DALY CITY, CALIFORNIA — WBO Super Bantamweight Champion and media darling Ana Julaton defends her title against respected veteran Franchesca Alcanter tonight at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, California. Their ten-round title clash, which will be televised in both the United States and the Philippines, headlines a four-bout card as part of a sports and music expo geared towards the Filipino-American community. Fighters weighed in Thursday night at the Mink Bar & Lounge in nearby Daly City.

Julaton (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Daly City has been out of the ring since reclaiming the WBO title via ten-round split decision over Mexico’s Maria Villalobos back in June of last year. Julaton, who is immensely popular both locally and in the Philippines, and her team picked a very respectable opponent for the first defense of her second reign in Alcanter. “From being a three-time world champion, I know I am in a position that people are trying to take what I have, and that is just the name of the game,” said Julaton. “I just have to make sure that I don’t take anything lightly and stay grounded.”

Alcanter (18-9-1, 9 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri has been around the block and taken on some of the biggest names in women’s boxing in her twelve-year pro career. In her last ring appearance, Alcanter went the ten-round distance in a failed attempt at claiming a 126-pound title from Ina Menzer in Germany. Alcanter does hold two clear advantages in the fight, her experience and the fact that she is the naturally larger fighter.

After Thursday’s weigh-in, it is still hard to figure how far Alcanter came down in weight, because the scales seemed to read about three to four pounds light. Julaton, who has routinely weighed in between 120 and 122-pounds in her career, scaled 116 ½-pounds at Thursday’s weigh-in. Alcanter, who has fought as high as 140-pounds in her career, weighed in at 118 ½ on Thursday night. “I trained really hard for this fight, and I know I scaled in at the actual weight class,” Julaton explained simply after the weigh-in. “The last time I weighed-in at 116, I was fifteen-years-old.”

Also on the card, former amateur standout Bruno Escalante Jr. (1-0-1) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines will take on Martin “Tarzan” Sandoval of Oakdale, California in a four-round featherweight fight. While Sandoval will be making his professional boxing debut, he has already been successful as a mixed martial artist, posting a 6-3, 3 KOs, 3 Submissions record. Escalante, the 2008 National PAL Champion at 112-pounds, trains out of the same Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos as Nonito Donaire Jr. Escalante weighed in at 122 ½, while scaled Sandoval 124 ½-pounds.

Amateur Kickboxing

Two amateur kickboxing bouts complete the card tonight. In a three-round pairing of heavyweights, Gary Grant of Antioch, California will take on Xavier Vigney of Pleasant Hill, California. The long and lean Vigney, who trains out of Team Black in Pleasant Hill, scaled 206-pounds. Grant, who trains out of Guila Hawaiian Kajukenbo-Kickboxing in Antioch, weighed in at 222 ½-pounds Thursday night.

Rounding out the card, Dee Alhadi of San Jose, California will take on Marc Talledo of Milpitas, California in a three-round super lightweight bout. Talledo, who trains out of the Unlimited Training Center in Milpitas, weighed in at 134 ½-pounds. Alhadi, who trains out of the famed American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, scaled 130-pounds Thursday.

The event, dubbed “Return of the Hurricane,” will also feature musical performances by the A.J. Rafael Band and Sway Penala. MYX will televise in United States and TV5 will broadcast in the Philippines. Tickets for the event, promoted by CP Presents, Phantom Promotions and Orion Sports Management, are available online at BrownPaperTickets.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO Super Bantamweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Julaton 116 ½
Alcanter 118 ½

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Escalante Jr. 122 ½
Sandoval 124 ½

Amateur Kickboxing Weigh-in Results:

Super Lightweights, 3 Rounds
Alhadi 130
Talledo 134 ½

Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Grant 222 ½
Vigney 206

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

Back in December of 2009, Ana Julaton defeated veteran Donna Biggers before a raucous and supportive crowd in San Jose, California to claim the vacant WBO 122-pound title. Now, a little over a year later, the wildly popular Julaton returns to the Bay Area, defending the title against veteran Franchesca Alcanter at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, California this Friday night.

Unlike the last time Julaton (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Daly City, California fought in the Bay Area, this time around she trained away from home. “It was definitely a change of pace,” said Julaton. “I miss everyone at home and all my friends and family, but it feels really good to be training at the Wild Card Gym. There are a lot of exceptional fighters over there, all getting ready for a fight. Just being able to be in that whole boxing element, I feel like I am at an academy or school of professional boxing. So being able to immerse myself in the world of professional boxing, I feel it has been a good camp.”

Julaton began her professional career training at the Wild Card in Hollywood, California under Freddie Roach and the two reunited prior to her last bout, a June 2010 title defense against Maria Villalobos. “Freddie pushes really hard,” said Julaton. “Everything went really well though.” As always, the services of Roach are a well sought after commodity, but Julaton was able to get her share of time with the esteemed trainer. “There are lots of other fighters getting ready for a fight, and I feel lucky and fortunate that he is spending the time to look at my stuff,” said Julaton. “But I make sure I do my part and listen and push myself really hard. So far it has been working out really well.”

Julaton’s primary sparring partner in Hollywood was former world champion Rodel Mayol. “He has been helping me a lot,” says Julaton. “He helps me work, and he will capitalize on all my mistakes, and he will punish me. Overall it has been humbling. It puts a lot of emphasis and focus on the sparring, making sure that I am sharp and stuff. So it has been great.”

Sandwiched in between Julaton’s title-winning effort over Biggers and her upcoming defense was a rollercoaster 2010. Julaton signed with Orion Sports Management and took her title to Canada in hopes of winning the WBA version against Lisa Brown. The trip proved fruitless, as Brown won a convincing decision. Before her next bout just three months later, Julaton left trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. and rejoined Roach in Hollywood before regaining the WBO title with the points win over Villalobos. Julaton’s team hoped to line up another bout before the end of the year, but a fight did not to fruition until now.

Despite some disappointments, Julaton does not look back on the year with any regrets. “I don’t take anything back about how everything has happened so far over the past year,” said Julaton. “I really got to spend a lot of time on just getting back to Freddie’s style as well as incorporating all of the stuff I learned from Nonito Sr. It also has really helped get me to look at this year as a fresh start and taking it one fight at a time.”

As has been the case for most of her professional career, the next fight for Julaton comes against a more experienced veteran opponent, Franchesca Alcanter (18-9-1, 9 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri. In her most recent ring appearance, Alcanter hung tough with the well respected Ina Menzer in a failed attempt at a 126-pound title in Germany in May of 2009.

“I saw her last fight with Menzer,” reveals Julaton. “She’s very experienced. She has been in multiple world championship fights and she fights at 130, 126 weight classes. This fight will be at 122, so she is a bigger girl coming down to a smaller weight division. I know she’s taking this fight very seriously and she is training really hard to try and take the WBO title away from me.” For those reasons, Julaton expects a challenge Friday night. “For every title fight that I go into, I expect to be sharp and strong for all ten rounds. Overall it’s going to be a great fight.”

Local fight fans should plan on being in attendance this Friday in Richmond if they want to see a Julaton fight live in 2011, as her team is already working on potential dates in the Philippines and Canada. “Since winning the title, I have had the opportunity to fight in Canada, and I am looking into the possibility of fighting internationally, and I don’t know when I will be able to come back home again and fight in the Bay Area,” says Julaton.

There is the possibility that Julaton may never again fight in her home area. If she was sticking to the timetable she set for her career a couple of years ago, Friday’s fight would not even be taking place. “It’s so funny being able to sit back a think about all the stuff I used to say back then, like how I wanted to be able to retire by the time I was 30,” says Julaton, who turned 30-years-old last year. “As far as how long will I stay in this sport? It is really hard to say. I just feel inspired and I fall in love with the sport more and more. I know there will be a point in my life when I will not have this anymore. I am just taking it one fight at a time. I want to see how far I can go.

Maybe three or four, or four or five more big fights. But you never know.”

Photo by Alfredo Perez

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — On the cusp of world title contention, super featherweight contender Eloy Perez scored a comprehensive eight-round unanimous decision over veteran Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez in the main event at the Longshoremen’s Hall on Friday night. In the co-main event, Filipino prospect Mercito Gesta lit up journeyman Genaro Trazancos for the second time in six months.

Perez (20-0, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California showed his class as he failed to lose a round against the once-determined former contender Gonzalez (27-4, 18 KOs) of Indio, California. Perez, the WBO #2 ranked super featherweight, boxed intelligently throughout and Gonzalez had no answers.

Perez, 130, targeted Gonzalez’ soft body early in what was a feeling out first round. Gonzalez, 133, had come in three pounds over the contracted weight, thus forfeiting 20 percent of his purse at yesterday’s weigh-in, and Perez looked to capitalize on his opponent’s apparent lack of conditioning.

As the fight progressed, Perez applied pressure in spots, but boxed carefully for the most part. Though Perez opened up a bit late in rounds two and three, the difference in class between the two combatants became more readily apparent in round four. Gonzalez continually looked to land a counter, but it was impossible for him to win rounds in that style against a volume puncher such as Perez.

With the fight moving into the later rounds, Gonzalez continued to only offer up his offense once Perez had ceased firing. However, the active Perez left Gonzalez few openings to shoot for and simply kept piling up on points. With the fight well in hand in the eighth, Perez looked to close the show in style and sat down on a combination that rocked Gonzalez.

In the end, all three judges scored every round for Perez, for tallies of 80-72 across the board. Perez is penciled in for the April 29th edition of Telefutura Solo Boxeo, which is ticketed for Reno, Nevada. The fight could potentially be a WBO Super Featherweight title elimination bout.

“I want Vicente Escobedo now,” pronounced Perez’ manager Kathy Garcia after Friday’s fight. Escobedo recently announced plans to campaign at the 130-pound super featherweight class, and hails from Woodland, California. A Perez-Escobedo clash would be a hot ticket almost anywhere in Northern California. Also on the hit list for Team Perez: Rocky Martinez, Rocky Juarez and Jason Litzau.

Mercito Gesta (21-0-1, 11 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines had no trouble dismantling the weathered Genaro Trazancos (22-14-1, 13 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.

Gesta, 140, was landing freely by a minute into the bout. As was the case last August, Trazancos, 138 ½, could not find an answer for the speed or boxing ability of Gesta, and it was evident from the outset. By the last minute of the first, it was clear Gesta could land a flurry at any time of his choosing.

Gesta rocked Trazancos early in the second with two right hands, and then calmly went back to boxing. A two-handed Gesta flurry hurt the Mexican against the ropes seconds later. Still on shaky ground, Trazancos moved and covered up enough to make it out of the round.

With the end in sight, Gesta landed a straight left that stunned Trazancos early in the third. Gesta flurried to follow-up and appeared to have a stoppage on his mind. The slippery Trazancos moved and flailed, but eventually got caught again and looked to cover-up. Again, Gesta calmed down and began to pick his shots.

In between rounds three and four, Trazancos expressed that he did not want to continue, which forced referee Ray Balewicz to stop the bout. Trazancos left the ring favoring his ribs. It was the second stoppage of Trazancos for the Filipino prospect, the first coming in the seventh round six months ago. For Trazancos, it was his ninth loss in his last ten bouts. His only win during that stretch came against Waldo Vela, a reported 0-6-3 fighter.

For Gesta the future looks bright. The Filipino plans to make his stand in the 135-pound lightweight division, a weight he has not made since April 2008. Gesta, currently the WBO #12 ranked lightweight, had hoped to fight Hector Velazquez tonight, but that did not come together. Based on recent performances, Gesta appears ready for the next step up in competition.

In a bout where somebody’s ‘O’ had to go, nobody’s did as Adolfo Gonzalez (1-0-1) of Salinas and Jose Leon Jr. (1-0-1) of Visalia, California fought to a four-round draw. Gonzalez, 149, started the bout looking to touch gloves, but was met with an unsportsmanlike right hand from Leon, 150.

Both fighters had their moments in a difficult fight to score, as was evidenced by the final official scores. One judge had it 40-36 in favor of Gonzalez, while another had it 40-36 the other way. The third judge had it even, 38-38, thus forcing the draw. Though Leon showed poor sportsmanship in the opening, he very classily raised the arm of Gonzalez after the decision was read.

Making his professional debut, local favorite Joe Gumina (1-0, 1 KO) of San Bruno, California pleased his hometown crowd with a first-round stoppage of Jose Jesus Hurtado (3-3, 3 KOs) of San Ysidro, California.

It ended up being both a long and short night for the two fighters, who originally entered the ring as the first fight of the event. Shortly after their introductions, it was announced that required paramedic had not yet arrived at the building. After waiting in the ring for over twenty minutes, they were sent back to the dressing room.

The raucous pro-Gumina crowd stuck around until the night’s first walkout bout, and Gumina, 182, took little time giving them what they wanted. Gumina came out in his trademark free-swinging style, forcing Hurtado, 186, to quickly cover-up. The chubby Hurtado defended well before a right uppercut landed clean and sent him backing up. The following barrage sent him to the ropes and eventually down to a knee for the first knockdown. Two hard lefts and another right forced Hurtado down to a knee again, prompting referee Dan Stell to stop the fight at the 1:02 mark of the first.

Former amateur standout Richard Hargraves (2-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Francisco ended an eleven-month layoff in his hometown, but came up with a draw against a determined Clint Coronel (3-1-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California.

Hargraves, 151, reportedly held two amateur wins over Coronel, 152 ½, who fought professionally as a mixed martial artist before returning to boxing in 2009. In rounds one and two, Hargraves boxed and moved, avoiding the swings of Coronel for the most part. When on the inside early in the bout, Hargraves was quick to tie up in shorter opponent.

Coronel came out more aggressively in the third and quickly caught Hargraves with two solid right hands. Hargraves fell out balance, but regained his footing as he stepped back towards the ropes. Coronel took more chances coming into range, which resulted in a bloodied right eye, but also gave him an opportunity to turn around the fight. An energetic Coronel remained standing for much of the rest period before the fourth.

Sensing he needed the round, Coronel game out guns blazing to start the final stanza. Hargraves weathered the early rush and began to settle back into his box from outside, tie up when on the inside game plan. However, Coronel may have caught the eye of the judges with the one or two hard right hands he landed later in the round. In the end, one judge had the fight for Hargraves, 39-37, while the other two had it even, 38-38.

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

There are few things the casual fight fan-ticket buyer would rather see than a knockout. Power is a funny thing. No matter how many times you hit the bag, or how many rounds you spar, you either have it or you don’t. It is the one attribute even the elite boxing trainer cannot teach his fighter. By his own account, Joe Gumina knocked out 16 of his 26 amateur opponents, which translates to an obscene knockout percentage, especially considering there was headgear involved in all of those bouts. Tomorrow night, Gumina’s opponent will not have the benefit of such equipment, as the unapologetic puncher turns pro down the street from his childhood stomping grounds at the Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco, California.

Gumina always admired the sport from afar, but did not take up boxing until he was 21-years-old, an advanced age for a beginner. “I always wanted to do it as a kid, but I was always playing baseball or football,” recalls Gumina. “Once I was done playing college football, Hector Martinez said that he would help teach me how to box. I just started working out with him, and he turned me over to Arturo [Gastelum] at Frisco Boxing and its history since. I have just been sticking with it.”

