6 o’clock.

Garcia has been on a knockout tear over the last year, most notably knocking out former title contender Mike Arnaoutis last October. Campbell retired after a shocking loss to journeyman Walter Estrada via split decision last November. Garcia is expected to get the victory, but a win over Campbell will look good on your resume nonetheless. Garcia, the WBC #9 ranked light welterweight, scaled 139, while Campbell came in at 140-pounds.

In the heavyweight attraction, former international amateur star Rakhim Chakhkiev (9-0, 7 KOs) of Hamburg, Germany by way of Tobolsk, Russia takes on journeyman Harvey Jolly (11-16-1, 6 KOs) of Adrian, Michigan. Chakhiev, who is apparently moving down to cruiserweight, weighed in at 203-pounds, as did Jolly.

In the scheduled curtain raiser, touted former amateur star Mikael Zewski (8-0, 5 KOs) of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada takes on west coast tough guy Clint Coronel (4-1-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California in a six-round light middleweight fight. Zewski and Coronel both weighed in at 151-pounds.

2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (14-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland was slated to fight on the free preview portion of the televised card, but had several opponents fall out before finally his bout was scratched. Russell was originally pegged to fight Ira Terry, and his replacement opponent Sherali Dostiev missed his flight to Las Vegas.

According to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, a late replacement opponent for undefeated Omar Figueroa (10-0, 8 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas that was matched late Thursday also missed his flight. Originally tabbed opponent John Figueroa fell out early Thursday.

Ivan Morales (9-0, 5 KOs) of Tijuana, a southpaw that bares a striking resemblance to his older brother Erik, never had an opponent scheduled and fell off of the card.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Box Latino and Universum Box Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Interim Light Middleweight Championship, 12 rounds
Morales 140
Maidana 140

WBA Interim Lightweight Championship
WBO Interim Lightweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Guerrero 134
Katsidis 134

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Kirkland 158
Ishida 158

Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Malignaggi 147
Cotto 147

Light Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Garcia 139
Campbell 140

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Chakhkiev 203
Jolly 203

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Zewski 151
Coronel 151

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

PRIMM, NEVADA — Former world champion Vivian Harris remained on his stool after a rough first-round against Jessie Vargas Friday night at the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino. When referee Joe Cortez made his way into the corner, Harris informed the official he was not continuing in the bout. Moments after the loss, his third in a row, Harris announced he was hanging up the gloves on his Facebook page.

“Just lost my fight [and] I am done with boxing because I [can’t] get a fight at the weight I want to,” said Harris, referring to his desire to fight at 147-pounds. “Boxing gave me a lot, thanks to all my fans.”

Harris’ post came roughly 45 minutes after he had left the ring. Harris (29-6-1, 19 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Georgetown, Guyana had told 15rounds.com prior to Thursday’s weigh-in that he had been planning to fight at welterweight, but all his offers came in for light welterweight opposition. “I want to go up to 147, because making 140 was definitely a hard thing for me to do,” admitted Harris Thursday. “But I have to take the fight because I have a family to feed and I can’t just sit at home or at the gym training. I have to pay the bills and I have a mortgage to pay and stuff like that. That’s why when the fights come at 140 I have to take it.”

Harris claimed the WBA Light Welterweight title in 2002 with an eye-opening second round stoppage over Diosbelys Hurtado. Harris would make three defenses before a shocking knockout loss to Carlos Maussa, who had replaced Arturo Morua on short notice, in 2005. Though he notched a couple victories on the comeback trail, Harris never regained the career momentum he had heading into the Maussa bout.

Harris would be stopped by Junior Witter in a failed attempt at the WBC version of the 140-pound title, a fight that the Guyana-born former champion had been the favorite among boxing insiders. Two fights later, Harris collapsed in the ring after a second-round headbutt against Noe Bolanos in Tucson, Arizona. In his three fights since, Harris has been stopped inside the distance each time.

While retirements made in the immediate aftermath of a tough loss rarely stick, this writer hopes Harris is one of the exceptions to the rule. The former champion made a good run and one can only hope that he finds life outside the ring to be just as rewarding as his time as a champion.

Photo by Mark Ortega

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

PRIMM, NEVADA — Rising light welterweight Jessie Vargas announced his arrival with a stoppage of former world champion Vivian Harris in the televised main event of Telefutura Solo Boxeo emanating from the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino on Friday night. The bout ended after the first round when Harris remained on his stool, a decision that may effectively end his career, or at minimum its relevancy.

Vargas (15-0, 8 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada stunned Harris (29-6-1, 19 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Georgetown, Guyana with the first shot he threw, a solid left hook. Vargas’ body attack clearly bothered Harris, 145, from the outset as well. Vargas, 143, allowed himself to get backed into the ropes briefly, but the Las Vegan quickly turned the situation around, landing a body shot that hurt Harris again.

Seconds later, Vargas landed a right that may have found Harris high on the head which ruined the former WBA Light Welterweight titleholder’s equilibrium. When action resumed, Vargas dug to Harris’ body before following with a straight right. The blow dropped Harris on the seat of his pants to the bottom rope, but with the bell ringing, referee Joe Cortez opted to not rule a knockdown. It proved to be academic, as Harris informed Cortez that he would not be continuing in the bout. According to Harris’ corner, it was completely their fighter’s decision to stop the contest.

With the victory, Vargas has a good name on his resume that could make him viable for an opportunity with a name fighter and perhaps a world ranking. Unfortunately for Harris, it appears to be the end of the line. A career that was so promising in 2003 has sputtered sharply downward. Harris had trouble making the contracted 144-pounds at yesterday’s weigh-in, taking the scale four times to get down to 145. Harris had said he wanted to fight as a welterweight, but needed to take the fights that he was offered in order to take care of his financial responsibilities. It is a formula that may lead Harris unwisely back into the ring.

Eddie Gomez (4-0, 3 KOs) of the Bronx, New York was not the aggressive puncher we have seen on television for his first three pro bouts, but he still outclassed Roberto Lopez (4-2-2, 1 KO) of Kissimmee, Florida in the six-round co-feature. Gomez, 150.5, did put the hurt on Lopez, 150.5, late in the opening round. The left hook was his primary effective weapon throughout the fight and it did the damage early. Gomez stunned Lopez with it, forcing the San Diego resident into the ropes for a damaging flurry of mostly lefts.

Somewhat inexplicably Gomez turned into a mover in the second round, and remained one thru most of the middle rounds. Gomez hurt Lopez in the third, as he uncorked a left hook and followed up with a flurry along the ropes. Gomez connected with two more left hooks before getting back on his toes and moving around the ring. In the end, Gomez was the unanimous winner by scores of 60-53, 59-55 and 59-54.

In an upset of sorts, power-punching prospect Bastie Samir (10-0-1, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Accra, Ghana was held to a six-round draw by Lester Gonzalez (11-3-2, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Havana, Cuba. Samir revealed plenty of defensive faults, but that may have been due to his low level of respect for Gonzalez’ power. In stretches it was an exciting fight, but in others it was not.

The free-swinging Samir, 161.5, was caught clean in several exchanges, but it was clear that Gonzalez, 163, was no puncher. The action really heated up in the third round, as neither fighter had any regard for defense and traded wildly. Samir was caught clean plenty, but did not appear to be too affected. Gonzalez, game, especially in the early going, landed a few wild swings himself.

The pace slowed in the middle rounds, but Samir appeared to be getting the more damaging punches through. Gonzalez was less and less willing to trade, before turning up the aggression in the sixth and final round. In the end, two judges had it 58-56 each way. The third judge made the draw with a 57-57 scorecard.

In a sloppy, but entertaining slugfest, Alexander Flores (4-0, 2 KOs) of Rowland Heights, California scored a minor upset over Quadtrine Hill (4-2, 1 KO) of Hollywood, California via four-round unanimous decision. Hill 219.5, you may recall was on the cover of ESPN The Magazine back in December of 2009, due to his status as a former University of Miami fullback and NFL practice squader. Flores, 225.5, decided he was not going to stick to the script, and he outslugged Hill en route to the decision by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice. Flores’ ability to make the off balance Hill pay for his mistakes was the difference.

