SAN ANTONIO – Albuquerque welterweight Fidel Maldonado has the bling – sparkly purple trunks, gold trimmed, matching tights and safety-green boots – and occasional flashes of power, but ultimately a Monday Night Boxing main event in a Cowboys Dancehall bullring will likely mark the peak of his televised accomplishments.
If that is the case, Maldonado’s (18-2, 15 KOs) corner stoppage of Puerto Rican John Nater (13-5, 10 KOs), effectively a replacement for the man who replaced Maldonado’s original opponent, Steve “Two Pound” Forbes, should lead the highlight reel of Maldonado’s career, with Monday’s conclusion – referee Jon Schorle stopping the match before the fifth round of a Leija-Battah Promotions main event – being the most of what Maldonado can ask for.
After some foul-filled opening moments Monday, Maldonado clinched Nater then brought savagery his way in round 3, whupping the Puerto Rican in clinches and catching him with a surprisingly effective left-cross counter, thrown from the New Mexican’s southpaw stance, in the round’s final minute. The fourth saw more of the same, including a second trip to the blue mat for Nater, whose corner sagaciously concluded matters before any more damage might be done.
Maldonado appears three parts glittery special effects for every one part fighting prowess, but with his promoter needing to fill Monday night slots, there’s no reason to think he’ll not get a few more moments on Fox Sports 1.
ERROL SPENCE VS. PETER OLOUCH
While the rest of his 2012 Olympic teammates seemingly have stagnated in the professional ranks, Texas welterweight Errol Spence (11-0, 9 KOs) has continued to improve, throwing his punches with greater leverage, bettering his footwork and hitting to hurt, not merely score points. African Peter Olouch (12-7-2, 6 KOs) found out all about Spence’s capacity to hurt, in Monday’s co-main event, getting knocked cold at 1:39 of round 4.
Spence attacked Olouch from the match’s opening round, using well-leveraged punches thrown from his southpaw stance to concuss the lanky African with most each blow that landed. After sending Olouch to his knees in the first minute of the fourth, Spence finished the job with a left hybrid cross-uppercut, surprising as it was concussing for being so concussing. Olouch dropped, and no 10-count was needed, though assistance was needed for Olouch, about three minutes’ worth, before the African regained his feet and left the ring of his own power.
TERRELL GAUSHA VS. GEORGE SOSA
Cleveland middleweight and former U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (13-2, 6 KOs) fought in Monday’s first televised match and looked decisively mediocre while winning a one-sided decision over Pennsylvania journeyman boxer George Sosa (13-6, 13 KOs).
After an opening few rounds in which Gausha did not succeed at imposing or defending himself, in the fourth, after being buckled by Sosa’s aggression more than his accurate punching, Gausha landed a number of stout punches, too, taking advantage of a suddenly squeamish Sosa. The Pennsylvanian,-though, was squeamish for a reason: His left glove had slipped off his fist and had to be refitted and retaped.
Once the men returned to even terms, Gausha was more sound than fury, yelping as he threw power punches that affected Sosa only slowly, and the fight devolved into an attritional affair with Gausha hurling inaccurate punches that occasionally landed, and Sosa looking forward exclusively to the final bell.
Official scores all went to Gausha: 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73.
Gausha appears to have increased his muscle mass and perhaps improved his conditioning, but the fact remains he does not appear to have improved as a prizefighter. He has eschewed the activity he employed effectively in the amateurs to load-up on power punches as a pro. It is not an effective tack for him to have taken, as he lacks the speed and accuracy to deploy such power.
Undefeated since turning professional or otherwise, Terrell Gausha fights more amateurishly today than he did as an amateur.
TRAVELL MAZION VS. JUSTO VALLECILLO
Before that, Austin junior welterweight Travell “Black Magic” Mazion (7-0, 6 KOs), a student of noted trainer Ann Wolfe’s and a man who, standing over six feet tall and weighing round 140 pounds, looks like a young, inexperienced, and perhaps anorexic Thomas Hearns, made decisive work of local opponent Justo Vallecillo (6-16, 3 KOs), stopping the wholly overmatched Texan with a trio of righthands at 1:37 of round 3.
Immediately following Mazion’s victory, he and trainer Wolfe danced a series of celebratory verses in the center of the ring, choosing to celebrate Monday evening before setting to work on Mazion’s habit of floating his chin in retreat, one hopes, on Tuesday morning.
JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ VS. JESUS GARZA
Monday’s fifth match saw local undefeated junior lightweight Joseph “Texas Mongoose” Rodriguez (5-0, 2 KOs) beat in rugged style fellow Texan Jesus Garza (2-4-1), of Dallas, by official scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 40-35. Rodriguez may not punch with particular ferocity, but he brings physicality and activity enough, along with a nifty tendency to throw a pivoted right uppercut when inside, to make fellow San Antonians cheer him without fear of disappointment.
Attendance was stellar in Cowboys Dancehall bullring for a Monday night.