Just about two years after giving up playing linebacker, Gumina qualified for the 2007 National PAL Championships by winning the California Police Activities League state title. “I went there having not really trained for it,” recalls Gumina. “I was in good shape, but not 100 percent. I had hurt my ankle, but I was ‘You know, I am going to do it.’ I had the opportunity and I went down there and knocked out all three guys in all three fights. I have been blessed, and just jumped in there.”

Gumina went on to compete against the top 178-pound amateurs at the national tournament in Oxnard, California. Gumina advanced to the semi-finals after scoring a first-round knockout of Jamar Parker in under a minute, but lost on points to superb boxer Dorian Anthony. The following year Gumina again made it to the National PAL Championships, but lost on points to Marcos Vega.

During his amateur career, Gumina heard some criticism for his all-or-nothing style. “Truthfully, I have had people talk shit about how I box,” says Gumina. “But I am there to fight and I am there to entertain people. If I lose, but I put a hurtin’ on the other guy, hey, basically I won. I am there to knock people out, and that is what boxing needs. It doesn’t need two guys playing patty cake with each other. People may say I am not the best boxer, but I will tell you this, I am there to fight.”

Gumina had planned to turn pro over a year ago, but had to put his career on hold when he was injured at work. Three months ago, Gumina, a resident of San Bruno, California, hooked up with well known trainer Jesse Reid and decided to make the move to Southern California to better himself as a boxer. “I came to a point where I just felt like my wheels were spinning up here,” says Gumina. “I just got on the internet to see what other trainers there were, and I looked him up and found him. I got a hold of him and went down there and sparred in front of him. He said he likes everything he sees, and thinks I could do major things.”

Friday’s bout takes place at the historic Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco, a stone’s throw where Gumina grew up. “I’m from San Bruno, so I am ten minutes outside of San Francisco and I have worked at Fisherman’s Wharf since I was a little kid,” says Gumina, who worked at Alioto’s Restaurant, which his cousin owns. “I am grateful as hell that this fight came through. To be able to fight in my hometown for my first fight, I thought for sure I would be fighting in some little Indian casino somewhere. I am excited and I am going to put on a hell of a show in front of all of my friends and family.”

Gumina’s originally scheduled opponent Ryan Davis was a late scratch from the card. “He’s in jail or something,” explained Gumina, who will now face Jose Jesus Hurtado (3-2, 3 KOs) of San Ysidro, California in a four-rounder. “I know nothing about him,” admits Gumina. “I just found out I am fighting him this morning, but I don’t really care. I feel that if I can execute my game plan, I will be alright.”

When Gumina fights, he seems to put everything into just about every punch he throws. Now he is taking that mentality and putting it on his boxing career as a whole. “I am going to go as far as God is willing to let me go, because I am in it to win it,” declares Gumina. “I am putting 100 percent of everything of what I have into this career and boxing. Wherever it takes me, it takes me, but I am giving it 100 percent every day of the week.”

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

The busy month of Northern California fight cards which began last week in Fairfield continues this Friday in San Francisco and concludes the following Friday in Richmond. Not in several years has the region hosted three cards in as many weeks.

Boxing Back in San Francisco

This Friday’s edition of the weekly Telefutura series Solo Boxeo will emanate from a Northern California city once known to be a boxing hotbed, San Francisco. Professional boxing returns to the city for just the second time in the last five years at the Longshoremen’s Hall in Fisherman’s Wharf. The venue which played host to acts such as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead in the 1960’s will showcase the sweet science for the first time since a modest card in 2004.

Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, Filipino great Flash Elorde drew large crowds to see him fight in the city at the Cow Palace and the San Francisco Gardens. Promoter Don Chargin hopes history repeats itself as he places a young Filipino prospect in the main event on the 18th. Lightweight Mercito Gesta (20-0-1, 10 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines will rematch Mexican journeyman Genaro Trazancos (22-13-1, 13 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in an eight-rounder. Gesta, the WBO #12 ranked lightweight, stopped Trazancos in seven back in August.

In the co-feature, WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez (19-0, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California will take on former contender Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez (27-3, 18 KOs) of Indio, California in an eight-round bout. Perez may be on the verge of fighting for the WBO title, as an elimination bout had even been in the offing, but he first must get past the challenge of Gonzalez, an all-action fighter who has never lost a decision.

The undercard is slated to feature welterweight prospect Karim Mayfield (13-0-1, 8 KOs) of Daly City, California in a six-round bout. Mayfield headlined the only card held in San Francisco last year, as he demolished Sergio De La Torre in five rounds at the Kezar Pavilion in June. However, Mayfield’s opponent is yet to be named, and it is looking unlikely that one will.

In other action, Adolfo Gonzalez (1-0) of Salinas will take on Jose Leon (1-0) of Visalia, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Aaron Garcia (9-1, 2 KOs) of Vista, California will take on a to be determined opponent in a six-round featherweight fight. Also, former amateur knockout artist Joe Gumina of San Bruno, California will make his pro debut against Jose Jesus Hurtado (3-2, 3 KOs) of San Ysidro, California in a four-round light heavyweight bout.

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

Julaton Brings Title Back to the Bay

WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Ana Julaton (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Daly City will defend the title she won with a victory over Donna Biggers in San Jose, California in 2009 against veteran Franchesca Alcanter (18-9-1, 9 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri in a ten-rounder at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, California on February 25th.

Julaton is coming off a hard-fought ten-round split decision over Maria Villalobos back in June of last year. Julaton’s team has designs on bringing her to the Philippines for a title defense, or possibly a unification bout, but Alcanter comes first. “I know she’s taking this fight very seriously and she is training really hard to try and take the WBO title away from me,” Julaton told 15rounds.com. “From being a three-time world champion, I know I am in a position that people are trying to take what I have, and that is just the name of the game. I just have to make sure that I don’t take anything lightly and stay grounded.”

In her last bout, Alcanter, who also has some MMA experience, took the much-ballyhooed Ina Menzer the ten-round distance in a featherweight title bid in Germany last year. “I saw her last fight with Ina Menzer,” says Julaton. “She’s very experienced. She has been in multiple world championship fights and she fights at 130, 126 weight classes. This fight will be at 122, so she is a bigger girl coming down to a smaller weight division.”

Also slated for the card, former amateur standout Bruno Escalante Jr. (1-0-1) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines will take on Floyd Smith (0-2) of Apple Valley, California in a four-round bantamweight bout.

The event will also feature amateur kickboxing bouts as well as musical performances by A.J. Rafael and Sway Penala. Tickets for the event, promoted by CP Presents and Orion Sports Management, are available online at BrownPaperTickets.com.

Escobedo Makes Move to 130

Former lightweight title challenger Vicente Escobedo (22-3, 14 KOs) of Woodland is moving back down to super featherweight, beginning with a March 4th bout against career-spoiler Walter Estrada (38-13-1, 25 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Canalete, Colombia. Their bout will headline Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo and emanate from the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.

Escobedo fought at 130-pounds earlier in his career, but ventured north in weight because that is where bigger fights were offered. “It’s something I been thinking about since the fight with Katsidis,” Escobedo told 15rounds.com. “The reason it didn’t happen then was because I was approached with some great opportunities. Fighting in the lightweight class the fighters were much bigger and stronger.” Escobedo fought well, but came up short against both Michael Katsidis and Robert Guerrero.

At 130-pounds there are not a great number of name fighters to target, but Escobedo could be in line for a title fight with a couple of wins. “Going down to 130 should be fascinating,” says Escobedo. “There are a lot of great fighters in this weight class. As I step in the ring March 4th as a super featherweight I will be more comfortable, stronger and will dominate. This is the weight class where I belong in for now.”

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, are available online at FantasySpringsCasino.com.

Notes

-Last Friday’s fight card, which took place at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California, had been originally pegged to take place in nearby Vacaville. The record shows the last time a pro boxing card was held in Vacaville it was August 17, 1921. That same Wednesday evening, cards were held in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. Either Vacaville or Fairfield will host the March 25th edition of Telefutura Solo Boxeo.

-Manuel Avila (2-0, 1 KO) of Fairfield will apparently not be on the bill on the 25th, as he is pegged for the Solo Boxeo undercard the previous week, which takes place at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California

Photo by Paul Gallegos/Golden Boy Promotions

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Rising middleweight Peter Quillin outclassed and busted up Dennis Sharpe on his way to a fourth-round stoppage in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event at the Fairfield Sports Center on Friday night.

Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York set the tone for the fight in the opening moments of the first round, as he landed a jab, straight right hand combination to back up Sharpe (17-6-3, 4 KOs) of Bayonne, New Jersey. The right hand would be the primary weapon for Quillin, 166, throughout the fight.

Any time Sharpe, 159, would throw a punch, which was not all that often, Quillin seemed to have a perfectly timed counter waiting for him. Having lost the boxing match in the first, Sharpe decided to get into an exchange with Quillin in the second. Quillin got the better of that too, as he tagged Sharpe with two right hands.

By the third round, Sharpe’s nose was bleeding heavily due to Quillin’s right handed attack. In the fourth, two hard rights, followed up by a left hook rocked Sharpe. Another right snapped the Bayonne native’s head back near the ropes. Quillin closed in and landed another right and followed up with a flurry, which prompted referee Marcos Rosales to stop the contest. Official time was 1:54 of round four.

Fairfield’s Alan Sanchez (7-2-1, 2 KOs) dropped John Ryan Grimaldo (6-1, 5 KOs) of Denver, Colorado twice en route to an eight-round unanimous decision victory. Grimaldo, 142, flashed an unbeaten record coming in, but it had been built up against mostly soft opposition. Despite his lack of credentials, Grimaldo showed his heart as he stood up to the varied assault of Sanchez, 144.

The bout began with a cautious and somewhat tentative first round for both combatants. Grimaldo had his best round in the second, as he outworked the inactive Sanchez. The fight changed in the third, as Sanchez caught Grimaldo with a left hook in an exchange. Grimaldo went down, but made it back up and avoided enough of the wild Sanchez attack to last the remaining minute-and-a-half of the round.

Grimaldo seemed to regain his legs in time for the start of the fourth, but he did not mount much of an offense. In the fifth, Sanchez rocked Grimaldo again, this time with a straight right hand. Grimaldo refused to surrender and landed a solid left hook that seemed to bother Sanchez in the sixth. Grimaldo was having one of his better rounds, but Sanchez turned the momentum back in his favor with a left hook of his own late in the sixth.

Grimaldo showed his resolve again in the seventh. The Denver resident stunned Sanchez with a left early, but Sanchez quickly retorted. The local favorite snapped Grimaldo’s head back with a straight right and buckled his knees with a short left hook. In the eighth, Sanchez landed a chopping right and followed with a left hook to drop Grimaldo for a second time. Still game, Grimaldo fought on, even landing a looping right late in the final round. In the end, all three judges scored the bout for Sanchez, 80-70, 79-72 and 78-72.

Fidel Maldonado Jr. (8-0, 7 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico kept his promising career rolling in fashion, as he brutalized late replacement opponent Carlos Hernandez (3-5-2) of San Fernando, California en route to a second-round stoppage.

Maldonado, 145, scored three knockdowns in under four minutes. The first came from a clean, sweeping left hook, which put Hernandez down to the seat of his pants. Hernandez, 142, gamely rose to his feet and fought back, but appeared to have much of his will sapped by another stiff left hand. Moments later Hernandez was on the mat again, this time from a couple rights to the body that did not look to be all that damaging.

The fight could have been halted after the second knockdown, but with the bell following close behind, the fight lasted into the second. Seconds into the round, two quick shots downed Hernandez again. Referee Marcos Rosales called the fight without a count at the time of 37 seconds of the second round.

Manuel Avila (2-0, 1 KO) of Fairfield remained unbeaten with a fourth-round stoppage over willing adversary Jose Garcia (0-3) of Bakersfield, California. Avila, 121, was aggressive at the outset and hurt Garcia, 119, with a right, left combination in the first. In the second Garcia managed to land clean in spots, but his shots did not seem to both Avila too much.

The third round featured some two-way action as well, but Avila landed harder and more often. Avila did not pay too much attention to defense in exchanges, perhaps feeling Garcia did not have the power to hurt him. In the fourth, Avila cornered Garcia into the ropes after landing a hard left hook. A left hook-uppercut hybrid backed Garcia into the turnbuckle and the follow-up flurry prompted referee Ed Collantes to the stop the bout. Official time was 2:28 of round four.

Former amateur star Guy Robb (2-0, 1 KOs) of Sacramento, California scored two official knockdowns and outpointed the naturally larger Omar Sanchez (0-2) of Fairfield via four-round unanimous decision.

Robb, 132, controlled most of the first round with his movement and well-timed punching. The most telling punch of the round was a solid right by Robb, but Sanchez, 138, fought back and landed well just before the bell. The second round was give-and-take. Robb landed a solid right early, and Sanchez landed a hard left hook late in the round.

As the third round progressed, Robb completely took control of the fight. An overhand right from Robb dropped Sanchez midway through the round. Robb kept up the pressure, but Sanchez continued to fire back. In the fourth, Robb staggered Sanchez into the ropes with a left hand. With Sanchez a bit tangled up, referee Ed Collantes ruled it a knockdown. Even without the knockdown ruling, the fight was already Robb’s. In the end the scores read 40-34 and 39-35 twice, all for Robb.

Tonight’s promotional team of Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents will promote next Friday’s offering of Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo from the Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco, California. There are plans to return to Fairfield, or go to Vacaville, for an event on March 25th.

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Last month, the weekly boxing series Solo Boxeo, which airs nationally Friday nights on Telefutura, brought their traveling road show to the city of Fairfield, California. It was the first time professional boxing had taken place in the city since the late 1980’s, and the thirsty local fight fans showed up in mass, as an overflow crowd packed the Fairfield Sports Center to witness a slew of local prospects ply their trade. Just one month later boxing is back, as middleweight Peter Quillin and local favorite Alan Sanchez co-headline the card. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the Courtyard by Marriott Fairfield Napa Valley Area.

Quillin (22-0, 16 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York ended a long stretch of inactivity with a ten-round decision over Fernando Zuniga in February of last year. In his only other ring appearance of 2010, Quillin made short work of Martin Desjardins, stopping the journeyman with a right hand late in the first round of a December bout. Quillin, who now fights out of the famed Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, California under the tutelage of Freddie Roach and Eric Brown, looks poised to make his move in an intriguing middleweight division. Quillin weighed in at 166-pounds Thursday.

Opposing Quillin in the eight-round bout is Bayonne, New Jersey’s Dennis Sharpe (17-5-3, 4 KOs). Sharpe finds himself in the familiar role of opponent for a well known rising contender. All five of Sharpe’s losses have come against previously unbeaten foes, which accounts for his five most recent ring appearances. Sharpe managed to last the distance against the trio of Ronald Hearns, Buddy McGirt Jr. and Andy Lee in the last three bouts, but those took place in 2006 and 2007. Sharpe scaled 159-pounds Thursday evening.