In the opener, Paul Green (2-1) of Compton, California outworked Kai Zama (5-3, 3 KOs) of Costa Mesa, California by way of Tokyo, Japan over four rounds in what ended up being scored a split decision. Green, 136.5, was the quicker and flashier boxer in the bout. Zama, 139, moved forward and made a fight, but appeared to be outworked in just about every round. One judge favored Zama, 39-37. The other two judges had the fight for the winner Green, 39-37.

In a rousing walkout bout, Tatini Anderson (3-1-1, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas fought returning Lissette Medel (2-1-1) of Maywood, California to a four-round majority draw. Affectionately referred to as Mini Tyson, Anderson, 139, had the clear power edge, especially early. Medel, 138, was nothing if not game, especially considering she was ending a four-and-a-third year layoff.

Fighting in a Tyson-esque style, Anderson landed well and often in the first. Medel managed to back her to the ropes, but Anderson quickly landed a right that forced the Maywood native back to center ring. Medel landed a left that caught Anderson flush early in the second, and Anderson responded with a flurry to the body. However, Anderson’s punches seemed to have lost a little steam by the end of the round.

After a solid back-and-forth third round, which may have been edged by Anderson, both females opened up to start the fourth. Before ring announcer Joe Martinez could finishing telling everyone ringside that it was the fourth and final round, Anderson and Medel were going toe-to-toe, trading heavy shots. In the end, one judge had it for Anderson, 39-37, but was overruled by the other two, 38-38.

Promoter Roy Englebrecht informed the media that should both combatants be willing to do a rematch, he would attempt to put it together for his May 19th event at the Hyatt Regency Irvine in Irvine, California. After the fight, members of Medel’s team informed this writer that Anderson’s side already turned down the immediate rematch. That information is unverified as of press time.

Tonight’s card was a special edition of the “Fight Club Primm” series, which normally features both boxing and mixed martial arts. Roy Englebrecht Promotions will team with Golden Boy Promotions for another special edition of the series at Buffalo Bill’s on July 9th. When tickets go on sale, they will be made available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Delays

Not to close on a sour note after an excellent night of action, but something that requires mentioning, even though it is common practice for televised boxing events, would be the delays television crews cause in the flow of an event for the audience on hand.

Several TV-related delays occurred around the second fight of the night, the heavyweight clash between Alexander Flores and Quadtrine Hill. The fight was delayed several times after Flores entered the ring. The reason for a delay of close to ten minutes was that the TV crew needed time to film a segment, but the live show was continuing on regardless. After some confusion, Hill came out to the ring, but the fight was still held up for television taping. After another five minute pause to allow the cameramen to get into taping position of the introductions, the fight took place.

After the final televised fight ended, the women’s attraction remained, but production caused a delay in the start of that bout as well. Promoter Roy Englebrecht, clearly bothered by the delays, informed the TV crew that they needed to wrap up so that the fighters could come to the ring. Finally Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer ordered the next fight out, ending the delay.

The issue of balancing producing a televised event, while still keeping the house crowd entertained – and not halting the flow of the show – has become a consistent problem and one that has become more and more noticeable in recent weeks. This issue is something the powers that be in the sport need to address if they wish to keep fans coming thru the turnstiles instead of turning on their television.

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

Former WBA Light Welterweight titleholder Vivian Harris takes on undefeated Jessie Vargas tonight at the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada. Their ten-round bout headlines Telefutura Solo Boxeo. Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Georgetown, Guyana is in need of a victory if he hopes to remain relevant. The former champion spoke to 15rounds.com about the fight and his desire to campaign at welterweight just before stepping on the scale Thursday night. It would take Harris four attempts, but he did make 145-pounds, which was one pound over the contracted weight. In Nevada, fighters are allowed be one-pound over in non-title bouts.

Light welterweight prospect Jessie Vargas has his sights set on a top ten ranking, and a victory over former titleholder Vivian Harris tonight at the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada would go a long way in making that goal a reality. Vargas (14-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada spoke to 15rounds.com about the ten-round Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event just before weighing in Thursday night.

PRIMM, NEVADA — Rising light welterweight prospect Jessie Vargas aims to add the name of former world champion Vivian Harris to his resume before a hometown crowd at the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino. Their intriguing ten-round clash is the featured main event of tonight’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecast. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the casino’s Star of the Desert Arena, where tonight’s action takes place.

Vargas (14-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada has built his reputation mostly against the usual list of suspects, but has the opportunity to raise a few eyebrows if he can impressively defeat Harris, who only a few years ago was a serious contender. Vargas had hoped to get in the ring with a former champion in his last bout, but Jose Armando Santa Cruz was ruled out and replaced by journeyman Cristian Favela on short notice. Vargas ended up notching an eight-round unanimous decision victory in that fight last October.

Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Georgetown, Guyana looked to have the potential as a force at 140-pounds when he knocked off veteran WBA Light Welterweight titleholder Diosbelys Hurtado in the second-round back in October of 2002. Harris made three defenses before his steady decline began with an upset knockout defeat to unheralded Carlos Maussa in June of 2005, just as his name was being mentioned for a possible showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Harris’ last outing, a devastating third-round knockout to Victor Ortiz last September, has led some to question whether or not he should continue fighting. A loss to Vargas tonight would definitely relegate him to the opponent category, but a win would go a long way in making him a more viable entity once more.

Thursday’s main event weigh-in provided more entertainment value than was advertised. Vargas came in a pound under the contracted 144-pound catchweight for tonight’s ten-round bout, but on his initial try Harris scaled 146.5-pounds. Vargas’ team, led by former world champion Cornelius Boza Edwards, insisted that Harris lose one-and-a-half pounds (in Nevada there is a one pound leeway for non-title bouts). An hour later Harris returned and took to the scale in the nude, but was still over at 145.2-pounds. Boza Edwards still insisted that Harris lose the .2-pounds. After a third and fourth try, Harris came in at 145-pounds, thus avoiding paying out a percentage of his purse in fines.

Light middleweight prospect Eddie Gomez (3-0, 3 KOs) of the Bronx, New York will take on Roberto Lopez (4-1-2, 1 KO) of Kissimmee, Florida in the six-round co-feature. Gomez, a former New York Golden Gloves Champion, will be making his U.S. debut as a professional after scoring three exciting stoppages on Puerto Rican soil this past winter. Lopez was undefeated prior to his last outing, a six-round decision defeat to now 10-0 Jake Giuriceo last September. Gomez and Lopez both weighed in at 150.5-pounds.

Bastie Samir (10-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Accra, Ghana will take on Lester Gonzalez (11-3-1, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Havana, Cuba in a six-round middleweight bout. Samir, who is trained by the respected Kenny Adams, has literally blown through his competition. Only one fighter, tough guy Loren Myers, has taken him past the third round. Gonzalez, currently on a three-fight skid against solid competition, has failed to last the distance just once in his career, but that came in his most recent fight. Samir came in at 161.5-pounds, while Gonzalez made the contracted 163 right on the nose.

In the featured women’s attraction of the evening, the powerfully-built Tatini Anderson (3-1, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas will meet Lissette Medel (2-1) of Maywood, California in a four-round light welterweight bout. Anderson, who was affectionately refereed to as Little Tyson at the weigh-in, scored three straight knockout victories before dropping a decision to Kuulei Kupihea almost exactly one year ago. Medel, who did not appear to be intimidated by Anderson’s muscular build, has not fought in over four years. Anderson weighed in at 139-pounds, while Medal came in at 138.

Former ESPN The Magazine cover boy Quadtrine Hill (4-1, 1 KO) of Hollywood, California looks to keep his winning streak going against Alexander Flores (3-0, 2 KOs) of Rowland Heights, California in a four-round pairing of heavyweights. Hill has posted three straight decision wins since admittedly running out of gas and getting stopped last September by Yohan Banks on pay-per-view. Flores, who turned pro in March of 2010, weighed in at 225.5-pounds. Hill, who has been training at the Wild Card Boxing Club since relocating from Florida, weighed in at 219.5-pounds, which is the lowest of his career.

