LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – In what has to be considered the early front runner for upset of the year, previously unheralded Hector Luis Garcia launched himself onto the world stage with a one-sided twelve-round unanimous decision win over former interim champion Chris Colbert on Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. With the win, Garcia claims the WBA #1 ranking and sets up a showdown with WBA super featherweight champion Roger Gutierrez. 

Colbert (16-1, 6 KOs) of Broolyn, New York got off to a solid start and through three rounds, his speed appeared to be too much for Garcia to handle. Garcia came to life in fourth, but Colbert was up to the challenge, thwarting most rallies with his speed and elusiveness.

In the sixth, Garcia (15-0, 10 KOs) of San Juan de la Maguana, San Juan, Dominican Republic landed some of his more telling blows up to that point in the fight. In the seventh, Garcia, 129.6, landed a picture perfect counter left that rocked Colbert’s world and dropped the Brooklyn native to the shock of the crowd on hand. With only seconds remaining, Colbert, 128.8, evaded enough to last to the eighth. 

Garcia continued to pressure Colbert as the bell to begin the eighth was done sounding. Colbert returned fire as the round came to a close, but it was too late to take the stanza on the cards. Colbert rebounded to great effect in the ninth, landing the more telling blows in the round. However, Garcia came back and dominated much of the action in the tenth. The intensity turned up in the eleventh as fights waged in the crowd, Garcia showed Colbert up in the middle of the ring for moving and retreating. When the fight resumed, Garcia continued his consistent attack with little regard for any return fire. In the twelfth, Colbert lost the support of some of the crowd as he avoided Garcia at nearly all costs, when the situation called for a complete sell-out to attempt to salvage the victory. 

When the fight came to its merciful end for Colbert, Garcia had upset the applecart with scores of 119-109 and 118-109 twice. For Colbert it is back to the drawing board and perhaps some second guessing of his decision to fight rather than wait for the title opportunity he had already secured. Now that title opportunity goes to Garcia, who with how he handled Colbert, has to be considered a real threat to Gutierrez’ hold on the WBA belt. 

Gary Antuanne Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland scored the biggest knockout and win of his emerging career, halting former champion Viktor Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) of Marina Del Rey, California by way of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine in the tenth.

By midway through the fight both fighters had their moments, with neither distancing themselves from the other in any meaningful way. In the seventh round Russell, 139.4, started out more aggressively, as Postol, 140.6,  slowed his output. As the fight went to the ninth, Russell’s face looked the worse for wear as Postol picked his spots and landed clean. 

Russell came out inspired in the tenth, pressuring Postol around the ring and landing with hard blows. In what looked to be a premature stoppage, based on the conditions of the fight and considering the fighter in question, referee Michael Ortega stepped in at 2:31 of the tenth with Postol taking combinations on the ropes. 

With the win, Russell claimed the vacant WBA Continental Americas light welterweight title and may find himself one win away from a world title opportunity. 

Previously largely unknown Fernando Daniel Martinez (14-0, 8 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina ended the longest active title reign in boxing by outwilling a great champion in Jerwin Ancajas (33-2-2, 22 KOs) of Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines over twelve action-packed rounds en route to a unanimous decision to claim the IBF super flyweight title.

After a tactical first round, Ancajas, 114.6, came with a dedicated body attack that began to slow Martinez’ aggression in the second. However, Martinez, 114.6, rebounded to exchange on mostly even terms in the third until Ancajas uncorked a combination that staggered the Argentinian near the end of the round.

The fourth and fifth featured excellent two-way action and even though Martinez’ face sprung a small leak, it was the Argentinian that came on strongest with a series of left hands.

Ancajas struggled to keep up with Martinez’ output as the fight wore on through the middle rounds. Martinez continually loaded up with his left while Ancajas looked for openings. The Filipino champion closed out the eighth well, placing stiff blows between Martinez’ guard.

Undeterred, Martinez came on strong in the eighth and ninth, loading up on head shots as Ancajas struggled to fend off the onslaught. The younger Martinez refused to let off the gas pedal through the end of the bout, but the veteran Ancajas showed the resiliency that aided his long title reign. After great two-way action to close the bout, it was Martinez that was crowned champion by scores of 117-111 and 118-110 twice.

Claudio Marrero (26-5, 18 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Districto National, Dominican Republic won a hard-fought eight-round majority decision over previously unbeaten Viktor Slavinskyi (13-1-1, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine.

Marrero, 130.8, got out to a hot start, keeping Slavinskyi, 129, at bay with his hard jab and stringing his combinations together in support. Midway through the fight Slavinskyi found more success landing clean, but it was ultimately Marrero’s early lead and strong workrate that carried the fight. One judge had the fight even at 76-76, but was overruled by the scores of 78-74 and 77-75. With the win, Marrero keeps himself alive as a potential opponent for a name adversary after having previously fought just one stay-busy bout since a decision defeat in a title eliminator against Xavier Martinez in 2020. 

Powerfully built lightweight prospect Justin Cardona (7-0, 4 KOs) of Salinas, California beat down a game, but overmatched Joshua Draughter (4-2-1, 1 KO) of New Orleans, Louisiana before scoring a third-round stoppage. 

Early in the first, a quick right hand scored a flash knockdown for Cardona, 132.6, when one of Draughter’s gloves touched the canvas as a result of the punch. Draughter, 130, seemed bothered every time he was touched by a lead left hand. Cardona continually found a home for his right hand as well, as evidenced by the swelling that quickly came to be near Draughter’s left eye. 

After another punishing second round, Cardona tried to end matters with just about every punch he threw in the third. Without much coming in return from Draughter, the referee called a halt to the bout at 1:31 of the round, despite mild protest from the Louisiana native. 

Local favorite Angel Barrientes (8-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas continued his rise back to prominence as a top prospect with a third-round technical knockout over Brian Cannady (10-3, 6 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida. 

Barrientes, 121.6, came out placing some well-timed shots as Cannady, 119.8, was willing to throw in the early part of the opening round. As the round progressed, Cannady shifted to a defense first approach, covering up behind a high guard. Barrientes turned down the output and looked to pick his shots. Early in the second, Barrientes backed up Cannady and landed two overhand right to drop the Floridian along the ropes. Looking to regain his legs, Cannady looked to hold on the inside, but Barrientes did well to keep space for the most part. 

Early in the third, a couple well-timed body shots backed Cannady into the ropes again. As Cannady struggled to stay up right and fell, he tackled Barrientes on his way down. Referee Michael Ortega, noticing the trend of the fight, chose this moment to call a halt to the bout at 1:31of the third round. Barrientes has now won five straight after suffering his lone pro defeat. For Cannady it was his third straight defeat after beginning his career 10-0. 

In the opening bout of the evening, 19-year-old light middleweight prospect Micky Scala (5-0, 3 KOs) of Mesa, Arizona fired up a large gathering of his fans in an action-packed two-round stoppage of sturdy Jose Gomez Jr. (3-2, 3 KOs) of Concord, California.

Scala, 153.6, and Gomez, 150.8, came out ready to trade in a back-and-forth opening stanza. Gomez seemed to get a few more hard left hands in during the first half round of trading on the inside. Scala, who had a large cheering section from Arizona, was the first to hold on the inside, rather than throw punch-for-punch. Both fighters returned to their corner red-faced from the onslaught each brought. 

Maybe something his corner said after the first fired up Scala, because he came out guns blazing from the opening ding. Finally a right hand on the inside dropped Gomez. The game combatant from Concord rose, but a series of unanswered punches caused a halt to the action in a neutral corner at 1:18 of the round. 

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/Showtime

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Tomorrow night, heading a Showtime-televised tripleheader from the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chris Colbert aims to stay on the path towards recognition as a world champion as he takes on ranked contender Hector Luis Garcia in a WBA super featherweight title eliminator. For the winner, the prize will be a meeting with WBA kingpin Roger Gutierrez, who had been primed to defend against Colbert on Saturday before a COVID-19 diagnosis two weeks prior. Fighters for the entire card weighed-in Friday at the Nolita 1 Ballroom, four floors up from the casino floor. 

The recent lineage of the WBA’s 130-pound title is a far too complicated web to completely untangle in this space, but the belt looms over the main event. In short, Colbert claimed the interim version of the title with a unanimous decision over Jezzrel Corrales in 2020 and went on to defend it twice before it was eliminated from circulation. Gutierrez, who had claimed what had been referred to as the “regular” WBA title in 2021, was elevated to full champion with defending against Colbert the next required step for consolidation. 

On February 10th, rumors of Gutierrez’ medical condition were confirmed, leaving Colbert without his opportunity to gain full recognition as the WBA champion at 130-pounds or a dance partner for the 26th.

Enter stage left Garcia (14-0, 10 KOs) of San Juan de la Maguana, San Juan, Dominican Republic. With the short notice, the WBA and promoter Tom Brown looked to the sanctioning body’s featherweight rankings, where Garcia places fifth. Garcia, who scaled 129.6-pounds, was last seen rebounding from a first-round knockdown to decision Isaac Avelar in a super featherweight bout last December. 

Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) of Broolyn, New York was relieved of his interim champion moniker in anticipation of the consolidation bout, but now finds himself in an eliminator, fighting for the opportunity he was already granted. Apparently this is by design, as Colbert, should he still be holding his interim champ tag, would be best described as a fighting champion. Reports suggest Colbert could have simply waited for Gutierrez, but chose to fight and keep the date with Showtime. Colbert scaled 128.8-pounds Friday.

One of the longest active titleholders in boxing, IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) of Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines will attempt to defend his mantle successfully for the tenth straight outings against Fernando Daniel Martinez (13-0, 8 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina over twelve rounds.  

Ancajas, weighing 114.6-pounds on Friday, has not lost a bout since 2012 and claimed his belt back in 2016 with a unanimous decision over then-champion McJoe Arroyo in the Philippines. Ten months ago Ancajas made his ninth successful defense with a unanimous decision win over once-beaten Jonathan Javier Rodriguez Valles in Connecticut and on Showtime. 

Martinez, who weighed-in at 114.6-pounds also, is taking what appears to be a monumental step-up in class from the competition he has seen thus far in his professional career. Martinez last saw action against a sub .500 fighter in Dubai, scoring a fourth-round stoppage in the stay busy bout. Martinez has seen the tenth round or later just three times in his career.

The fight that has most insiders excited going into the televised tripleheader, mega prospect Gary Antuanne Russell (14-0, 14 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland will take on grizzled veteran Viktor Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) of Marina Del Rey, California by way of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine in a ten-round junior welterweight bout that likely has title implications for the winner. 

On top of the career stakes for both fighters, there’s a high level of emotional components heading into the fight. Notably, Postol’s home country has come under attack in recent days, which will clearly be weighing on the mind in some way for the former champion. Russell lost his brother Gary “Boosa” to a heart attack in 2020, while his father battles serious medical issues himself presently. Facing the same backdrop of events, Russell’s older brother Gary Jr. recently dropped his title in a close fight. 

With a win over a credible contender like Postol, Russell may be at the cusp of completely escaping his older brother’s shadow and launching himself into a world title opportunity. Postol represents a step-up in class for Russell, last seen stopping Jovannie Santiago last May, and is the first former champion the Maryland native has shared the ring with. 

Unlike Russell, Postol has been in the ring with the top guys of the 140-pound division time and time again, going the distance, but coming up short against the Murderer’s Row of Jose Carlos Ramirez, Josh Taylor and Terence Crawford. Prior to the Crawford bout, Posol achieved the dream of becoming world champion with a tenth-round stoppage of Lucas Matthysse back in 2015. The question to be answered: does Postol still have it in the tank to turn back a young blue-chip prospect? Russell hopes to put himself in the same sentence with the three that turned back Postol’s challenge. Russell came in at 139.4-pounds, while Postol scaled 140.6-pounds. 

In off-television action, veteran contender Claudio Marrero (25-5, 18 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Districto National, Dominican Republic will take on Viktor Slavinskyi (13-0-1, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine in an eight-round super featherweight bout. Marrero, who weighed-in at 130.8-pounds, is looking to get back in line for title contention, having fought one stay-busy bout since a decision defeat in a title eliminator against Xavier Martinez in 2020. Ukrainian import Slavinskyi, who fights while his homeland surely weighs on his mind, is taking a leap in competition in meeting Marrero Saturday. Slavinskyi, who came in at 129-ppunds, has gone the ten-round distance once in his career. 

Guerrero Family pupil Justin Cardona (6-0, 3 KOs) of Salinas, California will take on Joshua Draughter (4-1-1, 1 KO) of New Orleans, Louisiana in a six-round lightweight fight. Cardona, who trains under Robert Guerrero and the former world champion’s father/trainer Ruben, weighed-in at 132.6-pounds. Draughter, who is 1-1-1 in his last three fights, came in at 130-pounds.

19-year-old light middleweight prospect Micky Scala (4-0, 2 KOs) of Mesa, Arizona will battle Jose “El Guero” Gomez Jr. (3-1, 3 KOs) of Concord, California in a six-round contest. Scala, a nationally regarded youth amateur before turning professional at 16-years-old in 2019, came in at 153.6-pounds.  Gomez, who trains out of the Double Trouble Boxing Club in Antioch, California, weighed-in at 150.8-pounds.

Once-beaten super bantamweight Angel Barrientes (7-1, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas will take on Brian Cannady (10-2, 6 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida in a four-rounder. Barrientes, who has rebounded from his lone pro defeat to go 4-0 and stop three opponents, weighed-in at 121.6-pounds. Cannady, who came in at 119.8, has lost two straight decisions after beginning his career undefeated in ten bouts. 

Former two-division champion, Rances Barthelemy (29-1, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Havana, La Habana, Cuba had been pegged to continue his slow rise back to prominence against returning Chris Howard (17-2-1, 8 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio in an eight-round light welterweight contest, but that bout fell off the card at some point.

17-year-old welterweight prospect David Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) of Oakland, California was slated to meet Corey Champion (2-4, 2 KOs) of Louisa, Virginia in a four-rounder. Champion opted to fight February 19th instead, where he was decisioned over four-rounds by Joseph Veazy in Maryland. 

Former nationally ranked amateur light heavyweight Chavon Davis of Ambridge, Pennsylvania by way of Mansfield, Ohio was slated to make his professional debut against Nathan Davis Sharp (4-3, 4 KOs) of Merced, California in a four-rounder. Late in fight week that bout was a no-go for undisclosed reasons. 

Tickets for the Premier Boxing Champions event, promoted by TGB Promotions, are available online at AXS.com. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Super Featherweight Title Eliminator, 12 Rounds

Colbert 128.8

Garcia 129.6

IBF Super Flyweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Ancajas 114.6 

Martinez 114.6

WBA Continental America’s Light Welterweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Russell 139.4

Postol 140.6

Super Featherweights, 8 Rounds

Marrero 130.8

Slavinskyi 129

Lightweights, 6 Rounds

Cardona 132.6

Draughter 130

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds

Scala 153.6 

Gomez 150.8

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds

Barrientes 121.6

Cannady 119.8

Photos by Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

As reported in this space yesterday, Mayweather Promotions’ 17-year-old junior welterweight prospect David Lopez was set to make his second appearance as a professional in a four-round bout against tough guy Corey Champion (2-3, 2 KOs) of Gordonsville, Virginia at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas next Saturday night. This bout will no longer take place on the undercard to the Showtime-televised tripleheader headlined by the WBA super featherweight title eliminator between Chris Colbert and Hector Luis Garcia. 

“Basically my original opponent pulled out,” Lopez updated 15rounds.com late on Tuesday night. “And they tried reaching out to many other opponents, but it was too short notice.” 

Finding opponents for Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) of Oakland, California is a tall task for any matchmaker with ample notice, much less a couple weeks’ notice. The internet is littered with his sparring sessions and freakish athletic gifts. 

“It was disappointing after hearing the news,” said Lopez, who admitted he was a bit angry when he first heard the news. “As a fighter, we put our bodies through a lot in preparation for our fights. All I can do is stay ready and keep my mind at peace. Stuff happens man.” 

No word yet on when Lopez will return to the ring after this late cancellation. Lopez reports that he is staying ready for whenever he gets the call. 

Photo by Michael Ham/TGB Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

In the modern era of professional boxing it sometimes feels like some of the world’s best fighters are somehow pieced together in a lab, rather than naturally born and developed athletes. Some of these fighters that are so athletically gifted and excellently trained at a young age can make one wonder how anyone can compete if they did not have that same background. One young fighter that has those in the know comparing him to the top young fighters of recent times is 17-year-old child prodigy junior welterweight “Dynamite” David Lopez. The Alameda High School student takes a break from class next week to go for pro win number two on the undercard of the Showtime-televised event at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas on February 26th. 

Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) of Oakland, California comes from a fighting family and was first incorporated into the world of boxing at the age of 5 by his father Kris Lopez, a former promising fighter himself and proprietor of Lightning’s Boxing Club in Oakland. His older brother Daniel is also a fighter, currently making a comeback. The boxing bloodlines run deep as there is family in the boxing game in Hawaii and Kris’ great grandfather Elmario Santos was a fighter of some description himself.

“My grandmother used to always tell me stories about him jumping rope and chasing roosters,” recalls Kris Lopez. “That was what he did. It is very interesting that boxing is in our family. Boxing is definitely in our family, from my grandmother’s side to my uncle’s. They would arrange bootleg backyard fights, but when it got to me…I took it to another level. I sought out to become a legitimate fighter. I struggled with it a bit and got married early, and I kind of blew my career. Here I am years later, trying to right my wrongs with my kids.”

“Lightning” Kris Lopez, as he was known during his fighting days, appears to be on his way to accomplishing his fight career goals with how he has developed David. “He’s a special kid,” says his father unapologetically. “We knew when he was little, he was a little bit different and a special, rare kid. The things he could do as a small child, even as a two-year-old baby he was freakishly strong. As a six-year-old we challenged him to do push-ups and he did like 130 push-ups. Every time he got the ball on the football field it was a touchdown. He had great open-field vision, dexterity, athleticism, coordination, toughness, everything you can imagine for an athlete he has, including being humble and having a tremendous work ethic.”

The young Lopez developed a strong fan base as an amateur with his natural abilities, speed and learned skills. Videos of interviews from David’s early amateur run are all over YouTube and are something to watch. His speaking abilities and comfort level with media at around age 11 is something rarely seen in sports.  

“I used to hear my dad talk a lot and I pretty much just repeated after him,” says David. “Whatever my dad would say, I just learned from him. My dad is a businessman, he is a gym owner. I used to hear him with the clients and the people that would come into the gym and I just took a page out of his book.”

At just 17, Lopez finds himself signed to Mayweather Promotions, one of the most prominent promotional companies in the United States. Lopez was likely on the promotional firm’s radar for years, as sparring sessions and fights between Lopez and another prodigy and Mayweather understudy “Cash Flow” Floyd Diaz are something of internet legend. Once the pros became an option, Lopez’ team got a tryout in hopes of signing with “Money May’s” company. 

“Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, lined it up for me to spar with one of their signed fighters, Kevin Johnson,” recalls David. “It was good work and Leonard liked what he saw and we went from there.” 

Despite having a burgeoning fight career, David Lopez is still in high school attending class at Alameda High amongst the general population. “It’s cool,” says Lopez of the high schooler/boxer experience. “I get a lot of recognition from my friends and the teachers. They will say things like, ‘There goes the boxer’ or ‘There goes David “Dynamite.”‘ Other than that, it’s pretty normal. I’m still a normal citizen to myself. I’m just a professional boxer. It’s just a plus for me.”

Lopez turned pro in October of last year, and balancing his career and school was a little simpler during the pandemic. “The virtual learning and the zooms were much easier,” admits Lopez. “I got to wake up when I wanted to. As far as my schedule, I could go to the gym whenever and be in class at the same time. It was definitely easier.”

With in-person learning back in full-swing, Lopez has a different balancing act to perform, but he seems to be handling it well. “It’s pretty easy to manage,” says David. “I just go to school and get my work done. Whenever I have camps out in Vegas, I run it by my teachers and they give me extra work to do while I’m gone. That’s pretty easy to do.”

One of the main guys in camp with David is veteran pro and fellow southpaw Aaron Coley. David first began sparring Coley, a powerfully-built full grown man, in the early part of 2020 when he was probably just beginning to shave. “He would put him in at the tail end of the sparring,” recalls Coley (16-3-1, 7 KOs). “I had a few fights I was getting ready for and David would come in at the end.”