While the main event may or may not prove to be competitive, the co-feature is the bigger drawing card for local fight aficionados anyway. Fairfield’s Alan Sanchez (6-2-1, 2 KOs) turned back the challenge of the always game Cristian Favela via eight-round unanimous decision at last month’s event. This time around Sanchez goes up against an unbeaten but less proven opponent in Denver, Colorado’s John Ryan Grimaldo (6-0, 5 KOs). Grimaldo, who scaled 142-pounds, is completely untested, as his previous opponents had a combined record of 10-31. Sanchez, who weighed in at 144, went 1-1-1 against three prospects with a combined record of 26-1 before meeting Favela last month.

Last month former national amateur standout Manuel Avila (1-0) of Fairfield was slated to be a part of the card at the Sports Center, but after several opponents fell out, his fight was scratched. Promoters were able to lock down an opponent this time around, as Avila will take on Jose Garcia (0-2) of Bakersfield, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Avila, managed by Cameron Dunkin, was impressive in his debut back in November, as he showed the composure of a veteran in a four-round decision of Alexis Hernandez. Avila weighed in at 121-pounds, while Garcia scaled 119.

Former amateur star Guy Robb (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will take on Fairfield’s Omar Sanchez (0-1) in a four-round light welterweight bout. The fight nearly fell apart on Thursday, when Sanchez came in at 138-pounds, two pounds over the contracted 136. Robb, a winner at the 2008 Ringside World Championships as an amateur, had scaled 132-pounds. Sanchez did not want to lose the two pounds, but eventually a deal was stuck with Robb’s team to keep the fight intact. Robb turned pro back in October, scoring a devastating first-round stoppage of Jose Pacheco in Santa Ynez, California. Sanchez turned pro on the January card in Fairfield, but ran into prospect Maximilliano Becerra and lost an action-packed four-round decision.

Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California was slated to be on tonight’s card, but is without an opponent presently. Becerra’s originally scheduled opponent, Irving Garcia (3-1, 1 KO) of Stratford, California, fell out for undisclosed reasons. Should an opponent be found, he and Becerra will weigh-in today, two hours before the card begins.

Another fight is pending a Friday afternoon weigh-in, as lightweight prospect Fidel Maldonado Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico is pegged to fight Carlos Hernandez (3-4-2) of San Fernando, California in a four-rounder. Hernandez was a late addition to the card and did not arrive in Fairfield in time for Thursday’s weigh-in.

A scant few, if any, tickets remain for tonight’s event promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Super Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Quillin 166
Sharpe 159

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Sanchez 144
Grimaldo 142

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Avila 121
Garcia 119

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Robb 132
Sanchez 138

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Maldonado*
Hernandez *

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Becerra**

*will weigh-in today
**will weigh-in today if opponent is found

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

MAYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — In what would have been a mild upset, Dyah Davis looked to have a decision victory in his grasp, but had to settle for a majority draw with world ranked super middleweight contender Francisco Sierra in Saturday’s main event at the Maywood Activity Center.

The actual fight will not further the career of either fighter, but Davis should have the victory on his record. Davis (18-2-1, 9 KOs) of Coconut Creek, Florida seemed to win a minimum of seven rounds, but two judges managed to find the fight even after ten rounds.

Sierra (23-3-1, 21 KOs) of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico never got unhinged in the fight, which was not a crowd pleaser. Sierra, 170 ¾, could not get the bat of his shoulder and only managed to land one punch at a time whenever he did land. Davis, 169, worked well in spots from the outside, but most of the fight consisted of a lot of falling in and clinching.

Davis began to get more effective work done in the second half of the fight. A left hook forced Sierra to stumble coming in twice in the seventh, with the second having more power behind it. Davis’ confidence continued to rise, as he held his left hand down low and pursued Sierra in the eighth. Another lead left hook scored for Davis in the ninth and a left jab, straight right landed clean in the tenth. Sierra showed signs of life, landing a right late in the round, but as was the case for much of the fight, the Mexican could not maintain any sort of momentum.

In the end, only one judge had it for Davis, by the correctly wide tally of 98-92. The other two judges seated ringside unfortunately must have fallen asleep, deciding perhaps no one deserved the win, as they handed in scorecards of 95-95. Sierra entered the bout the WBO #10 ranked super middleweight, based solely on his knockout of prospect Donovan George last year.

Oscar Meza (21-4, 17 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of El Dorado, Sinaloa, Mexico moved past game journeyman Leo Martinez (15-15, 7 KOs) of Columbus, Ohio by way of Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Estado de Mexico, Mexico by unanimous eight-round decision.

After a feeling out round one, Meza, 136 ¾, turned up the heat in round two, as he put his punches together a little more. Martinez, 135 ½, became more offensive in round three, but it was still Meza landing the harder shots. Meza really began to put a hurt on Martinez in round five, which was evidenced by the marks on his face. Martinez did not fare any better in the sixth either, as Meza kept up the pressure.

Early in the seventh, a left hook dropped Martinez hard to the canvas. The Ohio-based warrior got right back up and gamely made it out of the round and actually may have won the eighth with his activity level. In the end, all three judges had the bout for Meza, 80-72, 78-73 and 79-72.

Andy Ruiz Jr. (7-0, 5 KOs) of Imperial, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico battered Kelsey Arnold (4-6-2, 1 KO) of Lexington, Tennessee en route to a third-round stoppage. Ruiz, 257 ½, got rough in round two, bloodying the nose of Arnold, 241, and flooring him with a jab on a break. The potential knockdown was correctly waved off by referee David Mendoza. In the third, Ruiz relentlessly pounded Arnold, who was leaking crimson quite heavily, before Mendoza called a halt to the violence at the 2:19 mark of the third.

Fighting before a vocal supporting crowd in the first walkout bout, debuting Raymond Chacon (1-0) of Los Angeles scored a four-round unanimous decision over Manuel Machorro (0-3) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Chacon, 121, was the aggressor in an awkward fight, which was more than enough to get the unanimous verdict over Machorro, 119. All three judges handed in tallies of 40-36 for Chacon.

Jose Roman (9-0, 7 KOs) of Garden Grove, California remained unbeaten with a six-round unanimous decision over Johnny Frazier (2-5-3, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in the night’s final bout. Frazier, 132, coming off of a four-round decision loss to Jose’s younger brother Jessie Roman, was dropped in the first. A right hook stunned him and set the table for a left hook that cleaned up for the knockdown.

Roman, 133, rocked Frazier with another sweeping left hook in the second. Frazier came alive in the third as he landed well with Roman’s back to the ropes. Roman shut down his offense for a bit after getting buzzed, but awoke late in the fight. The sixth featured some tense action, but in the end Roman had no need to worry, the fight was already his on the cards. In the end, Roman won by scores of 60-53 and 59-54 twice.

In a closer than anticipated contest, Patrick Teixeira (12-0, 10 KOs) of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil just got by Nampa, Idaho’s David Lopez (3-4) via six-round split decision. Lopez, 155 ½, won over the crowd with his active pace, but it was Teixeira, 155, that won over the majority of the official judges in the end. Two had it 59-55 for Teixeira, while one had it the other way, 58-56 for Lopez.

Davis-Sierra Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Additional Photos by Mark Ortega

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

SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA — Making the move from prospects to contenders, featherweight Luis Franco and cruiserweight Lateef Kayode were matched tough, but well as they passed their most demanding tests to date at the Chumash Casino Resort on Friday night.

Competing for just the ninth time as a professional, Franco (9-0, 5 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Havana, Cuba moved past veteran Leonilo Miranda (32-3, 30 KOs) of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico with an entertaining ten-round split decision.

Things did not start out well for Franco, 126, in the first. Miranda, 126, buzzed him early in the round and seemed to score a knockdown with straight left as Franco backed up. Though Franco looked hurt, referee Marcos Rosales ruled it a slip.

After a first round that was all Miranda, Franco came out and boxed in the second as if the fight was starting over. When the former Cuban Olympian utilized his superior boxing skills, he seemed to be on a completely different level than Miranda. Through the fourth round, Franco kept his range and frustrated the free-swinging Mexican with his constant movement.

Inexplicably, with the fight going his way, Franco decided to stand and trade with Miranda in spots. Franco was giving Miranda his only chance for victory, because when the Cuban boxed and moved, the Mexican had no answer. In the fifth, Miranda seemed to stun Franco with a left hook at one such instance, but the Cuban came back and closed out the round well.

In the sixth, Franco, the WBO #9/IBF #13 ranked featherweight contender, went back to his bread and butter style and controlled the next few rounds. Franco closed out the eighth pressuring Miranda against the ropes has he sat down on a flurry. However, in the ninth, Franco again decided to stand his ground and trade with the Mexican puncher. It was a risky move, but Franco was outworking the tiring Miranda.

Franco fought the tenth much the same as the ninth, and Miranda obliged as the round featured some excellent two-way action. Both warriors were visibly tired, but still throwing a ton of punches. Franco’s higher output and movement gave him an edge in the round as they closed out the ten-round bout.

Judge Ray Balewicz saw the fight for Miranda, 96-94. Judges Ralph McKnight and Steve Morrow had Franco the winner, 97-93 and 96-94 respectively. With the win, Franco retained his WBO Intercontinental Featherweight title and likely improved upon his world rankings.

In the co-feature, WBA #4/WBO #4/WBC #6 ranked cruiserweight Lateef Kayode (16-0, 14 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Nigeria saw his 14-fight knockout streak snapped, but he did score a ten-round unanimous decision over Nicholas Iannuzzi (16-2, 9 KOs) of Tampa, Florida.

Iannuzzi, 198, probably fought the best fight he could have, but it was not enough to win over the official scorers seated ringside. The first two rounds featured little action, as Iannuzzi moved and moved, and Kayode, 199, was far too patient. The fight began to pick up a bit in the third, after Iannuzzi gained some confidence after landing a solid counter right. Iannuzzi began to mix in some offense with his constant movement, as he landed well in spots and wisely got out of danger.

In the fourth, Iannuzzi was even braver, as he stood his ground at times and landed well. Kayode was slow to pick up his work rate until late in the fifth round. The sixth round told the story of the fight. Iannuzzi landed a good combination after countering Kayode and picked his spots at other times in the round. However, the most telling blow was landed by Kayode, a short left that rocked Iannuzzi. It would be up to the judges if they preferred Iannuzzi’s higher output, or Kayode’s one or two power punches.

Iannuzzi continued to stick to the game plan in the seventh, as he landed a quick combination upstairs and quickly got out of range. At one moment, Kayode feinted being hurt to try and entice Iannuzzi forward. Late in the round, Kayode landed a solid hook upstairs and then placed another to the body. The second one seemed to take a little steam out of Iannuzzi for a bit.

Iannuzzi had his moments in the final two rounds, most notably a left hook that snapped Kayode’s head back in the ninth, but the Nigerian’s pressure seemed to win him the rounds. Iannuzzi was not moving as well as earlier in the bout, which allowed Kayode to get more work done. They traded at the bell to close the fight, with Iannuzzi getting one or two in after.

In the end, Iannuzzi had won over the crowd, but had lost the fight. Judge Ray Balewicz had it close, 95-94, but judges Ralph McKnight and Steve Morrow had it rather wide, 97-92 and 98-91 respectively. With the win, Kayode retained his WBO NABO and NABF Cruiserweight titles and gained some much needed experience.

Francisco Santana (12-2, 6 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California returned to action with a devastating first-round stoppage over Adan Leal (6-3, 5 KOs) of Nogales, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Santana, 156, quickly got Leal, 158, to retreat to the ropes and uncorked a picture perfect left hook that absolutely wreaked Leal. Referee Marcos Rosales began his count while Leal gamely tried to get to his knee. When Leal fell into the ropes, Rosales waved off the fight at the 1:57 mark of the first.

Welterweight prospect Michael Anderson (10-0, 8 KOs) of New York, New York scored a come from behind victory of sorts, stopping determined journeyman Octavio Narvaez (7-8-1, 4 KOs) of Chinandega, Nicaragua in the fourth round of a scheduled eight.

Narvaez, 148, was an aggressive adversary from the outset as he repeatedly pressured Anderson, 147, to the ropes. Narvaez did not seem to have all that much on his punches, but the sheer volume kept Anderson on the defensive for much of the four rounds. Anderson employed a Floyd Mayweatheresque defense, and was very selective with his shots.

Before the start of the fourth, Anderson was down 30-27 on two cards and 29-28 on the third. Scoring would not matter, as Anderson unleashed a left hook to the body that took the wind and all of the determination out of Narvaez. Official time of the stoppage was 2:42 of the fourth round.

Rufino Serrano (8-3) of nearby Santa Maria, California outboxed Jose Morales (6-3, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado en route to a six-round unanimous decision. Serrano, 128, had both the better boxing skills and conditioning, which was more than enough to get the better of Morales, 128.

After controlling most of the first three rounds with his jab and movement, Serrano began to sit down on his punches more in the fourth. An exchange of hooks late in the round sent Morales to the ropes where Serrano landed a clean left hook just before the bell. Serrano highlighted the fifth with an attempted bolo punch and a clean uppercut. Morales seemed to be danger of getting stopped in the sixth, but Serrano did not have the power to get him out of there. In the end, two judges scored it 59-55 and the third had it 60-54, all for Serrano.

In his debut under the Gary Shaw Productions promotional banner, Kurtiss Colvin (3-0, 3 KOs) of Austin, Texas wowed the crowd with a first-round knockout of accomplished mixed martial artist-turned boxer Tony Hervey (0-2) of Detroit, Michigan. Hervey, 159 ½, stood up to the onslaught early, but eventually Colvin, 162, caught him with a combination upstairs that sent him bouncing against the ropes on two sides of the ring. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. stopped the bout with the official time of 2:12 of the first.

Former amateur standout Roman Morales (1-0, 1 KO) of San Ardo, California looked impressive in his debut without headgear as he stopped Shaun Solomon (1-2-1) of Moreno Valley, California in the first round. Morales, 123, landed a left hook, followed by a straight right hand up the middle that downed the southpaw Solomon, 124, early in the round. Another left upstairs forced a wobbly Solomon to touch one of his gloves to the canvas and thus another knockdown. Referee Marcos Rosales allowed the fight to go on, but when Morales landed two more hard rights, he leaped in to stop the bout at 2:59 of the first.

Two amateur exhibitions began the night. In spirited bouts, Francisco Ortega, fighting out of the Santa Rita Boxing Club, took on Brandon Gutierrez of the Santa Rita PAL and Maggie Soares of the Santa Rita Boxing Club met Erika Guaderama of the Santa Rita PAL to open up the evening.

Photos by Mark Ortega

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

Since its 2001 debut, Showtime’s long-running series Shobox: The New Generation has been a proving ground for several of the sport’s brightest prospects on their way to claiming world championships. Tonight the series showcases two more unbeaten potential future champions looking to move forward in their careers in separate bouts at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. Former Cuban Olympian Luis Franco takes on his toughest challenge to date in the form of 34-fight veteran Leonilo Miranda in the main event, while cruiserweight knockout artist Lateef Kayode meets Nicholas Iannuzzi in the co-feature. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the casino.

Just four fights ago, Franco (8-0, 5 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Havana, Cuba was fighting in a four-rounder. Now, just entering his ninth pro bout, Franco is just a win or two away from serious contention. Franco is coming off of a disqualification victory over once-beaten Eric Hunter in December and now finds himself the WBO #9/IBF #13 ranked featherweight.