Paul Green (1-1) of Compton, California takes on Kai Zama (5-2, 3 KOs) of Costa Mesa, California by way of Tokyo, Japan in a four-round light welterweight bout. Zama, who scaled 139, will be making his U.S. debut, as he has fought entirely in Japan until now. Zama’s last outing was a four-round decision defeat to Mitsumasa Takahashi last August. Green, who weighed in at 136.5-pounds, fought just last month, dropping a four-round decision to Juan Reyes in Tustin, California.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Vargas 143
Harris 145*

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Gomez 150.5
Lopez 150.5

Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Samir 161.5
Gonzalez 163

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Hill 219.5
Flores 225.5

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Anderson 139
Medel 138

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Green 136.5
Zama 139

*Harris made weight on his fourth attempt, originally scaling 146.5

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Three years ago Alejandro Perez was an emerging undefeated prospect with the backing of a powerful promoter, but one slip up derailed his rise. With an eye-opening first-round stoppage of world ranked Antonio Escalante Friday night at the Fairfield Sports Center, Perez appears ready to fulfill the promise of years passed.

Escalante (24-4, 15 KOs) of El Paso, Texas by way of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico is normally a forward-moving brawler, but did little of either in the one round of action Friday. The strategy played into the hands of Perez (15-2-1, 10 KOs) of Salinas, California, who was able to time the movement of Escalante’s left hand. Midway through the round, Perez, 130, jabbed and missed Escalante, 130, with an overhand right by several inches. Though the combination failed to accomplish its mission, the idea behind it was correct.

Escalante continued to keep his lead hand held at his waistline, and when Perez jabbed downstairs a second time, it brought the Texan’s left down even further, setting up the overhand right that landed flush on his jaw and ended the fight. Escalante, who hit the back of his head hard on the mat, sat up before signaling to referee Ed Collantes that he could not continue. Time of the stoppage was 2:57 of round one.

Perez, who had fought at 122-pounds nearly his entire career, had been scheduled to fight last Friday against featherweight prospect Ronny Rios in Costa Mesa, California. Soon after that fight fell out, Perez was offered Escalante at super featherweight. Although he carried his power all the way up the scale, Perez plans to drop back down to the 126-pound featherweight division.

Despite having just scored the biggest win of his career, which played to a national television audience on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo, Perez could not be goaded into calling out one of the marquee names of the featherweight division. “I am just taking it one day at a time,” says Perez. “I can say I want to fight this person or that person, but only time will tell. Whatever comes our way, we will sit down and make a decision.”

For Escalante, who entered the fight the IBF #6/WBO #14 ranked featherweight, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which he becomes a viable contender again any time in the near future. The loss to Perez marked the second straight early round kayo loss of his career, the first coming at the hands of former champion Daniel Ponce De Leon last September.

In the competitively matched co-feature, Clint Coronel (4-1-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California came away with a six-round split decision nod over journeyman Carlos Musquez (3-5-3, 3 KOs) of Sacramento, California.

Neither fighter may be craftiest or quickest pugilist you ever saw, but both Coronel and Musquez bring their hard hat and lunch pail, planning to put in the work for however many rounds they are scheduled. The naturally larger Coronel, 150 ½, did his best work when he gave himself enough room to score with his looping overhand right, which was the showiest punch continually landed in the bout.

Despite his apparent height and strength disadvantages, Musquez, 149 ½, was effective pressing Coronel and landing in combination to the San Jose resident’s body. Several of the rounds were hard to score, as each had their moments in most every round. In the end, two judges preferred Coronel by the scores of 59-56 and 58-56. The lone dissenting judge had it for Musquez, 58-56.

Former amateur standout Manuel Avila (3-0, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California scored three knockdowns in under two completed rounds to halt Frank Gutierrez (2-9-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California

Avila, 121, boxed cautiously before landing a straight right midway through the first round. The tentative southpaw Gutierrez, 120, flicked out a jab, but offered little else that might prevent Avila from utilizing any of the weapons in his arsenal. When Gutierrez lunged forward awkwardly, Avila landed two lefts that forced his foe to stumble to the mat for the first knockdown of the fight late in the first.

Gutierrez made it out of the round, but found himself deposited on the mat by a short counter left seconds into the second. Gutierrez returned to his feet before unwisely leaving out a lazy jab moments later. Avila seized the opening, sending out a laser right that dropped Gutierrez a third and final time. Referee Ray Balewicz waved off the fight without a count at 59 seconds of the second round.

Unfortunately for the television audience at home, the fight of the night did not make air as former amateur standout Guy Robb (3-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento battled debuting Manuel Morales (0-1) of Orosi, California tooth and nail en route to a well earned four-round majority decision victory.

One punch that was there all night for Robb, 131, was his straight right, which was the first telling blow he landed early in the first. Morales, 136, let it be known right then that he was not going to be an easy out. Morales charged inside, and forced Robb to fight from the ropes. Robb, though clearly the more schooled boxer, opted to trade from the ropes rather than spin out and box at a distance. Just as Morales appeared to be coming on, Robb uncorked left on the inside that bucked the Orosi native nearly down to a knee right at the bell.

Although Morales had come in heavier, three pounds over the contracted weight, Robb looked bigger and was clearly the stronger puncher. Neither of those facts deterred Morales, as he continued to press Robb throughout the fight. Robb may have been a little out of his comfort zone, but he seemed to be enjoying the toe-to-toe action nonetheless. Robb’s power-punching and ability to shorten up his punches on the inside gave him the edge in rounds two and three.

Undeterred, Morales broke through with some clean shots of his own late in the fourth. After the final bell, fans ringside applauded both fighters. One judge had the fight even, 38-38, but was overruled by the other two official scorers who had Robb a shutout winner, 40-36.

What looked to be a physical mismatch proved to be just that, as Trevor McCumby (2-0, 2 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona wasted no time in dispatching Nathan Ortiz (0-2) of Crystal River, Florida in the opening contest of the night. Hands held low, McCumby, 183, moved in and pressed the stocky Ortiz, 182, from the outset.

McCumby, the 2010 Under 19 National Champion at light heavyweight, punctuated an unanswered series of blows with a left hook to score the inevitable knockdown. The fight continued as the wobbly-legged Oritz managed to make it to his feet. However, with their man taking punches along the ropes, Ortiz’ corner signaled for referee Ray Balewicz to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:13 of the first round.

Super bantamweight prospect Roman Morales (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Ardo, California put his wide arrange of abilities on display for four-rounds in a unanimous decision over durable Danny Pantoja (0-4-2) of Fairfield. Pantoja, 125, never stopped trying, but was simply outgunned in every way.

Morales, 123, never changed his expression as he systematically picked Pantoja apart from round one. Morales’ well-timed counter right started the damage midway through the first, opening Pantoja up for a series of clean headshots along the ropes. Pantoja turned defensive and was countered with a chopping right before round’s end.

Over the course of the following three rounds, Morales pulled many of his tools out of the toolbox. The former amateur champion switched to southpaw and back, boxed in spots, landed punches from multiple angles and mixed up his power shots from body to head and vice versa. To his credit, Pantoja never went completely defensive, as he fought back in spots, perhaps hoping to land that one Hail Mary shot that could turn around the fight. It never came as Morales took the decision 40-36 on all three official cards.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/StephanieTrapp.com

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — An intriguing crossroads battle headlines tonight’s edition of Telefutura Solo Boxeo, as world ranked contender Antonio Escalante attempts to rebound from a devastating kayo against fellow exciting action fighter Alejandro Perez at the Fairfield Sports Center. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the Courtyard by Marriott Fairfield Napa Valley Area in Fairfield.

Escalante (24-3, 15 KOs) of El Paso, Texas by way of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico was last seen in action in September when he took on former champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in a WBO Featherweight title eliminator. Unfortunately for Escalante the power-punching Ponce De Leon proved to be too much, and the fight ended in a brutal third-round knockout loss. Escalante, still the IBF #6/WBO #14 ranked 126-pounder, has opted to move up to super featherweight for this fight.

