LAREDO, Tex. – The Lone Star State has developed an unfortunate reputation for awarding hometown fighters inexplicably wide decisions. But Guadalajara is not in Texas, and so it was very hard to understand Saturday’s scorecards.
In a fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title at Laredo Energy Center, one that was part of Fox Sports Español’s “Top Rank Live” program, Mexican Miguel Vazquez (26-3, 12 KOs), of Guadalajara, defeated South Korean Ji-Hoon Kim (21-6-1, 18 KOs) by unanimous-decision scores of 119-109, 120-108 and 118-110.
The 15rounds.com scorecard did not concur, scoring a very close match 116-114 for Kim.
While Vazquez was the physically stronger fighter and at times the more aggressive one, Kim was clearly the better puncher and landed the evening’s more-telling blows, from opening bell to closing. The South Korean began each round with a 1-2 combination whose right cross often missed but always succeeded at putting Vazquez on his heels for at least the next 30 seconds.
After that, in many rounds, Vazquez closed distance, grinding Kim with clinches and wide hooks. Still, despite having his punches smothered, Kim was often the only one in the ring trying to make a fight.
Because each round in the match’s second half was close, it was nearly impossible for any professional scorekeeper to mark every single one for the same fighter. And yet, that’s exactly what one official did, scoring the fight 12-0 for the Mexican.
Kim, for whom Saturday’s match marked his third appearance in Laredo, handled the unreasonably lopsided decision with dignity, congratulating the new IBF champ and leaving the ring to applause from his adopted hometown.
OXNARD HAS A NEW STAR: GARCIA STOPS LOCK
Oxnard, Calif.’s Mikey Garcia came to South Texas with a simple plan: Corral Detroit’s Cornelius Lock with left hooks and blast him with right hands. Garcia knew it, Lock knew it, and after the second round, everyone in Energy Arena knew it, too. That a crafty veteran like Lock was powerless to prevent it says a whole lot about Garcia’s class.
After assaulting Lock (19-6-1, 12 KOs) for 10 rounds with right crosses, at 1:09 of the 11th, Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) stretched Lock with a right-hook lead, and the fight was over. In beating up Lock, Garcia did something that no other prospect has been able to do recently. And Garcia looked fantastic doing it.
After an even first round, in the second Garcia’s corralling left hook paid off quickly, as he persuaded Lock to leave his chin directly in the line of a right cross, one that put Lock’s sparkly trunks on the blue mat. Lock rose, though, and fought back with sledgehammer overhand rights, punches the Detroit southpaw has used in the past to upset other prospects.
But Garcia might just be what baseball aficionados call a “five-tool” player, as he appears to have everything one looks for in a future world champion, including an excellent chin to complement his ferocious right cross.
After a couple of competitive middle rounds, Garcia caught Lock at the end of the sixth – again with a left hook followed by a right cross – that made Lock wobble and clinch. Then Garcia showed a veteran’s composure, stomping after Lock while keeping his combinations and footwork tight and well-balanced.
Lock, though, continued to show all the attributes that have made him such a successful spoiler in the past, straightening Garcia up with right hands whenever he was imperiled. But finally, Garcia was too much, causing the referee to wave an end to the match in the 11th, with Lock swollen and bruised and once more on his back.
BUDLER DANCES TO SPLIT DECISION OVER PRIMERO
Top Rank knows better than any outfit in boxing how to develop a young prospect. It has an apparently unlimited stable of tough Mexican opponents – journeymen with strong chins and pride – from which to choose, as charismatic and undefeated South African Hekkie Budler learned Saturday night.
In a 10-round junior flyweight scrap the judges scored 98-92, 93-97 and 96-94, Budler (17-0, 5 KOs) narrowly defeated El Paso’s Evaristo Primero (14-14-1, 7 KOs) by split decision. It was a stern test for the strong but light-hitting South African, a test that he passed, if not with flying colors.
The match began on a surprisingly even footing – given the men’s records – with Primero touching and testing Budler’s chin. Right uppercut-left hook, the combination Juan Manuel Marquez made famous among Mexicans, was the mix with which Primero had the most luck. Budler, though, did not budge, controlling distance effectively despite the Texan’s pressure.
Reminiscent of a small Paulie Malignaggi, Budler displayed quick hands and decent defense. He also entered the ring to a World Cup-themed Shakira song, written especially for his native land. And in the ninth round, a Primero low blow indeed had him dancing the “Waka Waka” as his knees weakened and he dropped to the blue canvas, writhing.
But Budler rose soon thereafter, like a professional footballer, and boxed his way to a win.
UNDERCARD / OVERCARD
Saturday’s opening fight was an uneventful heavyweight match – originally scheduled to be at cruiserweight till the scales intervened – that featured two Texans fairly uninterested in attaining a first professional victory. Fort Worth’s Zakariah King (1-2) swapped a few blows with Aleda’s “Cool Hand” Luke Vaughn (0-3) and did just enough to win a unanimous decision all three judges scored 39-37 for King.
The evening’s walk-out fights featured six Texans and for the most part lived up to their billing.
San Antonio bantamweight Issac Cantera (1-0, 1 KO) won his professional debut with a knockout, stretching Laredo’s Antonio Pena Jr. (2-4) at 0:15 of round 3.
Laredo lightweight Javier Luna (1-1) decisioned Edinburg’s Gino Hernandez (0-2) by split scores of 40-36, 37-39 and 39-37.
And Laredo junior lightweight Enrique Rodriguez (2-0, 1 KO) made quick work of Alice’s Raul Almeida (0-2), stopping him at 1:33 of the first round.
The evening began at 7:30 sharp, local time, and opened to a small but vocal Energy Arena crowd. By the time of the main event, attendance was estimated at 2,000.