Lopez has been studying Coley’s game and learning what he can from the veteran, who is also trained by Kris Lopez. “He’s a very sharp fighter and he keeps my eye sharp,” David says of Coley. “The level of experience that he is on is very good. It’s a level of experience a lot of fighters don’t have, so every camp we try to get Aaron. He throws nice, in-tight punches and he’s able to get his head off the line and step around you. So definitely his in-tight work and I would say his punch selection and his work ethic [are what I emulate.]”

Coley, who turned pro in 2012, is equally complementary of Lopez. “He is sharp,” says Coley. “He is one of the better younger guys I have seen around. He’s fast and he has a lot of natural abilities. Then he comes in there and gets after it. The sky’s the limit for him. Some people are just made for certain stuff or bred into it. Like he is one of them guys. He can play everything too. He played other sports, football and is pretty good at hoop.”

Lopez’ hoop game got his name out there last year when he extended a public challenge for a one-on-one basketball game to his promoter, one Floyd Mayweather, on an episode of the Abrams Boxing Show podcast, hosted by our own Marc Abrams. It is a challenge that so far has not been accepted. 

“Not yet,” Lopez answers to the question of whether he has heard back from Mayweather. “It is going to come though. We are staying ready for it. We have been doing a lot of explosive training to dunk on him when that time comes, so I hope that Floyd is ready. He does a lot of cross training during his off-time and he always stays sharp and he’s always in the gym, so I’m sure he can hoop still.”

On February 26th, Lopez will return to the ring on the undercard of Chris Colbert-Hector Luis Garcia at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, taking on tough guy Corey Champion, a fighter with an MMA background and two distance losses to mega prospects Xander Zayas and Vito Mielnicki Jr. on his boxing resume. 

When it is presented to us, and they bring up Xander Zayas and Vito Mielnicki, and they both couldn’t knock him out,” Kris Lopez says of Champion (2-3, 2 KOs). “Those guys are both junior middleweights and couldn’t knock him out. This is a grown man, he’s coming down [in weight,] has never been knocked out and his two wins are knockouts. Why would you think my smaller 140-pound kid will knock him out? I know the answer to it: he probably can and he probably will. David has been knocking out 175-pound guys, knocking them out cold. But this guy, we are not going to underestimate him.”

Lopez has some sparring experience that will probably come in handy when fighting a rough MMA fighter with an awkward style. Another San Francisco Bay Area veteran often shares the ring with Lopez who is known for his rough and tough style, former welterweight contender Karim Mayfield. 

“He knows I am going to give him some rough, unorthodox work,” says Mayfield. “But when I was sparring him more and more, I saw him adjusting to some of the stuff I was doing. And I have been sparring for quite a few years and some people weren’t able to adjust to it. So that was a good look for me to see him adjusting to the unorthodox stuff, because that is stuff a lot of world champions couldn’t adjust to. He is going to excel and do well. Speed and power, the whole nine.”

The Lopez family continues a long boxing tradition of the father-son, trainer-fighter duo. “It’s great having my dad with me,” says David. “I know that I am safe and that my dad has my best interests. I think it is really cool that I get to follow my dreams with my dad. He’s a part of it and he’s taking me to where I need to go through his knowledge from what he has experienced in his past. It is definitely dope that my father gets to be part of this and is my trainer of course.”

The long road ahead gets one fight shorter next Saturday for the Lopez family and David Lopez the fighter. Although the journey is just beginning for the fighting wunderkind of Alameda High, all the ingredients appear to be there for a successful run and young David Lopez is ready to do the work required, beginning with Corey Champion in Las Vegas. 

“We are training hard and I am feeling as sharp as ever,” says David. “I can’t wait for February 26th to come.” 

Photos by Michael Ham/TGB Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

ROSEVILLE, CA – Long established Sacramento area promoter Nasser Niavaroni’s Upper Cut Promotions will open its 2022 campaign this coming Friday, January 21st with what should be an action-packed card at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, located at the state capitol’s Point West Marketplace. The six-round featured attraction pits venue favorite, Live Oak’s Tony Hernandez, who is riding a three-fight win streak, against unbeaten super middleweight and second-generation boxer Kenny Lopez Jr. of Ceres.

Hernandez (4-2, 3 KOs) last saw ring action last July against veteran trial horse Fermin Alberto Canedo, scoring a third-round stoppage in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. In his preceding three professional fights, Hernandez became a favorite amongst local fight fans, going 2-1 with one knockout all inside the DoubleTree Hotel ring. Just under two weeks away from his DoubleTree Hotel return, Hernandez is excited to remind the local fanbase what he brings to the ring.

“I’m ready to put on a show for all of my Sacramento fans and my 530 [area code] Yuba City fans,” says Hernandez. “This will be the best Tony Hernandez everyone has seen, I can promise that. I am looking forward to January 21.” 

The Friday bout marks Hernandez’ first foray into the scheduled six-round distance and his opponent sports the glossiest record of the Live Oak resident’s career. Neither of those aforementioned facts seem to be weighing on the mind of Hernandez however.

“Training has been going good, probably one of the best camps I’ve had,” proclaims Hernandez. “I feel the best physically and mentally for this fight. I’m sure Kenny Lopez has been training hard and is going to bring his best and I’m ready for whatever he brings to the table.” 

Though the less experienced professional of the two, it is Lopez (4-0, 3 KOs) that sports the undefeated record heading into the bout. Lopez compiled all four of his pro wins during the difficult 2021, finding a home away from home at the Big Punch Arena in Tijuana. Lopez last competed just a few weeks after Hernandez blew through the same ring in Mexico, scoring a first-round stoppage of an overmatched Jorge Rodriguez Gomez.

For Lopez, whose father Kenny Lopez was a longtime professional and former California State welterweight champion, January 21st has the young fighter thrilled to be fighting for the first time in the United States. “I’m excited about everything,” says Lopez Jr. “I’m excited for my career. I’m excited to see everyone and to do my thing. Just [excited about] all of it and to learn the lessons that come with this all.” 

In the night’s second six-round affair, unblemished Sacramento featherweight Malikai Johnson will meet longtime journeyman tough guy Jude Yniguez (5-8-4, 1 KO) of Oak Hills, California. Yniguez, who in his career has gone the distance with former title challenger Stephon Young and former world champion Rico Ramos, returned to the ring late last November, ending a two-and-one-half year sabbatical from the sport.

Johnson (7-0-1, 4 KOs) began his pro career with seven straight bouts, going 6-0-1, at the DoubleTree Hotel beginning in 2017. Unfortunately, the pandemic played a part in derailing his plans for advancing his career in 2021, but Johnson could not be more amped to get back in front of his Sacramento fans on January 21st, where he will be led to the ring by a new guiding voice in his corner. 

“I’ve had to fight many obstacles in my personal life in the last two years, along with the pandemic, just to make it here,” explains Johnson. “Leaving my old coach of nine years, deaths of family and friends, stress from business ventures and serious depression from not fighting. My mental health was at an all-time low and, honestly, I considered quitting boxing, but everything changed when I joined hall of fame coach Ray Woods and the Golden State Bloodhounds. I’m with a new team, got new skills and a new hunger I haven’t felt in a long time. This fight is where I show the world Malikai “Machine Gun” Johnson is back to make a statement in the featherweight division.” 

Sacramento’s power-punching middleweight Joeshon James (4-0, 3 KOs) will return to the DoubleTree Hotel ring as he takes on debuting Bryan Martinez of Paso Robles, California in a four-round tilt. James is coming off of a unanimous decision win over durable Christian Duran at the DoubleTree last August, the first time he had been taken the full distance.

“It’s an honor to be fighting close to home so my friends and family who have never seen me fight before can support my career and watch what I do best,” says James. “Nasser has been open arms from the start and I appreciate that he has given me an opportunity to showcase my skills once again.” 

In a four-round light welterweight bout, Mark Salgado (1-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California returns to the site of his pro victory to take on Luciano Ramos of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Salgado made his debut last August at the DoubleTree Hotel with a stoppage win over Cmaje Ramseur. Ramos has been matched incredibly tough in his short pro career, taking on highly regarded prospects Charlie Sheehy and Mandeep Jangra in his first two outings last year.

In a four-round lightweight contest, debuting Sergio Ibarra of San Bernardino, California will take on Cmaje Ramseur (0-1) of nearby Elk Grove, California. Local product Ramseur took on the super tough Mark Salgado in his debut and came up short in that DoubleTree Hotel bout.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the much-anticipated pairing of pro debuts between Salinas, California’s Lizette Lopez and Victorville, California’s Neveah Martinez, scheduled as a four-round super featherweight fight, was a late scratch from the card.

Tickets for the event, “Super Boxing Battles,” promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at Showclix.com or by phone or in person at Niavaroni’s Kickboxing in Roseville (916-782-4757). 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

By Mario Ortega Jr.-

Troubled or at-risk youth stumbles upon or is otherwise introduced to the supportive arms of a boxing coach or coaches and into the walls of a boxing gym that in time becomes their second home and potential launching pad to fame or fortune, or more importantly just a better life. This story has been written before because it is a story as old as the hills, or the mountain ranges that border the Salinas, California town that has produced yet another promising fighter about to make her professional debut. Super featherweight Lizette Lopez will make the move from the amateur ranks next Friday, January 21st at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Sacramento, California, aiming to put the lessons learned, both life and boxing, to good use as she becomes another example of the positive impact the sport can have on a young individual.

There are many different paths that lead one to finding themselves in a boxing program, but one of the most common is having a shepherd that goes out of their way to get the prospective fighter in a situation that will allow them to thrive. Luckily for Lopez she had her sister Neftaly to go out of her way, once Lizette expressed interest in boxing, to find the program that could nurture her through what can be an intimidating introduction to the sport.

“I was doing a delivery and I got to know her sister,” says Josh Sanchez of the MXN Boxing Center, one of Lopez’ two head trainers to this day. “One day I was wearing a boxing shirt and she asked me, ‘Hey, do you box?’ I said, ‘No I don’t box, but I train. I am a trainer.’  She says, ‘I have a sister of mine that could use some boxing.’ I said ‘Yeah, bring her by.’ She brought her the next day and she came to me and [Lizette] came looking pretty mean, so I said, ‘What do I have here?’ She never smiled and just kept straight dead on looking at me. So I said to myself, ‘OK, this girl is serious.’ So that’s how we started. I told her all the get down about boxing and asked her if she had any questions. She said, ‘Yeah, when can I started?’ I told her she could start tomorrow. I thought, ‘Whatever, she ain’t coming back.’ She came back the next day and the rest is history. She has been with us ever since she was fifteen and a half, 16.”

Prior to that chance meeting between Sanchez and Lopez’ sister Neftaly, Lizette had found herself headed admittedly in the wrong direction. “I was in high school and I was just going down the wrong path, hanging out with the wrong crowd,” explains Lopez. “I told my sister I wanted to fight one day and she found Coach Josh and we just hit it off from there. We went and visited the gym and that’s about it. Once I started boxing that’s when I started taking care of my grades and my schoolwork and all that and going down the right path.”

With the help of Coach Sanchez and her other head trainer Liza Lopez, the young pupil showed a near immediate aptitude for the sport. By the time of her third sanctioned bout, Lopez’ team felt confident enough to match her with another fighter that had a far deeper resume.

“We got ready and were offered that there was going to be a boxing show happening and if we wanted to put her in,” explains Coach Lopez. “They told us they had this girl that had about 40 fights and my girl was going into her third fight. Everybody was telling us, ‘Why are you fighting this girl? This girl has been a Beautiful Brawler champion, she has over 40 fights and she’s good.’ Then they said, ‘But it’s only your girl’s third fight’, and we said, ‘That’s ok, we know what she’s capable of.’ That day came and people were betting money and everybody was bidding and the crowd got so big and my girl beat her. That girl had over 40 fights and that was my only my girl’s third fight and she beat her. It went beautifully. It was wonderful.”

By the time of the 2017 Desert Showdown Boxing Championships at the Hanford Civic Auditorium in Hanford, California, Lopez had come into her own as an amateur fighter. “Hanford was one of my best performances,” recalls Lopez. “The way I was boxing, everything was on point for me. I was just landing the cleaner shots and moving my head really well. It was huge. It was a huge auditorium.”

One of the highlights of her amateur run came in the moments after Lopez came up short at the 6th Annual Gloves Not Drugs Boxing Show, which was hosted by the 51 Fifty MCSAL Boxing Club at Livingston High School in Livingston, California in March 2018. The featured celebrity speaker at that year’s annual event was none other than women’s boxing icon Laila Ali.

“It was a pretty big fight and I actually lost that fight, but she came up to me and started talking to me and saying that I had the better style and she felt that I won and stuff,” recalls Lopez, who was already a big fan of Ali prior to the meeting. “It was amazing actually. It was awesome.”

If Lopez can become one of the young faces to emerge in the always changing world of women’s boxing, the sport will have a debt of thanks to pay to Lizette’s sister Neftaly for introducing her to the team at the MXN Boxing Center in Salinas. “She has always been a big person in my boxing life because she is the one that got me into it and she is one of my biggest supporters,” says Lopez of her sister.

As Lopez embarks on her chosen career path she brings along the team that nurtured her from day one and has become her second family. “Ever since the beginning they have always supported me,” says Lopez of Coach Sanchez and Coach Lopez. “We used to have this small gym, it was in Chinatown, and ever since then it has been non-stop support and endless love from them. They have honestly just felt like a family.”

With what industry professionals refer to as the “club scene” beginning to return in the aftermath of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in California and bubble events across the nation, Team Lopez feels now is the right time for Lizette to make the move to the paid ranks.

“She’s ready,” proclaims trainer Liza Lopez confidently. “We had been doing just regular shows here and there and then COVID hit and you know she’s at that age too. She has more opportunity to get out there and she wants to do it as a career and it’s time. She’s 22-years-old and, me personally, I talked to her and she wants to do it and we feel like we are ready.”

With her opponent for next Friday’s bout, Victorville’s debuting Neveah Martinez, in place, Lizette Lopez is in agreement with her team that now is the time to strike it out as a professional. “I have just been grinding non-stop and I think I’ve got a really good opportunity and it’s time to take it,” says Lopez of the January 21 event at the DoubleTree Hotel Sacramento. “I’m honestly going to go out there and show what I got and dominate the fight.”

Perhaps inspired by her meeting with Laila Ali four years ago, Lopez has her immediate focus on Martinez and bout number one, but the larger picture still looms in her mind down the road as her career will progress. “[Next up is to] just get another fight, grow more and get stronger,” explains Lopez. “I want to make women’s boxing grow.”

Tickets for the January 21st event at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Sacramento, dubbed “Super Boxing Battles” and promoted by Nasser Niavaroni’s Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at https://www.showclix.com/event/super-boxing-battles- or in person at Niavaroni’s Kickboxing in Roseville (916-782-4757).

Photos courtesy Team Lopez/MXN Boxing Center

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @MarioG280

The sport and business of boxing has a way of testing a participant’s resolve and determination. No matter what angle or level of involvement one has in the sport, ups and downs simply come with the territory. For this reason perhaps, the fraternity of real boxing people is such a small group. Andy Nance, a former amateur standout and professional contender-turned matchmaker and manager, is one of those real boxing people. Successful at every level, Nance still hit the inevitable roadblocks and dead ends that face anyone that stays in this sport long enough. Through it all, Nance remained driven and unwavering and looks to have one of his biggest years in the sport yet.

Despite his great success as an amateur boxer, where he compiled a 118-17 record, Nance had no designs on turning professional. The young Marin County, California fighter had one square focus as he moved up the unpaid ranks. “I wanted to go to the Olympics in 1980, but that didn’t happen so I had decided to pretty much stop boxing,” recalls Nance. “When I was younger, all I ever wanted to do was go to the Olympics. I didn’t think about going pro. I just figured I would go to the Olympics and then go to school and then go to work. So I stopped boxing and was going to college and working, but then I started to miss boxing.”

Had it not been for the inquiry of prospective boxing managers Joe and Marv Pheffer one day at Nance’s place of business, a lifelong career in boxing may never have got off the ground. “These guys came into the restaurant where I was working and talked to me about wanting to manage me and asked if I had any interest in turning pro,” remembers Nance. “I told them at the time I wasn’t interested, but they did give me their number. Not long after that I called them back and told them I had changed my mind and I was interested in turning pro.”

The Pheffers became two parts of a quartet that managed Nance as part of the company LMJ. Though Nance was their first charge, LMJ sagely moved Nance to an 11-0 record within a year of turning pro in May 1982. The group would manage Nance his entire pro career. “I was the first fighter that they ever managed and they just did a great job, especially for never having managed a fighter before, or even really being in boxing,” says Nance. “They were boxing fans, but they had never been in the boxing business. So for never having done anything like that before and basically getting me to the point where I was going to fight for a world title, they just did a tremendous job.”

Nance plugged away, fighting mostly in his home area with the occasional appearances in Reno and Oregon, before getting the call to fight on national television on short notice in February 1984. “Gene Hatcher pulled out of a fight, scheduled to be a ten-round main event on ESPN,” says Nance. “I took the fight [with Hector Sifuentes at the Showboat Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada] on like ten days’ notice. I won by a tenth-round knockout and got offered a contract by Top Rank right after that.”

Winning a fight on ESPN was a game-changer for the rising pro, who had become a hometown celebrity of sorts, on several fronts. “It was a big turning point in my career, because of the national recognition,” says Nance. “It changed things for my managers too, because now they were getting contacted by people and getting the offers instead of looking around. I remember going to the [Golden State] Warriors game a week later and so many people were coming up to me at the arena. I didn’t realize how many people were watching, but I was getting recognized. So it changed things all around.”

By late 1986, Nance was in prime position to land a shot at a world title. Nance had put together a long unbeaten streak since his one pro loss years prior, including a big third-round stoppage in a local mega fight with fellow once-beaten Bay Area native Mitchell Julien, which took place at the Circle Star Theatre in San Carlos with the California State Light Welterweight title Nance had claimed a year earlier on the line and a decision victory over recently dethroned former world champion Lonnie Smith in his last two bouts of the year.

IBF Light Welterweight titleholder Joe Manley was scheduled to defend his recently claimed belt against unbeaten Terry Marsh in Basildon, Essex, United Kingdom in March 1987. If the favored Marsh claimed the title, which he ultimately did, Nance was scheduled to be his first defense that June in London, England. Unfortunately, Nance opted to take a fight the same day as the Manley-Marsh clash that would turn out to be his last. “I took what I thought was a tune-up fight with a guy Kelly Koble to defend my State title,” recalls Nance. “That was the fight I got injured and never got my opportunity to fight for the world title.”

Nance, who was hit while he was down in the second round, ended up winning that fight with Koble via ninth-round stoppage, but a severe concussion he suffered during the contest would be the end of his fighting career. No trip to England and no title shot.

“At the time it was devastating,” laments Nance. “I had pretty much sacrificed my whole life to get to that point. Once I made the decision to turn pro, the goal was to win a world title. I trained very, very hard every day. I ran every day, rain or shine. 100 percent dedicated to training. I was lost and I just didn’t know what I was going to do. My whole goal was to win a world title and it was devastating. But it is just like anything else, you move on because you have to.”

Just as when his dream of making the U.S. Olympic squad ended, Nance soon found other avenues to pursue in the sport of boxing. Within months after his career-ending injury, Nance was in the gym training fighters, some of whom he would eventually manage. During the mid-‘90s the former fighter was also involved in co-promoting a series of events before he fell into what would become his main focus.

“In 2007, I had a guy Daniel Castillo that was going to fight on the undercard of Vernon Forrest and Carlos Baldomir in Tacoma, Washington and right before I went up there John Beninati, the matchmaker for Gary Shaw, called and asked if I could help him make a fight to replace one of the ones that fell out at the last minute,” recalls Nance. “When I got up there, he asked me if I liked doing that and I told him I did. He told me, ‘Call me on Monday, I have three or four more fights I can give you and you can help me make.’ And that’s how it started.”

In short order, Nance would become one of the most active and respected matchmakers in boxing. Nance, like every other fighter, had to make sacrifices to pursue his fighting career. In order to pursue a career in matchmaking, Nance again made some sacrifices as he pursued a career that kept him in the sport that he loves. “I fell in and started matchmaking full-time almost immediately,” recalls Nance. “I had a real estate license from 1987-2007. I got my license and sold real estate for twenty years. I was making good money in real estate, six figures a year, but it wasn’t something that really interested me. It wasn’t my passion, but the boxing I loved. So I took a huge pay cut, and luckily I had some money saved, so I was able to make ends meet.”