Much like Escalante, Perez (14-2-1, 9 KOs) of Salinas, California has been known for providing entertaining fights, and much like Escalante, he looks to rebound from a loss. Perez has been out of the ring since dropping an eight-round decision to emerging contender Rico Ramos in November 2009. Perez had planned to move up to featherweight and take on undefeated prospect Ronny Rios last week, but soon after that fight fell out, he was offered the crack at Escalante in a fight one weight class further up the scale.

Weight became a storyline to tonight’s main event at yesterday’s weigh-in. When originally approached for the fight, Perez was asked to sign for a 132-pound catchweight bout. When Perez said that was too heavy, Escalante’s team agreed to 130-pounds and the fight was a go. However, when Escalante first took the scales he came in at 132-pounds, while Perez made 130.

Escalante did sweat off the two extra pounds and make 130 within the two hour time frame allotted by the California State Athletic Commission, but had he not the fight could have been in jeopardy. “He came in two pounds heavier than I did,” said Perez after Escalante’s initial attempt. “I made the sacrifice to lose the weight. I dug down to get to 130, which was the contract. What we decided is that he has two hours to lose the weight, and if he doesn’t, we are not going to fight.” Time will tell if Escalante’s struggle with the scale will have any effect on him, or maybe even add extra fuel to Perez’ fire.

In the televised co-feature, two unheralded fighters get the chance to shine in front of a national audience as Clint Coronel (3-1-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California takes on Carlos Musquez (3-4-3, 3 KOs) of Sacramento, California in a six-round light middleweight fight. Coronel, who scaled 150 ½, has only one loss on his record, but he just as easily could be undefeated. The lone blemish was the result of a cut stoppage in a fight with Roberto Reyes, which replays indicated was initiated by a headbutt. In his last time out, Coronel fought undefeated Richard Hargraves to a four-round draw. Musquez, who came in at 149 ½, ended a two-and-one-half year layoff in January with a four-round draw against unbeaten Anthony Martinez.

In a four-round super bantamweight swing bout, former local amateur standout Manuel Avila (2-0, 1 KO) of Vacaville, California takes on Frank Gutierrez (2-8-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California. Avila pleased his local following with a fourth-round kayo of Carlos Garcia at the Fairfield Sports Center just last month. Originally scheduled to fight last week, Avila, who scaled 121, is pleased to have another opportunity to fight at home. Gutierrez, who came in at 120, has met a tough run of prospects and faces another one tonight.

Fresh off of a dominant showing at this same venue last month, Guy Robb (2-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California looks to thrill his local fan base again, this time against debuting Manuel Morales of Orosi, California in a four-round lightweight bout. For the second straight time, Robb’s opponent came in heavy, as Morales scaled 136-pounds. Robb, who plans to campaign as a featherweight eventually, scaled 131-pounds Thursday.

Super bantamweight prospect Roman Morales (1-0, 1 KO) of San Ardo, California will take on tough luck pro Danny Pantoja (0-3-2) of Fairfield in a four-round bout. Morales, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, capped a stellar amateur run with a gold medal at the Four Nations Tournament in France last November and turned pro with a first-round knockout in February. Pantoja has fought prospects almost exclusively, coming up short in two majority decisions and one split decision. Morales scaled 123-pounds, while Pantoja came in at 125.

Trevor McCumby (1-0, 1 KO) of Glendale, Arizona will take on Nathan Ortiz (0-1) of Crystal River, Florida in a four-round cruiserweight bout. McCumby, the 2010 Under 19 National Champion at 178-pounds, was quite the imposing figure as he scaled 183-pounds Thursday. Ortiz, who will be at a great height disadvantage, weighed in at 182-pounds.

Remaining tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, will be sold at the door.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Super Featherweights, 10 Rounds
Escalante 130
Perez 130

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Coronel 150 ½
Musquez 149 ½

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Avila 121
Gutierrez 120

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 123
Pantoja 125

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Robb 131
Morales 136

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
McCumby 183
Ortiz 182

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

One of the biggest letdowns a fighter could have is finding out their scheduled bout has been cancelled because their opponent is unable to go for whatever reason. Their disappointment level is greater the closer to the fight the pullout comes. More often than not, their weeks or months of preparation are all for not. There are exceptions of course. Featherweight Alejandro Perez had been scheduled to take on touted prospect Ronny Rios last Friday night in Costa Mesa, California before he got one of those calls fighters dread. Fortunately another call came soon thereafter, and now Perez finds himself in a televised main event against world ranked Antonio Escalante tomorrow night at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California.

When Perez (14-2-1, 9 KOs) of Salinas, California got word that the Rios fight was off, no one would have blamed him for getting frustrated. Perez had several bouts scheduled in 2010, but not one actually took place. More often that not, it was his opponent that was either injured, sick or out with a case of cold feet. On two occasions, it was Perez himself that had to withdraw due to injury or illness.

“It just sucks when you are very anxious, and you have a lot of people cheering for you and many of them have already bought tickets, and everything is ready,” says Perez. “And then last minute, a couple days before the fight you get that call and it is not going to happen after all. It was very disappointing, but then again this is the boxing business. It happens once, it happens twice. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.”

Perez’ positive mindset likely aided his ability to shift gears back into preparation mode when the call to fight Escalante came. “We had already been preparing for Ronny Rios, and so our training was not put to waste,” says Perez. “What we do know is that he is a tougher fighter and a very aggressive fighter, but we are ready for whatever he may bring Friday night. We have been training very hard and I feel great for this next fight.”

Escalante (24-3, 15 KOs) of El Paso, Texas represents a more dangerous challenge than would have the prospect Rios last Friday. Where Rios is mostly an untested commodity, Escalante has won at the higher level in the past. Not only is Escalante more experienced, but the Texan has also become known for his action style and penchant for pier six brawls. “I know he is a toe-to-toe type of fighter,” says Perez of Escalante. “Myself, I am a toe-to-toe type of fighter, but I can also be a boxer. If he wants to brawl, then we will brawl. Two things are for sure: the people are going to see a fight and the people are going to get what they paid for.”

While it is likely Escalante will come forward looking to make an action fight, Perez plans to be flexible in his approach in case his opponent does not hold true to form. “I know Escalante is one of those fighters that goes in there and gives a fight, and so am I,” says Perez, who trains out of the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California under Hector Valladarez. “I know he will come in there with a certain game plan and I have a game plan of my own. But once fight night comes, things can change dramatically, so I just have to adapt to whatever he may bring.”

Perez has been a super bantamweight for just about his entire career, but had planned on moving up four pounds to the 126-pound featherweight division for his next fight even before he got the call from the Escalante people. Escalante too had been a 122-pounder until recently moving up a weight class, but for this fight the IBF #6/WBO #14 ranked featherweight’s team requested that the bout be made above the super featherweight division limit.

“Escalante’s team wanted 132-pounds, but I said no, that is too much for me,” says Perez. “I couldn’t do 122 no more, so I decided to move up to 126. My next fight should have been at 126. But I guess they really wanted the fight, because they called us back and said how about 130? 126 to 130, yeah its four pounds difference, but it is time for me to fight and I feel really good at this weight. I have been weighing 130 for about the last two-and-a-half weeks and I have been feeling great. I feel it is going to be a great weight for me, but I am only going to fight this fight at 130 and then go back down to 126.”

The last time Escalante was in the ring was probably his worst night as a boxer. Fighting a featherweight eliminator in the opening bout of a pay-per-view telecast, Escalante was bombed out in three rounds by Daniel Ponce De Leon last September. It was the type of devastating knockout that could potentially have lasting effects. “I have never been knocked out myself or hurt that bad, but I believe it gets to anyone that has had a fight like that,” believes Perez. “He is going to have that little bit of fear of getting punched to the maximum again, as he was by Ponce De Leon. I will definitely have that in mind, but if I see the opening during the fight, believe me I am going to take it.”

