LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Though he did not make it look pretty, huge underdog Richard Abril appeared to be on his way to claiming the vacant WBA Lightweight title over a lackluster Brandon Rios after twelve rounds at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Saturday night. But then the judges’ scores were read.
After a feeling out first round, Abril’s plan became readily apparent in the second. The WBA’s interim titleholder looked to place one or two hard shots at range and smother Rios any time the fight came in close. Rios landed one right uppercut inside, but Abril caught the former champion coming in several times and looked to have taken the round.
Rios (30-0-1, 22 KOs) of Oxnard, California began to try and rough up Abril on the inside in the third, but his punches were vastly ineffective. Abril (17-3-1, 8 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Isla de la Juventud, Cuba had a solid fourth, as he began measuring the shorter Rios with his left and landing solid rights. The lead right became a weapon as well for Abril, 135.
Rios, 137, may have deserved the fifth as Abril became too defensive. Rios did not land anything to great affect either, but he carried the action for most of the three minutes. Abril, the WBA #1 ranked lightweight, took the sixth on all three cards with an early offensive rally. Rios, the WBA #3 ranked lightweight, took to his jab for the only time in the fight late in the frame, but it was not enough to win back the round.
The seventh seemed to be another clear round for Abril, however two judges ended up giving it to Rios. Abril landed a lead right twice in the early going and kept good distance, tying up Rios when he got in close. Abril was warned for holding by referee Vic Drakulich, before landing another solid combination to close out the round.
By the eighth the fight had fallen into a familiar pattern. Rios would fall in and lean on Abril, throwing tired shots over his own shoulders. Abril blocked most of the blows inside, before stepping out and throwing one or two of his own as Rios looked to lean in again.
Despite all the trash talk and press conference shoving matches, neither fighter ever showed any desire to really hurt their adversary. Round after round, Rios’ winging shots looked drained of any power. Despite Abril’s effective punch selection throughout frames eight thru eleven, there was not a consensus round scored for the Cuban import by the three judges during that third of the fight. When Abril closed up shop a bit in the final round all three judges did agree to score it for Rios.
Both fighters did show good sportsmanship in the immediate aftermath of the final bell, as Abril offered his glove and Rios gave him a hug. Much to the dismay of everyone on press row, two veteran judges, Jerry Roth and Glenn Trowbridge, had the fight for Rios, 117-112 and 115-113 respectively. Judge Adalaide Byrd scored it right, 117-111 for Abril.
The post-fight press conference, which was held back until after the conclusion of the Juan Manuel Marquez-Serhiy Fedchenko fight broadcast from Mexico, never really took place. Top Rank execs explained that Rios was too drained to take the podium and instead a brief question and answer session took place at a media table.
It remains to be answered if Rios is still on the dance card for Marquez in July.
Making his case for a Marquez meeting, rising junior welterweight contender Mike Alvarado (33-0, 23 KOs) of Thornton, Colorado turned back a determined effort from Mauricio Herrera (18-2, 7 KOs) of Lake Elsinore, California en route to a ten-round unanimous decision.
Herrera, 140, opened well as his apparent plan was to smother the power of Alvarado, 140, while placing his own shots when the openings were presented. Herrera, the IBF #7 ranked 140-pounder, evaded enough of Alvarado’s attack to perhaps take the round. However it was apparent that Alvarado, the WBO #3/IBF #9/WBA #11 ranked light welterweight, held a decided edge in power.
Alvarado began to take over the fight in the second as Herrera could not keep the range he needed to stay out of harm’s way. Herrera was constantly throwing his shots, even while backed against the ropes. However, when Alvarado would land the effect on Herrera was much greater.
And so the fight went. Herrera bravely throwing, and gaining fans, but Alvarado landing the blows that win rounds. After a seventh round in which Alvarado was more selective with his output, Herrera’s face began to resemble hamburger meat, prompting a post-round look-in from the ringside physician.
In the eighth, a two-punch combination rattled Herrera into the ropes. Just when a stoppage looked eminent, the Lake Elsinore resident again offered back to close out the round. After another in between round visit from the doctor, Alvarado let off the gas a bit in the ninth, giving Herrera a brief reprieve.
Incredibly Herrera had a solid tenth, fighting on instinct perhaps more than anything else. Alvarado appeared to be a bit punched out as Herrera persevered through another two or three hard head shots to outwork him in the final round.
In the end, Alvarado deservedly took all three cards by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94. “I want Marquez,” pronounced Alvarado after the fight. “I deserve Marquez, I’m ready for Marquez and I have no weight issues.” Alvarado’s last line was an obvious knock on Rios, who has been mentioned as the leading candidate for a July meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez.