Nance is one of the few prolific matchmakers that actually had a career inside the squared circle, something that benefits him as he looks to put together the right fights. “You really understand what’s going on as a former fighter,” says Nance. “I can talk very intelligently, especially to the boxers or trainers, with my perspective of being an ex-fighter. Also, I get a really good feeling of how a fight is going to go based on my knowledge of boxing. It is so much different being an ex-fighter as opposed to not being an ex-fighter. Honestly, I don’t know how some people do it. I think some are winging it a lot. For me, I use my experience as an ex-fighter daily as a matchmaker.”

In addition to the matchmaking, Nance also manages a handful of fighters at various stages of their careers. Among the fighters on his roster are tough luck veteran light heavyweight Paul Vasquez, veteran heavyweight Danny Batchelder, durable journeyman light heavyweight Billy Bailey, rugged featherweight Christian Cartier, as well as comebacking cruiserweight Joe Gumina, who he co-manages.

Nance also helms the career of former national amateur standout heavyweight LaRon Mitchell of San Francisco, California. Mitchell narrowly missed making the U.S. Olympic Team in 2012, due to a controversial loss at the Trials and some politicking in its aftermath. Nance has helped guide Mitchell to an unblemished 3-0 record, with all three wins coming by way of stoppage. Nance hopes to secure a promotional pact with Thompson Boxing Promotions and already has Mitchell signed to fight in the Bay Area for the first time on April 5th.

Nance is involved with another boxing venture, as he has joined up with King Sports, an upstart promotional company. “King Sports is an up-and-coming promotional company that I believe one day can be the biggest promotional company in boxing, period,” Nance claims. “They are signing top-level fighters and putting their fighters in real fights. They are not babying their fighters. When they sign a fighter, all his soft fights and tune-ups, they’re done. From now on, you are in a real fight and you are going to earn your money and we are going to move you. You have got to be a real fighter to fight for King Sports. You are going to have to fight real fights against real fighters to fight for King Sports.”

With everything he has lined up and in the works, Nance hopes to have one of his best years yet in the sport. “I’m looking have a big year in 2014, for both myself and the fighters I work with,” says Nance.

Andy Nance is one of those people in the sport that can honestly say they eat and sleep boxing. It took drive and determination as a young fighter to get to the doorstep of a world championship. Today Nance is just as passionate about the sport he loved as an 18-year-old. The world title may come one day through one of the fighters he represents, but even if it does not, Nance’s story is one that proves that there is a way around almost any roadblock and success can be found in the field you love if you are willing to work hard and sacrifice to make it happen.

Title Photo by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at Mario@OrtegaBoxing.com or on Twitter @MarioG280

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA – Long touted super bantamweight prospect Manuel “Tino” Avila quickly pounded fill-in opponent Jose Angel Cota into submission after two rounds and once-beaten middleweight Louis Rose had a clear cut victory scored a draw against Paul Mendez on Monday night at SportsHouse Indoor Sports & Café. The main bouts aired on Fox Sports 1 Golden Boy Live!

Avila (13-0, 5 KOs) of Fairfield, California opened the bout methodically, taking his time to study his journeyman opponent Cota (15-10-1, 11 KOs) of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. By the end of the opening round, it was clear that Cota was not near in the same league in any category to his younger adversary.

Avila, 122, let his hands go in the second round, eventually busting Cota, 122.5, open on the bridge of his nose. The blood gruesomely spurted out like something out of the Walking Dead and it was only a matter of time before the bout was stopped on either the cut or lack of competitiveness. Smelling a rare stoppage win, Avila flurried Cota to the ropes and refused to stop throwing while the Mexican covered up and offered nothing back. After a long series of unanswered, but not all landing punches, referee Edward Collantes called a halt to the bout at 32 seconds of the second round.

Clear winner Louis Rose (8-1-1, 2 KOs) of Lynwood, California was forced to settle for a ten-round split decision draw against fringe contender Paul Mendez (14-2-2, 6 KOs) of Delano, California.

The fight began with a lot of posturing and not much action from either Mendez, 162, or Rose, 163, in round one. With the round up for grabs, Rose snatched the round on two of the three judges’ cards with a solid combination as the round came to an end.

Both fighters had their moments in the opening moments of round two, but as the round progressed Mendez was hesitant to let his hands go and was overly cautious the rest of the way. Two of the three judges gave round two to Mendez, based perhaps on him getting the best of the early exchange, even though Rose was the only one throwing most of the stanza.

Mendez began the third round well, landing an eye-catching solid right over top well. However, again it was Mendez packing away his offense the second half of the round, which seemed to make it Rose’s. Rose punctuated the round with a great body shot. Two of the three judges gave the round to Rose.

The fourth and fifth rounds seemed to clearly favor the more aggressive Rose, especially with the fight being fought mostly at close quarters. Rose landed the cleaner and more accurate shots throughout the fourth. In the fifth, Rose cut Mendez and was again the busier fighter, landing well as the kept in close. Two of the three judges gave Rose the fourth and only one judge gave Rose the fifth.

Mendez opened the sixth fighting out at range, where members of his corner wanted him to be much earlier in the fight. Both fighters looked gassed as the round went on and with Mendez throwing more, there was especially nothing on his punches. Mendez and Rose virtually entered into a silent contract that they would allow each other a rest in the sixth. It ended up being a costly move on Rose’s part, as two of the three judges gave Mendez the round, one which could have been won with a single flurry.

Mendez came on briefly in the seventh, with Rose actually looking more exhausted than the Delano native all of a sudden. It would be Mendez’ last clear round in the fight, which all three judges scored for him. Rounds eight, nine and ten all seemed to go to the rejuvenated and aggressive Rose fairly clearly. Only one judge gave any of those three rounds to Mendez, but the judge that did gave both the eighth and tenth to him, which would end up forcing the draw.

In the end, Judge Steve Morrow had it the most right at 97-93 for Rose. Judge Susan Thomas-Gitlin had the even card, 95-95 and Judge Michael Tate had it 96-94 Mendez. This writer could not find one ringside observer or knowledgeable fan via social media that had Mendez leading after ten. Mendez has been in a lot of close fights in his 18-fight career, going 3-2-2 in bouts that end in either split or majority decision.

Once-beaten light welterweight Jonathan Chicas (11-1, 4 KOs) of San Francisco, California scored one of his better wins with a fairly comprehensive six-round unanimous decision over upset-minded gatekeeper Joaquin Chavez (6-10-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California.

Chicas, 142, had a clear edge in the power department and it was clear from the early going that Chavez, 141, did not have the type of sting on his punches that could keep his opponent from coming in and landing. Chavez, who has upset a few unbeaten guys in recent months, just could not pin down Chicas for any stretch long enough any bit of momentum in the bout. Chicas did not rely on his power, but moved and slipped well while still landing his hard shots when the openings were there. Chavez, who can easily make 135, did not have the power to rescue a victory once he got behind in the cards, but even still he kept pressing and trying. All three judges had the fight for Chicas by scores of 60-54 and 59-55 twice.

Former amateur standout Andy Vences (5-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California boxed his way to a four-round unanimous decision over a game natural featherweight in Jose Garcia (3-7-1, 2 KOs) of Bakersfield, California.

Vences, 133.5, used his superior boxing skills and edge in power to outfight a determined, but undersized slugger Garcia, 134. The Bakersfield did manage to catch Vences with regularity throughout the bout, but at times it looked as though Vences was working on different things he has been trying in the gym. Vences had no respect at all for Garcia’s punch. In the end, all three scorers had the bout 39-37 for Vences.

In an all-out war even better than it was imagined on paper, Benjamin Briceno (2-1) of San Leandro, California edged former amateur standout Mario Ayala (2-1) of Sacramento, California with a four-round majority decision that thrilled from bell to bell.

Briceno, 122.5, landed with all his power behind every punch as the fight began. It was really all Briceno for the opening minute of the fight. Just when it looked like Ayala, 120.5, may be completely overtaken, the Sacramento resident fought back, landing hard shots to Briceno’s head. With Ayala springing to life, Briceno’s pace began to slow after his hyper start.

The next three rounds were fought on even terms, with both fighters taking their licks and giving them too. When one fighter would let off the gas pedal, his opponent would pick up his attack to take advantage of their foe’s fatigue. Each round was hard to score, but two judges gave the edge to Briceno, 39-37. The lone dissenter had it 38-38, even. It was really a fight that fighters this good, this early in their careers do not need to take. However, every paying customer would likely love to see a rematch.

In a really solid scrap, Jesus Sandoval(3-1-3) of Redwood City could not shake his troubles fighting at home, fighting to a four-round majority draw with tough as nails Sammy Perez (1-2-3) of Tigard, Oregon.

Two-way action was steadfast throughout the bout. Neither fighter paid much attention to defense, not counting their all-out offense. After a fairly even action-packed first round, Sandoval, 131, began the second in more of a boxer’s mindset. Perez, 130, eventually forced the brawl back on midway through the round. It was a style that would carry through the last two rounds as well.

The most clearly decided round was the fourth, which was almost all Sammy Perez. After a nice straight right from Sandoval, Perez came on like gangbusters and pressed the hometown favorite around the ring. Eventually Sandoval’s right eye opened up as he took punches in a neutral corner. The sight of blood only egged on the onrushing Perez. After a brief respite, Perez came on again in the final seconds, landing just before, during and after the final bell. To the disappointment of the crowd, one judge had the fight a shutout for Perez, 40-36, but was overruled by two even 38-38 cards. For the second time in three fights at home, Sandoval left with a hard-fought draw.

Darwin Price (3-0, 1 KO) of Saint Louis, Missouri scored his first professional stoppage with a one-sided beating of over less than two rounds over Northwest journeyman Omar Avelar (2-10, 1 KO) of Lummi Reservation, Washington.

Price, 141, showed an aggressive side that had been lacking in his first two pro outings. Of course the fact that Avelar, 148, was little more than a human punching bag may have had something to do with Price’s mean streak. Price dropped Avelar with a left to the body late in the first, before the bell rescued the Washington native from further punishment. Price got right back on his slow-recovering foe, eventually landing a flurry culminating with a left to the body that dropped Avelar yet again. Referee Brent Venegas opted to let the fight continue, but after Price uncorked an assortment of unanswered punches, Avelar’s corner decided to throw in the towel. Time of the stoppage was 1:58 of round two.

In a total mismatch, Mayweather Promotions’ cruiserweight Andrew Tabiti (2-0, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada made very short work of soft-bellied Eric Slocum (0-2) of Columbus, Ohio.

Tabiti, 193, officially scored two knockdowns because a third occurred simultaneously with the Slocum’s towel being thrown in the by the corner. Slocum, 195, went down from a straight right in the opening minute. Tabiti followed with some light body work to induce the second knockdown. Slocum got up at eight, but was on his way down from a right as the towel came in at 1:27 of the first round.

Photos by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280.

REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA – Promising super bantamweight Manuel Avila aims to impress in his first English-language broadcasted appearance as he takes on a late replacement opponent in journeyman Jose Angel Cota in the ten-round main event televised by Fox Sports 1 and emanating from the SportsHouse tonight. Fighters for the eight-bout card weighed-in Sunday afternoon at a conference room adjacent to the fight venue.

Avila (12-0, 4 KOs) of Fairfield, California has quietly been positioning himself as one of the top young fighters based in the northern part of the state. Avila’s most impressive win came two fights back against the once highly-touted Ricky Lopez last December. Avila impressively dispatched Lopez in the eighth and final round before his raucous following in Vacaville. Unfortunately for the young pro, tonight’s contest marks only his second appearance of 2013 and anything less than a spectacular performance by Avila would be seen as a disappointment given the quality of his opponent and the fact that he’s fighting in front of a national television audience. Avila made the 122-pound super bantamweight limit on the scales Sunday.

Cota (15-9-1, 11 KOs) of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico came in on short notice, replacing the originally scheduled Jose Silveira last than one week ago. Most of Cota’s victories have come against modest opposition in Mexico, many of which taking place on cards that were so underreported that they never made their way on to the record-keeping site BoxRec.com. When fighting in the United States, Cota has mixed it up with some quality fighters, including Leo Santa Cruz, Jonathan Arrellano and Daulis Prescott. Against that trio, Cota did not last the distance in any of the three bouts. Cota came in at 122.5-pounds Sunday.

In the ten-round co-main event, fringe middleweight contender Paul Mendez (14-2-1, 6 KOs) of Delano, California takes on tough once-beaten Louis Rose (8-1, 2 KOs) of Lynwood, California. Mendez, coming off of an easy sparring session type win over hapless Rahman Yusubov last month, had the option of defending his IBA Middleweight title against Rose tomorrow. However, Mendez decided he did not want to make the 160-pound limit for his fight with Rose, who did want the chance at the belt. Rose’s claim to fame is an eight-round unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten, ten-win middleweight Delen Parsley this past May in New York. Mendez made 162-pounds at the weigh-in, while Rose scaled 163.

In an intriguing six-round light welterweight bout, Jonathan Chicas (10-1, 4 KOs) of San Francisco, California looks to put his lone pro loss three fights back further in the rearview as he takes on tough gatekeeper Joaquin Chavez (6-9-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California. Since getting stopped by Moris Rodriguez last December, Chicas scored decision wins over sub .500 journeymen Arthur Brambila and Adolfo Landeros. Chavez has knocked off two previously undefeated and one once-beaten fighter just in 2013 alone. Chavez, who could campaign at lightweight if he desired, scaled 141-pounds, while the sturdy Chicas came in at 142.

Former amateur standout Andy Vences (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California returns to the ring one month after passing the first minor test of his career to take on a natural featherweight in Jose Garcia (3-6-1, 2 KOs) of Bakersfield, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Vences, coming off of a hard-fought four-round decision over Matthew Flores in September, scaled 133.5-pounds Sunday. Garcia, who has fought as low as 117-pounds in his pro career, came in at 134-pounds.

In what could be a show stealer, once-beaten bantamweights Mario Ayala and Benajmin Briceno will likely wage war in a four-round bout fought just above the 122-pound super bantamweight limit. Ayala (2-1) of Sacramento, California is looking for a quick rebound from his first professional loss just a couple weeks back, a four-round majority decision verdict in his hometown. Briceno (2-1) of San Leandro, California did rebound from his first loss in his debut with two back-to-back impressive four-round decisions this year. Ayala weighed on at 120.5, while Briceno scaled 122.5-pounds Sunday.

Fighting before his hometown crowd, Jesus Partida (3-1-2) of Redwood City takes on Sammy Perez (1-2-2) of Tigard, Oregon in a four-round super featherweight bout. Partida has fought with mixed results in his two previous hometown appearances. Two fights back, Partida eked out a four-round majority draw against Sacramento’s Alberto Torres in a fight many ringside could have been scored for his opponent. This past June, fighting at the Fox Theatre, Redwood City for the second straight time, Partida escaped a four-rounder with Christian Silva with a split decision and a cut right eye. Hoping to make his third homecoming Partida’s worse will be Perez, who is coming off of a draw with undefeated Andre Ramos in June. Partida made 131, while Perez scaled 130-pounds.

Light welterweight and former collegiate track star Darwin Price (2-0) of Saint Louis, Missouri will look to continue his romp through the dregs of his division as he takes on a heftier than expected Omar Avelar (2-9, 1 KO) of Lummi Reservation, Washington in a four-round bout. Price, fresh off of a controlled boxing exhibition over journeyman Johnny Frazier (2-19-4) last month, scaled 141-pounds. Riding a six-fight losing streak, Avelar, who splits time between boxing and mixed martial arts, scaled 148-pounds. Despite spending some time in the restroom jumping and shadowboxing, Avelar could not shed any of the extra weight, but the fight will go on regardless.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. underling Andrew Tabiti (1-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada returns to the ring for the first time in over three months to take on Eric Slocum (0-1) of Columbus, Ohio in a four-round cruiserweight bout. Tabiti, who had been scheduled to fight on the Mayweather-Saul Alvarez bill before his opponent fell out, weighed-in at 193-pounds. Slocum, who turned pro in July against a 2-0 fighter and losing a four-round decision, scaled 195-pounds Sunday.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Don Chargin Productions, Paco Presents and Golden Boy Promotions, are available online at PacoPresentsBoxing.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Super Bantamweights, 10 Rounds
Avila 122
Cota 122.5

Super Middleweights, 10 Rounds
Mendez 162
Rose 163

Light Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Chicas 142
Chavez 141

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Vences 133.5
Garcia 134

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Ayala 120.5
Briceno 122.5

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Partida 131
Perez 130

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Price 141
Avelar 148

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Tabiti 193
Slocum 195

Photo courtesy Golden Boy Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or on Twitter @MarioG280

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Rising light middleweight prospect Aaron Coley may need to consider a rise up in weight class after battling the scales on Friday in advance of his six-round main event showdown with Michael Alexander taking place at the Placer County Fair & Events Center in nearby Roseville Saturday night. The promising undefeated prospect headlines a six-bout professional card, which also boasts a full slate of amateur bouts and a performance by popular Bay Area-based songstress Davina Joy. Fighters for the professional portion of the bill weighed-in at the Hooters of Sacramento, a short drive from where the fights will take place.

Coley (7-0, 4 KOs) of Hayward, California will make the move up to the six-round distance for the first time in his career against the veteran gatekeeper Alexander (2-8-3) of Antioch, California. Coley was last in the ring back on July 20th in Roseville where he took a shutout four-round decision over a game Saul Benitez. The tough luck Alexander has an appeal pending regarding his seventh pro loss, which took place on June 1st. In that fight, against unbeaten Ricardo Pinell, Alexander was clearly hit by a shot after the bell which resulted in the stoppage.

Coley, who looked a bit gaunt in the face, made three trips to the scales overall. On his first try, Coley was two pounds over at 156. On his second, and official, attempt, Coley weighed 155-pounds. A final third try ended up with a 155 ½-pound read on the scales. In a mild defense of Coley’s troubles, two other fighters weighed in over on Friday, perhaps leading to a question of the accuracy of the old-fashioned scale which was used over the more commonly utilized digital scales. Alexander had an easier time, weighing-in at 152-pounds.

Aldwayne Simpson (4-0, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Kingston, Jamaica takes to the ring for the first time in 2013 against long tenured journeyman Luis Alfredo Lugo (13-19-1, 6 KOs) of Richmond by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in a four-round light welterweight contest.

Simpson is a frequent sparring partner for Amir Khan when the former champion moves his camp to Hayward. Lugo has fought virtual who’s who of world champions and contenders. Upon moving to the United States, Lugo took on nine consecutive undefeated fighters from May 2008 to September 2009. In that stretch Lugo went the distance with eventual world champions Danny Garcia and Adrien Broner. Simpson weighed-in at 142-pounds. Lugo failed to make the contracted 143, scaling 144 ½-pounds. Lugo’s team had no interest in attempting to lose the weight either, deciding to forgo 20 percent of their purse for the extra poundage.

Local fan favorite John Abella (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Sacramento returns to the ring against Christian Cartier (0-2) of Yuma, Arizona by way of Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico in a four-round featherweight bout.

In his last outing, Abella erased a headbutt-induced technical draw with a one-sided six-round decision in a rematch with Salvador Cifuentez this past April. Cartier has not shied away from tough competition, taking on unbeaten prospects in all of his pro bouts. Abella weighed-in at 127 ½-pounds, while Cartier made 128.

Making his return to the ring after a two-year absence, Miguel Lopez (2-1, 1 KO) of San Francisco, California will take on debuting Luis Cruz of Sacramento in a four-round light middleweight bout.

Lopez, who in his time away opened up the gym Boxing For Health across the Bay in Oakland, suffered his only pro loss in his last contest, but to a fighter in Brandon Adams that now has an 11-0 career mark. Cruz, who had very limited, if any, amateur experience, is a pupil of Horacio Barrera at Broadway Boxing in Sacramento. Cruz weighed-in at 149 ½-pounds. Lopez came in half a pound over at 152 ½-pounds, but was not given the opportunity to shed the extra weight due to his late arrival at yesterday’s weigh-in.

LaRon Mitchell, one of the top amateur heavyweights of the U.S. boxing system over the last couple of years, makes the second start of his pro career as he takes on tough journeyman Blue DeLong (0-4) of Glendale, Arizona in a four-round heavyweight bout.

Mitchell (1-0, 1 KO) was the runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and silver medalist at the 2012 USA Boxing National Championships when a shoulder injury prevented him from competing in the finals. DeLong is coming off of a tough assignment against still unbeaten Gerald Washington. Mitchell weighed 242 ½-pounds, while DeLong came in at 247.

Another local favorite making his return to Roseville will be Sacramento’s undefeated Alberto Torres, who will be taking on debuting Percy Peterson of Stockton, California in a four-round super featherweight bout.