Franco, who represented Cuba at the 2004 Olympic Games, plans to fall back on his amateur experience to get past the veteran puncher Miranda. “I won’t have an issue fighting a southpaw,” said Franco. “I fought plenty as an amateur. “I think he’s knocked out guys who just stood in front of him. We won’t be doing that.” Franco will look to outbox the forward-moving Miranda, but the Mexican will be dangerous for every frame of their scheduled ten-rounder. Franco, who will be defending his WBO Intercontinental Featherweight title, scaled 126-pounds.

Miranda (32-2, 30 KOs) of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico rebounded from an 0-2 run in 2009 to score two knockouts in 2010, one of which was a short-notice stoppage of Andre Wilson on ESPN2. With an upset victory tonight, Miranda would catapult himself into the world rankings at featherweight. Miranda has to force the fight and try to rough up Franco in order to make his puncher’s chance prove fruitful. “I’m coming to fight ten rounds, but I have the punching power to change the fight at any time,” understands Miranda. “We’ll try for the kayo if it’s there.”

Kayode (15-0, 14 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Nigeria has allowed only one opponent to last the distance, and that was in his pro debut. Last time out, Kayode, the WBA #4/WBO #4/WBC #6 ranked cruiserweight, stopped Ed Perry with a perfectly place uppercut to the body in the sixth. “These knockouts have been a blessing for me,” said Kayode. “I’m aggressive. If I land a good shot I’m not going to stop. I’ll keep coming until the kayo comes, until they are down.” Kayode, defending his WBO NABO/NABF Cruiserweight titles, weighed 199-pounds for the ten-round encounter.

Iannuzzi (16-1, 9 KOs) of Tampa, Florida has bounced back from his sole defeat to reel off four consecutive victories. The last came against former Kayode knockout victim Jose Luis Herrera, as Iannuzzi scored a six-round unanimous decision this past October. Iannuzzi feels his one loss has served him well. “My only loss was good for me,” said Iannuzzi. “It was a huge stepping stone for me and I won’t let it happen again. I learned a lot from it.” Iannuzzi weighed in at 198-pounds.

In off-television action, Rufino Serrano (7-3) of nearby Santa Maria, California will take on Jose Morales (6-2, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado in a six-round super featherweight fight. Serrano, who closed out 2010 with a six-round decision over Rodrigo Aranda at the Chumash Casino Resort in December, scaled 128-pounds. Morales, out of action since a first-round stoppage to Gabriel Tolmajyan last April, weighed in at 128-pounds.

Francisco Santana (11-2, 5 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California will take on Adan Leal (6-2, 5 KOs) of Nogales, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico in a six-round middleweight bout. Santana, coming off of a kayo loss to prospect Karim Mayfield back in November of 2009, scaled 156-pounds, while Leal, a kayo victim in his last two, came in at 158-pounds.

Recently signed by Gary Shaw Productions, Kurtiss Colvin (2-0, 2 KOs) of Austin, Texas will meet Tony Hervey (0-1) of Detroit, Michigan in a four-round middleweight fight. Colvin weighed in at 162-pounds, while Hervey scaled 159 ½-pounds.

Undefeated welterweight prospect Michael Anderson (9-0, 7 KOs) of New York, New York will meet Mexican journeyman Octavio Narvaez (7-9-1, 4 KOs) of Chinandega, Nicaragua in an eight-round bout. Anderson, looking for his seventh straight knockout, scaled 147-pounds, while Narvaez, normally a durable opponent, weighed in at 148-pounds.

In the opener, former amateur star Roman Morales of San Ardo, California makes his pro debut against the capable Shaun Solomon (1-1-1) of Moreno Valley, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Morales scaled 123-pounds, while Solomon was 124.

Tickets for event, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, are available online at ChumashCasino.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO Intercontinental Featherweight Title, 10 Rounds
Franco 126
Miranda 126

WBO NABO Cruiserweight Title
NABF Cruiserweight Title, 10 Rounds
Kayode 199
Iannuzzi 198

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Serrano 128
Morales 128

Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Santana 156
Leal 158

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Colvin 162
Hervey 159 ½

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Anderson 147
Narvaez 148

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 123
Solomon 124

Photos by Tom Casino/Showtime

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Poised to make the move from prospect to contender, middleweight Brandon Gonzales moved past rugged Lester Gonzalez with a decision victory Friday night at the Fairfield Sports Center. In the co-main event, Fairfield’s own Alan Sanchez pleased the overflow crowd as he turned back a tough test in veteran Cristian Favela.

Gonzales (14-0, 10 KOs) of Sacramento utilized his refined boxing skills to outpoint the tough Gonzalez (11-2-1, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Havana, Cuba over eight rounds. Gonzales, 160, boxed and moved his way through the first round before relying on his powerful right hand more in the second. The southpaw Gonzalez, 162, began to land in the third, as he most notably found a home for a straight left late in the round. That punch, however, was preceded by a well-timed uppercut by Sacramento’s Gonzales.

The fourth was perhaps San Diego’s Gonzalez’ best round. Early in the round, Gonzalez landed a right over Gonzales’ left. As the round progressed, Gonzalez’ left became his primary weapon. Gonzalez’ briefly gained momentum dissipated in the fifth, and it was pretty much Sacramento’s Gonzales’ fight the rest of the way.

As the latter rounds rolled by, Gonzales at times displayed the combination of speed and power that makes him one of the top prospects in the region. Gonzales wobbled Gonzalez with a right early in the sixth round, and continued to rock the San Diego resident with the follow-up barrage. Lester Gonzalez was in retreat before coming back with some offense of his own just before the bell.

The classier boxer Gonzales maintained his edge in the bout down the stretch by dictating the style of the fight and landing the harder shots. When the decision was announced, Brandon Gonzales had taken home a wide unanimous decision victory. One judge had it scored 79-73 and the other two had it 78-74. After the fight, Gonzales’ trainer Jeff Mayweather was succinct in his assessment of the performance. “He stuck with the boxing and made the adjustments necessary,” said Mayweather. “He did what he had to do.” With the win, Gonzales could be in line for a crack at a regional title in the next fight or two.

In co-feature, Alan Sanchez (6-2-1, 2 KOs) took a hard-fought eight-round unanimous decision over gritty journeyman Cristian Favela (28-30-7, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Sanchez, 146, found Favela, 146, to be an unrelenting and determined adversary, but he was able to make use of his physical advantages enough to earn the unanimous verdict. Sanchez kept his range early in the first, while Favela had trouble moving in close. The momentum of the bout was briefly halted when the lights flickered on and off above the ring.

Sanchez got on his toes and boxed better beginning in the second round. One two-punch combination in particular was a thing of beauty for Sanchez. Favela found some success in the middle rounds, as he took advantage when Sanchez got on his bike. By the sixth, Sanchez superior boxing skills were the difference the bout. However, late in the round, Favela goaded Sanchez into a trading match. The taller, stronger Sanchez got the better of it, but it was Favela’s only hope.

When Sanchez landed a clean combination in the eighth, Favela smiled and immediately offered back. Their exchange kicked off an action-packed close to the fight and it may have been Favela that stole the last round late. In the end, the local favorite Sanchez won comfortably on the cards, by scores of 80-72 and 78-74 twice.

In an impressive performance, Jonathan Garcia (4-0, 3 KOs) of Watsonville, California punished a normally durable Luis Sanchez (0-5) of Fairfield before scoring a second-round stoppage. Garcia, 142, opened round one with a left to the body of Sanchez, 142, and kept control of the bout from that point on.

Garcia rallied Sanchez against the ropes and forced him into a corner. Sanchez was in trouble, but lasted the round. Garcia came out quick in round two and landed a clubbing right that stunned Sanchez against the ropes again. Sanchez was in trouble for most of the second round, but made it to his stool. In the corner, Sanchez’ trainer Jesse Lopez Sr. became aware of an injury to his charge’s left arm and stopped the fight. Official time was 3:00 of round two.

In an out-and-out brawl, Maximilliano Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California remained unbeaten with a four-round unanimous decision over game Omar Sanchez (0-1) of Fairfield. The fight, which matched two locals who drew a vocal supporting audience, had just about everyone out of their seats.

After a tense first round in which both had their moments, Beccera, 138 ½, came out guns blazing and seized control of the fight. However, Sanchez, 139, was an undeterred battler that never took a backward step, which made for great action. In the third round, an overhand right landed for Becerra and got Sanchez in some trouble. With Sanchez still reeling, Becerra rattled off a three-punch combination that ended with a crushing left to down the Fairfield resident.

Sanchez made it back to his corner and came out swinging in the fourth. Sanchez managed to work Becerra back into a corner for a stretch, but the Vacaville favorite eventually rolled out and rocked Sanchez at the close of the fight. In the end, two judges had 39-36, with the third scoring it a shutout, 40-35.

In a free-swinging affair, Fairfield’s Lamont Williams (3-1, 1 KO) took a four-round split decision over Hector Martinez (5-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California. Williams, 206, outboxed Martinez, 227, in the first, but the tempo of the fight changed before round’s end. Despite winning the boxing match, Williams elected to stand and trade with Martinez to close out the first.

In the second, a more determined Martinez upped his work rate and controlled most of the round. Williams did wake up late in the round to land some hard shots. Martinez came back to rock Williams early in the third. Williams did come back to get in a few tough shots before the bell. With the fight on the table, Williams outworked Martinez for much of the fourth. In the end, one judge favored Martinez, 39-37, but was overruled by the other two, who both had it 39-37 the other way.

Ivan Redkach (6-0, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Shostka, Ukraine did what he was supposed to do and got journeyman Jaime Orrantia (13-29-5, 4 KOs) of Lakeside, California by way of Los Mochis out of there inside of three rounds.

Redkach, 145, was dominant at the outset and rocked Orrantia, 141, several times in the first. Referee Ray Balewicz missed a knockdown, when a two-punch combination forced Orrantia to touch his right glove to the mat. The southpaw Redlach controlled the second in much the same manner, punishing Orrantia all over the ring.

By the third, Orrantia was ready to go. Redkach rocked him with the first right that landed in the round. With the Mexican in retreat, Redkach pressed forward and eventually downed him with a short blow. Too game for his’ own good, Orrantia got up only to be rocked against the ropes and canvassed again. Balewicz immediately stopped the bout without a count at 1:43 of round three.

With a strong turnout from the local fight fan base, it is expected that tonight’s team of promoters will bring another show back to the area within the next two months. They may need a bigger venue the next time, as reportedly fire marshals turned away ticket holders at the door when the allowed occupancy of the building turned out to be lower than was expected.

Photos by Mark Ortega

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Middleweight prospect Brandon Gonzales may be on the cusp of emerging on the national scene, but first he must move past once-beaten Lester Gonzalez at the Fairfield Sports Center tonight. Local welterweight prospect Alan Sanchez takes on journeyman Cristian Favela in the Telefutura-televised co-feature. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Courtyard by Marriott Fairfield Napa Valley Area in Fairfield.

Gonzales (13-0, 10 KOs) of Sacramento, California fought all of 2010 in Nevada, but returns to his home area tonight against Gonzalez (11-1-1, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Havana, Cuba in the eight-round main event. Gonzales’ promotional team is poised to move him into a regional title bout, but at the time same, they are not looking past Lester Gonzalez. “There are so many opportunities that are being discussed for Brandon,” co-promoter Terry Lane of Let’s Get It On Promotions told 15rounds.com yesterday. “We are looking at ESPN Friday Night Fights for his next fight, if not, the one after. But no one is looking past Lester Gonzalez. What happens with Brandon, and how quickly, may depend on his performance tomorrow.”

San Diego’s Gonzalez is coming in off of his first career loss, an eight-round decision to light middleweight prospect Chris Chatman in November. Ironically it was Lester Gonzalez, a career light middleweight, that had trouble making weight Thursday. The contract weight for the fight was 162-pounds. On his initial try, Gonzalez scaled 164. Brandon Gonzales, who has fight as high as 176-pounds in his career, made it a point to come all the way down to the middleweight limit of 160-pounds. Reportedly Lester Gonzalez sweated off the two pounds to make 162-.

Much of the reason why professional boxing has returned to Fairfield for the first time since the late 1980’s is welterweight Alan Sanchez, who fights in the televised co-main event. Sanchez takes on California matchmakers’ favorite journeyman opponent Cristian Favela (28-30-7, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Sanchez (5-2-1, 2 KOs) of Fairfield is coming off of a controversial draw with Luis Grajeda, which was televised on Telefutura. Sanchez had Grajeda down twice in the eight-round bout, but was forced to settle for a unanimous decision draw.

Unfortunately for local fight fans, touted former amateur star Manuel Avila (1-0) of Fairfield will not be in action, as his replacement opponent Manuel Ortega (1-3) of Seattle, Washington could not come close to contracted weight. Avila, who was signed out of the amateurs by manager Cameron Dunkin and Golden Boy Promotions, weighed in at 121-pounds. Ortega came in nine-pounds heavier at 130-.

Undefeated Ivan Redkach (5-0, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Shostka, Ukraine will take on Jaime Orrantia (13-28-5, 4 KOs) of Lakeside, California by way of Los Mochis in a six-round welterweight fight. Redkach, who has fought his entire pro career in California, scaled 145-pounds, while Orrantia weighed in at 141 ½-pounds.

Luis Sanchez (0-4) of Fairfield hopes to get pro victory number one in front of the hometown crowd as he takes on Jonathan Garcia (3-0, 2 KOs) of Watsonville, California in a four-round light welterweight fight. Sanchez, who is headliner Alan Sanchez’ brother, scaled 142-pounds, as did his opponent Garcia.

Popular local prospect Maximilliano Becerra (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California will take on debuting Omar Sanchez of Fairfield in a four-round light welterweight fight. Becerra sat out all of 2010, but is ready to get an early start to 2011 and in front of the hundreds of fans who bought tickets out of nearby Vacaville. Becerra weighed in at a career high 138 ½-pounds, while Sanchez came in at 139-.

Heavyweight Hector Martinez (5-4, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California will take on Fairfield’s Lamont Williams (2-1, 1 KO) in a four-round bout. Williams, who trains out of the same JL Tepito Boxing Club in Fairfield as the three Sanchez boys on the card, scaled 206-pounds. Martinez, a longtime Sacramento area favorite, scaled 227-pounds.

The event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, is announced to be completely sold out.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Gonzales 160
Gonzalez 162*

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Sanchez 146
Favela 146

Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Redkach 145
Orrantia 141 ½

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Sanchez 142
Garcia 142

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Beccera 138 ½
Sanchez 139

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Williams 206
Martinez 227
*originally came in at 164, reportedly made it down to 162 on his second try

Gonzales Photo by Erik Killin/Boxingbb.com
Other Photos by Mary Eble/JLTepitoBoxingClub.org

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

Few prospects in boxing today have had a more difficult four-fight run at the same stage of their professional careers than the recent schedule of welterweight Alan Sanchez. In his last four bouts, the rugged Sanchez (5-2-1, 2 KOs) of Fairfield, California took on four fellow prospects in a row. The combined record of the four was 30-2 at the time of their contests. Tomorrow night, Sanchez gets his first home game and will take on long tenured journeyman Cristian Favela (28-30-7, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Their eight-round bout is the Telefutura-televised co-main event emanating from the Fairfield Sports Center.