The Escalante fight could be a make or break moment in the career of Alejandro Perez. Not only will the ten-round fight be the televised main event on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo telecast, but a victory would catapult Perez into the world rankings and make him a viable opponent for any top featherweight. “To date, this is my biggest fight,” says Perez. “So I have to leave everything in the ring. I have to go in with the mentality of winning no matter what it takes. I am going to leave my heart and soul in there. This is the type of fight we fighters train for, and the type of fight we fighters live for.”

Regardless of the final outcome, Perez makes one last promise, “It will definitely be a crowd pleaser, I am sure of that.”

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

Competing for the second time in two weeks after a two-year absence, former world ranked light middleweight James Kirkland stopped Jhon Berrio in the second round at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. Kirkland (27-0, 24 KOs) of Austin, Texas spoke to 15rounds.com about the fight and his future plans.

COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA — Both prospect Luis Ramos Jr. and recently returned contender James Kirkland notched victories as expected on Friday night at the Orange County Fair & Event Center, but neither appear ready for the names they have been linked to in recent weeks just yet.

On paper, Ramos (18-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, California seemed to be meeting his toughest challenge to date in the rugged Jose Hernandez (10-5-1, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas. That belief proved to be true, as Ramos, 139.4, earned a hard-fought eight-round majority decision in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event.

Hernandez, 135.2, has upset some prospects in his career, and taken others to the limit. He did the latter Friday night, but ultimately Ramos’ superior boxing and well-timed counter-punching won out over Hernandez’ pressure and solid inside game.

Ramos boxed well in the first and seemed to score a knockdown in the second round with a short right counter. Hernandez’ fall was ruled a slip by referee Lou Moret, but a replay on the large screen in between rounds indicated that a knockdown was perhaps the right call. There was some contact between Hernandez’ left foot and the right foot of Ramos, but the punch seemed to be the cause of the fall. Hernandez was undeterred either way and landed two good right uppercuts moments later. Ramos, as was the case often in the bout, was a little quicker on the draw and caught Hernandez with a right as the Texan looked to fire one of his own.

Round four was a good one for the out-of-towner, but the most memorable blow was one from Ramos that dislodged the mouthpiece from Hernandez’ mouth. The fifth featured solid two-way action before Hernandez had another good round in the sixth. Against conventional wisdom, it was the taller Hernandez doing better on the inside. The shorter Ramos was more effective boxing from the outside and countering the aggressive Hernandez.

Ramos boxed smart for much of the seventh by keeping Hernandez at the end of his one-two and tying up or moving out of range when his opponent moved in close. Hernandez did manage to get inside in the last thirty seconds, landing a solid left hook and stiff right uppercut. Ramos answered back, landing two clean, short punches before the bell.

Again Ramos boxed well for much of the eighth, as his subtle defensive movements made it difficult for Hernandez to land anything clean. That changed again in the last thirty seconds, when Ramos, likely a bit winded, stayed on the inside. Hernandez landed two solid hooks in the last seconds that may have hurt Ramos, but it could have also been the Santa Ana resident’s fatigue showing through.

In the end, one judge had the fight even, 76-76, but was overruled by tallies of 79-73 and 77-75 for Ramos. “I’m happy with the performance,” Ramos said after the fight. “I got hit, but that is a part of boxing.”

Ramos’ manager Frank Espinoza had mentioned possibly matching Ramos against another prospect, such as Mercito Gesta, but it would appear to be wise if a fight like that was put on hold for a bit. Ramos is ready for a move up to ten rounds, and probably would already have had one or two set for that distance by now if it were not for the 90 minute timeslot of the Solo Boxeo program which has aired his last few fights.

James Kirkland (27-0, 24 KOs) of Austin, Texas shook off a little more rust as he disposed of journeyman Jhon Berrio (15-9, 11 KOs) of Monteria, Cordoba, Columbia inside of two rounds in the co-feature.

Berrio, 161.6, opted to trade with Kirkland, 163.4, early, not usually a great idea, but the journeyman did surprisingly find some success in the opening frame. Kirkland did show his strength as he pressed Berrio around the ring for much of the round. However, the Columbian landed a straight right that seemed to clearly hurt the “Mandingo Warrior.” Kirkland would later claim it was the headbutts that hurt him in the first, but when Berrio landed that right it forced his left leg to shiver.

Kirkland held briefly after Berrio’s solid right, but quickly regained his footing and controlled the rest of the round while fighting mostly on the inside. Berrio did employ some rough tactics, such as headbutts and forearms, which Kirkland complained of in the second round.

About a minute in to the second, Kirkland dropped Berrio, lastly landing a glancing jab. Berrio began to rise on all fours, but plopped back down to the mat, prompting referee Zack Young to wave off the contest. The crowd ringside was not convinced Berrio could not continue, which was something the California State Athletic Commission would debate themselves after the bout.

While the glancing jab was the last punch landed, if the knockout was legitimate, it was either a straight left to the body or an overhand left that landed high on Berrio’s head that really did the damage. Those blows were thrown and landed with Berrio in a corner, just before he moved to the ropes and took the jab.

While kneeling over to be inspected by the physician, Berrio pointed to his head, seemingly indicating the overhand left was the reason he did not get up. Later Berrio told a member of the Commission he was coughing up blood, which would indicate the body shot stopped him. There was talk of withholding Berrio’s check due to his non-effort in the bout. No word on how that shook out as of press time. Officially the stoppage came at 1:05 of round two, and now Kirkland can look ahead to bigger and better things.

Immediately ahead, Kirkland is slated to appear on the pay-per-view undercard of the April 9th clash between Erik Morales and Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kirkland’s manager Cameron Dunkin, who admittedly wanted a softer touch for tonight’s fight, said he and Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmaker Eric Gomez are still discussing potential opponents for that date.

Looking further down the road, at the end of last week’s HBO telecast of recognized middleweight king Sergio Martinez’ victory over Serhiy Dzinziruk, commentator Max Kellerman anointed Kirkland as the potentially intriguing contender to the middleweight throne. “That’s right down the street,” said Kirkland Friday of a potential Martinez clash. “That’s right in the area where I need to be at. Sergio Martinez is a great fighter, but he is not one of the best fighters and I want to expose him and put him out there, because that is a fight I do want.”

While Kirkland would like to get a fight with Martinez, the top 160-pounder, he does not plan to campaign at middleweight at this time. “As far as middleweight, this is just me coming back and taking it real nice and slow,” said Kirkland, who has fought just twice since March 2009. “I am dropping weight and I will be back at 154, junior middleweight.”

Considering Kirkland was incarcerated for 17 months and has fought under five minutes since regaining his freedom, it is fairly incredible that he is already being mentioned in the same breath as Sergio Martinez or even getting ready to fight on pay-per-view. These developments are not lost on Kirkland. “It is more than overwhelming to get back into this position,” said Kirkland. “To show my talent amongst people who really care, and amongst fans and around people who really supported me and helped get me back to this position.”

Light welterweight prospect Antonio Orozco (9-0, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico made short work of Manuel Aguilar (6-2, 4 KOs) of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico thanks to a concentrated body attack.

Orozco, 140.8, landed two well placed lefts to the body set up a right upstairs and yet another left to the ribs that ended the night for Aguilar, 140.4, early. Referee Zack Young counted to ten with Aguilar hunched over on one knee for a stoppage at the 1:42 mark of the first round.

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Francisco Contreras (16-0, 13 KOs) of Irvington, New Jersey by way of La Romana, Dominican Republic failed to impress ringside observers as he cruised to a six-round unanimous verdict over journeyman Adolfo Landeros (20-18-1, 9 KOs) of Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

After a methodical round-and-a-half, Contreras, 133.8, sprang to life in the second and began to put his punches together. Contreras’ fighting style can be more sizzle than steak, as he throws quick, showy combinations and moves around the ring on his toes. However, the number of punches he threw with real conviction probably could have been counted on two hands through the first four rounds. The limited but game Landeros, 133, continuously came forward, but could not land anything of real significance.