Torres (3-0-1) dropped San Francisco, California’s Denis Madriz en route to a four-round unanimous decision victory in July. Peterson is a frequent sparring partner of up-and-coming pro Don Jose. Torres, more naturally a featherweight, came in at 131-pounds, while Peterson made 130 ½.

Former international amateur standout Adam Fiel (1-0, 1 KO) of Vacaville, California was slated to take on Christian Silva (2-3, 1 KO) of Sun Valley, California in a four-round super featherweight contest. Unfortunately, inflammation in one of his elbows forced Fiel out of the bout earlier in the week.

The card will open up with a slate of USA Boxing-sanctioned amateur contests featuring fighters some several of the top local gyms. Fighters for the amateur portion of the card will weigh-in the day of the fight at LA Boxing in Sacramento.

During intermission from the boxing action, between the third and fourth professional bouts, the ring will host a live musical performance by Northern California’s own Davina Joy.

Tickets for the event, promoted by O.P.P., will be available at the door.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280

Boxing aficionados from Vacaville to Bangkok know the name Adam Fiel, despite the fact that the promising young super featherweight has about one minute of professional experience under his belt. Fiel, the only fighter to spend time competing for both the United States and Filipino National teams as an amateur, was something of an amateur superstar given the length and level of success he achieved in the unpaid ranks. Given his credentials, many boxing fans probably wondered why we had not seen Fiel in the pros sooner. The story behind that decision is one that sheds some light on the type of individual Adam Fiel is as a man and only creates more expectations on the type of boxer he could potentially become.

Fiel (1-0, 1 KO) of Vacaville, California was originally slated to turn professional in the middle of last year, but did not make his long-awaited debut until this past July 20th with a 58-second destruction of Francisco Solis in Roseville, California. When you hear of out-of-the-ring distractions and fighters, you tend to automatically think about the tabloid-type pitfalls fighters often face in the public eye. What kept Fiel out of the ring until recently could not be more different, though tragic in a different way.

“My grandmother has multiple sclerosis,” Fiel tells 15rounds.com. “I stay with my grandma and grandpa, so that prevented me from turning pro sooner. Since she was diagnosed she has been slowly deteriorating, especially her motor functions. My grandfather is a little older than my grandmother, and she has trouble walking and sitting up, basically just functioning on a daily basis, so I took off work for a while and everything to take care of her and give them a hand for about three months. I have been living with them now for about nine months, but I am back to work and back to boxing. Everything is kind of in order.”

Fiel’s grandmother Freda Fiel is the pillar of the Fiel family as the mature beyond his years Adam describes. “She is kind of what drives the family and a huge motivation for me,” says Adam. “I am very close to my grandmother and I see her every day.” Adam’s grandfather Carlito met Freda after coming to the United States from Manila in his early 20’s. Carlito soon found work picking grapes in a field that was overseen by Freda’s father.

Carlito Fiel grew up in the Philippines and took to the sport of boxing like many of his countrymen. “His boxing was they would wrap up their hands in cloth, get out on the street and fight everyone in the neighborhood,” says Carlito’s son Chris, Adam’s father. “Then go to every other barrio and do the same thing.”

As a young boy, Adam would hear about his grandfather’s time fighting in the streets of the Philippines. “I know he was boxing for at least three or four years, but I don’t think he got any pro fights or even amateurs,” says Adam. “I think the fights back then weren’t exactly sanctioned fights, but he was telling me they had referees, but he didn’t have a book and they didn’t keep track of their fights or anything like that.”

When Carlito noticed his grandson Adam was being picked on by his older brothers one day, he decided it was time to impart some of his boxing knowledge on his 10-year-old grandson so he could defend himself against his siblings. “I am the youngest,” Adam recalls. “Both my brothers are older. They used to really pick on me when I was younger. They would beat me up, accidentally threw me down the stairs, which I ended up having a scar from. My grandpa would say, ‘You can’t let these guys pick on you. Stand up for yourself,’ type of thing. Then he showed me how to box and later took us three all to the boxing gym. I started to get better and really started to like it. They eventually began to not pick on me and I got to spar with them and get my revenge.”

Adam began to develop his skills and by 15-years-old was making a name for himself on the national level in amateur boxing. “When I was fifteen and went to Nationals, I took third place,” recalls Adam. “I think I only had like 14 or 15 fights. My grandpa and grandma came to that one and it was kind of a big deal for them to see that. It started locally. You have to win the local regionals, then the state and they were really surprised to see what I could do at that age and I was too. The people had a lot more experience. At that age, that is what you compare yourself to. If they have more experience you think they might win. But I did really well and from then on I kind of took it more serious.”

All along the way, Carlito would keep his keen boxing eye on his young grandson. Even as Adam began to rack up the amateur accolades, eventually making the U.S. National Team and later the Philippine National Team, his grandfather was not sold on his grandson becoming a professional.

“He’s more critical of Adam, and especially about turning pro,” says Chris. “He wanted to see knockout power, a knockout punch, and that’s what he always talked about. He would talk to Adam about the difference between a finesse fighter and a knockout artist and about how you need to have both. He was basically telling Adam that if he didn’t have knockout power, than he should probably just finish up school. But after that first fight, seeing what he did, he is now on the fence. My dad is just a real pessimist.”

Both Carlito and the ailing Freda made it out to see Adam’s pro debut and will be in attendance when their grandson goes for win number two against Bell, California’s Carlos Iguera Gonzalez next Saturday, October 12th back at the Placer County Fair & Events Center in Roseville, California. In many ways Adam’s debut was a bittersweet moment for the family.

“There was always a lot of debate within our family about this all happening because Adam had a lot of potential for a lot of other things,” reveals Chris. “My brother-in-law is a physician in New Orleans and Adam was pretty much offered the keys to whatever he needed. If he wanted an education, he could have had that paid for…all doors opened. For him to choose boxing over education was really rough within the family, because education is 100 percent guaranteed. With as much time and effort that has been poured into this, he could have graduated already. These are the things that are being said to me. So it was very difficult. But of course, I gave him the support when he decided this is what he wanted to do. And in the end, we all got behind him.”

Every time Adam Fiel enters a ring, whether it is for an official fight or just a sparring session intended to improve or hone his skills for an eventual battle, the young fighter carries his grandparents into the squared circle with him. It is a driving factor that undeniably helps shape the fighter Fiel has become and is still becoming. “I want my grandmother to see me succeed before anything happens because this is a disease that will take away her train of thought and her memory, so it is hard,” says Adam. “But it is something that pushes me.”

Whether she is aware of it or not, Freda is still teaching her grandson life lessons every day. “She has taught me to appreciate my body because I can walk and I can move and I can get stronger and she’s not being able to,” says Fiel. “Seeing the contrast between that and getting older makes me want to do the most I can with my talent and my ability. It makes me want to train harder and be the best that I can with boxing. It makes me really want to strive for my dreams because I never know what’s going to happen.”

Life, and healthy life, is always shorter than what we think. This is something Adam Fiel has been able to grasp at a very young age due to his grandmother’s ailment. It is a lesson that fails to sink in with more than a few young fighters, but it is one that has help create one of the most driven young boxers the local scene will have seen in a long time.

“She wasn’t expecting to get hit with that disease and she has a lot more that she wanted to do,” says Fiel of his grandmother. “We’ve had very frank discussions and she wants me to do everything I can. She told me as well, she appreciates me wanting to help her, but she doesn’t want me to get stuck. She says, ‘I am not going to get better, you can do something still. You are still young. Don’t waste your time here.’ She sort of said that to me and it is hard because I see her every day and she’s not getting any better, but there is nothing I can do right now. But it does really push me.”

On October 12th, both Carlito and Freda will be in the front row. In her wheelchair will be Freda, Adam’s inspiration and in his ringside seat will be Carlito, Adam’s harshest critic. Both are pushing their grandson to success.

Tickets for the October 12th event, promoted by O.P.P., are available online thru this coming Sunday at www.15rounds.com/showdown or by calling 925-208-1086.

Photo by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

BROOKS, CALIFORNIA – Rising middleweight Paul Mendez boxed his way through five rounds en route to a corner retirement of journeyman Rahman Yusubov at the Cache Creek Casino Resort on Saturday night to successfully preserve an already scheduled October 28th Fox Sports 1-televised date and claim the vacant IBA Middleweight title.

Mendez (14-2-1, 6 KOs) of Delano, California began the fight in his usual measured posture, despite rocking Yusubov, 159.5, with an overhand right and nearly scoring a knockdown with a straighter punch with the same hand early in the first round. Yusubov (9-12, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas by way of Tashkent, Uzbekistan reeled towards the ropes on his heels after the straight right, but Mendez refused to follow his off balance adversary for an attempt at ensuring a knockdown. Patience of course is a virtue preached by Mendez’ trainer Max Garcia, but the Delano native seemed to take it to an extreme at times in the first two rounds.

After taking a solid left at close quarters early in the second round, Mendez, 159.5, boxed his way accurately and efficiently through the rest of the stanza. Mendez relied on his jab throughout the third, easily moving the roughly six-inch shorter Yusubov around the ring with his left. Yusubov, who entered the bout having lost nine of his ten bouts within the United States, never managed to really solve Mendez’ jab, even though his favored opponent was stingy with his right in the early going.

The best two-way action in the contest took place in the fourth. Mendez allowed himself to engage Yusubov a bit more recklessly in the round, outright neglecting his defense for a short stretch of flurrying. It was apparent from that solid left in the second that Yusubov was not going to hurt his naturally larger opponent, which perhaps gave Mendez the confidence to throw without worrying too much about what would come in return. A briefly unanswered flurry from Mendez was enough to force a protesting Yusubov to a knee late in the round, which was correctly ruled a knockdown.

Though his trainer never encourages his fighters to go for a knockout, it appeared as though a fire was lit under Mendez as he entered for the fifth. Mendez came out aggressively to begin the round and immediately began to snap Yusubov’s head back violently with both jabs and rights. Some intermittent attention to Yusubov’s body may have help lead to the journeyman’s eventual withdrawal from the bout before the start of the sixth. Referee Mike Margado visited Yusubov’s corner after seconds were ordered out, and it was quickly apparent the Uzbekistan native was not going to be answering the bell.

With the win Mendez claimed the vacant IBA Middleweight title. That the International Boxing Association decided to put their title on the line despite the fact that Mendez’ opponent had a sub .500 record and had lost two straight bouts says all that needs to be said where the IBA stands among recognized sanctioning bodies. Mendez had previously held the IBA Continental Middleweight title.

More importantly than the shiny trinket Mendez claimed, the one-sided win paves the way for an already scheduled Fox Sports 1-televised bout which will take place on Monday, October 28th at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, California. Promoter Paco Damian of Paco Presents told 15rounds.com that Mendez would be in against a high caliber opponent in a ten-round bout on that date. Locally popular prospect Manuel “Tino” Avila will be in the televised co-feature, also in a ten-round contest.

What was the best fight on paper turned out to be the best fight on the casino’s Club 88 stage on Saturday, as was expected. Bruno Escalante Jr. (10-1-1, 5 KOs) of Redwood City by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines controlled five eighths and survived three eighths of an intriguing eight-round bout with tough journeyman Joseph Rios (13-9-2, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas en route to a majority decision.

After a somewhat tentative start by both, Escalante, 113.5, used his superior technique, conditioning and athletic ability to clearly take rounds two through four. Rios, 113.5, had his first solid round in the fifth. Escalante, who had boxed beautifully on the outside for most of the first four rounds, found himself in an inside fight in the fifth. Two clean short rights gave the impression Rios was coming on and perhaps in the process of turning the fight around. Escalante battled back in the final seconds, slightly staggering Rios in the final ticks. Though it may have been the best shot of the fight to that point, it was really Escalante’s only moment in the round, which this writer scored as the first round for Rios.

Though the quick turn of events at the end of the fifth was not enough to give Escalante that round it sure set up the sixth nicely for the Filipino. Escalante landed a solid right on the inside early in the round before reverting to his effective earlier form – boxing and moving at range. Rios, though game and determined, had all sorts of trouble cutting off the ring and getting into position to unload when Escalante boxed in this manner.

The fight turned again in the seventh. Rios managed to turn Escalante and back him into a neutral corner before uncorking a clean right hand that landed flush in the middle of “The Aloha Kid’s” face. For several moments Escalante was in survival mode, holding and turning Rios every time the Texan got into punching range. Late in the round Escalante battled back at the urging of his corner who continuously yelled, “Get it back Bruno,” despite what looked like a comfortable lead on the cards.

Despite all the vehement encouragement from his corner, Escalante was forced into full-on survival mode in the eighth and final round. Another short right hand at close quarters wobbled Escalante for a bit. The normally offensive whirlwind that is Bruno Escalante was now a fighter looking to buy time by holding, pushing and spinning his way through the round. Rios never could get close enough for the succession of punches he needed to pull out the miracle. Judge Bruce Rasmussen had the fight even, 76-76, while Judges Susan Gitlin and Marshall Walker had it 78-74 and 78-75 respectively, giving Escalante the majority nod.

Every card needs something unexpected to happen. On Saturday night’s bill that instance was the shocking second-round stoppage of former amateur star Ricardo Pinell (5-1-1, 4 KOs) of San Francisco, California by inactive three-year pro Eric Mendez (3-1, 2 KOs) of Hawaiian Gardens, California. Pinell, 153.5, carried the action in the first round with his better all-around boxing skills. Though it was not dominating, the only action of note in the first stanza was the right jabs and few lefts thrown by the southpaw Pinell.

Mendez, 154, came out more offensive-minded in the second, quickly engaging Pinell in an exchange. Mendez’ right hand landed first in one such exchange and wobbled Pinell across the ring to a neutral corner. Mendez followed and flurried his favored opponent to the mat for a knockdown. Pinell beat the count on unsteady legs and retreated back to the neutral corner where Mendez again followed with an unanswered flurry that forced the hand of referee Mike Margado. Time of the unlikely stoppage was 1:53 of the second round.

In a pretty solid fight, Andy Vences (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California turned back the game challenge of Matthew Flores (0-3) of Twin Falls, Idaho via four-round unanimous decision. Flores, 134, was solid from the outset, clearly taking the first round in this writer’s eyes on the strength of several solid hooks. Vences, a former amateur standout, shrugged off the shots but did little in return through the first three minutes of the fight.

Flores rocked Vences, 134, in the first few seconds of the second round with a right hand. Flores, seeing he had his man in trouble, threw punches without really directing them to a specific target. It proved to be a costly miscalculation as the well-schooled Vences dodged and moved while regaining his footing. Vences, now apparently fully recovered, rallied back late in the round with a concentrated body assault. Though Flores had moments in the final seconds, Vences rally may have snatched a round that looked like Idahoan’s in the early going.

Solid exchanges marked the third and fourth rounds. Though Flores got in his licks, Vences’ offense was more sustained and eye-catching. In the end, Flores went home one of the better 0-3 fighters in the sport by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice.

Darwin Price (2-0, 1 KO) of Saint Louis, Missouri outworked and outfought his naturally smaller short-notice opponent Johnny Frazier (2-20-4, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada en route to a four-round unanimous decision in the evening’s opening contest. Frazier, who took the fight on less than one week’s notice, just could not keep up with the fresher and more athletically-gifted Price.

Price, a former collegiate track star, was effective behind his jab all fight. Especially in the early going, Frazier, 139, just could not find his way around Price’s stick. For one instance in the first, Price, 139.5, let Frazier into range and the Nevadan landed a solid overhand right. Just that quickly, Price got back out at range and behind his jab.

In the second the third rounds, Price began to let his right hand go behind his jab, giving Frazier and even tougher time finding his way into punching range. Though it would not have much affected the final scoring of the fight, referee Mike Margado did miss what looked like a clear knockdown call in the final seconds of the fight. Frazier landed a right hand while Price was clearly off balance, which sent the Missouri native to the mat. Margado ruled the fall a slip, even though a clean punch had landed. Though it would not change the outcome of the fight, which was scored 40-36 across the board for Price, it would have given the now 20-loss veteran Frazier something to hang his hat on in the aftermath.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280.

BROOKS, CALIFORNIA – Slowly making his way into fringe contention, veteran middleweight Paul Mendez looks to add another ‘W’ to his increasing win column and the IBA Middleweight title to his trophy case as he takes on journeyman Rahman Yusubov at the Cache Creek Casino Resort on Saturday night. Mendez hopes to come out unscathed to keep an October 28th Fox Sports 1-televised date intact. Fighters for the five-bout card weighed-in Friday evening on a stage set in the middle of the casino floor.

Mendez (13-2-1, 5 KOs) of Delano, California has reeled off eight consecutive wins and six since joining up with locally well-known, Salinas-based managerial and training outfit Garcia Boxing last July. Mendez should hope to improve upon his deceivingly-scored unanimous decision victory over trial horse Dashon Johnson just this past July. Though the fight was scored widely for a bruised and cut Mendez, nearly every round was fought tough. Mendez, who holds the minor IBA Continental Middleweight title, scaled 159.5-pounds on Friday.

Yusubov (9-11, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas by way of Tashkent, Uzbekistan figures to be the perfect opponent for Team Mendez, given the circumstances both leading into Saturday’s bout and the ramifications of what could come out of the night’s performance. Yusubov has just one win since moving to the United States in early 2011. Yusubov will have the dubious distinction of placing the final loss on the career of former title holder James Page. Yusubov took on the shaky-legged, comebacking 41-year-old last November. In that bout, Yusubov survived the initial rush from Page and eventually ended the noted bank robber’s career with an unanswered flurry in the second round. Losses to Elco Garcia and David Estrada followed in Yusubov’s two fights of 2013. Standing at 5’7” tall, Yusubov figures to have a literal hill to climb against the 6’1” Mendez. Yusubov scaled 159.5 pounds on Friday.

The fight of the night figures to be the co-feature. Bruno Escalante Jr. (9-1-1, 5 KOs) of Redwood City, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines heads into his first step back-up fight since dropping an eight-round unanimous decision to still unbeaten Matt Villanueva in June of last year. Escalante will be taking on venerable journeyman Joseph Rios (13-8-2, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas in an eight-round super flyweight bout.

Rios has gone 3-2 in his last five bouts, which came against opponents with a combined 35-0-1 record, meaning the Texan gave three unbeaten fighters their first loss. Rios has also gone 0-1-1 against former U.S. Olympian Luis Yanez, giving the young prospect two of his toughest fights. Escalante and Rios both weighed-in at 113.5-pounds.

Unbeaten Ricardo Pinell (5-0-1, 4 KOs) of San Francisco, California will take on Eric Mendez (2-1, 1 KO) of Hawaiian Gardens, California in a six-round light middleweight bout. The inactive Mendez, who turned professional all the way back in 2010 and still just has three fights, figures to be in shape considering he last fought in May. The four months off is by far the shortest stretch of inactivity for the three-fight pro, who scaled 154-pounds. Pinell, who came in at 153.5-pounds, was a top amateur and will be entering the ring for his sixth bout of 2013.

Another top former amateur Andy Vences (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California will take on Matthew Flores (0-2) of Twin Falls, Idaho in a four-round lightweight bout. Vences was one of the most sought-after locally based fighters coming out of the amateurs before eventually signing with manager Herb Stone, who also represents Escalante and Pinell on the card. Vences, who scaled 134, has battled injuries since turning pro in October. Flores, who also scaled 134-pounds, has lost both of his fights by majority decision to larger and fairly decent opposition.

The fifth bout of the card, a four-round light welterweight contest, almost never came together as promoter Paco Damian and several matchmakers struggled to find a replacement opponent for Garcia Boxing’s Darwin Price (1-0, 1 KO) of Saint Louis, Missouri. Originally scheduled Vicente Guzman had to pull out after a recent hard-fought draw made him medically ineligible. Eventually early this week veteran Johnny Frazier (2-19-4, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada stepped up to the plate and took yet another short notice fight to go with the countless others of his career.

Price, a former Grambling State University track star, stopped winless Luis Sanchez in his pro debut in Redwood City on July 26th. Price traveled to Big Bear with Paul Mendez and Garcia Boxing to prepare for Saturday’s bout, logging over a dozen rounds with Shane Mosley, who is preparing to fight Anthony Mundine. Frazier is coming off of a closely-contested six-round decision loss to undefeated Simeon Dunwell on August 24th. Frazier may be remembered by local fight fans as the fighter that put a second draw on the record of Maximilliano Becerra before giving well regarded Stan Martyniouk a tough fight in two Sacramento fights last year.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Don Chargin Productions and Paco Presents, are available online at CacheCreek.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

IBA Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Mendez 159.5
Yusubov 159.5

Super Flyweights, 8 Rounds
Escalante Jr. 113.5
Rios 113.5

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Pinell 153.5
Mendez 154

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Vences 134
Flores 134

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Price 139.5
Frazier 139

Photo by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280.