It is the opinion of several who have sat ringside for Sanchez’ three blemishes, including his trainer Jesse Lopez, that the Fairfield prospect should be undefeated. “Alan hasn’t really lost any fights, they have just taken them from him,” says Lopez, who operates the JL Tepito Boxing Club in Fairfield with his son Jesse Lopez Jr. “But he always gives good fights, and that is why they keep calling us and that is why they have made this fight.”

Sanchez’ most recent bout, against former Mexican Olympian Luis Grajeda, aired nationally on Telefutura. Despite dropping Grajeda twice in an eight-round bout, Sanchez was forced to settle for a draw. “Everybody knew [we won,] but they gave him a draw because Oscar De La Hoya had that guy,” says Lopez. “All the people, they started booing. Even some of De La Hoya’s people said ‘No man, Alan won the fight.’ Don Chargin was there, and he said ‘Jesse, he won clean.’ The commentators, even they said Alan won the fight. Everyone said he won the fight.”

Lopez had talked to the promoters about staging a fight in Fairfield for some time, and after Sanchez’ strong showing against Grajeda, they decided to move forward with the idea. “I told them people like boxing over there,” recalls Lopez. “There are a lot of fanatics of boxing over there. After the Grajeda fight, they told me they were going to bring a fight here. I told them to get some guys from Vacaville to help bring in more people, but you know it’s already all sold out. People keep calling me, but I have to tell them that it is already sold out.”

In all, Lopez has four guys on the card, including Alan’s brother Luis Sanchez. If anyone in the state has had a tougher schedule than Alan, it is his brother Luis (0-4). “Luis is a good fighter. The only thing is that sometimes he doesn’t throw enough punches,” says Lopez. “But I call him the “Machine Gun,” because he can throw punches from anywhere and he can do damage.” Luis will take on his fifth straight unbeaten opponent in Jonathan Garcia (3-0, 2 KOs) of Watsonville, California in a four-rounder. “I know how much hard work boxing is, and that is what I teach my guys, hard work,” says Lopez. “Boxing is hard to predict, because you never know.”

In the televised co-main event, unbeaten middleweight prospect Brandon Gonzales (13-0, 10 KOs) of Sacramento, California returns to fight in his home area for the first time since May of 2009 as he takes on Lester Gonzalez (11-1-1, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Havana, Cuba in an eight-rounder. Also on the card, is touted Golden Boy prospect Manuel Avila (1-0) of Fairfield and lightweight prospect Maximilliano Becerra (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of nearby Vacaville, California. The sold out event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents.

A New Day for Knight

Former title challenger Ava Knight (5-1-2, 2 KOs) and now fighting out of Oakland, California will end a seventeen-month layoff at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California next week in a six-round bout against battle-tested Gloria Salas (3-5-1, 1 KO) of Palm Springs, California.

In her last outing, Knight fell to Ana Maria Torres by unanimous decision in an attempt at the WBC Super Flyweight title. Despite entering the bout battling injuries, Knight lost close on two of the official scorecards in a bout that took place in Torres’ native Mexico. Knight, who has moved from Chico, California to the more fight-happy Oakland, is happy to be returning to the ring.

“After a long lay off, my motivation is higher than ever and I’ve gotten my fire back,” Knight tells 15rounds.com. “I’m hungry this time, and now I am getting the opportunity to show people who I am. I was doubted before and have always been the underdog, but now people will see what I am about and how good I really am. This fight is a warm up for more to come this year.”

In the Telefutura-televised headliner, Cuban prospect Erislandy Lara takes on Delray Raines in a ten-round light middleweight bout. Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, are available online at FanstaySpringsResort.com.

Escobedo Back March 3rd

Golden Boy will return to the Fantasy Springs Casino on March 3rd, as former lightweight title challenger Vicente Escobedo (22-3, 14 KOs) of Woodland, California will be featured in the main event against an opponent to be announced.

Escobedo is coming off of a unanimous decision defeat to fellow Northern California-based contender Robert Guerrero in November. Escobedo was downed twice, but rallied late in the fight to make for an exciting finish. The night was bittersweet for Escobedo, who proposed to his girlfriend Valerie Zarate in the ring after the fight. Zarate said yes.

That bout was contested at lightweight, but Escobedo plans to make a move in the 130-pound super featherweight class. Escobedo, the IBF #6 ranked lightweight, fought at 130- early in his career, but has been a full-fledged lightweight since 2008. The super featherweight is wide open, with nary a big name, but plenty of opportunities for rapid advancement through the rankings.

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

Sources have informed 15rounds.com that Golden Boy Promotions has put their flag in the ground for the Cinco de Mayo weekend of 2011. Golden Boy reportedly has the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on hold for the date of Saturday, May 7th. Headlining the pay-per-view event would be Saul Alvarez (35-0, 26 KOs) of Juanacatlan, Jalisco, Mexico in a twelve-rounder against an opponent to be determined.

Alvarez, who has been anointed by many as the next Mexican boxing superstar, currently holds the WBC Silver Light Middleweight title. Alvarez successfully defended that title this past Saturday, with a decision victory over longtime division gatekeeper Lovemore Ndou in Mexico. The win capped a busy 2009 campaign for Alvarez, who entered the year as a word-of-mouth prospect. Three of his five wins played to wide U.S. audiences, beginning his stoppages over Jose Miguel Cotto and Carlos Baldomir, which took place on big HBO Pay-Per-View cards and ending with his decision over Ndou, which was televised on HBO Latino.

In recent years, either Golden Boy or rival Top Rank has offered up a pay-per-view event on the weekend that surrounds the Cinco de Mayo holiday. Most times the events feature established Mexican boxing stars. Reportedly Alvarez is targeted for a February or March return before the May pay-per-view event.

Photo by Alma Montiel/World Boxing Council

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

The night was supposed to belong to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but instead it was a Humberto Soto victory over Urbano Antillon that fittingly and deservedly took center stage as the main event Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico managed to hold onto his WBC Lightweight title by engaging enough and avoiding just enough over twelve rounds with the hard-charging Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) of Maywood, California by way of Namiquipa, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Antillon, 135, took the fight to Soto, 134¾, at the outset and the defending champion obliged. The tone of the fight was set right then, and very rarely deviated from a toe-to-toe battle. Antillon, the WBC #6 ranked lightweight, was the aggressor throughout the entire fight and had Soto in trouble at times, but it was the champion’s ability to box when needed that won him the fight. Soto was also the busier and more effective puncher, which helped give him the edge.

In the end, it was a sixth-round point deduction by referee Ray Corona from Antillon for low blows that cost the challenger a draw. Incredibly there were no knockdowns in the fight, as both men were hurt and in trouble several times. The final scores read 115-112 and 114-113 twice, all for Soto to give him the unanimous decision win.

The original plan as outlined by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum would have had the Soto-Antillon winner take on lightweight prospect Brandon Rios in February. However, the nature of tonight’s fight would seem to preclude Soto from competing that soon, something Arum acknowledged after the fight. During the post-fight interviews, Arum suggested that Antillon take on reigning IBF Lightweight Champion Miguel Vazquez on the same card as Soto-Rios, whenever that does take place, and that the winners eventually meet.

In the co-main event, former two-division titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr. (25-1, 17 KOs) of San Carlos, California announced his presence at 118-pounds with a comprehensive four-round destruction of former WBA Bantamweight Champion Wladimir Sidorenko (22-3-2, 7 KOs) of Kiev, Ukraine.

Donaire, 118, was too much for Sidorenko, 117 ½, from round one. Donaire displayed both speed and power against a fighter that looked much smaller than him, even though he had been a bantamweight for most of his career. Donaire scored knockdowns in the first, third and fourth. Sidorenko was bloodied early on and had his nose completely busted by the right hand that put him down for the final time. Official time of the stoppage was 1:48 of round four.

With the victory, Donaire claimed the WBC Continental Americas Bantamweight title and more importantly stayed on track for a clash with unified 118-pound belt holder Fernando Montiel, scheduled to take place on February 19th on HBO. Montiel must first get past unheralded Eduardo Garcia next Saturday in Mexico.

IBF #1 ranked featherweight Miguel Angel Garcia (24-0, 20 KOs) of Oxnard, California maintained his standing amongst the upper echelon at 126-pounds with a fifth-round knockout over Olivier Lontchi (18-2-2, 8 KOs) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Garcia, 123¼, downed a hurt Lontchi, 125 ½, with a right hand in the fifth. Lontchi sat on the seat of his trunks, seemingly debating his participation in the remainder of the bout. After getting up, Lontchi was downed again by a Garcia flurry. Referee Jerry Cantu counted Lontchi out as the Canadian shook his head to signal that he had had enough. Official time of the stoppage was 1:30. With the win, Garcia remains in line for an eventual shot at IBF/WBA Featherweight Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Pawel Wolak (28-1, 18 KOs) of Mount Arlington, New Jersey by way of Debica, Poland overcame a terrible start to score a seventh-round stoppage over Jose Pinzon (18-2-1, 12 KOs) of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

Wolak, 161 ½, was downed in the second and nearly out, before turning around the round and the fight before the three minutes were up. Pinzon, 159, seemed drained by the end of the second and never found himself in control again. The much shorter Wolak, who had been signed for tonight’s main event against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., pressed the fight from the third round on. Finally the fifth, Pinzon was stopped on his feet while taking a serious barrage of unanswered punches. Official time of the bout was 2:24 of the seventh.

Undefeated Jessie Roman (5-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Ana, California turned back the tough challenge of Johnny Frazier (2-4-3, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada via four-round unanimous decision. Despite lopsided final tallies, Frazier, 132 ½, was very much in the fight. However it was Roman, 133 ½, that won over the judges with his aggression. In the end, Roman took all three cards by the scores of 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank

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

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Andre Ward successfully defended his WBA Super Middleweight title with a hard-fought twelve-round decision over WBA #13 ranked Sakio Bika before a crowd of 4,120 Saturday night at the Oracle Arena to set up a Super Six showdown with Arthur Abraham sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Ward (23-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland may have left the ring with the most bruises of his professional career, but showed his class in a lopsided decision win over the rough and rugged Bika (28-5-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia by way of Douala, Cameroon.

The fight was a wrestling match at the outset in an ugly first round, as the two tangled up for the most part. Bika, 168, may have landed the one telling blow in the round before the two collided for the first of many accidental headbutts. The roughhouse tactics continued in round two, with headbutting, clinching and wrestling. Ward, 168, looked to referee Dan Stell for some help, but nothing slowed Bika’s approach.

Bika blatantly utilized his elbow in the third and Ward took to holding Bika’s left. Bika allowed the holding and began clubbing Ward with his free right. With the inside fight going Bika’s way for the most part, Ward began to find his range on the outside and implementing his superior boxing skills. The two traded to close the third, with Ward landing the best shot and Bika getting one in after the bell.

Ward landed with a left to open the fourth and continued to box well when at a distance. Ward leaped in with a flurry that rocked Bika against the ropes. Even though Bika appeared hurt by the combination and was holding on before he fell, Stell waved off the knockdown. Bika continued to hold on when the action resumed, and Ward continued to press forward. It would appear that all of Bika’s rule-bending had gotten under Ward’s skin, as the usually composed champion was opening up more freely than in fights past.

Another bad accidental headbutt started the fifth. Bika landed with a solid right over the top that had Ward covering up. Both fighters got in their licks in the round before Bika landed a good shot late and Ward jumped back with a couple of his own. Bika smiled and patted Ward on the head after the bell.

The pace of the fight slowed a bit in rounds six through eight. Bika had his moments in those rounds, as most of the action took place on the inside. At one instance, Ward complained to Stell, and Bika forearmed him right in front of the referee.

Ward came on in the ninth and hurt Bika against the ropes. With Bika holding on for dear life, the referee struggled to break up the clinching and lectured the two once they let go of each other. With the fight going Ward’s way, Bika turned to boxing and found little to no success. Bika left the round with a cut over his left eye and little hope for turning around the fight.

After Ward continued to outbox Bika in the tenth and eleventh, Bika got wild in the twelfth, but could not get much done. In the end, all three judges had it a landslide for the defending the champion. Judge Marty Sammon had it a shutout, 120-108, judges Jon Schorle and Hunter Walton both had it 118-110 all for Ward.

After the fight, Bika was asked to compare Ward and current IBF Super Middleweight titleholder Lucian Bute, who had defeated the Cameroonian back in 2007 and is regarded by most as either the number one or number two in the division. “The more difficult fighter was maybe Andre Ward,” said Bika. “Andre Ward today was stronger and threw harder, so I think Andre Ward was the tougher one.”

Now Ward can shift his focus to his Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final opponent Arthur Abraham, who was completely outboxed in a one-sided loss to Carl Froch earlier in the evening in Helsinki, Finland. However, when pressed for his thoughts on the match-up, Ward seemed reluctant to begin that process, and was brief in speaking on the subject. “This is the perfect guy to get ready for a fight like that,” said Ward. “I’m just pleased with the win. I am going to go back do better.”

Determining fight sites has been a factor in many of the disputes and spats that have occurred between the various camps throughout much of the tournament. Ward promoter Dan Goossen mentioned a desire to hold the fight on the Caribbean resort island country Saint Lucia and made it clear he would not make the fight in Germany. Though Ward fought in Saint Lucia back in 2007, it would be considered even ground. “Sauerland [Event] will not come out here to Oakland,” said Goossen. “We have a contract that allows for both parties to have a mutual agreement on a site, and in this case, a neutral site.”

Javier Molina (5-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California was taken the distance for the first time in his professional career by journeyman Francisco Rios Gil (17-14, 12 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico in the final preliminary bout before tonight’s main event.

Molina, 149, utilized his boxing skills instead of overpowering the veteran Rios Gil, 149, as he had done his previous four opponents. After four rounds, all three judges had the fight for Molina by the scores of 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

In what was more of a boxing match than the action fight most had expected, Michael Ruiz Jr. (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California fought to a six-round split decision draw with the always tough Jonathan Alcantara (4-3-2) of Novato, California.

The fight got off to a bit of a slow start, as Ruiz, 120 ½, and Alcantara, 119, went through the feeling out process. The action began to heat up a bit to start the second, as Ruiz and Alcantara decided to exchange. As the fight progressed, Alcantara took on the role of boxer-mover and Ruiz continued to come forward. The fight would become an inside battle in spots, but for the most part was an exhibition of boxing skill. In the end, two judges had it 58-56, one for each man, while the third official scorer forced the draw with a 57-57 score.

Promising super middleweight Cornelius White (16-0, 15 KOs) of Houston, Texas continued to destroy everything put in front of him as he decimated experienced and usually durable Demetrius Davis (20-25-5, 8 KOs) of Washington, District of Columbia in one round.

White, 171 ½, seemingly hurt Davis, 166, with everything that he threw in the fight. White scored a knockdown right off the bat with a straight left jab and Davis never seemed to recover. A quick flurry with Davis leaning on the ropes scored knockdown number two. Davis got up wobbly and nearly fell through the ropes once White connected again. What could have been scored a knockdown was not, and the fight continued. Davis, getting knocked around the ring, managed to wave to the crowd and fire a quick flurry to end the round, but the ringside physician decided to call the fight before the start of the second.