By the fifth round, Contreras must have realized that Landeros could not hurt him, as the New Jersey transplant really began to toy with his Mexican counterpart. Contreras offered up everything from long range uppercuts to bolo punches, but never really pressed for the knockout that was there for the taking. When the final bell rang, all three scorers handed in identical 60-54 scorecards for Contreras.

Making his professional debut, Humberto Zatarain (1-0) of Whittier, California did what few fighters manage to do in their entire careers: get off the canvas and win a unanimous four-round decision. Jose Manuel Sanchez (3-2, 1 KO) of Santa Ana dropped Zatarain with a straight left in close midway through the first round, but was unable to follow up to any great effect, and it ended up costing him.

Zatarain, 127.6, came out in round two looking to change the course of the fight, which he did as he rocked and bloodied Sanchez, 127.2, with a flurry in the early moments of the round. Each fighter had their moments in an all-action third and fourth rounds to close out the solid scrap, but ultimately it was Zatarain that impressed the judges en route to a 38-37 victory on all three cards.

Steffan Lugo (1-0, 1 KO) of Newport Beach, California spoiled the professional boxing debut of veteran mixed martial artist J.J. Ambrose (0-1) of San Jose, California via third-round stoppage. The action was a bit frantic early, but it was Ambrose, 166.6, that landed the most telling blow of the first, a left hook which forced Lugo to hold on momentarily. Lugo, 165.2, recovered quickly and got in the last shot of the round just before the bell.

The local favorite Lugo began to take control in the second, as his right uppercut began to find a home regularly. Lugo kept up the pressure, landing a straight right midway through the third round. The end came when Lugo landed a hard right hook which sent Ambrose towards the mat. As Ambrose took his ascent, Lugo landed another left just to make sure he would not be allowed to continue. Referee Lou Moret called a halt to the contest at 1:49 mark of round three.

In the final bout of the evening, Bobby Chavez (1-2) of Santa Ana got into the win column with a third-round stoppage of Stephen Rubalcava (0-3) of Lindsay, California. Chavez, 152.2, pressed the action from the outset with constant punching. Rubalcava, 151, weathered the onrush early, but never landed anything of note in retort.

Chavez continued his into the third with mostly arm punches, though a right uppercut had Rubalcava holding on in the second round. In the third, a straight right forced a delayed reaction knockdown as Rubalcava took a knee. When the action resumed, Rubalcava was left taking shots against the ropes before his cornerman Repo Ric threw in the towel to signal referee to stop the fight. Official time was 1:14 of the third round.

Friday’s event was a special edition of the “Fight Club OC” series at the Orange Country Fair & Event Center promoted by Roy Englebrecht Promotions. Fights take place in the building known as The Hangar. The next fight card, which will feature both boxing and mixed martial arts, takes place on April 21st.

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

Rising lightweight prospect Luis Ramos Jr. faces perhaps his stiffest test to date in rugged Jose Hernandez in the main event of tonight’s edition of Telefutura Solo Boxeo at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. In the co-feature, James Kirkland attempts to continue the rebuilding of his career following a self-inflicted layoff against journeyman Jhon Berrio. It is imperative for both Ramos and Kirkland to look impressive in order to keep proposed money fights on the table for later this year. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the fight venue.

Ramos (17-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, California could be a win or two away from a meaningful fight against a ranked contender or fellow prospect, which is exactly the type a fight a boxer with his record should be moving towards, but first comes tonight’s eight-rounder against Hernandez. Ramos, who has yet to step up to ten round bouts in his career, will be making his 2011 debut after two straight Telefutura-televised eight-round decision wins closed out his 2010 campaign. Ramos weighed in at 139.4-pounds Thursday.

Hernandez (10-4-1, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas provides an interesting test for the young Ramos, considering he has upset the plans of a couple other prospects and come close to doing the same on two recent occasions. Just last month, Hernandez fought undefeated Mickey Bey Jr. to an eight-round majority draw. Two judges had the fight even, while the third had Hernadnez up by four points. Hernandez, a former WBC Youth Super Featherweight title holder, scaled 135.2-pounds.

Though he fights in the co-feature, the most noteworthy name on the card tonight is James Kirkland (26-0, 23 KOs) of Austin, Texas. Kirkland will fight for the second time in two weeks, as he needed just 34 seconds to dispose of Ahsandi Gibbs on March 5th in Anaheim, California. That recent victory ended a two-year layoff due to Kirkland’s much publicized 17-month incarceration for a probation violation.

Prior to his legal troubles, Kirkland was one of the fast-rising stars of the sport, perhaps on the verge of challenging for a light middleweight title. Kirkland had punctuated a six-fight knockout streak with a sixth-round stoppage over Joel Julio in the main event of an HBO telecast in March of 2009. Though he has had just the one fight since, Kirkland has already been anointed by some in the press as an intriguing challenger to the middleweight throne of Sergio Martinez. Should Kirkland, who scaled 163.4, win without trouble as expected tonight, a slot awaits him on the Erik Morales-Marcos Maidana pay-per-view telecast on April 9th.

Berrio (15-8, 11 KOs) of Monteria, Cordoba, Colombia is 0-2 when competing in the United States. Two fights ago, Berrio lost a ten-round majority decision to light middleweight prospect Sherzod Husanov in Washington, which preceded a sixth-round stoppage defeat against Peter Manfredo Jr. in Rhode Island this past November. Berrio weighed in for the scheduled eight-round bout at 161.6-pounds Thursday.

In a swing bout likely to make television, undefeated Antonio Orozco (8-0, 5 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico will take on Manuel Aguilar (6-1, 4 KOs) of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico in a light welterweight contest slated for either six or four-rounds, depending on the length of the two featured bouts. Orozco, an Espinoza Boxing Club stablemate of Luis Ramos, weighed in at 140.8-pounds, while Aguilar weighed in at 140.4.

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Francisco Contreras (15-0, 13 KOs) of Irvington, New Jersey by way of La Romana, Dominican Republic will get his year started against journeyman Adolfo Landeros (20-17-1, 9 KOs) of Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in a six-round tilt. Contreras, who shares his manager Cameron Dunkin with James Kirkland, weighed in at 133.8-pounds. Landeros, a favorite of Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmakers, scaled an even 133.

Somebody’s ‘O’ must go, as Bobby Chavez (0-2) of Santa Ana takes on Stephen Rubalcava (0-2) of Lindsay, California in a four-round pairing of light middleweights. Chavez scaled 152.2-pounds, while Rubalcava came in at 151.

Jose Manuel Sanchez (3-1, 1 KO) of Santa Ana will meet debuting Humberto Zatarain of Whittier, California in a four-round featherweight contest. Sanchez, fighting for the second time in two weeks, weighed in at 127.2-pounds. Zatarain weighed in 127.6-pounds Thursday.

In the curtain raiser, veteran mixed martial artist J.J. Ambrose of San Jose, California will make his pro boxing debut against Steffan Lugo of Newport Beach, California in a four-round super middleweight bout. Ambrose, who appeared on the UFC’s reality series The Ultimate Fighter last year, is a veteran of over twenty pro MMA contests. Lugo, who is also making his debut, scaled 165.2-pounds, while Ambrose came in at 166.6.

For the second straight time in his career, lightweight prospect Fidel Maldonado Jr. (8-0, 7 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico stepped on the scales, but did not have an opponent with whom to take any traditional weigh-in photos. Maldonado, who weighed in 136.6-pounds, can only hope it turns out as well as it did last month, when his opponent arrived late and was stopped early the next day. Maldonado was to have taken on Juan Montiel (5-3-2, 3 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a six-round bout. As of press time a replacement opponent was being sought.

Tickets for tonight’s event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Promotions, are available online at FightClubOC.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Ramos Jr. 139.4
Hernandez 135.2

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Kirkland 163.4
Berrio 161.6

Light Welterweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Orozco 140.8
Aguilar 140.4

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Contreras 133.8
Landeros 133

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Chavez 152.2
Rubalcava 151

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Sanchez 127.2
Zatarain 127.6

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Ambrose 166.6
Lugo 165.2

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Maldonado Jr. 136.6*

*Maldonado without an opponent as of press time

Photos by Eric Gomez/Golden Boy Promotions

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

The name J.J. Ambrose is likely familiar to those who closely follow mixed martial arts, but if you only follow the older combat sport of boxing, you probably have not heard of him. That is because the young MMA veteran will be making his professional boxing debut this Friday night at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.