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – In a great action fight, Yakubu Amidu rose to the occasion against the world class Juan Carlos Burgos, forcing a split decision draw in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event outdoors at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Friday night.

Fighting out of his weight class, Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico found a willing and ready short notice opponent in the hard-charging lightweight Amidu (20-4-2, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Accra, Ghana. In what was designed as a showcase, Burgos and has team have to feel a little relieved that they left the ring with a draw after twelve sometimes hellacious rounds.

Amidu, 133, took a couple rounds to get warmed up and it may have cost him the decision. Burgos, 134, did not land too many telling blows through two stanzas, but he was carrying the action while Amidu kept a high guard and attempted to time with counters.

Amidu got going in round three as he timed his first of many clean left hand counters off of a Burgos body shot. The rangier Burgos could not keep Amidu at a distance as the Ghanaian continued to press forward and land lefts as the round progressed. Amidu continued to press the action in the fourth. Burgos got a brief reprieve from the attack when referee Ed Collantes called time when Amidu landed low.

Burgos stemmed some of Amidu’s momentum in round five as both men landed in some heated exchanges. Amidu may have edged the round after gaining the lead in another exchange as the round came to a close. Though the fight was fairly even, there was a sense that Burgos was in some danger midway through the bout.

The sun was still burning everything alive in the amphitheater in rounds six and seven, but the action did cool briefly. Amidu may have taken the sixth on ring generalship alone, as he pressed Burgos, the WBO #2 ranked super featherweight, from bell to bell.

Burgos regained a footing in the fight in round eight, as he was able to box and move out of danger. Even when Amidu forced Burgos to the ropes, the Mexican managed to do the majority of the landing. Burgos continued the momentum through the first two minutes of round nine. However, in the last sixty seconds Amidu forced Burgos back against the strands, bringing the crowd to their feet.

Just when Burgos needed a big round, he managed to conjure one up in the eleventh. The seemingly indestructible Amidu finally buckled after Burgos landed a clean right hand. With Amidu reeling momentarily, Burgos landed another clean right that forced the relentless Accra native to take a rare backward step.

Burgos started well in the twelfth, but Amidu refused to allow the fight to end without charging back with another rally. Amidu, smelling a career-best win and major upset, pressed forward and punished Burgos against the ropes as the fight came to a close.

After twelve hard-fought rounds, none of the three official scorers came close to an agreement on a winner. Burgos took one card 116-112, while Amidu took one by the same tally. A 114-114 card sewed up the draw. Neither fighter claimed the vacant WBO Intercontinental Lightweight title which was at stake.

“I felt the difference in weight class,” admitted Burgos after the bout, “and I am going to go back to 130-pounds, where I feel more comfortable.”

Amidu, though disappointed by the draw verdict, was happy the crowd on hand seemed to favor him in the fight. “I’m just going to keep on going,” added the Vince Vaughn-managed Amidu, who now becomes an attractive opponent for any of the up-and-coming lightweights.

In the opening bout of the evening and the televised co-feature, Miguel Gonzalez (22-3, 16 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio survived the 107 degree heat and scored a body shot stoppage of Josenilson Dos Santos (26-2, 16 KOs) of Santana de Parnaíba, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The shorter Gonzalez, 136, managed to keep his head right at the chest of the lanky Dos Santos, 135, all fight. Dos Santos, who entered the bout as the WBO #13 ranked super featherweight, found it hard to land much of anything clean and never made Gonzalez pay for coming into range.

The fight turned into mauling affair after a few rounds. Dos Santos was cautioned for using his head several times beginning in the fourth, a round in which he was eventually penalized for holding. Gonzalez began a concentrated body effort in round six, which would lay the ground work for the stoppage two rounds later.

With Dos Santos wearing down under the hot ring lights at the start of the eighth, Gonzalez kept the pressure up and eventually landed a combination to the body the sent the Brazilian in retreat. One last shot that landed towards the back of Dos Santos expedited his fall to the canvas. With Dos Santos not showing any signs that he could beat the count, referee Dan Collins waved off the contest at 2:27 of the eighth.

After the bout, Gonzalez expressed interest in renewing a rivalry with an old amateur adversary and current world ranked contender. “I want the best and at 135 I want a gentleman by the name of Terrance Crawford,” announced Gonzalez immediately after the win. “He knows about [me] and I’m ready for him. There’s some history and I just want to get at him again and continue where I left off.”

In the first bout after television went off air, Razvan Cojanu (7-1, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Voinesti, Dambovita, Romania avenged his only career defeat with a four-round majority decision over trial horse Alvaro Morales (6-14-7) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The comparatively slow pace of heavyweight action after the main event thriller left the crowd wanting, but Cojanu, 281, did what he set out to do in a way erasing the defeat he had suffered in his professional debut in 2011. Morales, 306, was the plodder he was expected to be, but he managed to win two rounds on one card. Scores read 38-38 and 40-36 twice for Cojanu.

Taras Shelestyuk (5-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Sumy, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine continued his steady rise with a well-boxed four-round unanimous decision over a game Adam Ealoms (3-4-3, 1 KO) of Bryan, Texas.

Shelestyuk, 148, was just a class above the willing Ealoms, 148.5. Midway through the fight it was apparent a knockout may not be in the cards. The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Shelestyuk seemed satisfied enough showing off his excellent boxing skills as he cruised to the decision. Scores read 40-36 across the board.

In his U.S. debut, unbeaten Fedor Papazov (12-0, 8 KOs) of Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Russia scored two knockdowns en route to a six-round unanimous decision over the always determined Joaquin Chavez (4-8-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles.

Papazov, 135, looked to be on his way to a potentially short night after dropping Chavez, 136.6, with a short right hand in the opening round. Chavez, known for his durability – even when matched against top prospects – got himself together and battled back. However, Papazov was just too skilled and scored another knockdown off a right hand midway through the fight. In the end, the cards read 59-54 and 59-53 twice for the former amateur standout Papazov.

The second to last walkout bout featured some good back-and-forth as Jarrod Tennant (1-0) of Los Angeles claimed a split decision in his pro debut over Brandon Adams (0-1) of Stockton, California. Tennant, 150, was a bit busier than was Adams, 149, though neither fighter ever had their opponent in any sort of trouble. Adams claimed one card 39-37. Tennant took the other two by the scores of 40-36 and 39-37.

In the final bout of the night, 6’9” giant Justin Goslee (2-0, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles remained unbeaten on a freak injury suffered by his opponent Kosetatino Sinoti (0-3) of Long Beach, California. The much shorter Sinoti, 229, came out firing and landed in the opening moments of the round. Goslee, 315.4, did not seem too bothered by the blows, but he was not really landing anything in retort. The two heavyweights threw at the same time and a loud pop echoed throughout the venue. Sinoti went down in a heap and writhed in pain on the mat, leaving referee Dan Collins no choice but to call off the bout without a count. Apparently one of Sinoti’s legs collided with Goslee, whose large frame probably felt like a brick wall. Medics attended to Sinoti and removed him from the ring on a stretcher before loading him into an ambulance.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or on Twitter @MarioG280.

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – Regarded by many as an uncrowned super featherweight champion, Juan Carlos Burgos aims to put the disappointment of a controversial draw with Rocky Martinez in January in his rearview with an impressive showing against replacement opponent Yakubu Amidu in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event emanating from the Thunder Valley Casino Resort tomorrow night.

Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico was outright robbed according to many aficionados who witnessed his challenge of Martinez’ WBO title on HBO back in January. In what in retrospect became perhaps the first of many odd collections of scores this calendar year, Judge Tony Paolillo had the fight 116-112 Burgos, but was overruled by Waleska Roldan’s puzzling 117-111 tally for Martinez and the even card of John Signorile, 114-114.

Originally Burgos was scheduled to meet former title challenger Daulis Prescott, but the latter had to pull out with kidney stones. On less than two weeks notice, Banner Promotions managed to secure the rugged Amidu (20-4-1, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Accra, Ghana as a replacement for the twelve-round bout. The WBO Intercontinental Lightweight title is at stake, which virtually guarantees the winner a world ranking at 135-pounds.

The Vince Vaughn-managed Amidu provided a stiff test for lightweight contender Ji-Hoon Kim last January on ESPN2, losing a ten-round decision in an action fight. The WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Burgos has never fought above 135-pounds before and would not have tomorrow night had Prescott remained the opponent. Though it was not the original plan, a win Friday allows Burgos’ team the option to seek a meaningful fight at 135- or 130. Burgos weighed-in at 134, while Amidu came in at 133.

In the televised co-feature, WBO #13 ranked 130-pounder Josenilson Dos Santos fights out of his native Brazil for only the third time as a professional, taking on Miguel Gonzalez (21-3, 15 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio in a ten-round lightweight bout.

Dos Santos (26-1, 16 KOs) of Santana de Parnaíba, Sao Paulo, Brazil suffered his lone defeat to title challenger Diego Magdaleno back in 2009. Since Dos Santos has gone 12-0 all in Brazil. Gonzalez is coming in off of a fairly wide unanimous decision over faded former champion Miguel Acosta. Dos Santos scaled 135, while Gonzalez made 136-pounds.

In a four-round light middleweight swing bout, 2012 Ukrainian Olympian Taras Shelestyuk looks to continue his undefeated run against Bryan, Texas’ Adam Ealoms (3-3-3, 1 KO).

Shelestyuk (4-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Sumy, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine advanced to the semi-finals at the Summer Games in London last year before turning professional in the United States under the promotional umbrella of Banner Promotions in March. The southpaw Ealoms has three professional defeats, but the combined record of those opponents was 18-0-1 entering those contests. Shelestyuk scaled 148-pounds Thursday, while Ealoms came in at 148.5.

In the second swing bout, 6’9” heavyweight monster Justin Goslee (1-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles takes on Kosetatino Sinoti (0-2) of Long Beach, California in a four-rounder. Sinoti, no small man himself, will be staring up at an opponent about nine inches taller for the first and likely last time of his career.

Goslee, a novice boxer based on his limited amateur experience, pummeled his debut adversary, but failed to halt his attack even after scoring knockdowns. Hopefully for Sinoti’s sake, Goslee, nicknamed “Big Daddy Kane,” will adhere to the rules of the ring a little more closely in his second outing. Goslee weighed-in at 315.4-pounds, while Sinoti tipped 229.

Former amateur standout Fedor Papazov (11-0, 8 KOs) of Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Russia makes his U.S. debut against better-than-his-record journeyman Joaquin Chavez (4-7-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles in a six-round lightweight bout.

Papazov was a veteran of numerous Russian National and European Union Championships before turning professional in his native Russia back in 2009. Chavez has taken on some of the top up-and-coming lightweights and junior welterweights of the West Coast with varying success, but has continually provided quality opposition each time out. Papazov weighed-in at 135-pounds, with Chavez coming in at 136.6.

Los Angeles’ Jarrod Tennant will make his professional debut against Brandon Adams (0-1) of Stockton, California in a four-round light middleweight bout. Tennant was a late addition to the card after several others fell out against Adams. The Stockton native drew a very tough assignment for his pro debut in May in the aforementioned Taras Shelestyuk. Now Adams, who scaled 149, gets a second try for win number one against an opponent that likely has over 100 less bouts of amateur experience than did Shelestyuk. Tennant weighed in at 150-pounds.

In a rematch over two years in the making, 6’7 ½” heavyweight Razvan Cojanu (6-1, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Voinesti, Dambovita, Romania looks to avenge the lone loss of his career against veteran spoiler Alvaro Morales (6-13-7) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a four-round bout.

Cojanu entered his debut in 2011 having represented Romania at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but it was the less than body beautiful Morales that walked out of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino the majority decision victor that night. In the two-plus years since, Morales has gone 0-4-2 including bouts against three previously unbeaten foes, one of which was heavyweight contender Malik Scott. Cojanu, a frequent training mate of legendary James Toney, weighed in at 281-pounds, while Morales scaled 306.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Championship, 12 rounds
Burgos 134
Amidu 133

Lightweights, 10 Rounds
Dos Santos 135
Gonzalez 136

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Shelestyuk 148
Ealoms 148.5

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Goslee 315.4
Sinoti 229

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Papazov 135
Chavez 136.6

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Adams 149
Tennant 150

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 306
Cojanu 281

Photos by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or on Twitter @MarioG280.

CARSON, CALIFORNIA – Timothy Bradley Jr. was taken to the limit over twelve rounds by Ruslan Provodnikov in the HBO-televised main event at the Home Depot Center on Saturday night, but managed to escape with his WBO 147-pound title in tact with a debatable twelve-round unanimous decision.

Bradley and Provodnikov wasted no time, opting to stand and trade shortly after the opening bell. In the midst of an exchange, Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) of Beryozovo, Yugra, Russia beat Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) of Palm Springs, California to the punch with a short right hand. The punch downed Bradley, but referee Pat Russell ruled the fall a slip. Bradley began to pop back up, but fell back down again, a clear sign that he was legitimately hurt.

The second round picked up where the first round left off, as the two engaged in more wild exchanges. Bradley, still feeling the effects of the first round, was getting the worse of it as one combination sent him into the ropes, nearly scoring a knockdown again.

The fight took a turn in the third, as Provodnikov punched himself out after his incredible output in the first two rounds. Bradley wisely fell back on his jab and took the third by keeping the drained Provodnikov off balance at arms length. Bradley continued to potshot at range, effectively sewing up the fourth to miraculously even up the fight after four.

Bradley was drawn back into some wild exchanging in the fifth, but did so a bit more intelligently and cautiously. The balance worked as Bradley clearly claimed his third round in a row after being taken to the brink of a stoppage.

The fight took another turn in the sixth. After Bradley boxed well enough for two-and-one-half minutes, Provodnikov came out of nowhere and cleaned Bradley’s clock again with a left hand. Bradley moved from one corner to the ropes on the other side of the ring, but Provodnikov followed him, throwing every step of the way. Bradley fought back, but it just gave the challenger more openings to exploit as the bell sounded.

Both fighters took off the seventh round, which all three official scorers would give to Bradley. The champion boxed just enough to take round eight as well to somewhat sneakily move ahead in the fight 77-75 on all three cards.

Provodnikov was able to sucker Bradley back into firefight in spurts during the ninth, but champion did not cave in and swing for the fences like in the opening two rounds. Feeling confident after a solid ninth, Bradley was flashy with his combinations in the tenth, but did not commit to his punches like earlier in the fight. Though he landed less, this writer felt Provodnikov edged the tenth with his few power shots. However all three official scorers wound up giving the round to Bradley.

With the fight slipping away, Provodnikov came on again in the eleventh, clearly landing the more effective blows. Bradley spent too much time circling and moving, while Provodnikov landed clean blows. Though it looked to be a clear Provodnikov round, official scorer Raul Caiz Sr. would end up giving the eleventh to Bradley.

Reportedly told by his trainer Freddie Roach he needed a knockout to win, Provodnikov aimed to do just that as he came out for the twelfth and final round. As was the case nearly every time Provodnikov had Bradley in the trouble, the damage would came in the last half minute of the twelfth. After a sustained barrage, Provodnikov would finally down Bradley with a short right hand. Obviously hurt, Bradley managed to get out of the round and force the fight to the cards. Judges Jerry Cantu and Marty Denkin handed in cards of 114-113 for Bradley, while Caiz Sr. had it a puzzling 115-112 for the champion.

Boos would drown out the cheers for Bradley as the decision was read before the Home Depot Center crowd, a response the champion did not deserve after such a valiant battle. Bradley’s quest for respect was a hot topic heading into Saturday’s contest, given the fashion in which he attained victory over Manny Pacquiao last year. Unfortunately for Bradley, it appears that quest continues after another hard-fought, but controversial victory

In a battle of unbeatens, Jessie Vargas (22-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada came away with a wider than deserved unanimous decision over Wale Omotoso (23-1, 19 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria in the televised co-feature.

After a methodical first round, Omotoso, 146.8, began to find his openings with great frequency in round two. Vargas, 146.6, decided to fight fire with fire much to his detriment in round three. After a solid exchange, a borderline body shot dropped Vargas early in the stanza. Vargas came back firing, but it was Omotoso that look better in the exchanges.

As the fight moved to the fourth, Vargas and “Lucky Boy” continued to exchange, but it was Omotoso that was landing the cleaner, harder shots. Although Omotoso was wide with many of his swings, he continued to catch Vargas on the end of many telling blows. However, by the end of the fourth, Vargas sprang to life, which led into the fifth, unquestionably his best round.

Vargas caught Omotoso early in the fifth with a solid right. “Lucky Boy” mocked Vargas with a dance, but another right followed which clearly stunned Omotoso. Vargas saw the change and pounced on his foe. Vargas landed as Omotoso retreated to different corners of the ring, before finally running out of gas as the round came to an end.

The fight climaxed in the fifth, as the pace dropped of dramatically beginning in the sixth.
Vargas may have held a slight edge in two or three of the following three rounds, but there was little to choose from as the output of both sank. Omotoso came on again to start the tenth. Vargas attempted to stem the tide, but really had little on his punches as the fight winded down.

In a fight that could reasonably have gone either way by a point or two, Vargas was awarded the bout by the shockingly wide scores of 97-92 and 96-93 twice. With the win, the WBA #5/WBC #9/IBF #15 ranked Vargas claimed the minor WBC Continental Americas Welterweight title while likely improving upon his world rankings.

In the last bout before HBO went on the air, Oscar Valdez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Tucson, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico stopped tough as nails Carlos Iguera Gonzalez (1-3) of Los Angeles, California with a series of unanswered blows.

The durable Iguera Gonzalez, 128, had been beaten twice before, but never beaten down the way he was by the former amateur star Valdez, 128, at the Home Depot Center tonight. Valdez punished him from round one, getting the better of every exchange. Finally in the third a wicked left hook slumped Iguera Gonzalez against the ropes, with the ensuing combination forcing referee Tony Crebs hand. Time of the stoppage was 58 seconds of round four.

Fast-handed heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr. (18-0, 12 KOs) of Imperial, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico downed Midwest journeyman Matthew Greer (15-10, 13 KOs) of Saint Louis, Missouri three times in the first to force a mandatory stoppage.

Ruiz, 246, attacked the large body of Greer, 240, which created the opening for a right high on the head for the first knockdown. Soon after action resumed, Ruiz landed a left to the body that put down Greer for the second time. Greer continued to fade as a light shove forced him down and ate some time from the clock, but not enough. Another cuffing right high on the head, dropped Greer for the third and final time, prompting referee Jack Reiss to wave off the bout at 2:53 of the first.

Emerging local prospect Gabino Saenz (9-0-1, 7 KOs) of Indio, California excited his Southern California fan base with a horrific second-round stoppage of Cesar Valenzuela (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Phoenix, Arizona.

After a rough-and-tumble first, Saenz, 126, came out determined in the second round, eventually landing a left that rocked Valenzuela, 125. The Arizona resident attempted to hold on and regain his legs, but found himself on the canvas from a Saenz flurry capped by an overhand right. Shortly after action resumed, Saenz uncorked a short right that sent Valenzuela’s jaw one way and his body the other. Referee Tony Crebs immediately waved it off at 2:02 of round two. Thankfully Valenzuela was able to leave the ring under his own power.

In a brutal shocker, journeyman southpaw Victor Sanchez (4-5-1, 1 KO) of Houston, Texas starched one-time prospect Ramon Valadez (11-4, 6 KOs) East Los Angeles, California inside of one round. Sanchez, 127, dropped Valadez, 126.8, with a left hand midway through the first. Valadez was never able to regain his legs and was eventually stopped on his feet as a combination separated him from his senses along the ropes. Referee Jack Reiss leaped in to stop the contest at 2:39 of the first round.

Touted prospect Jesse Magdaleno (14-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas kept busy against a warm body, scoring three knockdowns en route to a third-round stoppage over Carlos Fulgencio (19-10-1, 12 KOs) of Santo Domingo de Guzman, Dominican Republic.

Fulgencio, 123.6, offered little resilience against the quick-handed Magdaleno, 123.4, who kicked off his 2013 campaign in style. Magdaleno dropped Fulgencio in the first with a right hook, again with his right in the second and ended matters in the third with a right uppercut. Referee Tony Crebs immediately waved off the bout when Fulgencio went down for the third time without a count. Time of the stoppage was 45 seconds of the third round. Fulgencio has now dropped five straight.

