SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — World ranked super featherweight contender Eloy Perez jabbed, bobbed and weaved his way to an utterly one-sided ten-round decision victory over Alejandro Rodriguez at the Longshoremen’s Hall on Friday night. With the victory, a crack at a world title may be right around the corner.
Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California just had too much class for Rodriguez (12-2, 6 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to have any chance in the bout. Perez, 129 ½, gave a performance the great Willie Pep would have been proud of, as Rodriguez, 129, could not crack the code that was the Salinas resident’s defense.
Perez, the WBO #2 ranked super featherweight, won many of the rounds with his jab and defense alone. There were no openings for the tentative Rodriguez to exploit, as Perez was selective with his offense while still controlling every second of the fight.
Rodriguez was by no means an immovable object either, as he routinely jumped back two steps from every moderately stiff shot. By the seventh round, Perez began to open up for longer stretches than he had earlier in the fight, but Rodriguez offered little in return. In the eighth, Perez stunned Rodriguez with a short left hook, prompting the Mexican to hold on for a bit.
For the most part, Perez seemed satisfied putting on a boxing clinic and never really pressed for anything more. When it was all said and done, Perez had won every round, if not every minute, of the fight and all three judges handed in identical scorecards of 100-90.
With the victory, Perez successfully defended his WBO NABO Super Featherweight title and remains in line for a crack at the WBO 130-pound title holder Ricky Burns. Word after the fight was that Perez may finally get to headline an oft-talked about event in Monterey County this summer.
2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (15-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland easily outboxed Adolfo Landeros (21-19-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico en route to a six-round unanimous decision in the televised co-feature.
Russell, 128, just had too much speed for the serviceable Mexican journeyman Landeros, 128, to handle. Russell got a knockdown in the first, when he rocked Landeros with a straight left and followed with a quick combination. However, the experienced Landeros managed to cover up and survive the round. Other than that, Russell never seemed to have Landeros in any serious trouble.
The bout became more of an inside fight in the second and remained one much of the rest of the way. Landeros began to land more frequently in the third, but most of the telling blows were coming from the former U.S. Olympian. Perhaps Landeros’ best shot was an uppercut he landed that gave Russell reason to pause late in the third. Landeros followed up with two clean blows upstairs.
Throughout the fight, Landeros remained game, continuously coming forward, despite the quick hands of Russell. When Russell utilized his speed, Landeros had absolutely no chance. However, when Russell stood still and sat down on his punches, it gave Landeros the opportunity to land in spots. Even in those instances, Landeros was clearly outgunned.
The fight closed with some entertaining action in the sixth. Russell got Landeros motivated again briefly with a hard short left. With Landeros coming forward again, Russell landed a right, straight left combo that hurt the Mexican. Russell closed out the round pressuring Landeros, but the journeyman would not end the fight in retreat, deciding to throw with him, even with his back against the corner. In the end, scores read 60-53 three times for Russell.
Lamont Williams (4-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield, California regrouped from a first-round knockdown to down Juan Hernandez (1-1, 1 KO) of Redwood City, California in the same stanza before boxing his way to a four-round unanimous decision victory.
Hernandez, 197 and listed at 5’8” tall, dropped the 6’2” Williams, 194, with a right hook which came on the heels of a solid left hand. Hernandez came rushing at Williams once the fight resumed and appeared to have the Fairfield resident in some trouble. However, Williams managed to get some space and land a short right that stunned Hernandez. Williams followed up with a flurry that dropped Hernandez into the ropes, thus evening up the knockdown tally for the round.
Hernandez was clearly hurt by the knockdown, but managed to make it out of the first. Not surprisingly, Williams seemed to have the clearer head going into the second. With about a minute to go in the round, Williams caught Hernandez with a right uppercut and sent him down against the ropes with the following combination to score his second knockdown in the fight.
Over the next two rounds, Hernandez was never really able to get close enough to do the damage he did with his right hook in the first, and Williams boxed his way to the clear decision. Scores read 40-35 across the board for Williams.
In mere seconds, Jonathan Chicas (1-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco got his pro career off to a rousing start via first-round knockout of Maja Khali (0-1) of Oakland, California. Chicas, 140, scored a quick knockdown with a right, left hook combination. Khali, 139, gamely rose to his feet, but soon found himself on his knees after a well-placed left to his body put him in that position with referee Ed Collantes counting to ten in front of him. Collantes would reach the full count at the time of 1:07 of the opening round.
Increasingly locally popular brawler Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California demolished pro mixed martial artist Harry Gopaul (0-1) of Sacramento, California in about half of a round, exciting his throng of fans on hand at the Longshoremen’s Hall.
Gumina, 181, rocked Gopaul, 183, with a right hand as the two came together and traded before the sound of the opening bell had the chance to fade away into the night. Gopaul looked to tie up Gumina, but the local hero kept his right hand free and scored a knockdown with three clubbing blows. Gopaul unwisely came rushing toward Gumina as soon as referee Jon Schorle finished his eight count and was caught in an exchange of right hands that sent him down for the second time. Gopaul got back up and looked to brawl with Gumina some more, but was rocked again by a left uppercut that sent him into a corner. With Gopaul taking shots, Schorle leaped in and stopped the bout at 1:31 of the first round.
Gumina, who will be in camp with super middleweight champion Andre Ward this coming week, has a tentative fight set for July 1st at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California, but hopes to get back into the ring sooner than that.
In the closing fight of the night, which pitted two southpaws, former amateur star Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines impressively steamrolled normally durable journeyman Shaun Solomon (1-3-1) of Moreno Valley, California inside of two rounds.
Escalante, 120, was too quick and even too strong, despite giving away size to Solomon, 121 ½, who had been stopped just once in his professional career prior to Friday night. Escalante stunned Solomon with the first straight left he landed in the bout and dropped him with the same shot seconds later.
Escalante focused some of his attack on Solomon’s body to begin the second, prior to landing a left uppercut that sent the Moreno Valley resident down like a redwood. Referee Ed Collantes immediately called a halt to the bout at the time of 46 seconds of the second round. Escalante is slated to appear on the aforementioned July 1st event in Burlingame, but he may take a fight before that date as well.
Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