While still a wrestler in high school, Ambrose found his way to sanctioned combat in 2004. Working out at a gym, Ambrose was approached about an upcoming MMA event in nearby Lake Havasu City, Arizona and quickly agreed to fight on the card. “Every weekend we were watching UFC fights, and I remember thinking at the time that if I could just punch Matt Hughes in the face one time, I could be champion,” recalls Ambrose. “Little did I know at the time, I was just a stupid, ignorant kid.”

Despite his ignorance, and only about two weeks of prep time, Ambrose won his first bout against an equally inexperienced foe by guillotine choke. “The guy wasn’t very good as it was, so it wasn’t a big deal,” says Ambrose in retrospect. “But at the time it was huge. I was a kid in high school that won a fight.”

In the years since, Ambrose has dedicated himself to mixed martial arts, amassing a listed record of 15-3, 3 KOs, 9 Submissions. Currently Ambrose lives in San Jose, California and trains alongside some of the world’s best mixed martial artists at the American Kickboxing Academy. Still just 24-years-old, Ambrose has gained recognition while stomping out much of his competition and gaining titles in various regional promotions. However, when Ambrose has stepped up to the more visible level of the sport he has come up short.

In June of 2008, Ambrose was submitted by current UFC competitor Mike Pyle on the Affliction – Banned show in Anaheim, California. “He just outclassed me,” says Ambrose. “He was a notch ahead of me. I was just 21 and had only broken into the sport for a couple years. Experience definitely played into that.”

More recently, Ambrose was featured on the twelfth installment of the UFC’s popular program The Ultimate Fighter. Fighting for a spot on one of the two teams, Ambrose lost a two-round decision to Sevak Magakian. “It was a good experience, but I know who I am now,” says Ambrose. “I am pretty much a family man/fighter. You take me off my rock and I turn into a mental midget. I need my wife and my kid close by. They don’t need to go to the fight, but the weeks leading up, I like having my wife and kid there. I spend a day without them and I start panicking.”

Had Ambrose won entry into the tournament, he would have been living in a house with the other fighters, without any contact with his wife Francesa and baby daughter Juliet. “It got frustrating being there,” says Ambrose. “Just the thought of being there for six weeks without them got rough. It’s one thing to be shut in a house with a bunch of dudes and not be able to call them, it changes everything.”

While his early exit from The Ultimate Fighter meant a missed opportunity at a contract with the UFC, the goal of just about every serious mixed martial artist, Ambrose feels his time will come. “I want to go when I am absolutely ready,” says Ambrose. “I think The Ultimate Fighter brings in guys that aren’t quite ready, but are perfect for the drama. It wasn’t my time. I think in another year or two I will be ready. But right now I just want to focus on getting more experience and more tough fights.”

Since his time on The Ultimate Fighter, Ambrose has fought twice and won both, lastly knocking out Masakazu Taguchi in the first round. Unlike many mixed martial artists that transition or even dabble in boxing, Ambrose is not a striker by trade. “I am more of a ground guy,” says Ambrose. “Recently I went to Thailand for a couple months and did some stand-up, and I ended up knocking out my last opponent with just my hands. I am mostly a wrestler, but I think I am going into uncharted territory for myself and working on my stand-up. So who knows, I may have a boxer-wrestler style now I guess.”

After years of wrestling and mixed martial arts, Ambrose has decided to try his hand at boxing. “I’ve been talking about it for a few years,” says Ambrose. “I have already done mixed martial arts, and boxing is one of the key factors of MMA. I figured I might as well do both. K.J. Noons is real famous for doing both, so I figured I would try the same.
I have been practicing for a while and the opportunity came up.”

Ambrose’s opportunity comes this Friday, as he takes on debuting Stephan Lugo of Newport Beach, California in a four-round middleweight bout. Unlike the aforementioned Noons, Ambrose does not have any designs on claiming titles as a boxer. “I don’t think you [can win titles] in both,” Ambrose believes. “Boxers have to box everyday. Mixed martial artists have to do a wide range of things. I think you could be perfect at only one thing. I don’t think you could be perfect at both. K.J. Noons calling out [Floyd] Mayweather, that is either for publicity or he is delusional.”

In preparing for his first pro boxing match, Ambrose has had to make adjustments in everything from footwork to footwear. “It’s funny, I bought my first pair of boxing shoes and I don’t wear shoes too often,” says Ambrose. “If I wear shoes, they are just a pair of sandals or I pick up a pair of those vibrams and go running with those. Other than that, this is the first pair of shoes I have worn consistently for a while.”

As one could imagine, there are many nuances an MMA fighter has to pick up on to be successful as a boxer. “I’ve had to drop all of my MMA background and learn how to box,” says Ambrose. “Keeping your hands up is huge. There is a lot more pivoting in boxing. MMA fighters seem to go right at each other. Working with boxers is very different. Boxers like to dip their heads down real low, and in MMA you can’t do that because you will get kneed in the face.”

“I can’t say which training his harder, because in boxing, your arms get tired. They are throwing punches the entire three minutes of a round. In MMA, there is down time. You take a guy down. You lay on top of him for a minute and then you transition to something else. When we are standing up, we throw big bombs and then we take a break. In boxing, there is a lot more punches thrown. I have watched CompuBox, and they are throwing 100 punches a round. That is an incredible pace for three minutes.”

Win or lose, it is more than likely that the next time Ambrose stares across at an opponent, it will be as a MMA fighter. “I am just going to see how this fight goes,” says Ambrose. “If it goes well then I will get another one, but at heart I am a MMA fighter. I already miss wrestling. I haven’t wrestled in two months. I have just been doing nothing but boxing. I am ready to get an MMA fight as soon as the boxing match is over, but as supplemental fighting, in between MMA, I wouldn’t mind doing boxing matches.”

J.J. Ambrose is an athlete that enjoys challenging himself, especially with something new or different. This Friday night one such challenge presents itself, and Ambrose would not have it any other way. “I feel like most of my fights were against guys that weren’t up to my caliber, and that is why I beat them,” says Ambrose. “I don’t feel like I’ve beat too many guys on heart or conditioning. It was always about my skill being better than their skill. I’d like some more difficult fights, and that is why I am doing this boxing match. Obviously this guy is going to have better boxing, but we will see how his heart and his conditioning play out.”

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

The pay-per-view lineup for the May 7th Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley event is now complete, as former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will return to the ring against undefeated Alfonso Lopez III in a ten-round super middleweight bout at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Though contracts have not yet been finalized, both sides have come to a verbal agreement.

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio has been out of action since losing his WBC/WBO Middleweight titles to Sergio Martinez via twelve-round decision last April in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pavlik pulled out of a scheduled bout against Brian Vera on the Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard last November citing a rib injury. However, it later came out that he had checked into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for treatment of his chemical dependence on alcohol.

Though Pavlik has not fought above 160-pounds since his decisive decision loss to Bernard Hopkins in October of 2008, and has not won a bout contracted above 160 since his decision over Jermain Taylor eight months prior, the Youngstown native is currently the WBC #1 ranked super middleweight contender.

Lopez (21-0, 16 KOs) of Cut and Shoot, Texas is coming off of a twelve-round unanimous decision victory over Romero Johnson last November which netted him the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight title. For the promising Lopez, the Pavlik fight represents the chance of a lifetime. “It’s a huge opportunity for me, an honor almost really,” Lopez told 15rounds.com Tuesday evening. “He’s fought some great fighters and is a great fighter himself. It’s what we have been working for. I have been giving up a lot of things for this opportunity, and it is finally here.”