In the curtain raiser, decorated former amateur star Egidijus Kavaliauskas (1-0) of Oxnard, California by way of Kaunas, Lithuania employed a withering body attack en route to a four-round unanimous decision over a game Eridanni Leon Quintero (0-1) of Inglewood, California.

Kavaliauskas, 150.2, managed to routinely force Leon Quintero, 150.6, to the ropes while finding his foe’s ribs an open target. Kavaliauskas, whose stellar amateur career was highlighted by representing Lithuania at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, looked more like an experienced veteran rather than a fighter making his pro debut. All three judges scored the bout a shutout, 40-36, for Kavaliauskas.

Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached via e-mail at ortega15rds@lycos.com or you can follow him on Twitter @MarioG280

MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIFORNIA — Long compared to the sometimes underappreciated Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Timothy Bradley Jr. finds himself in a position the middleweight great would have had a chance to sympathize with had he gotten the nod over Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987. Given the edge in scoring over beloved superstar Manny Pacquiao last year, Bradley felt the wrath of the Filipino fans and pundits alike. Despite what should have been a career-changing win, Bradley still has something to prove as he takes on determined challenger Ruslan Provodnikov in the HBO-televised main event tonight emanating from the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Fighters weighed-in Friday at the Manhattan Beach Marriott.

Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) of Palm Springs, California will be competing as a welterweight for just the third time in the last six years as he makes the first defense of the WBO 147-pound title he claimed from Pacquiao last June. Bradley was slow to recover from injures sustained in that bout and opted to sit out the winter before accepting the challenge of Provodnikov tonight.

A career 140-pounder himself, Provodnikov (22-1, 15 KOs) of Beryozovo, Yugra, Russia vacated his various world rankings at light welterweight to take tonight’s bout and now finds himself the WBO #3 ranked welterweight. Provodnikov worked his way into this opportunity by stringing together a five-fight win streak since his lone defeat to Mauricio Herrera back in 2011. Provodnikov and Bradley both weighed in at 146.6-pounds.

In an intriguing co-feature, one of two undefeated welterweight prospects will graduate to world contender as Jessie Vargas (21-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada takes on Wale Omotoso (23-0, 19 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria in a ten-rounder with the minor WBC Continental Americas Welterweight title at stake.

Vargas, who scaled 146.6, has hardly been tested in his four fights since a close decision win over eventual titlist Josesito Lopez in September of 2011. Based out of the Wild Card Gym, Omotoso came in at 146.8-pounds. Despite his glossy record, Omotoso remains an unproven commodity, but a win over Vargas would go a long way in changing that perception.

In off-TV undercard action, Andy Ruiz Jr. (17-0, 11 KOs) of Imperial, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico takes on journeyman Matthew Greer (15-9, 13 KOs) of Saint Louis, Missouri in an eight-round heavyweight bout. Ruiz, who comes in off of an impressive third-round shellacking of Elijah McCall, scaled 246-pounds. Greer, who opened his year on the losing end of a second-round stoppage against Deontay Wilder, weighed in at 240-pounds.

Well regarded prospect Jesse Magdaleno (13-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas looks to remain busy against Carlos Fulgencio (19-9-1, 12 KOs) of Santo Domingo de Guzman, Dominican Republic in an eight-round featherweight bout. Magdaleno, the younger brother of world ranked Diego Magdaleno, scaled 123.4-pounds, while Fulgencio made 123.6.

Oscar Valdez (2-0, 2 KOs) of Tucson, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico will take on Carlos Iguera Gonzalez (1-2) of Los Angeles, California in a six-round super featherweight bout. Valdez’ original opponent Jose Morales came in way over the contracted limit at 137.8-pounds. Iguera Gonzalez was scheduled to fight unbeaten Victor Pasillas, but Gonzalez himself came in overweight. Pasillas weighed in at 124.6, but turned down the fight when Iguera Gonzalez came in at 128. Top Rank quickly matched Iguera Gonzalez with Valdez, who also happened to be 128-pounds, saving the spot the promising wunderkind.

Popular super bantamweight prospect Gabino Saenz (8-0-1, 6 KOs) of Indio, California makes his 2013 debut against Cesar Valenzuela (3-1-1, 1 KO) of Phoenix, Arizona in a six-round bout. Fighting as a featherweight tonight, Saenz weighed in at 126-pounds.
Valenzuela, who got off the deck to score a stoppage last time out, weighed in at 125-pounds.

Aiming to get back on the winning track after two straight defeats, Ramon Valadez (11-3, 6 KOs) East Los Angeles, California gets a softer touch in Victor Sanchez (3-5-1) of Houston, Texas in a bout scheduled for six. Valadez, whose recent losses came against fighters with a combined 24-1-2 record, weighed in at 126.8-pounds. Similarly Sanchez, who came in at 127-pounds, is 0 for his last two against fighters with a combined 28-1-1 record.

International amateur standout Egidijus Kavaliauskas of Oxnard, California by way of Kaunas, Lithuania will take on late replacement Eridanni Leon Quintero of Inglewood, California in a pairing of fighters making their professional debuts. Kavaliauskas weighed in at 150.2, while Leon Quintero made 150.6-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Top Rank, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO Welterweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Bradley Jr. 146.6
Provodnikov 146.6

WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Vargas 146.6
Omotoso 146.8

Heavyweights, 8 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 246
Greer 240

Featherweights, 8 Rounds
Magdaleno 123.4
Fulgencio 123.6

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Valdez 128
Iguera Gonzalez 128

Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Saenz 126
Valenzuela 125

Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Valadez 126.8
Sanchez 127

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Kavaliauskas 150.2
Leon Quintero 150.6

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Former WBA Welterweight kingpin James Page is back after over eleven years away from the ring as he takes on journeyman Rahman Yusubov in the six-round main event at the Four Points by Sheraton Sacramento Airport tomorrow night. Fighters for the six-fight pro portion of the card weighed in Friday afternoon at the venue.

Page (25-4, 19 KOs) of Pittsburg, California was last in the ring in February of 2001, as he failed to reclaim his WBA title in a bout with Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis via seventh-round stoppage in Las Vegas, Nevada. The title had been vacated when Page failed to show up for a mandatory defense against Lewis. Page had claimed his title in October of 1998 with a win over Andrey Pestryaev in Bercy, France before making three successful defenses.

Unfortunately for Page his life took a curious turn in late 2001 as he was arrested for a series of completed or attempted bank robberies. At the still prime age of 32, Page was sent to prison with an eleven year sentence. Now 42-years-old, Page attempts an improbable comeback with Rahman Yusubov (8-9, 6 KOs) of Dallas, Texas by way of Baku, Azerbaijan as his first assignment.

On paper, Yusubov seems like an excellent selection for a fighter in Page’s position. Yusubov has dropped his last seven fights since returning from Azerbaijan to campaign in the United States. However, in fairness to Yusubov, four of those opponents were undefeated, two had only one previous defeat and the seventh is currently a world ranked contender in Carson Jones. Page weighed in at 153-pounds Friday, while Yusubov came in at 156.

Fighting within driving distance of his Hayward, California home for the first time as a professional is former amateur standout Aaron Coley (3-0, 2 KOs). Coley will take on Chad Dietmeyer (1-1) of Chula Vista, California in a four-round light middleweight bout. Coley, who turned pro in April, weighed in at 156-pounds. Dietmeyer, who has a reported MMA record of 8-2, also weighed in at 156-pounds.

Alberto Torres (1-0) of Sacramento will take on Christian Navarro (0-1) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round super featherweight bout. Torres turned pro with an exciting four-round decision over Christian Silva in Sacramento back in August. Fresh from getting his blood drawn across town, Navarro, who turned pro in July, weighed in at 128-pounds, as did Torres.

Fresh off a dominant performance in October, exciting light welterweight prospect Aldwayne Simpson (3-0, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California returns to the ring against Joaquin Chavez (1-4-2, 1 KO) of Los Angeles in a four-rounder. Simpson, who outboxed Jovanni Rubio en route to a wide four-round decision in San Rafael on October 19th, weighed in at 142-pounds. Chavez, who has a misleading record considering his previous opponents had combined for only one previous loss, came in at 141-pounds.

Emerging super bantamweight prospect John Abella (3-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento fights in his hometown for the fourth straight time in his career as he takes on journeyman Salvador Cifuentez (1-4) of Chula Vista in a four-rounder. Abella turned pro in June and has already reeled off three wins in front of his supportive local fan base. Cifuentez finds himself across the ring from a legitimate prospect for the fifth time in his career. The four fighters with wins over Cifuentez are currently a combined 27-0. Abella and Cifuentez both weighed in at 124-pounds.

Starting off the pro card will be debuting Terri Lowe of Sacramento against Maricela Cornejo (1-0) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a four-round middleweight bout. Lowe, who teaches kindergarten at Foulks Ranch Elementary School in nearby Elk Grove, weighed in at 154-pounds. Cornejo, who made her debut in August with a four-round majority decision over Mia Henderson in Atlanta, Georgia, scaled 156-pounds Friday.

Three amateur contests are scheduled to open the show. Fighters for the amateur portion of the bill will weigh in tomorrow.

Tickets for the event, promoted by O.P.P., are available online at OPPBoxing.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Page 153
Yusubov 156

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Coley 156
Dietmeyer 156

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Torres 128
Navarro 128

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Simpson 142
Chavez 141

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Abella 124
Cifuentez 124

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Lowe 156
Cornejo 158

Photo by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA – After over a year away from the ring, 52-year-old local favorite Paul Nave claimed an eight-round unanimous decision over Justin Danforth to achieve the personal milestone of career win number 20 at Albert Park Field on Friday night.

Nave (20-9-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California took a couple rounds to adjust to the unexpectedly southpaw stance of Danforth (6-19, 1 KO) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Danforth, who came out to the ring in a Hannibal Lecter mask, landed the first clean punch of the fight, a solid left hand in the first, but was never able to hurt California’s oldest licensed fighter.

Both fighters struggled at times with their footing in the fight, as the moist October air left the red ring mat damp. Danforth, 146 ½, was the first to taste the canvas as a result, which was correctly ruled a slip by referee Ray Balewicz in the second round. Both fighters looked to overcome the awkward lefty-righty stance problem by throwing whenever they could. Sometimes the punches were wide or coming from odd angles as both Nave and Danforth aimed to land something clean.

Each fighter landed some of their best shots in the fourth. Nave, 146 ½, landed a clean left hook with Danforth backing up early in the round. Danforth eventually landed back with a hard left of his own before the close of the round. Since Danforth routinely kept his right held low, the wide left would land consistently for Nave throughout the fight.

Nave pressed the action a bit harder in the fifth, again finding Danforth with his left hand. Nave looked to have clipped Danforth with a moderately low blow that the Milwaukee native milked to either gain some time or work the referee for a warning on Nave. Danforth’s acting was not good enough to earn either from Balewicz, who instructed him to box without any timeout. In a somewhat sloppy sixth, Nave was eventually warned for a low blow, but none of his punches ever seemed to stray with any sort of intent.

The most heated round would be the seventh. After some encouraging in his corner, Nave seemed amped at the start and quickly landed his best combination of the fight. The wet conditions came into play again as a Danforth left grazed Nave and the fighter-promoter’s gloved touched the canvas as one of his legs slipped from under him. After Balewicz ruled it a slip, Nave bounced back up and charged back at Danforth, who weathered the rush and eventually fired back. The exchanges lasted a bit after the bell to end the round and Danforth would return to his corner with blood over his right eye.

Nave landed a clean right that rocked Danforth early in the eighth that brought his loud home supporters to their feet, encouraging the old warrior to press for something big. Danforth was awkward enough to evade some of the follow-up and eventually battle back. Helping Danforth’s cause was another Nave slip in the midst of an exchange. Once Nave got back up, both fighters threw until the sound of the bell, much to the delight of the crowd. In the end the scores were all wide for Nave, 79-73 and 80-72 twice.

“It was a personal I had, to get 20 wins,” said Nave after the bout. “He was awkward. He was tough, I give him credit. He was in good shape and he fought back hard. I had no idea he was left handed. I saw one picture where he was posed left handed, but everywhere you looked it said he was orthodox. I asked some people, but it’s not a good idea I guess to ask his trainer/manager. It was just difficult. I didn’t prepare whatsoever for a southpaw. It’s no excuse. You have to adjust like against anyone else and I did.”

Not only did Nave have to combat the natural effects of his advancing age, but Friday’s bout ended a second consecutive layoff of a year or more. However Nave felt better prepared physically this time around, as opposed to last year when he would eventually drop a majority decision to previously unbeaten Brandon Hoskins. “I had to lose eleven pounds in one day last year, and I didn’t give myself the best opportunity to win,” said Nave. “I swore to myself I would never do that again and I didn’t.”

With win number 20 secured, Nave could walk away satisfied, but the “Marin County Assassin” has designs on continuing. “I plan on fighting once or twice more,” says Nave. “With my resume, I think I have a chance for a decent money fight and maybe something will pop up. I don’t plan to wait it out until another year. Either I am going to stay more active or I am going to hang them up. I don’t have a timetable just yet, but I am going to take a look and see what options are out there and what opportunities I get. I can push for something now, coming off a win, so we’ll see what happens.”

Local ticket seller Laura Deanovic (1-3) of San Francisco, California earned her first pro win and avenged an earlier defeat at the same time with a hard-fought four-round unanimous decision over Claudia Amaro (1-3) of Fresno, California.

It was a free-swinging affair from the get go, as both Amaro, 127, and Deanovic, 122 ½, showed some limitations defensively but a ton of heart at the same time. Amaro opened well and cut Deanvoic over her left eye in the early going. Deanovic closed the round the aggressor and possibly took the round with a late rally. Deanovic, who presents a much more muscular, imposing figure, exercised her edge in power beginning in the second. Amaro was rocked several times, first by a solid right and later in a combination. Late in the round, Deanovic backed off, which gave Amaro a chance to press and eventually open up the cut.

After a back-and-forth third, Deanovic rushed out for the fourth and pounded Amaro throughout the round. Amaro threw back enough off the ropes to avoid a possible stoppage, but ended up on the losing end 39-37 on all three cards. Amaro took a four-round majority decision over Deanovic in May of last year.

Marquita Lee (2-0) of Novato, California withstood constant pressure throughout, but outpointed determined veteran Lisa Lewis (7-15, 3 KOs) of Fresno over four. Lewis, 127, pressed Lee, 129 ½, in the first, forcing the local fighter to the ropes for much of the opening round. Lee bounced back with a solid second round as she found a better range to start the round. Lewis eventually forced Lee back to the ropes with a clean series, before the Novato fighter brought the action back to center ring.

Outside of brief moments, Lee controlled the distance the last two rounds and thus the fight. Lee did not stand behind many of her shots in the second half, but did fight out at a range that the shorter and slower Lewis could not land at all. Closing the fight as a mover, Lee took all three cards 39-37. Moments after the fight, Lewis had to attended to by the on-hand EMTs for an asthma attack. Lewis was eventually taken by the fire department as a precaution.

Using his speed and athleticism, Aldwayne Simpson (3-0, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California thwarted the onrushing attack of Jovanni Rubio (7-16, 4 KOs) of Santa Rosa, California en route to a wide four-round unanimous decision.

Simpson, 144 ½, switched seamlessly from the southpaw stance to orthodox and back throughout the fight. The shorter Rubio, 146, had to sell out and rush in on Simpson to get into punching range, a technique that found mixed results at best.

Rubio tried to make it a dirty fight at times, perhaps to untrack Simpson. After a second round in which Simpson rocked Rubio in at least two instances, while Rubio’s moments consisted of lifting his opponent and hitting on breaks, referee Dan Stell warned both fighters for their infractions. Simpson kept his range more consistently in the third, catching Rubio at a distance.

Simpson had Rubio in trouble again in the fourth as he feinted with a right and landed clean with a left. Rubio looked to hold, eventually getting his arms around Simpson. When Stell demanded a break, Rubio continued to punch with his free hand. Stell took Rubio aside and signaled for a point deduction. Rubio kept up his dirty tactics until the end, as he initiated an exchange well after the final bell, before Stell leaped in to end the conflict. Scores were academic, as Simpson won unanimously 39-36 and 40-35 twice.

Opening the event was an amateur contest between local star Rudy Macedo of Novato and David Lopez of San Francisco. Despite downing Lopez twice, Macedo was defeated by scores 29-28 across the board. There was some confusion at the start of the fight, as the fighters were forced to switch corners after their announcement. Some ringside felt that the judges may have scored rounds for the wrong fighter, but in amateur scoring knockdowns do not lead to a 10-8 round.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

NOVATO, CALIFORNIA – Refusing to listen to his detractors, 52-year-old local hero Paul Nave returns to the ring tonight in search of elusive win number 20 as he takes on Justin Danforth in the eight-round main attraction of what will likely be the last professional boxing event to take place at Albert Park Field in Downtown San Rafael. Fighters for the five-bout card weighed-in at the nearby Inn Marin on Thursday evening.

Nave (19-9-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California was last in the ring a little over a year ago. In the fifth fight of his unlikely comeback after a nine-plus year retirement, Nave battled previously unbeaten 25-year-old Brandon Hoskins on even terms but came up just short with a majority decision defeat. Nave took painstaking measures to bring last year’s event to Albert Park Field and encountered similar obstacles in bringing tonight’s card back to the park. After granting Nave permission to host tonight’s event, local officials passed legislature that will prevent future boxing events to take place at the venue. Given all the factors, local fight fans should think of this as their last opportunity to see outdoor boxing in San Rafael and, for all anybody knows, the last hurrah of the “Marin County Assassin.”

Aiming to spoil the show is Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s “Jazzy” Justin Danforth (6-18, 1 KO). Though mired in a four-fight losing streak, Danforth has been matched tough against some of better prospects in the Midwest. Although it has not happened often, Danforth has proved capable of springing an upset. Most notably, Danforth ended the unbeaten run of Mike Post via six-round decision back in 2006. Post has yet to lose another fight. Both Nave and Danforth weighed-in a pound under the welterweight limit at 146-pounds on Thursday.

In undercard action, one of the area’s brighter prospects Aldwayne Simpson (2-0, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California will take on Jovanni Rubio (7-15, 4 KOs) of Santa Rosa, California in a four-round welterweight bout. Simpson, who recently added Virgil Hunter to his team which includes respected head trainer Henry Jarrow, will be making his Bay Area return after turning pro back in 2009. After fighting as a middleweight and super middleweight in recent years, Rubio is back down to 145-pounds for the first time since 2007. Simpson scaled 144 ½, while Rubio stripped down to just make the contracted 145-pound limit.

Novato’s Marquita Lee (1-0) returns to the Albert Park Field ring in a four-round super featherweight bout against veteran Lisa Lewis (7-14, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California. Lee is coming off of a four-round decision over Laura Deanovic last year. Lewis, though she had a fight fall out in August, has not competed since 2007. Lewis’ record reads like a who’s who in women’s boxing, including losses to Holly Holm, Melissa Fiorentino, Kelsey Jeffries and Jessica Rakoczy among others. Lee scaled 129 ½, while Lewis came in at 127-pounds.

Having proven to be a ticket seller in her defeat at the park last year, Laura Deanovic (0-3) of San Francisco, California is back in search of elusive win number one. Opposing Deanovic is a familiar foe in Claudia Amaro (1-2) of Fresno in a four-round featherweight bout. Amaro claimed a four-round majority decision over Deanovic in May of last year. Amaro’s first battle came against the scale, as she came in at 127-pounds, a few pounds over the contract limit. Deanovic made weight at 122 ½-pounds. An agreement was reached and the fight will go on as scheduled.

Opening the evening will be an amateur exhibition between local amateur star Rudy Macedo of Novato and David Lopez of San Francisco. Macedo weighed-in for their three-round bout at 154-pounds, while Lopez came in at 156-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Liberty Boxing Enterprises, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Nave 146 ½
Danforth 146 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Simpson 144 ½
Rubio 146

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lee 129 ½
Lewis 127

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Amaro 127
Deanovic 122 ½

Amateur Weigh-in Results:

Light Middleweights, 3 Rounds
Macedo 154
Lopez 156

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Featherweight prospect Guy Robb makes his hometown debut as professional boxing returns to the historic Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night. Robb takes on veteran Mexican journeyman Adolfo Landeros in a six-rounder on the undercard of the Fox Deportes-televised event.