Previously unheralded Khadaphi Proctor (6-6-1) of Hesperia, California scored three knockdowns en route to unceremoniously ending the undefeated run of lightweight prospect Stan Martyniouk (10-1, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California. Proctor, 135, surprisingly dropped Martyniouk, 134 ½, twice in the first and once in the third.

A right hand downed Martyniouk for the first time early in round one and a left hook scored the second minutes later. The second knockdown clearly hurt Martyniouk, who rose seconds before the end of the round. After getting beat for most of the second, Martyniouk sprung to life with two hard lefts just before the bell.

Just as it seemed Martyniouk was getting back in to the fight, he traded lefts with Proctor in the third. Unfortunately for Martyniouk, Proctor’s landed first and hardest, and prompted the third knockdown. To Martyniouk’s credit, he kept trying and clearly began to sit down on his punches with all that he could, but Proctor took them well and fired back. They traded punches after the bell to end the fifth, with Martyniouk’s landing last.

After a good round for Martyniouk to end the fight, the unanimous decision verdict was rendered in favor of Proctor. Judge Kermit Bayless scored it 56-55, while judges Marshall Walker and Michael Tate had it 58-53, all for Proctor.

Roman Andreev (10-0, 7 KOs) of the Komi Republic, Russia remained unbeaten in the opener, with a six-round decision over Manuel Del Cid (4-4, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California. Andreev, 135, got off to a rough start early in round one, but bounced back late and stalked Del Cid, 135, for most of the second stanza.

Andreev took over mid-fight with his relentless pressure en route a six-round unanimous decision. Judge Kermit Bayless had it 59-55, while judges Marshall Walker and Michael Tate both had it a 60-54 shutout for Andreev.

In the walkout bout, Matt Villanueva (4-0, 4 KOs) of Van Nuys, California scored a third-round stoppage over Adrian Aleman (6-8-3, 4 KOs) of Cathedral City, California. Villanueva, 117 ½, flashed his speed and power throughout the bout, a fight that Aleman, 117, was never really in. In the third round, Villanueva landed a combination that prompted referee Ray Balewicz to stop the fight. Official time was 43 seconds of the third.

Photo by Craig Bennett/Goossen Tutor Promotions

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

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Their fight may not be part of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, but the outcome of tonight’s Andre Ward-Sakio Bika title bout may have greater implications on the tournament than even the Carl Froch-Arthur Abraham clash which will end hours earlier. Ward is not only defending his WBA belt, but the remaining sanctity of the Super Six concept against a determined and willing challenger that was not deemed “Super” enough for whatever reasons. Their fight, to be televised live by Showtime, takes place on Ward’s home turf, the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Fighters weighed in Friday, down the road at the Hilton Oakland Airport.

Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia by way of Douala, Cameroon has been a perennial 168-pound contender since battling then-WBC ruler Markus Beyer to a technical draw in 2006. Bika’s wild career has seen him lose to Joe Calzaghe before a packed M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England on international television to fighting in relative obscurity on undercards in Australia. Bika’s biggest claim to fame was winning The Contender reality series tournament in 2007, but he did so at a time when the show had been placated to ESPN and thus the victory did not have the career-lifting effect such as it had for its initial run. However, with an upset victory tonight, Bika will have turned the division on its ear.

Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland has distanced himself from the pack in the Super Six as the clear favorite and the fighter to most likely emerge from tournament as a new boxing star. Ward knocked off the pre-tourney favorite Mikkel Kessler to claim the WBA Super Middleweight title and carried that momentum into a twelve-round drubbing of Allan Green this past June. Now Ward attempts to solidify his claim to the throne of division leader against the WBA #13 ranked Bika. Those who believe that title belongs to Lucian Bute will have some basis for a comparison once tonight’s bout is over, as Bika dropped a clear-cut decision to the reigning IBF belt-holder over three years ago. Both Ward and Bika scaled an even 168-pounds Friday.

In undercard action, 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (4-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California will take on weathered journeyman Francisco Rios Gil (17-13, 12 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Huatabampo, Sonora, Mexico in a six-round light middleweight bout. Molina, who came in at 149-pounds, takes the ring for the second time in two months after an injury-induced fourteen-month layoff. Rios Gil, who scaled 149 as well, has built up his win total in Mexico and most of his loss total against American prospects, as is the case tonight.

Lightweight prospect Stan Martyniouk (10-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will take on Khadaphi Proctor (6-5-1) of Hesperia, California in a six-round fight. Martyniouk, who came in at 134 ½-pounds, took on renowned world class trainer Joe Goossen just before his last fight in July and gets a chance to show off what he has learned tonight in front of some of his supporters making the short trip down to Oakland from Northern California. Proctor, coming off of a pay-per-view victory over Rynell Griffin two months ago, scaled 135-pounds.

Promising super middleweight Cornelius White (15-0, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas will take on the experienced Demetrius Davis (20-24-5, 8 KOs) of Washington, District of Columbia in a swing bout set for either six or eight-rounds and contracted for just over the 168-pound division limit. After a brief amateur run, White has reeled of an impressive knockout tally, but will take on by far the most durable opponent of his career to date. Davis began his career when White was just five-years-old and worked his way to a regional title try against Thomas Tate in 1998, before taking a nearly nine-year sabbatical from the sport. White came in at 171 ½-pounds, while Davis scaled 166.

There may not be a bona fide co-feature on the card, but the supporting bout of the night is expected to be the six-rounder between former national amateur standout Michael Ruiz Jr. (6-0, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California and all-action fighter Jonathan Alcantara (4-3-1) of Novato, California. Ruiz, who scaled 120 ½-pounds, has torn through his competition since turning pro just over seven months ago. Alcantara, who came in at 119, has made a career out of going against former national amateur stars, posting a 2-2 record in such fights.

Bantamweight prospect Matt Villanueva (3-0, 3 KOs) of Van Nuys, California takes on six-year veteran Adrian Aleman (6-7-3, 4 KOs) of Cathedral City, California in a four-round bout. Villanueva, who came in at 117 ½-pounds, has blasted out three opponents in just under eleven combined minutes. Aleman, who scaled 117, has dropped five straight, but four came against unbeaten foes and all went the distance.

In a swing bout scheduled for either four or six-rounds, unbeaten lightweight Roman Andreev (9-0, 7 KOs) of the Komi Republic, Russia will take on Manuel Del Cid (4-3, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California. Andreev, who trained for the bout in Southern California, scaled 135-pounds. Del Cid, who also scaled 135 on Friday, has the unenviable task of taking on Andreev in his first fight since suffering a second-round knockout at the hands of Jose Benavidez Jr. just over two months ago.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ward 168
Bika 168

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Molina 149
Rios Gil 149

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Martyniouk 134 ½
Proctor 135

Light Heavyweights, 6 or 8 Rounds
White 171 ½
Davis 166

Super Bantamweights, 6 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 120 ½
Alcantara 119

Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Villanueva 117 ½
Aleman 117

Lightweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Andreev 135
Delcid 135

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

The Super Six World Boxing Classic has given Andre Ward the platform to showcase his skills like never before in his professional career, but the ride has been full of surprises. When the three Group Stages were first charted out, Ward was to fight then reigning WBA kingpin Mikkel Kessler, followed by Jermain Taylor and then ultimately Andre Dirrell in the third stage. Well he fought (and dominated) Kessler to claim the title, but it has been one curveball after another since. The latest will be that he will not have a Group Stage 3 fight at all, having already qualified for the semi-finals, and will instead defend his title against rugged two-time title challenger Sakio Bika this coming Saturday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia by way of Douala, Cameroon provides a very different challenge than Dirrell would have. A muscularly built specimen, Bika is a straight forward clubber who rarely takes a backward, or lateral, step. “I think that everybody in the boxing world knows what Bika is going to do,” stated Ward at a press conference two weeks ago. “He’s going to come full steam ahead. He’s going to swing with both arms. He’s not a really skillful guy, but he throws a lot of wild punches. I just got to have my eyes open and just continue to do what I do and that is a little bit of everything.”

As Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland proved in both his title-winning effort against Kessler and his Group Stage 2 drubbing of Allan Green, he is a fighter that can adapt mid-fight in order fight the best fight possible. “I try not to put myself in a box because adjustments in these big fights are key,” says Ward. “We didn’t plan to fight Allan Green necessarily the way we fought him the last time. We were going to get inside in spots, but it turned out to be close combat for most of the night. It just happened and I had to make that adjustment on the fly. We always have a general game plan, but we always keep the door open for adjustments that need to be made. As the fight unfolds I will know what I need to do based on what Bika is doing or based on what he is not doing.”

Bika has fought many of the top super middleweights of recent years, and though he has come up short against the very upper tier, he has never been stopped. Ward is very much aware of Bika’s solid chin. “I am not going to come outside of myself to try and prove anything,” said Ward. “I am going to do what I do, but just try to do it a little better. Sakio Bika has never been stopped and that is obviously the goal. Win the fight, but that would definitely be great to get a stoppage in this fight.”

Along with his reputation for an aggressive style and solid whiskers, Bika has been known to go outside the rules at times. The most recent example would be Bika’s disqualification loss to Jean Paul Mendy in September. Despite dominating the action and downing Mendy, Bika ended up the loser for clubbing Mendy while he was down, much in the same fashion Arthur Abraham did against Andre Dirrell earlier in the year.

In preparing for Bika, Ward has noticed the trend of fouls in his past and will likely take measures against falling victim to any similar tactics. “At the end of the day, the referee has a job to do, but I am also going to protect myself,” proclaimed Ward. “He does get very frustrated at times. I saw in the Peter Manfredo fight he got upset with the referee because he didn’t agree with a call, and push the referee. He headbutted Lucian Bute on purpose. He hits behind the head. I am not going to call him a dirty fighter, but let’s just say that he tends to do those things and we are prepared for that.”

While a bout with Dirrell would have likely provided for a scientific boxing match, the clash against Bika should instead provide for an action-packed contest. In fact, Bika could be Ward’s sternest test to date. “Bika is, in my estimation, probably the toughest guy we have fought when it comes to just pure, unadulterated toughness,” said Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter. “We have a good plan, and we plan to see that through. I think it is going to be a very entertaining and eventful night.”

With the Super Six ongoing, it would not be surprising if the tournament front runner Ward were to look past Bika this coming Saturday, and look forward to his next opponent. But with expectations higher than ever, Ward continues to say all the right things. “I have a lot of stiff competition, first with my fight on November 27, but also as the tournament moves forward into the semi-finals and finals,” said Ward. “I just want you guys to know that I am preparing, I’m dedicating myself, and putting in all the hard work. I want to do everything I can to put on a tremendous performance and outdo the last performance. I have a tough opponent in Sakio Bika. Sakio is going to bring it, but I am going to bring it too, so we should have a good fight.”

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

This past Saturday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, longtime local favorite David Torres fought to a majority draw with Santos Pakau in an action-packed ten-round contest. Torres (21-2-1, 13 KOs) of Othello, Washington felt as though he won the fight and talked to 15rounds.com about the draw and his future plans.


Watch 15rounds.com Interview with David Torres

This past Saturday at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, veteran Santos Pakau fought a spirited battle with David Torres en route to a ten-round majority draw. Pakau (27-6-2, 10 KOs) of Spokane, Washington by way of Auckland, New Zealand felt that he had deserved the nod and was obviously dejected by the official decision, but spoke to 15rounds.com about the fight and his future.


Watch 15rounds.com Interview with Santos Pakau

Competing for the first time in over three-years, Lafarrell Bunting flexed his still formidable power with a sixth-round stoppage over Junior Moar at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington this past Saturday. Bunting (17-3-1, 17 KOs) of Memphis, Tennessee spoke to 15rounds.com about the victory and a potential match-up with world ranked Otis Griffin.


Watch Lafarrell Bunting Interview with 15rounds.com

TACOMA, WASHINGTON — With most of the boxing world’s eyes focused on events taking place about 2,000 miles southeast, fight fans of the Northwest were treated to an entertaining night of action Saturday at the Emerald Queen Casino. Longtime local favorite David Torres fought to a majority draw with Santos Pakau in the main event of a competitively-matched card from top to bottom.

Pakau (27-6-2, 10 KOs) of Spokane, Washington got off to a solid start in the fight as he employed a focused body attack in the early going and followed up with right hands to the head of his opponent. Torres (21-2-1, 13 KOs) of Othello, Washington began to wake up late in the second round, but was clearly not punching with the same power as Pakau, especially in the early rounds.

Pakau, 137, must have been feeling good, as he even played to the crowd, waving his right fist in the air. Torres, 139, was constantly moving forward and finally broke through with a solid left hook to the body, which momentarily stopped Pakau in his tracks. Action picked up as both fighters landed well in an exchange near the close of the fourth.

Pakau looked good in rounds five and six, as a right uppercut stunned Torres and forced him to hold on. Then early in the sixth, Pakau landed a clean left hand. Pakau found a range in the round where he could land and the shorter Torres could not reach him. Torres continued to press forward, and did get close enough to land some shots on the inside to close out the round.

Pakau began to look tired in the seventh and was warned for pushing. Torres was coming on, but still did not seem to have the power to really hurt Pakau. Torres did land a clean straight right late in the stanza, a round that was clearly his.

Torres outworked Pakau in the ninth, though the New Zealander did land a pretty left hook and traded well to close out the round. Both fighters came out aggressively in the tenth, as they unloaded at close quarters. Pakau would end up cut in the corner of his right eye before the two stood their ground and traded to close out the fight.

When it was all said and done, one judge favored Pakau 96-94, but was overruled by identical even scores of 95-95, forcing the draw. As should be expected after a draw, both fighters felt as though they should have been declared the winner.

“I feel I had at least six of the ten rounds,” said an obviously disappointed Pakau after the bout. “I should have worked that little bit extra I guess. But what do you do? I got a draw I guess, it’s better than a loss.”

Torres feelings on the scoring were very similar to Pakau’s only the other way around. “I think it was a really good fight for both of us, but honestly I feel I won the fight,” said Torres, who is open to the idea of a rematch. “I think I had at least six rounds. He kept a little busier, but I threw the better shots.”

A side story to the fight revolved around the weight, and weighing-in. The Torres camp was concerned going in that Pakau, who had fought most of his recent fights at or near 147-pounds, would come in heavy, or at least enter the ring with a great weight advantage. Therefore both Pakau and Torres weighed in officially on Saturday morning to hopefully curb how much weight Pakau could gain by the time they actually fought.

“They were very worried,” said Pakau after the fight. “They made me weigh-in the same day. I don’t know why, little stupid tactics. I had to drive nearly an hour out of Tacoma to go for the weigh-in this morning. It didn’t faze me, but it was just stupid.”

Although he has fought around 139-pounds for much of his career, Torres and his team have plans to eventually move down in weight. “I feel good at 139, but my goal is to go lower, probably down to 135,” said Torres.