In the opening bout of the pay-per-view broadcast, Mercito Gesta (25-0-1, 13 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines worked his way to an eighth-round stoppage of awkward Oscar Cuero (15-8, 12 KOs) of Cartagena, Colombia.
Gesta, the WBA #7 ranked lightweight and WBO #8 ranked 140-pounder, was forced to chase Cuero, 138, around the ring for much of the early rounds. When Gesta, 137, did manage to pin Cuero against the ropes or in a corner, the Colombian quickly wrapped his long arms around the Filipino contender, leading to a point deduction in fifth.
As the sixth opened, Cuero decided to fight and had a fairly decent round pressuring Gesta, who only landed in spots. Cuero’s momentum was fleeting, as a rising right body shot gave Gesta his first knockdown in the bout in the seventh. Cuero got up slow and tackled an onrushing Gesta to the canvas. The extra time helped Cuero come on for a moment. But after taking a few clean head shots, Gesta smiled and nodded at his tiring foe.
Early in the eighth, a cuffing right near Cuero’s ear put him back on the mat. Cuero got up slow, prompting referee Robert Byrd to wave it off at the 1:38 mark.
Well regarded former amateur standout Eric Flores (1-0, 1 KO) of Inglewood, California topped his brother’s performance from earlier in the night with a 40-second technical knockout of Wilbert Mitchell (1-3) of Lake Dallas, Texas.
Flores, 139, came out fast, eventually landing a straight right hand, which he soon followed with a short left in close. Mitchell, 137, fell back into a neutral corner, where Flores followed and flurried him to the mat. When Mitchell got up, referee Tony Weeks saw something in his eyes he did not like and quickly waved off the bout.
Light welterweight prospect Terence Crawford (16-0, 12 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska took an apparent step-up in class and impressively met the challenge as he dismantled Andre Gorges (11-3, 6 KOs) of Windsor, Ontario, Canada by way of Baghdad, Iraq inside of five rounds.
Crawford, 142, was clearly just too quick for Gorges, 141, from the early going. Gorges was game, but was countered at nearly every opportunity throughout the bout. After wearing Gorges down to the body, Crawford began to punish the Canadian resident upstairs in the fourth. A left hook on the inside wobbled Gorges’ legs and forced him down to a knee late in the round. With just seconds left in the round, Gorges survived to the bell, but returned to his corner on very shaky footing.
Early in the fifth, Crawford set up a vicious overhand right with Gorges against the ropes. Gorges was out even before the follow up left landed, which aided his slow fall to the mat. Referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout 44 seconds into the fifth. Crawford’s win is especially impressive considering Gorges had gone twelve in a majority decision loss to soon to be ranked contender Albert Mensah last time out.
Light middleweight prospect Mikael Zewski (14-0, 10 KOs) of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada capped a patient, but effective offensive display with a sixth-round stoppage of Brandon Baue (12-6, 10 KOs) of Troy, Missouri.
Zewski, 153, mixed his attack well to both the body and head of Baue throughout the fight. The hook to the body as well as some well placed left uppercuts did damage from the early going, as Baue, 153 ½, became less willing to offer up as the fight wore on.
Finally in the sixth, a two-handed combination bothered Baue enough to bring him down to one knee in his own corner. Baue returned to his feet at the count of nine, but apparently looked dejected enough for referee Tony Weeks to stop the bout after a short series of unanswered blows at 2:46 of the sixth.
Anthony Flores (1-0, 1 KO) of Inglewood impressed in his professional debut with a scary first-round knockout of Gabriel Medina (1-1) of Hemet, California. Flores, 140, pressured Medina, 141, from the early going, ultimately using a left jab to set up a thunderous overhand right. Medina was out even before the back of his head bounced off the canvas. Referee Vic Drakulich rightly stopped the bout without a count at the 2:41 mark.
Former National Golden Gloves Champion Tremaine Williams (1-0, 1 KO) of New Haven, Connecticut put in a quick night’s work in his professional debut with a first-round stoppage of Jesse Anguiano (0-2) of San Antonio, Texas. Williams, 123, sent Anguiano, 121 ½, into a corner with a fast combination and the ensuing flurry sent Anguiano’s head through the ropes. Shortly after referee Robert Byrd separated the two fighters, Williams rushed in an put together a series of punches that prompted Byrd to rescue the stunned Anguiano from further punishment. Official time was 2:21 of the first.
Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