Though Pavlik has had his share of problems, both in and out of the ring, in recent years, Lopez and his team are expecting the world champion version of “The Ghost” come May 7th. “I am training for the Kelly Pavlik of a few years ago,” said Lopez. “I am going to watch the tape of him fighting Jermain Taylor. I am also going to watch him fight Bernard Hopkins, because he was a little heavier and is going to be bigger at 168. I am definitely expecting the Kelly Pavlik that comes out with a fast pace, behind a stiff, strong jab and lots of pressure. That’s what I am expecting and we are preparing for a long, tough fight.”

Lopez had been in training for a bout which was to have taken place April 15th in Corpus Christi, Texas when he found out he was in the running for the Pavlik bout. “We’ve always said we were ready for something like this, but we knew we had to do some things to get us known and to be selected for such a fight,” said Felix Ramirez, who manages and trains Lopez, along with Henry Harris. “This is a great opportunity, and it doesn’t get any better than this, at least to this point in our careers.”

Considering the leap in class Lopez will be taking, some may question his readiness for such a daunting undertaking. Ideally perhaps Lopez, who has fought outside of Texas just twice in his pro career, would have had another step up before taking on an elite fighter such as a Kelly Pavlik. However Lopez’ manager believes he is up to the task. “Some people would like to have an opening fight, or maybe an off telecast pay-per-view fight [first,] but it is just a matter of how that individual is,” explains Ramirez. “Some people choke, and some people do great under pressure and show up. Alfonso is the type of individual that I don’t believe it will affect him. I think he is going to show up when the time comes and when that bell rings he is going to be ready.”

Kelly Pavlik Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

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

RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA — Despite the close final tallies of the ringside scorers, Ana Julaton was impressive in a mostly one-sided ten-round unanimous decision over game veteran Franchesa Alcanter in defense of her WBO Super Bantamweight title on Friday night at the Craneway Pavilion.

Julaton (8-2-1, 1 KO) of Daly City, California was both the aggressor and the superior boxer over the course of the ten-round affair. To her credit, Alcanter (18-10-1, 9 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri did not come to lie down and fought hard until the ring of the final bell.

Julaton, 116 ½, applied pressure from round one, and had Alcanter, 118 ½, backing up as the opening round closed. Julaton settled into a boxer-mover style for rounds two and three, before upping her output in the fourth. Late in the round, Julaton let loose on Alcanter in a corner. The Kansas City resident showed some bravado as she smiled at Julaton after the ring of the bell.

In the fifth, Julaton continued to beat an apprehensive Alcanter to the punch. Despite her natural size advantage, Alcanter did not fight like the larger woman in the bout. Just as was the case in the round before, Julaton pressured Alcanter near the ropes to close the fifth.

Alcanter landed perhaps her best shot in the sixth, a straight right that snapped Julaton’s head back. Alcanter had some success in the round, but Julaton made have stole it with a lead left hook that landed flush late. After a letdown in the action in the seventh, Julaton came right out at Alcanter in the eighth. Landing punches in combination, Julaton forced Alcanter into retreat and drew blood from the veteran’s nose.

Perhaps looking for the opportunity to do what several other top flight females have been unable to, stop Alcanter, Julaton continued to force the fight in the ninth. Alcanter bravely fought back and did not appear to be in any serious trouble, but she did absorb a good amount of punishment in the round. Julaton closed the fight well in the tenth and appeared to be headed for a wide decision victory.

In the end, all three official scorers had it for Julaton by the scores of 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92. “I thought that is was at least eight to two,” said Julaton advisor and lead cornerman for the night Angelo Reyes. “It was an extremely dominant performance. I mean six to four? That is just silly.” Julaton’s promoter Allan Tremblay was in agreement with Reyes. “If you watch the tape, you will find out that [Ana] forced the action,” said Tremblay of Orion Sports Management. “She was the aggressor.”

Due to a scheduling conflict, Julaton’s famed trainer Freddie Roach was unable to work the corner Friday night in Richmond. After the clear-cut decision win, it was obvious that the missing person in her corner had little effect on the outcome, but still the press was curious about the situation at the post-fight presser. “He was definitely with us in spirit,” said Reyes, who has worked with Julaton since her amateur days. “I did what I am sure Freddie would have told me to do, ‘Hold the water, and let Ana do her thing.’ Freddie Roach is the best trainer in the world. He has I believe three world champions right now: Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Ana Julaton. We completely understand.”

Though most of what fight observers notice is the action in the corner, the work of a trainer is most valuable in camp. “All the work had been done and I have a strong corner,” explained Julaton, who had worked with Roach through Wednesday. “We all have the same focus and game plan, and we just go out and deliver.”

As for what comes next, Julaton’s promoter is already close to finalizing her next date. “We are going to fight in the Philippines, probably on April 9th,” said Tremblay. “I can’t announce it just yet, but I have already secured the opponent. I am assured from the doctor here that she could fight next week, so I think we are good for the ninth.”

Taking into account the four main sanctioning bodies, there is one other world champion at 122-pounds, WBA title-holder Lisa Brown, who holds a win over Julaton. The other two titles are currently vacant, but those positions will soon be filled. The vacancy of the IBF title is about to be filled by the winner of the upcoming Melinda Cooper-Ada Velez bout, while the WBC kingpin will be decided by the Yesica Marcos-Fredee Gonzalez fight.

After a series of rigorous distance wins against formidable opposition, Julaton’s promoter does not have designs on throwing her at one of the other title-holders just yet. “We’ve fought champions and number one contenders, and every fight is a tough one, but you don’t have to go to the extreme every time,” explained Tremblay. “So I think it is time for us to step back and fight a voluntary defense if you will, and not one of the killers.”

In the other boxing match on the card, exciting Filipino prospect Bruno Escalante Jr. (2-0-1, 1 KO) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines rolled over Martin “Tarzan” Sandoval (0-1) of Oakdale, California in under two rounds.

Escalante, 122 ½, was a ball of energy and Sandoval, 124 ½, did not have an answer for his attack. Sandoval, an accomplished professional mixed martial artist, was downed in the first by a straight left hand he probably did not see coming. Escalante, a former National PAL Champion as an amateur, came out at Sandoval in the second and eventually landed the same straight left to score a second knockdown. This time Sandoval got up much slower and referee Ray Balewicz waved off the fight at the 1:05 mark.

Amateur Kickboxing

Gaston Bolanos of Dublin, California scored a second-round stoppage of Ike Spears of Fresno, California in a light welterweight bout scheduled for three. Bolanos, who fights out of the Combat Sports Academy in Dublin, forced a standing eight count with a barrage of kicks in the second round. Referee Dan Stell allowed the fight to continue, but urged Spears to “show him something.” Spears, who trains out of the Fresno Kickboxing Academy, looked to be fatigued and not on steady legs. Bolanos proceeded to score a knockdown, which is not what Stell was looking for and the fight was stopped at the 1:30 mark of the second.

In a competitive and action-packed bout, Dee Alhadi of San Jose, California scored a three-round unanimous decision over Marc Talledo of Milpitas, California. Talledo, who trains out of the Unlimited Training Center in Milpitas and Alhadi, who trains out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, each had their moments over the course of the three rounds.

In the second round, Talledo, 134 ½, and Alhadi, 130, stood in the center of the ring and exchanged power shots, pleasing the fight crowd on hand. In the end, all three judges scored the fight a shutout for Alhadi, 30-27. The final tallies are a bit misleading, as Talledo traded on even ground with Alhadi for much of the contest.

Xavier Vigney of Pleasant Hill, California prevailed by first-round stoppage over Gary Grant of Antioch, California in the final fight of the evening. The much taller Vigney, who trains out of Team Black in Pleasant Hill, forced a standing eight count early in the bout, as Grant, who trains out of Guila Hawaiian Kajukenbo-Kickboxing in Antioch, covered up against a series of unanswered blows.

Vigney, 206, landed a swift kick that downed Grant, 222 ½, soon after the rendering of the standing eight. With Grant up, but wobbly and potentially injured, referee Ray Balewicz called the fight. Grant, either angry with his performance or the stoppage, kicked the stool in his corner as the ringside doctor attempted to observe him.

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