When asked about a potential rematch, Pakau did not sound too thrilled about his prospects for a fair decision on Torres’ home turf. “It would be interesting, but what am I going to get out of it?” said Pakau. “Nothing really. There is no point in it. I knew coming into this fight that I wasn’t going to win unless I knocked him out. It’s as simple as that.”

It is incredible how a puncher can change a fight in an instant. Out of action for the last three-years, Lafarrell Bunting showed he still has an eraser for a right hand with a sixth-round stoppage over Junior Moar in the co-main event of the evening.

Bunting (17-3-1, 17 KOs) of Memphis, Tennessee and Moar (8-3, 2 KOs) of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada were two fighters just as different as their entrance music. Moar, who entered the ring accompanied by Native American drummers and dancers, is not a puncher, but is an aggressive, forward-moving fighter. Bunting, who came out to expletive-laden rap, fought most of the fight in the style of a boxer-mover, before displaying his fight-changing kayo power.

Moar, 176, was the aggressor early and often in the fight. Bunting, 175 ½, played the part of counter-puncher at the outset, as he appeared to be getting his timing right and perhaps shaking off some rust.

Things began to heat up in the second, as each fighter landed a solid blow in an early exchange. Bunting caught Moar with a left uppercut and Moar retorted with a combination of hooks upstairs. Before the end of the round, Bunting would be warned by referee Louis Jackvony for a low blow that doubled Moar over near the ropes. Moar would return to his corner with a cut near his left eye, which Jackvony told the ringside judges was the result of a punch.

Moar began to impose his will in the third, pressing Bunting against the ropes with his attack. The rough fight continued to get rougher, as Moar was warned for hitting on a break and Bunting admonished for holding the Canadian’s left hand under his own, a tactic he would employ at various times in the fight. Moar refused to complain and instead worked Bunting’s body over a bit with his free right hand.

Moar did well for much of the fourth as well, pressing the fight still while Bunting mostly looked to cover up and move away. A stiff left jab from Moar got a reaction from the crowd, but did not appear to hurt Bunting. The Memphis native reverted back to using his own jab to keep Moar off balance in closing the round.

Moar continued to press forward and land well in the fifth, but did get caught by a left uppercut that Bunting timed and measured accurately. Bunting continued to at least give the impression he was looking for that punch again, as he repeatedly loaded up with the uppercut. Moar closed out the fifth by pressing Bunting, who was again covering up along the ropes. Despite the way the fight was going, it was Moar’s face that looked the worse for wear, with his cut bleeding freely and a bad knot forming high on his left temple.

Bunting would be warned again for a low blow early in the sixth. Soon after, Jackvony called time to give the doctor a chance to look at the cut, which did look pretty bad. The referee ruled that the cut was made worse from an accidental headbutt. Jackvony would warn Bunting again, this time for hitting behind the head.

Soon after action resumed, Bunting landed the counter he had been looking for, an overhand right that dropped Moar. Three stiff rights and a left would drop Moar a second time. When Moar returned to his feet, Bunting flurried him into the ropes, prompting Jackvony to wave off the fight. Official time was 2:57 of the sixth round.

The official scores entering the sixth and ultimately final round were 49-46 and 48-47 twice, all for Moar. Had he made it out after the two knockdowns, Moar would have likely been down on two cards (57-55) and even on the third (56-56) with two rounds to go. That being said, with Moar’s apparent condition, the timing of the stoppage was just.

After the bout, Bunting expressed his confidence going in, but gave Moar credit for his performance. “Going into this fight, even though I had been off for three-and-a-half years, I knew I had the power to pull off this win,” said Bunting. “It was a tough fight. Junior Moar came to fight and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Going into the bout, promoters had designs on matching the winner with world ranked Otis Griffin for the vacant WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title. While Griffin is likely headed for an IBF title eliminator against Yusef Mack, he had informed 15rounds.com that he would be willing to take on the winner after that as a “tune-up.”

“Hey, Griffin, take the fight and stop running,” said Bunting after he was informed of Griffin’s thoughts on the prospective bout. “Why don’t you meet me January 8th, here at the Emerald Queen Casino. Let’s make it happen.”

In a rare paring of undefeated heavyweights early in their careers, Vincent Thompson (6-0, 1 KO) of Federal Way, Washington scored a six-round unanimous decision over former National Golden Gloves Champion Charles Ellis (6-1-1, 5 KOs) of Vancouver, Washington.

Despite size and strength advantages, Ellis, 227, never looked comfortable in the fight. Thompson, 226 ½, was comfortable early and became more and more confident as the fight progressed. Early action was fought on the inside, before Thompson morphed into a boxer-mover in the fourth round. Thompson would continually land his shots and move out of range. By the fifth, the plodding, discouraged Ellis refused to offer up much offense and even looked to his corner, shaking his head in the sixth. When Ellis would pin Thompson in a corner he could not, or would not, get anything done. In the end, one judge scored the bout 59-55, with the other two scoring it a shutout, 60-54, all for Thompson.

In what was a closely-contested match-up every step of the way, Rob Diezel (4-1, 1 KO) of Seattle, Washington boxed his way past Marco Cardenas (1-3) of Salem, Oregon by way of a four-round split decision. Their roles were defined in the early going, as Diezel, 130 ½, was clearly the classy boxer and Cardenas, 129 ½, the aggressor. In the end, the judges were won over by Diezel’s boxing skills.

Diezel was busted open in the second, from what was ruled a headbutt, although there was a clean overhand right that landed in that spot during the same sequence. By the third, Cardenas would be bloodied as well, as he began to leak crimson from his nose shortly after a Diezel right hook. The fourth featured many toe-to-toe exchanges. Ultimately, two judges favored Diezel, 39-37, with the lone dissenter scoring it for Cardenas, 39-38.

Former local amateur standout Virgil Green (1-0) of Arlington, Washington got his pro career off on the right foot with a four-round unanimous decision over Miguel Garcia (2-2) also of Arlington. Despite giving up his sizeable height and reach advantages by fighting on the inside for much of the bout, Green, 139 ½, proved too quick and slick for Garcia, 141, who was no pushover.

Garcia landed his best shot in the third, a solid left hook, but did not follow up. Despite his corner’s instructions to move forward and throw punches, Garcia decided to play the role of counter-puncher. In the fourth, Green took complete control and backed up his posturing opponent en route to the victory. Scores read 39-37 and 40-36 twice all for Green.

In the curtain raiser, Ralph Prescott (1-5) of Seattle moved into the win column with a four-round majority decision over professional mixed martial artist and debuting boxer Omar Avelar (0-1) of Moses Lake, Washington. Prescott, 139, fought one of the more determined fights in the history of 0-5 fighters in a back-and-forth bout from start to finish. Avelar, 145 ½, appeared to be the harder punch throughout, but began to fade midway through the fight. Rounds three and four ended with both men standing their ground and trading shots, much to the crowd’s delight. In a bout that could have gone either way, two judges favored Prescott by the scores of 40-36 and 39-37. The third scorer had it even, 38-38.

On Saturday, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael reported that the Showtime-televised bantamweight doubleheader would be taking place here December 11th, but to say that is definite would be premature. Currently the Charlie Daniels Band is scheduled to perform at the casino on that date, but efforts are being made.

Boxing will definitely be returning to the Emerald Queen Casino in 2011, with five dates already scheduled. Brian Halquist Productions will kick off the year with “Battle at the Boat 80” on January 8th.

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

David Torres and Santos Pakau, fighters for tonight’s main event at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, both made the contracted weight of 139-pounds this morning, Torres’ manager Lalo Martinez confirmed to 15rounds.com.

Longtime local favorite Torres (21-2, 13 KOs) of Othello, Washington is returning from his second career defeat this past January as he takes on veteran gatekeeper Pakau (27-6-1, 10 KOs) of Spokane, Washington in a ten-rounder. Torres, the naturally smaller fighter, scaled 139-even. Pakau, who has campaigned at welterweight in recent years, scaled 137-pounds.

Both fighters weighed in before Washington State Department of Licensing officials this morning in Olympia, Washington. Members of Torres’ team had expressed mild concerns regarding Pakau’s ability to make the weight at last night’s undercard weigh-in. Torres’ promoter, and host of tonight’s fights, Brian Halquist believes Torres could make 130-pounds for the right fight. Pakau comes first however, in what is an important bout in determining the direction for rest of Torres’ career.

Tickets for tonight’s six-bout card, promoted by Brian Halquist Productions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

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

FIFE, WASHINGTON — Two years ago, David Torres was an unbeaten, but unproven prospect before taking a major step up in class against former world champion Julio Diaz. The step proved to be too big, as Diaz stopped him in five. Torres has gone 1-1 in his two fights since, and will look to get back on track against fellow local Santos Pakau in the main event tonight at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. Undercard fighters weighed in late Friday at the neighboring Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino in Fife.

Torres (21-2, 13 KOs) of Othello, Washington has been a fan favorite at the Emerald Queen Casino since shortly after turning professional in 2003, having fought all but three of his fights at the venue. Torres has only been beaten once on his home court and that defeat came last time out when Raymundo Beltran halted him in the seventh round this past January.

Pakau (27-6-1, 10 KOs) of Spokane, Washington by way of Auckland, New Zealand has taken on a very tough schedule in recent years. Since moving from New Zealand to the United States Pakau has been thrown in with a bevy of prospects and top contenders, including top welterweights Paul Williams and Randall Bailey. For the fight against Torres, Pakau is moving back down to a weight at which he could likely be more competitive. The contracted weight for tonight’s ten-round bout is 139-pounds.

Although he has routinely weighed around 139, if Torres were to ever vie for a title, it would likely be at 135-pounds. Pakau has fought the majority of his fights of late at or near the welterweight limit of 147. Thus it is to the benefit of the naturally smaller Torres that the official weigh-in takes place Saturday morning, so that Pakau has less time to plump up in weight after hydrating and eating. Thus, Torres and Pakau will weigh-in at 9:00 A.M. this morning before Washington State officials in Spokane.

In the co-main event, Lafarrell Bunting (16-3-1, 16 KOs) of Memphis, Tennessee will return from a three-year absence against Junior Moar (8-2, 2 KOs) of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada in an eight-round light heavyweight bout. Bunting, a well regarded prospect at 168-pounds a few years back, weighed in at 175 ½-pounds on his second try. Moar, the reigning Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion, will be making his U.S. debut. Moar scaled 176-pounds. Promoters have designs on putting the winner of this bout in a regional title fight on a future show.

In a battle of unbeaten big men, Charles Ellis (6-0-1, 5 KOs) of Vancouver, Washington will take on Vincent Thompson (5-0, 1 KO) of nearby Federal Way, Washington in a six-rounder. Ellis, the 2003 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion, weighed in at a solid 227-pounds. Thompson, coming off of his career best win over former amateur rival Villi Bloomfield in August, scaled 226 ½-pounds.

Rob Diezel (3-1, 1 KO) of Seattle, Washington will meet Marco Cardenas (1-2) of Salem, Oregon in a four-round super featherweight rematch. Diezel scored a close four-round unanimous decision over Cardenas less than one month ago in Ferndale, Washington. Diezel was ahead by one point, 38-37, on two of the official cards. Cardenas scaled 129 ½ Friday, while Diezel came in at 130 ½.

Professional mixed martial artist Omar Avelar of Moses Lake, Washington will make his debut as a boxer against Ralph Prescott (0-5) of Seattle in a four-round welterweight fight. Avelar, who has a 4-0 record in MMA, scaled 145 ½-pounds after taking the fight on short notice. Prescott, who tipped the scales at 139-pounds, is winless in five tries, but has only been stopped by former Olympian Sadam Ali.

Debuting Virgil Green of Arlington, Washington will take on Miguel Garcia (2-1) also of Arlington in a four-round light welterweight fight. Green, a former regional Golden Gloves and PAL champion, weighed in at 139 ½-pounds, while Garcia scaled 141-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Brian Halquist Productions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com. Saturday’s event is the 79th edition of the “Battle at the Boat” boxing series.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Torres*
Pakau*

Light Heavyweights, 8 Rounds
Bunting 175 ½
Moar 176

Heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Ellis 227
Thompson 226 ½

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Diezel 130 ½
Cardenas 129 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Prescott 139
Avelar 145 ½

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Green 139 ½
Garcia 141

*will weigh-in at 9:00 A.M. this morning

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

Sometimes when a fighter goes a year or two without a fight, we tend to assume he is either retired or at least taking a sabbatical from the sport. However, that is not always the case. When we last saw former prospect Lafarrell Bunting it was during his early exit from season three of The Contender series in 2007. Bunting will return to the ring for the first time in over three years this Saturday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. However, it is not a comeback, because Bunting has been active in those three years, we just did not know it.

Bunting (16-3-1, 16 KOs) of Memphis, Tennessee was eliminated from the reality series in the first episode without getting the chance to fight. “On the show I actually got headbutted,” says Bunting. “That kind of put a dent in my career. That was a great big opportunity with The Contender show. I know if I would have made The Contender show I would have won the tournament.”

Though a precious opportunity had slipped through his grasp, another would come months later for Bunting. “What a lot of people in boxing don’t know is that I got the opportunity with to work a lot of great fighters and champions – Sebastian Sylvester, Arthur Abraham, Marco Huck, Alexander Frenkel,” recounts Bunting. “And I was on a journey.”

Bunting’s journey would turn into an invaluable learning experience as he was able to hone his craft, even though he did not compete in a sanctioned bout. “I had the luxury of getting the opportunity to spar with these guys to help them win these title fights, as well as help myself. At the same time, I was making decent money so therefore I went on that journey for a while. I went without a fight, but I could call over to Europe and get the opportunity to travel overseas and make good money. But to call it a return, or a retirement or something like that, I never did retire.”

His experiences against some of the top fighters in the world have only invigorated the competitive fires in Bunting, a former amateur star and professional prospect. “I think my travels and my experience against top opposition in the those champions has motivated me more so than anything else,” says Bunting. “I went by myself, without a team, held my own and did not come out punch-drunk or hurt. I would rather have did what I did than fight, because I had made many mistakes in training and fights and I think I am at point now where I have corrected a lot of my mistakes from the past and I am ready to show the world what Lafarrell Bunting, “the Memphis Fairway” is all about now.”

Bunting’s first opportunity to show the world takes place this Saturday when he takes on reigning Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion Junior Moar (8-2, 2 KOs) in a bout billed as a WBO NABO title eliminator. “I don’t know anything about him, but I don’t take anybody lightly,” said Bunting. “With my experience, with all of the sparring, and it goes beyond sparring because some of those sparring sessions were like fights, so I don’t worry too much about what he brings to the table. I worry about what I bring to the table, most importantly that I am a major puncher in the game. But it’s a good fight. The guy has a good record. He is not a slouch with an upside down record, so he is coming to win as much as I am.”

When we last saw Bunting he was campaigning at super middleweight, but Saturday’s fight takes place at light heavyweight. Bunting, who fought at light heavy and even cruiserweight early in his career, feels his power will be the difference in his fights at any weight. “I take it one fight at a time,” says Bunting. “Super middleweight, light heavyweight – whatever opportunity comes my way. Most importantly I know I can punch with power either way, so therefore it doesn’t matter which weight at which I get an opportunity. Win this fight, and then we move onto the next. Whenever that opportunity comes down the line, we will be ready for it.”

