LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – Cruiserweight contender Blake McKernan kept his comeback rolling, scoring a stoppage of late replacement Jurmain McDonald in the main event of a ten-bout card at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday night.
McKernan (16-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California started out working behind his jab and using his reach advantage over the former middleweight McDonald (8-8, 3 KOs) of Jefferson City, Missouri. McKernan, 195.5, made McDonald, 200, feel his power midway through the round when he landed a hard right hand that gave the Jefferson City native reason to pause his attack.
After allowing McDonald some comfort in round two, McKernan turned up the aggression in round three and rocked McDonald along the ropes and followed-up until the bell to end the round. By round four, McDonald was only looking to land one looping shot at a time and was bloodied by the nose. Though McDonald’s ample body was there as a target, McKernan mostly landed his power shots upstairs, often off of his jab.
McDonald returned weary to his corner at the end of round four and, after consulting with the corner, referee Edward Collantes opted to end the bout between rounds, officially at 3:00 of round five. With the victory, McKernan has won three straight since returning from a nearly two-year layoff induced by multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis.
Undefeated middleweight Islam Abdusamadov (5-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia scored a four-round unanimous decision over Josias Gonzales (2-5-1) of Whittier, California.
Abdusamadov, 157, dropped Gonzales, 148, in the second, landing a right in the middle of an exchange. Gonzales had the habit of falling off balance when he was errant with a power shot and Abdusamadov was ready to counter. Gonzales did not appear hurt and fired back in a wild exchange to end the round.
Gonzales had a solid round three as perhaps Abdusmadov was looking to time a perfect counter once more, but ultimately was outworked in stretches of the round. Again the round ended with a heated exchange, where Abdusamadov was able to flex some of his power against the busy Gonzales.
In round four, Abdusamadov was willing to give ground against the forward-moving Gonzales in order to land his power counter punches. Gonzales would throw a flurry, but Abdusamadov would time him and land one or two clean shots that would win the moment for him. In the end, judge Edward Collantes scored the bout 39-37, judge Joel Farbstein had it 39-36 and judge Melissa McMorrow scored it 38-37, all for Abdusamadov.
Kyle Lacanlale (4-0, 3 KOs) of San Ramon, California was taken the distance, but won every round against a tough Brandon Badillo (0-4-1) of Lancaster, South Carolina.
Lacanlale, 124, set the pace and landed in combination against the shorter Badillo, 126.5. Lacanlale was the better boxer and landed with power shots, but Badillo hung tough and fought back throughout.
All three judges, Joel Farbstein, Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman scored the bout a shutout for Lacanlale, 40-36. Lacanlale’s next bout is already set for May 24th at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California.
In a rough inside fight, Jessie James Guerrero (5-0-3, 4 KOs) of Gilroy, California remained unbeaten with a four-round majority decision over Antonio Vallecillo Velasquez (0-1) of Richmond, California by way of Chinandega, Nicaragua.
Guerrero, 110.5, and Vallecillo Velasquez 110.5, traded on even terms for much of the bout. Guerrero landed well in combination, but Vallecillo Velasquez had his moments, landing some clean power shots.
Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout even, 38-38, but was overruled by judges Michael Margado and Joel Farbstein, who scored the fight 39-37 for Guerrero.
Braulio Ceja Navarro (4-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over journeyman David Minter (4-7, 3 KOs) of Lincoln.
Ceja Navarro, 138.9, threw and landed in combination as the veteran Minter, 139.5 could not keep up with the high output.
Slowed only by a warning and timeout for a low blow in the final round, Ceja Navarro claimed a shutout on the cards of all four judges, Joel Farbstein, Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman, 40-36.
In an excellent action fight, Ebert Diaz (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California scored a hard-fought six-round majority decision over Christian Avalos (3-2-2) of Carson City, Nevada.
Avalos, 135, got off to a great start, rocking Diaz, 134.8, in an exchange in the first, but the Richmond native regained his footing quickly and bounced back to have a solid second round.
As the fight progressed, Diaz’s pressure began to turn the fight in his favor, but all six rounds featured two-way action. Avalos landed with a clean uppercut late in the sixth, but ultimately came up short on the cards.
Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judges Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes, 58-56, for Diaz.
In his pro debut, former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento scored two knockdowns en route to a third-round stoppage of Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-5) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Gonzalez, 149, turned up the pressure in the second round, dropping Soto-Garcia, 150.5, with a left hook. Later in the round, Gonzalez caught Soto-Garcia with a right in the middle of an exchange to score a second knockdown.
After a visit to the Soto-Garcia corner at the end of round two, referee Edward Collantes stopped the bout officially at 3:00 of round three.
Vikash Deol (2-0, 1 KO) of Hayward, California remained unbeaten via four-round unanimous decision over Herman Hodnett (0-2) of Oroville, California.
With his basketball center frame, Hodnett, 246, failed to take advantage of his height and reach and fought an inside fight with the stalky Deol, 230.
Late in the final round, referee David Hartman deducted a point from Hodnett for hitting behind the head, which ended up being the difference in the scoring, as judges Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes both scored the bout 38-37, while judge Melissa McMorrow had it 39-36, all for Deol.
Dante Kirkman (4-0, 2 KOs) of Palo Alto, California scored two knockdowns in short order to halt journeyman Jose Cruz (2-7, 1 KO) of El Monte, California in the opening round.
Kirkman, 158, downed Cruz, 160, in the early going with an overhand right. Cruz managed to rise, but was soon forced into the red corner, where Kirkman landed a solid right and a sweeping left to down Cruz for the second time. Referee Michael Margado began his count, but ultimately waved it off at 2:32 of round one.
In the opener, Pedro Angel Cruz (4-6, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California boxed his way to a six-round unanimous decision over brawling Luciano Ramos (2-9) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cruz,143, had the superior technique, but Ramos, 142.5, had his moments, landing with power punches. In the end judges Joel Farbstein and Michael Margado scored it 58-56, while judge Melissa McMorrow scored it 59-55, all for Cruz.
Upper Cut Promotions will bring professional boxing back to the Venue at Thunder Valley on Saturday, September 6th.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