Although he boasted a stellar amateur background and won 16 of his first 18 fights, opportunities have been hard to come by in the career of Bunting, such as hooking on with a promoter. Now a more experienced veteran, Bunting has decided to take control of his future and make his own opportunity. “Instead of taking a bulldozer and knocking a wall down, sometimes you have get down with your hands,” says Bunting. “And I think where I’m at with my career right now, I am going to get down with the two hands that I have, beginning with the fight on Saturday night.”

NOTES

-The last time Bunting claimed victory, in August of 2006, he took on then once-beaten Jose Luis Herrera on a few days notice in the first round of the Shobox Super Middleweight Tournament and scored a fifth-round knockout. Bunting, who reportedly dropped fourteen pounds on the short notice, came in as a replacement for Sakio Bika. The season of The Contender reality series which Bunting had to exit from, without getting the chance to fight, ended being won by Bika. In two weeks, three years after winning The Contender, Bika will challenge Andre Ward for the WBA Super Middleweight title.

-Saturday’s fight between Bunting and Junior Moar, which is scheduled for eight-rounds, is billed as a WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator. It is not clear what that actually will mean for the victor, since the title is currently vacant.

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

Goossen Tutor Promotions hosted a press conference this past Tuesday at Ricky’s Sports Theatre & Grill in San Leandro, California to officially announce the upcoming clash between Andre Ward and Sakio Bika. Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, California will be making the second defense of his WBA Super Middleweight title November 27th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia by way of Douala, Cameroon is best known for winning The Contender tournament in 2007 and will be vying for a world title for the third time in his career.


Watch Andre Ward Press Conference

Before Showtime had even formally announced the formation of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, shortly after the tournament’s match-ups were leaked to the press, one scheduled bout that many fight fans, especially those based in the U.S., looked forward to was the Group Stage 3 pairing of former Olympic teammates Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward. Though the fight will not happen, at least not now or anytime soon, one of these Andres did suffer a damaging loss.

Rarely does a fight have a deeper, richer storyline than a match between the two Andres would have had. Casual friends, or at least acquaintances, since crossing paths at childhood boxing tournaments, Ward and Dirrell entered the Super Six as heavy underdogs and both had outperformed expectations while rooting for each other each step of the way. Ward surprisingly dominated tourney favorite Mikkel Kessler and then Allan Green in his two bouts. Dirrell lost a closely-contested, somewhat controversial decision to Carl Froch and then outboxed Arthur Abraham before getting hit late and taking a disqualification victory.

The match would not have only pitted friends, but the only two medalists from the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team. Dirrell took the bronze at the weight class Ward likely would have competed at, had it not been for his cousin DonYil Livingston’s attempt to make the squad in the same division or for his trainer Virgil Hunter’s foresight that his charge would do well to not have to worry about weight during the long preparatory period leading to the Athens Games. Ward of course left Greece with the gold.

The stakes were raised slightly when Kessler went down due to an eye injury, and the WBC title which he had held was added to the pot for the Ward-Dirrell clash. Dirrell had been previously been named the mandatory for the WBC belt due to the nature of his decision loss to Froch. The take by many in the media already was that Dirrell’s style may pose tournament frontrunner Ward his toughest hurdles to date.

Even though he had been brutally bashed while on one knee in the DQ win over Abraham, Dirrell was still expected to meet Ward this past September. Immediately after Ward’s one-sided schooling of Allan Green, Dirrell and his former teammate posed for pictures to seemingly begin the build-up to their eminent clash.

Slowly things got unexpectedly complicated.

The originally announced September 25th date was quickly approaching and no announcement regarding the fight had been made. Grumbles reverberated that the two sides were arguing over the location, something Ward promoter Dan Goossen acknowledged at a press conference in San Leandro, California Tuesday. “The only obstacle that we had, that I thought was going have any effect on whether or not the fight was going happen, since it was destined to happen, was where were we going to do it,” said Goossen.

“I was pushing for Oakland. It would have sold out Oracle Arena. It would have been a great storyline, a great fight, a great event for Oakland. They wanted to go to Detroit. The problem we had with Detroit wasn’t because it was his hometown, but I just didn’t think they could generate what Andre could do out here.”

Other rumors had Dirrell or Ward or both holding out for more money. Eventually the new date for the fight was announced as November 27th, but still no location was in place. Not too much later, Dirrell’s pullout was made official over the telephone during a conference call that Andre himself was not on the line for. The reason given was that he was suffering from neurologically-related symptoms since after the Abraham fight.

Ward of course is continuing on in the tournament, and will first meet the formidable Sakio Bika on the November 27th date – the fight for which Tuesday’s press conference had been held. Expect more on that fight in this space in the coming days. But at the moment, as was evidenced by the line of questioning offered up by the local fight media for a good percentage of Tuesday’s presser, the circumstances of the delays and eventually Dirrell’s pullout are very much still on some of our minds. Many jumped right out and called Dirrell’s injury a fake in recent weeks. Recently the validity of those questions gained steam.

Just over a week ago, Showtime’s Fight Camp 360º program seemed to suggest that maybe the network’s opinion, or at least that of the show’s producers, is very much in line with the those members of the skeptical media. The recent episode cuts to a quote from Dirrell team member, Leon Lawson Jr. “It’s not a guarantee that we fight Ward next. It’s not a guarantee…If they want to dance, get that money right.” Audio from the aforementioned Showtime-hosted conference call announcing the fighter’s pullout plays minutes later in the episode. Moments later, footage rolls of a Showtime-conducted interview with the Dirrell family, who did themselves no favor with their responses to valid questioning. Highlights included Dirrell not having the name of the doctor who treated him and his grandfather Leon saying he wanted to end the interview until their lawyer could be present.

Tuesday, Ward wished Dirrell a speedy recovery, which suggests he believes his friend’s injury was in fact the cause for the cancellation. Ward’s promoter Dan Goossen had joked about Mikkel Kessler’s pullout for double vision, but continuing to drive his 80,000 dollar vehicle, both on air and again Tuesday. However, Goossen refuses to question the injuries of Dirrell or Kessler. “I will tell you what I feel about any fighter’s injuries: I will never ever question it,” said Goossen. “That doesn’t mean I can’t tell a little joke or something.” .”

Though he wished Dirrell well, Ward made clear he was never at fault for either the delay or cancellation. “A lot of things were said in the media about me and Andre Dirrell, and how people felt like we were behind the scenes trying to undo the fight,” said Ward Tuesday. “I just want to let my fans know that was never the case with me. I understood what I was getting myself into when I signed the multi-bout agreement. I was always prepared to fight.” When a reporter asked if Dirrell had contacted him, Ward smirked and replied, “No he did not call me. I haven’t talked to Dirrell since the press conference after my last fight. That is the last time I talked to him.”

Dirrell’s problems may very well be legitimate, and if so I too wish him a full and swift recovery. While I personally refuse to question him in this instance, in part because I cannot figure what Dirrell’s motivation or benefit would be, many others have. Dirrell has lost a fight he never fought, at least in the court of public opinion. If and when the day comes when Dirrell returns to the ring, those questions will likely remain. Whether they are boxing scribes, fans or colleagues, Dirrell will have his doubters until the day he meets Ward in a ring. Hopefully for his sake, and for those of us who admire the sweet science and are suckers for a good storyline, that day comes sooner or later.

Oh and by the way, Ward’s fight against Bika in a few weeks may not be accompanied by the most intriguing back story, but based on styles it could provide viewers with more entertainment than the Dirrell fight would have. But again, more on that later.

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

Former title challenger Juan Carlos Candelo continued the resurrection of his career this past Thursday night with a one-sided victory over Chase Shields at the Dallas Petroleum Club in Dallas, Texas. With the victory, Candelo (31-10-4, 20 KOs) of Baytown, Texas by way of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia claimed the WBC USNBC Light Middleweight title and now looks to move back into the title hunt at 154-pounds. Candelo spoke to 15rounds.com about the disqualification ending to the fight and his plans moving forward.


Watch Juan Carlos Candelo Interview with 15rounds.com

Alfonso Lopez III stopped veteran Romero Johnson with just seconds left in the twelfth and final round to claim the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight title at the Dallas Petroleum Club in Dallas, Texas this past Thursday night. Lopez (21-0, 16 KOs) of Cut and Shoot, Texas spoke to 15rounds.com about the victory and his plans as he continues his climb up the ranks.


Watch Alfonso Lopez III Interview with 15rounds.com

DALLAS, TEXAS — Former light middleweight title challenger Juan Carlos Candelo and rising super middleweight prospect Alfonso Lopez III each took home WBC-affiliated titles with victories in the co-featured bouts of a private event held at the Dallas Petroleum Club on Thursday night.

In a rematch, Candelo (31-10-4, 20 KOs) of Baytown, Texas by way of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia notched his second victory over Chase Shields (30-4-1, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas and claimed his WBC USNBC Light Middleweight title in the process.

Candelo, 154, appeared to have turned back the clock to about 2003 when he was a perennial top contender, as he outboxed and outclassed Shields, 154, from the outset. Without much trouble, Candelo picked his shots from the outside, as all Shields could do was cover up and flick out a jab.

Having boxed Shields silly from the outside, Candelo pressed the fight in the sixth, and forced his counterpart to the ropes with a hammering series of blows. Frustrated with the way the fight was progressing, Shields grabbed Candelo in a headlock and dragged him to the mat at the end of the round.

Just seconds into the seventh, Candelo, upset by the headlock that had closed the previous round, and Shields began jawing at each other. Referee Jesse Reyes called for a timeout, which did not stop the argument. In the midst of the break, Shields flagrantly headbutted Candelo, who fell to the mat. After being forced away from Candelo, who was still lying on the canvas, Shields broke from the referee’s restraint to land another cheap shot.

Both camps ran into the ring to separate the fighters before things got any further out of hand. With no other option, Reyes disqualified Shields, who had been escorted out of the ring, officially 38 seconds into the seventh round.

“He want to headbutt me and then hit me on the floor,” explained Candelo after the fight. “That is the only way he can hit me. So I guess he got a free shot because I was down.” The reasons behind Shields’ actions were clear to his opponent. “I think out of frustration, and he knows that he was down in the fight, and to me what I saw was that he didn’t want nothing anymore, so he just found a way out,” said Candelo. “And the easy way out was to do something unsportsmanlike in the ring.”

Candelo scored a stoppage victory in their first meeting last December when Shields failed to answer the bell for round eight. Candelo, known for stirring up pre-fight emotions with his words, explained how this feud may have started. “The first time around there was bad blood, but it was more just trash talking,” said Candelo. “But I got him out of there, because I told him ‘I am gonna whoop your ass and you are not going to finish the fight.’ And that is exactly what I did.”

Candelo, who saw a potential springboard fight fall through when Sergio Mora opted out of their scheduled July clash to fight Shane Mosley in September, hopes his title-winning effort will help alter the course of his resurgent career. “The doors were closed to me, but now I am pretty sure we can go and knock on some doors and the doors will open. To my fans, I am back.”

In the co-main event, Alfonso Lopez III (21-0, 16 KOs) of Cut and Shoot, Texas claimed the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight title with a twelfth-round stoppage of Romero Johnson (11-3-1, 6 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio.

It took Lopez, 168, a few rounds to warm-up, but Johnson, 168, began the fight swinging freely for the fences with hooks that began from out of range and only occasionally hit the target. Lopez did however catch Johnson a couple times with short counter shots as the Cleveland resident came forward in the early rounds.

Johnson had one of his better rounds in the third, as he most notably caught Lopez with a clean left hook in the first half. As the round progressed, Lopez appeared to be getting his timing down for a counter against the forward-moving Johnson.

After a fourth round that consisted mainly of infighting, action began to heat up near the end of the fifth. In the last minute, Johnson tagged Lopez with a short punch on the inside, which seemed to inspire Lopez to open up and land a successful three-punch combination of his own.

Lopez kept the pressure on in the sixth, and began to take over the fight offensively. After a dominate three minutes, Lopez returned to his corner shaking his right hand and wincing. With the apparent injury, Lopez went left hand happy in the seventh. Despite the disadvantage, Johnson failed to capitalize on the situation and allowed himself to get outworked in the round.

In the eighth Lopez was still taking it easy with the right, even turning southpaw for a short stretch, but remained the busier fighter. Johnson continued to look for one wild punch at a time, but did land a sweeping hook late in the round that got the crowd’s attention.

Lopez continued to keep Johnson off guard with his output in the ninth, closing the round with a clean right-left combination. Though he punctuated the round, Lopez immediately looked over to his corner after shaking his right again. Lopez continued to dominate in the tenth and eleventh, landing more than one punch that snapped Johnson’s head back like a speed bag, but it appeared his injured hand may prevent him from going for the knockout.

With Johnson fading in the twelfth, Lopez refused to allow his injured right to stop him from scoring the knockout. Lopez opened up and scored with Johnson failing to defend. With Johnson forced against the ropes, and taking a series of unanswered punches, referee Laurence Cole leaped in to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 2:45 of the final round.

For Lopez Thursday’s fight marked a move down to the 168-pound super middleweight class from seven pounds north, but the Cut and Shoot native seemed to adjust just fine. “Going into the fight, we knew Romero was tough, but I felt pretty good coming down to super middleweight,” said Lopez. “Overall I thought I did a lot of things right. I was getting better as the rounds were going on. I just took my time, got a little sloppy sometimes with some power punches, but once I settled down and started putting my punches together, I got him out of there.”

The injury to Lopez’ right hand, which occurred in the middle rounds just as he seemed to be warming up, gave the young pro an opportunity to prove he could overcome adversity during the course of a twelve-round fight. “It was pretty painful,” admitted Lopez afterward. “It’s in pretty bad shape. I just had to bite down, bear down on it, and try to use my left hand more and just grin it on the right hands I landed.”

Having claimed the regional WBC title over a solid veteran, Lopez now looks forward to bigger things. “We are looking for another good name, someone who’s got some credibility, someone who has maybe been on TV,” said Lopez. “Maybe we can look for a TV fight.”

Karim Martinez (3-0, 2 KOs) of Houston scored three knockdowns en route to a second-round technical stoppage of debuting Randolph Cole (0-1) of Gulfport, Mississippi. Martinez, 138, downed Cole, 138, in the early going of round one with a stiff jab and continued to work over the tentative new pro when the action resumed, forcing him to each corner with combinations. With Cole covering up in a corner, Martinez unleashed a right hook, left hand combination to down him again near the close of the round.

Cole came out more offensive-minded in round two, but eventually two light-looking body shots downed him again a minute in, which prompted referee Jesse Reyes to stop the contest. The official time was 1:05 of round two.

In a somewhat mauling lightweight affair, Alicio Castaneda (11-1, 5 KOs) of Cut and Shoot scored a four-round majority decision over Robert Lewis Hill (2-7) of Gulfport. Hill boxed well in spots during the first round, but ended up with a high on his forehead. From the second round on, the fight was fought almost entirely on the inside, as Hill’s southpaw style led to constant tangling with the onrushing Castaneda. With not much for the judges to differentiate between the fighters, scores read 40-36 and 39-37 for Castaneda, with one card tabulated evenly at 38-38.

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