Boxing played a huge role in making the Memorial, which originally opened in 1927 and reopened in 1996 after a ten-year closure, such an iconic venue. However the sweet science has returned only once since promoter Don Chargin hosted cards on back-to-back nights in May of 2002. With the help of Golden Boy Promotions and local promoter Paco Damian, Chargin brings the sport back this Saturday.

Guy Robb (9-1, 4 KOs), one of the several promising young faces of Sacramento boxing, is thrilled to be a part of the proceedings on Saturday night. “It will be my first time fighting in Sacramento, and what makes it even more special is that it will be at the Memorial Auditorium, a place the older generation of Sacramento legends all fought,” said Robb, who frequented events at the venue years back. “I’m excited. That place has a lot of history and the older guys have a lot of memories of that place. One of my career goals was to fight at the Memorial Auditorium, and next thing you know they are having a fight there. It is going to be great.”

Though Robb has never fought in Sacramento as a pro before, he has fought in front of hometown crowds in nearby Woodland and Fairfield on several occasions. In his last appearance just two weeks ago, Robb ended a three-month layoff before a supportive crowd at the Woodland Community & Senior Center. Robb decked ultra-tough Jonathan Alcantara en route to a unanimous decision.

“It wasn’t so much about being back in the ring, but being back in the ring near home again,” said Robb about his last fight. “It had been a while since I had a fight around town and my fights were away where not too many of my people could make it out there. When I have all my people out there hollering and yelling ‘Team Robb, Team Robb’ – that support gives me extra strength.”

Having some extra strength could come in handy against the always game Landeros (22-27-2, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico. Landeros, somehow still just 32-years-old, steps in where originally southpaw Cesar Garcia had been pegged. “I was prepared for a southpaw and it got switched on me, but it doesn’t really effect me in any way,” explains Robb, who found out about the opponent change on Sunday. “I am used to fighting an orthodox opponent and I’d rather have it switch this way than the other way.”

The usually durable Landeros will provide Robb with a litmus test, given the fact he has been in with three eventual world champions and countless prospects and contenders. “Landeros is a veteran and has been around a long time. He’s fought all those prospects and Olympians. Everybody that’s anybody, he’s fought them. He has a lot of experience and he’s a warrior. I’m young and I’m looking to give a great show out there. He’s not coming to lay down, he’s coming to fight and he knows how to fight. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to fight somebody with that type of knowledge and experience.”

Lined up after Saturday’s fight, Robb, a notorious gym rat, has some well earned time off scheduled, as he and his blossoming family have booked a cruise to Caribbean. “I pretty much stay in the gym,” explains Robb. “I enjoy what I do. But I need some family time and am taking a little break. I have a girlfriend and a son, and sometimes with the fights back-to-back, I don’t get to spend much time with them. Even if I am with them, I am not really getting to spend that time with them. I know it means a lot and family is very important to me. Boxing is my life and family is my life, so I have to get them to work together.”

Before Robb can pack his bags, apply his sunscreen and set sail, he has some unfinished business at home on Saturday night. “It’s an old warrior versus a young warrior and I expect us to provide some fireworks,” says Robb.

Photos by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA – In a good scrap that he was leading, Paul Mendez unfortunately robbed himself of praise that he likely would have attained justifiably had the fight not ended with a clear-cut low blow in the seventh round of his Telefutura-televised main event against DonYil Livingston at the Woodland Community & Senior Center on Saturday night. After an errant left hand hit Livingston below the belt, the out of position referee counted the down fighter out and awarded Mendez the stoppage victory – a decision that will likely be overturned after an appeal.

Livingston (8-2-1, 4 KOs) of Palmdale, California opened the first as the aggressor, landing his jab, before Mendez (10-2-1, 4 KOs) of Delano, California backed him to the ropes moments later. When Mendez, 162, got Livingston, 162, trapped, he did not manage to land anything really telling as the Palmdale resident covered up.

In a close second round, Livingston found a home for a hard left hand, but midway through the act it was Mendez that found his range and kept his opponent on the end of his shots.

Mendez took control of the fight in the third, hurting Livingston with a solid overhand right and flurrying his smaller adversary to the ropes. Livingston looked steady on his feet as the fourth began, but not so much as the round came to a close. Mendez rocked the cousin of Andre Ward with a hard combination and had him in trouble before the bell to end the round.

Mendez had another solid round in the fifth, but Livingston began to show renewed life as the round ended. Livingston came on the start the sixth, landing in combination as Mendez’ shots turned a bit wide. Livingston landed a hard left, before Mendez closed the round with a decent combination.

What looked to be a fight going into the final two frames, ended abruptly as Mendez caught Livingston way south of the border with a hard lefthand. Unfortunately, referee Dan Collins was over Livingston’s left shoulder, in admittedly no position to make the call. According to the attending Commission supervisor, the referee should have polled the ringside judges for the call. Judge Kermit Bayless was asked and told Collins he did not see the blow. The other two judges were unavailable to make a comment to 15rounds.com on the fight’s ending.

Scores at the time of the stoppage, which came at 43 seconds of the seventh round, were 58-56 and 59-55 twice for Mendez. The result will very likely be overturned to a no-contest, considering the Telefutura replay will clearly show the blow was low. Livingston should have had five minutes to be ready to continue, according to the rules of the California State Athletic Commission. Had he not been able to continue at that point, Mendez would have been declared a TKO winner. Given the ending, it is unfortunate for Mendez that a solid showing will likely go to waste, at least in terms of his won-loss record.

Moving up to the eight-round distance, progressing super bantam Manuel Avila (10-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield, California showed off his jab and lateral movement en route to a measured unanimous decision win over the naturally smaller John Alberto Molina (32-20-3, 20 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida by way of Caucasia, Colombia.

Despite the size disadvantage, it was Molina, 121.5, who pressed the action throughout. Though getting on inside was Molina’s only hope, his plan played into the hands of the comfortable counter-puncher Avila. The young prospect, 123, seemed happy to jab and move his way to the points win soon after the fight got under way. The little bit of action the fight provided was in the few moments Molina managed to back Avila into a corner or to the ropes, forcing his undefeated foe to exchange before moving back out of range.

After eight rounds of bull versus matador back-and-forth, Avila was given the nod on all three judges’ cards. All three officials had Avila a winner in seven of the eight rounds, with the final tally of 79-73 across the board.

Local favorite Guy Robb (9-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California sent his strong contingent home happy as he dropped the durable Jonathan Alcantara (6-9-2, 1 KO) of Novato, California en route to a wide six-round unanimous decision victory.

Despite his accomplished amateur background, Robb, 126.5, is becoming known for his relentless inside game and that trait stood out in the opening rounds against Alcantara, 128, a late fill-in opponent.

After utilizing his harder and more accurate shots through two, Robb dropped Alcantara with a combination punctuated by a stiff right hand in the opening seconds of the third. Robb applied pressure soon after Alcantara rose, forcing the Novato resident to stumble back with another clean combo. However, by the finals seconds, Alcantara seemed to have regained his legs and even began to offer back with some ineffective attempts of his own. Just to show Robb he was still present, Alcantara shoved Robb as the bell rang to end the third.

Robb, coming in off one of his longer layoffs as a pro, may have winded a bit after the third and eventually tempered his offense as the rounds wore on. Acting more as a counter puncher, Robb found success in the latter rounds. Picking his shots, Robb outboxed Alcantara in the final round en route to the shutout decision, 60-53 across the board. Robb will return to the ring October 6th in his hometown at the famed Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.

Despite an uneven start, Jonathan Chicas (7-0, 3 KOs) of San Francisco, California outgunned journeyman Jose Mendoza (7-7, 3 KOs) of Oxnard, California by way of Jalisco, Jalisco, Mexico for the second time in just under a month.

Chicas, 140, fought a bit recklessly in the opening rounds, but found a home for his power shots in each stanza. Mendoza, 139, was successful when he opened up, particularly in the second and third rounds. However, as was the case in their first encounter, Mendoza did not have the power to earn Chicas’ respect. Even when was hit clean, Chicas mostly walked through the punches and fired back in combination. Chicas regained complete control in the last two acts and was named the winner, 49-45 across the three cards. Back in August, Chicas took a shutout four-round decision over Mendoza in Fairfield, California.

A scheduled four-round super featherweight bout between former amateur standout Andy Vences of San Jose, California and Carlos Higuera Gonzalez (1-1) of Los Angeles, California was scratched from the card this afternoon. Gonzalez’ required blood work was not completed in time which forced the California State Athletic Commission to remove him from the fight. No opponent could be found to save the night for Vences, who was scheduled to make his debut. Vences now hopes to debut on the aforementioned October 6th card in Sacramento.

Photos by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com

WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA – Without undefeated records to cling to, middleweights Paul Mendez and DonYil Livingston meet in an eight-round bout that has huge implications on the rest of their careers in tonight’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised main event emanating from the Woodland Community & Senior Center. Fighters for the five-bout card weighed-in Friday night at Las Islitas Ostioneria, just down the street from tonight’s fight venue.

Mendez (9-2-1, 3 KOs) of Delano, California has kept busy over the last year, but found mixed results both times he stepped up in competition during that stretch. Last September Mendez met James Parison, who coincidentally brings a similar style into the ring that Livingston does. In a close fight, Mendez dropped a six-round decision. Two fights later, Mendez came up in class again and was perhaps lucky to escape with a draw against unbeaten Dmitry Chudinov. Now after two wins against modest opposition, Mendez, who scaled 162-pounds Friday, attempts to prove he can succeed at the next level in a pick’em type fight.

Livingston (8-1-1, 4 KOs) of Palmdale, California enters tonight’s bout with something to prove himself. Last October, Livingston earned his prospect stripes by hanging the first ‘L’ on the record of previously unbeaten and heralded Gary Shaw Productions-promoted power-puncher Kurtiss Colvin via unanimous six-round decision. However, some of that luster was knocked off three fights later as unheralded Elie Augustama dropped Livingston en route to a six-round split decision this past March. Livingston, who also scaled 162-pounds, has been out of the ring since. If he can claim a victory over Mendez, Livingston would be right back on track. Tonight’s main event is the type of fight neither fighter can afford to lose and the winner becomes an attractive option for a meaningful opportunity not too far down the road.

In the co-feature, rising super bantamweight Manuel Avila (9-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield, California will take on experienced journeyman John Alberto Molina (32-19-3, 20 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida by way of Caucasia, Colombia in an eight-rounder. Avila, scheduled for the eight-round distance for the first time, is coming off one of his better outings – a third-round knockout of previously once-beaten Vicente Alfaro just four weeks ago.

Molina, who relocated to Florida just this year, was last in the ring in July. In that fight, Molina was disposed of by undefeated Juan Carlos Payano in nine rounds in a fight fought just over the 115-pound super flyweight limit. On Friday, Avila scaled 123-pounds, while Molina came in at 121.5-pounds. Avila was one pound over the contracted weight and had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse, ten of which will go to Molina.

In what will be surely be an entertaining fight, Guy Robb (8-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California will take on the always tough Jonathan Alcantara (6-8-2, 1 KO) of Novato, California in a six-round super featherweight fight. Robb rebounded from his first pro loss with a fifth-round stoppage over Rodrigo Aranda in June and now returns to his home area for the first time since December, when he lit up the crowd at the Woodland Community & Senior Center with a fifth-round stoppage of Hugo Ramos. Alcantara, who had been scheduled to fight elsewhere tonight, but could not make the contracted weight, came in at the last minute to save Robb’s spot on the bill. Alcantara was last seen going the distance with mega prospect Roman Morales in August. Prior to that, Alcantara sprung an upset over former amateur standout Walter Sarnoi in May. Robb scaled 126.5-pounds Friday, while Alcantara came in at 128.

In a four-round light welterweight bout, Jonathan Chicas (6-0, 3 KOs) of San Francisco, California will look to outdo himself as he fights Jose Mendoza (7-6, 3 KOs) of Jalisco, Jalisco, Mexico for the second straight time. In their first meeting, which took place on August 25th, Chicas pounded his way to a shutout four-round decision. Mendoza, fighting for the fourth time in the U.S., weighed in at 139-pounds, while Chicas scaled 140.

Former amateur standout Andy Vences of San Jose, California will make his professional debut in a four-round super featherweight bout against Carlos Higuera Gonzalez (1-1) of Los Angeles, California. Vences, long one of the top ranked amateurs in the country, weighed-in at 129.5-pounds Friday. Sporting a bright blonde dye-job, Gonzalez weighed in at 130.

The evening’s festivities were supposed to be rounded out by the debut of another of the area’s top amateurs, as Ricardo Pinell of San Francisco was slated to take on Jerome Buchanon of Kalamazoo, Michigan in a four-rounder. Pinell weighed-in at 160-pounds. Unfortunately for Pinell, his opponent Buchanon came in a bit over at 174, and thus no fight.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Paco Presents and Jorge Marron Productions, are available online at PacoPresentsBoxing.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Mendez 162
Livingston 162

Super Bantamweights, 8 Rounds
Avila 123
Molina 121.5

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Robb 126.5
Alcantara 128

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 140
Mendoza 139

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Vences 129.5
Higuera Gonzalez 130

Photos by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — In another virtuoso performance, unified super middleweight champion Andre Ward thrilled his local following in dismantling reigning recognized light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson with a tenth-round stoppage at the Oracle Arena on Saturday night. With the win, and the way in which he claimed it, Ward must now be considered the obvious choice to eventually succeed Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the pound-for-pound king.

After a calculated first round, Ward (26-0, 14 KOs) of Oakland completely took over the fight by the end of round two. At the close of the second stanza, Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs) of New Haven, Connecticut walked back to his corner with a cut over his right eye – the result of a headbutt.

Early in the third, Ward, 168, landed a right lead, followed by a short left that dropped Dawson, 168, for the first of three times in the fight. Dawson got up and began to return fire immediately. Ward landed a couple more hard shots, before Dawson offered back.

Though Dawson looked to have a clear head as the third came to a close, a left in close early in the fourth dropped the WBC Light Heavyweight titleholder again. Though Ward tripped, referee Steve Smoger correctly ruled the knockdown on Dawson. Ward unloaded a heavy arsenal, pressuring Dawson around the ring, but the glassy-eyed light heavyweight champion managed to make it out of the round. Ward may have been a bit winded just as Dawson was ready to go, but it would end up being a moot point.

Dawson looked almost refreshed by the end of the fifth, but Ward punctuated the round with another awkward hard left. Ward opened the sixth back behind his jab, walking down Dawson. The world’s leading 175-pounder could only manage to throw one at a time, which will never get you back into a fight with Andre Ward.

After taking some of the seventh round off, Ward punished Dawson in the seventh, most notably landing two left uppercuts that looked to have knocked some brain matter out of the left hander’s mouth, while the Oakland native had his back to the ropes.

Ward again staggered Dawson in close early in the eighth. Dawson came back with two lefts, one an uppercut, but the wind was clearly out of the southpaw’s sails. When the bell sounded to end the round, Dawson slowly walked back to his corner a defeated-looking fighter.

With the writing on the wall at the end of the ninth, Dawson’s corner opted to send their man out for round ten, rather than call it a night. The move just allowed Ward to land another hard left at range, followed by a right hand. The combination touched off a flurry that dropped Dawson for the third time. Referee Steve Smoger took his time and gave Dawson a good look. Reportedly, Dawson told Smoger, ‘We’re done.’ Smoger waved off the fight at 2:45 of round ten. With the win, Ward retained his WBA and WBC 168-pound titles and opened the door to numerous, mouth-watering possibilities.

In a shockingly quick performance, Antonio DeMarco (28-2, 21 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico successfully defended his WBC Lightweight title with a first-round stoppage over WBC #15 ranked John Molina Jr. (24-2, 19 KOs) of Covina, California.

DeMarco, 134 ½, landed a stiff jab that managed to send Molina, 134 ½, reeling across the ring, eyes unclear. Sensing his man was in some trouble, DeMarco pressed Molina into a neutral corner and flurried him into a hunched over position. Instead of making the decision to take a knee or fire back, Molina simply covered up in an unprotected posture, which really left referee Jack Reiss no choice but to stop the fight. Time of the stoppage was 44 seconds of the opening round.

In the last fight before HBO went on the air live, Malik Scott (35-0, 12 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania scored a rare stoppage due to an injury to the left arm of Bowie Tupou (22-2, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Nukualofa, Tonga in a fight the Philadelphian controlled from minute one.

Unsurprisingly, Scott, 226, kept his distance in the opening round, staying behind his jab and keeping the shorter-armed Tupou, 260, out of his own punching range. Try as he might, Tupou kept looking for openings as the fight progressed into the middle and late rounds, but the defensive-minded Scott refused to open up or give him a sizeable target. Seconds into the eighth and final round, Tupou complained of pain in the area of either his left elbow or bicep and referee Ray Balewicz waved off the fight at 52 seconds.

2000 U.S. Olympian Ricardo Williams Jr. (20-3, 10 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio kept breath in his up-and-down career with a six-round majority decision over Anthony Lenk (14-2, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Williams, 143 ½, really deserved a unanimous score as he was clearly the harder and more effective puncher throughout the fight. The game and durable Lenk, 143 ½, must have won over one judge with his heart and determination to earn an even card.

After boxing his way through the first three rounds, Williams ramped up and seemed to hurt Lenk in the third. By the start of the fourth, Williams felt comfortable enough to stand and trade in spots with the still forward-moving Lenk.

At the end of the fifth, the former Olympian really sat down on his punches and had Lenk in some trouble as the final bell sounded. Perhaps frustrated by the the direction of the fight, Lenk let one go after the bell that did not seem to bother Williams. Though he was not really in the fight, Lenk had one of his better rounds in the sixth, but it was too little too late for the Nevadan. In the end, two judges had the fight 58-56 twice for Williams and one even at 57-57.

Franklin Lawrence (18-2-2, 13 KOs) of Indianapolis, Indiana remained busy, but failed to impress the slow-arriving crowd with a stoppage win over journeyman Homero Fonseca (9-6-3, 2 KOs) of Pearsall, Texas. Lawrence, 233 ½, pecked and jabbed his way through seven full rounds, but never really committed to making a statement in the night’s opening contest. Fonseca, 253, winged the occasional hook, but was never really in the fight. With swelling around his left eye and no hope really in turning around the contest, referee Edward Collantes opted to stop the bout just before the start of the eighth round.

In the first of two walkout bouts, Tony Hirsch (13-5-2, 6 KOs) of Oakland pleased the group of Bay Area fight fans that stuck around with a free-swinging four-round unanimous decision over tough Roberto Yong (5-6-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California.

Hirsch, 157, who must have been inspired by what Ward had just accomplished before him, came out and seemed to want to put Yong, 158 ½, on his back. However, Yong has continually proven to be a tough cookie for everyone he has shared a ring with and Saturday proved to be no different. Just to let Hirsch know he was in a fight, Yong landed a hard right just before the final bell. However, all three judges had the fight for Hirsch, 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

In a fight that deserves more space than can be afforded to a walkout bout, Randy Guerrero (0-0-1) of Gilroy, California and Juan Urbina (0-0-1) of Santa Ana, California slugged it out with all they had for four rounds en route to a majority draw. Guerrero, 124, seemed to take round one with his early apparent edge in power. Urbina, 119, came right back in round two and landed some hard shots that likely took round two. Over the next two rounds it would be hard to choose who did the most damage, as both did plenty. In the end, one judge had Guerrero ahead, 39-37, but was overruled by the other two who had it even, 38-38. Though the hometown crowd wanted a Guerrero win, it was the type of fight no one deserved to lose.

Photos by Alexis Cuarezma

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – There is a mythical pound-for-pound crown that hangs precariously on the head of 35-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. Considering “Money May’s” age and his ever present out-of-the-ring distractions, the next wave must all be chomping at the bit to pick up where Mayweather will eventually leave off. Two fighters that have openly looked up to Floyd as their careers have progressed will have their chance at stepping into the heir to the throne role, as Andre Ward defends his 168-pound titles against current 175-pound titleholder Chad Dawson tomorrow night at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Fighters for the HBO-televised event weighed-in outdoors Friday afternoon at the Oakland City Center.

Dawson (31-1, 17 KOs) of New Haven, Connecticut entered a hostile environment, much like the one that awaits him Saturday, on a much larger scale of course, as he took to the scale. Dawson enters Saturday’s contest off one of his biggest wins in name, as he reclaimed the WBC Light Heavyweight title he dropped in 2010 to Jean Pascal with a less than thrilling twelve-round majority decision over Bernard Hopkins in April. Though Dawson is coming down in weight, “Bad Chad” had campaigned as low as 160-pounds early in his career and was a super middleweight until early 2006. Dawson weighed in at the super middleweight limit of 168-pounds, his lowest number since November of 2005.

Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland enters Saturday’s twelve-round contest on one of the better two-year runs in the recent history of the sport. Ward shocked nearly everyone outside of the Bay Area with his WBA title win over Mikkel Kessler in November of 2009 and has since disposed of two reigning or former champions, one multiple-time title challenger and one perennial contender in Allan Green. Ward’s last win over Carl Froch in November unified the WBC and WBA 168-pound titles he defends against Dawson on Saturday. Ward looked comfortable at the scale, weighing in at 168-pounds for his fifth title defense at the weight.

When two champions with records like the ones that stand next to the names Ward and Dawson meet up, the talk surrounding the fight almost always involves the often debated pound-for-pound title. A few years back Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, one of the many trainers to walk in and out of Dawson’s revolving doors, guaranteed to the media at a San Francisco press conference that his newest charge would be atop the pound-for-pound heap within two or three years time. Muhammad, who had taken over for Floyd Mayweather Sr. on Dawson’s team, has since been replaced, but with a win on Saturday, his prophecy would be closer than ever to coming to fruition.

With the recent struggles of Manny Pacquiao and even Sergio Martinez to a degree, it would be hard to envision a way to keep Ward out of that number two position behind Mayweather with a win over Dawson on Saturday. Yes, Dawson has given up the few pound advantage he would have had at light heavyweight, and yes the fight is in Ward’s hometown. But those are the perks that come with being a bona fide ticket seller, which Ward has proven to be and Dawson never has.

In the televised co-feature, Antonio DeMarco (27-2, 20 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico aims to defend his WBC Lightweight title for the second time this year against John Molina Jr. (24-1, 19 KOs) of Covina, California in a twelve-round bout.

Aided by the intelligent handling by their respective promotional teams, both DeMarco (promoted by Gary Shaw Productions) and Molina (handled by Goossen Tutor Promotions) have impressively rebuilt their careers following major setbacks in the last three years. Back in February 2010, DeMarco was utterly dismantled by the late Edwin Valero in his first attempt at a major title. DeMarco is 4-0 since against a strong crop that included his come-from-behind, title-winning effort over Jorge Linares last October. DeMarco weighed-in at 134 ½-pounds Friday.

After his upset loss to Martin Honorio back in November of 2009, Molina reeled off two quick wins before stepping in to upset previously unbeaten Henry Lundy in July of the following year. Mostly biding time for the right opportunity since, Molina has finally signed on for his first crack at a world title. The WBC #15 ranked lightweight Molina, who figures to have a strong supporting crowd making the trip up from Southern California, weighed in at 134 ½-pounds.

In undercard action, long undefeated heavyweight Malik Scott (34-0, 11 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania steps up to one of the tougher challenges in his slow-progressing career against big Bowie Tupou (22-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Nukualofa, Tonga in a bout scheduled for either eight or ten rounds.

Scott, who scaled 226-pounds, was one of the sought after prospects after the 2000 Olympic Games, but has gone nowhere in a hurry. Saturday’s fight with Tupou marks Scott’s third fight this year after a three-plus year hiatus. Tupou, who came in at 260-pounds, has not exactly been on the face track either, but has reeled off two solid wins against Manuel Quezada and Donnell Holmes in the last fourteen months.

In other heavyweight action, surprising contender Franklin Lawrence (17-2-2, 12 KOs) of Indianapolis, Indiana will keep busy in an eight-rounder against Homero Fonseca (9-5-3, 2 KOs) of Pearsall, Texas. Lawrence, who scaled 233 ½-pounds, raised some eyebrows with back-to-back stoppage wins over Lance Whitaker and Jason Estrada to claim minor titles. Fonseca, who came in at a soft 253-pounds, is 1-3-1 in his last five, but only one of those bouts were scored unanimously against him.

The rollercoaster career of 2000 U.S. Olympian Ricardo Williams Jr. continues against once-beaten Anthony Lenk (14-1, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a welterweight bout scheduled for either six or eight-rounds. Williams (19-3, 10 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio strung together nine consecutive wins after regaining his freedom from imprisonment before running into eventual title challenger Carson Jones last December. Looking to rebound from that fourth-round stoppage defeat, Williams takes on the unproven Lenk. The only really recognizable name on the ledger of Lenk accounts for his only defeat, a hard-fought six-round decision loss to Jessie Vargas when each fighter had less than six pro fights. Both Williams and Lenk scaled 143 ½-pounds Friday.

Longtime Andre Ward sparring partner Tony Hirsch (12-5-2, 6 KOs) of Oakland gets a rare chance to fight at home against a tougher-than-his-record foe in Roberto Yong (5-5-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California in a middleweight bout scheduled for either four or six-rounds. Last seen taking a tough fight on less than 24 hours notice all the way up at 180-pounds, Hirsch scaled a fit-and-trim 157-pounds on Friday. Yong, who weighed in at 158 ½-pounds, has never been stopped and was unlucky to only get a draw against previously unbeaten DonYil Livingston back in August of last year.

Carrying the pressure of his famous last name, Randy Guerrero of Gilroy, California embarks on his pro career against fellow first-timer Juan Urbina of Santa Ana, California in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Guerrero, the brother of world champion Robert “The Ghost” and a standout amateur in his own right, weighed in at 124-pounds. The equally confident-looking Urbina scaled only 119-pounds, which seemed to raise an eyebrow with members of the California State Athletic Commission, but the fight is officially set.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Antonio Leonard TNT Promotions and SOG Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC Super Middleweight Championship
WBA Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ward 168
Dawson 168

WBC Lightweight Championship, 12 Rounds
DeMarco 134 ½
Molina Jr. 134 ½

Heavyweights, 8 or 10 Rounds
Scott 226
Tupou 260

Heavyweights, 8 Rounds
Lawrence 233 ½
Fonseca 253

Welterweights, 6 or 8 Rounds
Williams Jr. 143 ½
Lenk 143 ½

Middleweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Hirsch 157
Yong 158 ½

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Guerrero 124
Urbina 119

Mario Ortega Jr. can be contacted at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The long-running fight series at the Four Points by Sheraton San Diego ends the summer with a bang as it plays host to a promising six-fight card tonight. In the main event, light welterweight prospect Jonathan Garcia hopes to continue to build towards something meaningful as he goes up against tough Pedro Arcos in a six-rounder. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the hotel.

Garcia (8-0, 6 KOs) of Watsonville, California returns to his home state three fights into his 2012 campaign and looks to be taking a modest step up against Pedro Arcos (8-2, 6 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Garcia, who scaled 139-pounds Thursday night, was last seen dropping Leo Martinez en route to a decision win in Columbus, Ohio in late May. Arcos, who also came in at 139, has fought outside of his native Mexico only once and it accounted for one of his two losses.

The supporting card features some promising young talent from mostly out of town in four-round attractions. Unbeaten Eduardo Rivera (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico makes his U.S. debut against longtime journeyman opponent Adolfo Landeros (22-26-2, 10 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a four-round super featherweight bout. Rivera, who scaled 132-pounds, was last seen in a scheduled eight-rounder, as he stopped 10-0-2 Luis Solis in six. Landeros, weighing in at 133-pounds last night, scored a rare win two fights back against 4-10 Cesar Garcia on June 28th. However, any thoughts of a winning streak were dashed by 18-0 Horatio Garcia, who scored a ten-round decision over Landeros just two weeks later.

In the most competitively-matched bout on the card at least on paper, Oscar Godoy (7-2, 3 KOs) of Watsonville, California will take on 2009 U.S. Championships bronze medalist Richard Hargraves (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Francisco, California in a four-round welterweight bout. Godoy thrilled area fight fans in defeat, as he traded knockdowns with Joshua Marks at the Gonzalez Sports Academy in nearby Chula Vista in January. Hargraves is coming in off of a big road win against fellow former national amateur standout Michael Faulk via six-round unanimous decision in Minnesota in June. Both Godoy and Hargraves scaled 147-pounds.

Co-promoter Jorge Marron has imported two of his fighters from Columbus, Ohio for this event as light heavyweight Donald Anderson and debuting light flyweight Jesus Rojas will see action in separate four-round bouts. Anderson (1-0, 1 KO) will take on Jose Jesus Hurtado (3-5, 3 KOs) of San Ysidro, California. Anderson, who turned pro in May with a first-round KO, scaled 175-pounds. Hurtado, coming off of a first-round stoppage to Rudy Puga Jr. last November, weighed-in at 177-pounds.

Rojas meets Christian Salgado (1-3) of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico to open the event. Rojas, making his debut many miles from the comforts of home, weighed 107 ½-pounds Thursday. Salgado, who had the unenviable task of going up against prospect Matthew Villanueva in his third pro bout, weighed-in at 110-pounds

Scheduled to hit the scales at noon today, Emmanuel Robles (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Diego by way of Coyuca de Benítez, Guerrero, Mexico will take on career opponent Jaime Orrantia (26-27-5, 14 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in a four-round light welterweight bout. Orrantia had not yet arrived in town by the time of Thursday’s scheduled weigh-in. Orrantia has lost three straight, which accounts for his entire 2012 campaign. Robles will be returning to the site of his first three professional bouts.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Don Chargin Productions in association with Bobby D. Presents and Jorge Marron Productions, are available online at SanDiegoFights.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Garcia 139
Arcos 139

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Rivera 132
Landeros 133

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Godoy 147
Hargraves 147

Light Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Anderson 175
Hurtado 177

Light Flyweights, 4 Rounds
Rojas 107 ½
Salgado 110

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Robles*
Orrantia*

*will weigh-in at noon tomorrow

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA – Welterweight prospect Alan Sanchez survived some tense moments but kept his impressive recent run rolling with a tenth-round stoppage of fading Manuel Leyva in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event at the Fairfield Sports Center on Saturday night.

Sanchez (11-2-1, 5 KOs) of Fairfield gave Leyva (21-8, 12 KOs) of Downey, California by way of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico more respect than was likely necessary in the fight’s opening rounds. With all the glove-touching at the start, during and conclusion of each round, one would think these were two old amigos engaging in a friendly sparring session.

Finally when Leyva, 147, got the gumption to press the action midway through the fight, the usually freer-swinging Sanchez, 146, turned up his aggression to match. When Sanchez eventually pressed Leyva back the Fairfield resident left an opening for a counter to his midsection. At one minute of the sixth round, the more natural 140-pound Leyva landed perhaps the hardest shot he could to Sanchez’ body which nearly folded the fan favorite in half. The left hand came from long distance, but hit its target just right.

Sanchez protected his body as much as possible as Leyva swung away, hoping to catch that same sweet spot he had found moments earlier. Once he could figured he could not find Sanchez’ body again, Leyva landed some clean head shots that if he had any power at welterweight could have posed a more serious problem for his opponent.

With Sanchez still nursing a sore body, the Fairfield resident managed to come back and turn the tables, catching Leyva with some stiff head shots while pressing him around the ring. Leyva had obviously missed his one opportunity at turning the fight in his favor, and just like that Sanchez took over.

With the battle-weary Leyva quickly losing steam, Sanchez was no longer struggling to figure out his opponent’s southpaw style and began bringing the type of fight that has made him such a gate attraction in his adopted hometown. By the end of the seventh, Leyva was cut on the forehead and finding it hard to stay on his feet.

After wearing down Leyva to a nub of the fighter that entered the bout, Sanchez landed a clean right counter over the top that forced the Mexican import to a knee against the ropes. Referee Dan Stell, who had kept close watch during the preceding flurry, leaped in immediately and stopped the bout. Time of the stoppage was 1:46 of the tenth and final round.

In the televised co-feature, super bantamweight prospect Manuel Avila (9-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield gave one of the better performances of his career with a third-round stoppage of previously once-beaten Vicente Alfaro (5-2, 1 KO) of Northfield, Minnesota.

Avila, 122, still seems to neglect his defense in spots, but looked like a much more complete offensive force as he scored two official knockdowns of Alfaro, 120.5, en route to the technical knockout. In the second round, Alfaro’s glove grazed the canvas after an Avila power shot. In the fourth, Avila forced one of Alfaro’s knees to touch the mat, according to referee Edward Collantes anyhow. From a distance Alfaro looked clear-headed, but Avila rushed in and went for the kayo with a flurry, prompting Collantes to leap in and save the Minnesotan from any further punishment. Time of the stoppage was 2:04 of the third.

Avila, who had just fought on the July 28th undercard of Robert Guerrero-Selcuk Aydin in San Jose, California, will return to the ring on September 22nd as the main event of a Telefutura Solo Boxeo emanating from the Woodland Community Center in Woodland, California.

In a wholly unnecessary rematch, Paul Mendez (9-2-1, 3 KOs) of Delano, California scored a second victory over the always game journeyman Loren Myers (8-17-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California – this time via corner stoppage.

Mendez, 168.5, had just fought the last weekend of July and thus was much sharper than the first time he and Myers, 170, met back last October. Mendez was also six pounds lighter than in their first meeting and much closer to his long planned weight division. Myers, who has a reputation for having a strong chin, seemed to handle Mendez’ power but at no point was he in the fight. After three one-sided rounds, Myers’ manager Andy Nance informed referee Dan Stell he had seen enough and the fight was stopped.

Mendez, pegged for Telefutura date on September 22nd in Woodland, California, had won every round on every card of his initial six-round encounter with longtime friend and fellow Central California resident Myers last year in Salinas, California.

Jonathan Chicas (6-0, 3 KOs) of San Francisco, California worked his way through a wide four-round unanimous decision over Mexican import Jose Mendoza (7-6, 3 KOs) just before Telefutura went on the air.

There was some good back-and-forth throughout the four rounds, but Chicas, 139.5, was clearly the winner of each. In the second it looked as though Chicas may have scored a knockdown, but referee Edward Collantes decided that Mendoza, 139, had slipped. Scores read 40-36 three times for the undefeated Chicas. For Jamay, Jalisco’s Mendoza it was his sixth consecutive defeat, but his first in the stretch to not come by way of a stoppage.

Knockout artist Joe Gumina (3-1, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California was taken the distance but took a clear four-round decision over Sacramento, California’s Payton Boyea (0-2) in the opening bout of the night.

Gumina, 188.5, rushed out and pounded Boyea, 191.5, in the early going. The Sacramento native managed to weather the early storm and settled in as Gumina slowly calmed down his attack in the latter moments of the round.

The two exchanged strong hooks midway through the second, but it was clear Boyea’s shot did not bother Gumina, while the opposite was not so true. Gumina stunned Boyea again with a hard jab late in the third round that started off and offensive rally which resulted in a cut left eye. The cut was ruled to be from a headbutt, but the end result was unchanged by the ruling.

A one-two from Gumina early in the fourth seemed to stun Boyea again, but the San Francisco favorite failed to follow up on the moment. Boyea mounted a short burst of offense, but Gumina shrugged it off and swung back. After a brief respite, Gumina fired away at the ten second warning as the fight came to a close. Scores read 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – One would have to think coming so close to a crack at a world title and coming up just short would be the end of things for many a fighter in the same place in life as longtime light heavyweight contender Otis Griffin. Financially stable outside of boxing and with little left to prove outside of winning the big one, Griffin is not ready to walk away just yet. World ranked for many of his eight-plus years as a professional, Griffin looks to take a small step back towards the top of the heap at 175-pounds against journeyman Adam Collins in the eight-round main event tonight in his adopted hometown at the inaugural fight night for the DoubleTree Hotel. Most fighters for the six-bout card weighed in Thursday afternoon at Sandra Dee’s Bar-B-Que & Seafood.

Having clawed his way back up the rankings after some terrible decisions, Griffin (23-10-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento moved his way into a world title eliminator against Yusaf Mack in September of last year. It was not Griffin’s night, as Mack took a twelve-round split decision and the crack at IBF Light Heavyweight titleholder Tavoris Cloud. Unfortunately for Griffin, the loss to Mack touched off a four-fight skid marred by even more horrific scoring, namely in fights against Shawn Hawk and Cedric Agnew.

Putting those unfortunate road losses in the rearview, Griffin is back at home in Sacramento and finds himself beginning again in many ways against Collins (11-7, 8 KOs) of Ironton, Ohio. Collins with some of the best prospects in the division over the last year, but admittedly not fared very well. After his recent run of bad luck, it would be hard to blame Griffin for not taking on the stiffest test out there, especially for a homecoming return. Despite his record, Collins looked the part of a legitimate contender at the weigh-in, scaling a fit-and-trim 173 ½-pounds. Griffin, always in shape, scaled 176 ½-pounds.

The rest of the card, the first offering from upstart promoters O.P.P. Presents, features local area fighters in four-round bouts. Debuting light welterweight Juan “Chico” Martinez of Sacramento will take on Alonso Loeza (1-6-1, 1 KO) of Gilroy, California. Martinez, a fighter promoter Mark Nanney has high hopes for, scaled 142 ½-pounds. Loeza, who has a deceiving record considering most of his defeats came against well regarded prospects on short notice, weighed-in at 145-pounds.

In a pairing of debuting super featherweights, Alberto Torres of Sacramento takes on Sun Valley, California’s Christian Silva in a four-rounder. Torres weighed in at 128-pounds on Thursday afternoon, while his opponent Silva came in a pound lighter at 127.

Hot local ticket seller John Abella (1-0) of Sacramento will take on Misael Martinez (0-5) of Los Angeles, California by way of Managua, Nicaragua in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Abella impressed with drawing power and his performance in his debut four-round decision over Johnny Mancilla in Sacramento this past June. Martinez looks to have a tough road to hoe, as he is coming up in weight and ending a three-year layoff. Abella scaled 123 ½, while Martinez came in at 121 ½-pounds on Thursday.

Jose Alvarez (2-1) of Sanger, California will take on Gregorio Viramontes (0-2-1) of Woodbridge, California in a four-round super middleweight bout. Alvarez, who went all the way up to 178-pounds for his last fight, is back down where he belongs at super middleweight. Viramontes, who is coming off of a kayo loss to Sacramento’s Mike Guy, weighed-in at 168-pounds, as did Alvarez.

Rounding out the card was supposed to be Sacramento’s Mike Ortega (2-0, 1 KO) against Sacramento product Velvet Malone in a four-round light middleweight bout. However, Malone suffered a training injury earlier in the week. Taking his place on short notice is battle-tested Cleven Ishe (3-8, 1 KO) of Long Beach, California. Ortega, ending a layoff of over a year, weighed-in Thursday at 156-pounds. Ishe, who just fought two weeks ago, arrived into Sacramento late on Thursday and will weigh-in at the California State Athletic Commission’s office at noon today. Ishe must weigh no more than 162-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by O.P.P. Presents, are available by calling 925-787-9586 or online at OPPBoxing.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light Heavyweights, 8 Rounds
Griffin 176 ½
Collins 173 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Martinez 142 ½
Loeza 145

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Torres 128
Silva 127

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Abella 123 ½
Martinez 121 ½

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Viramontes 168
Alvarez 168

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Ortega 156
Ishe*

*will weigh-in at noon today

Photos by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

CLOVIS, CALIFORNIA – Tonight at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California, two longtime rivals square off in what is being billed as the last fight for both, as Christy Martin aims to defend her WBC Light Middleweight title against Mia St. John in a rematch of their memorable 2002 encounter. Fighters for the five-bout event weighed-in Monday at the Bod-e² Shop in nearby Clovis.

Martin (49-6-3, 31 KOs) of Orlando, Florida is going for elusive win number fifty as she caps what has been perhaps the most important career in the history of women’s boxing. Martin’s first attempt at the big 5-0 came in June of last year, as she took on Dakota Stone in Los Angeles, California. Martin had defeated Stone to claim the WBC title two years prior and was on her way to a points win in the rematch. However a broken hand forced referee David Mendoza to award the fight to Stone, despite the fact the fight had reached the sixth and final round.

Martin’s difficulty in defeating St. John back in 2002 led some to question what she had left in the tank way back then. Martin has been less than active in the years since for a variety of reasons, but the lady that put the sport on the map is not too concerned with her naysayers. “People have said all kinds of different things,” explains Martin. “I have been on the downslide since I started. I don’t care what the commentators or sports writers have to say. My job is to go out there and fight my hardest and that’s what I am going to do. I am going to go out there and be entertaining to the crowd like I’ve done for almost sixty fights now.”

St. John (46-11-2, 18 KOs) of Oxnard, California has kept much more active in the years since their 2002 meeting and proven herself to be a top notch fighter, having taken on some of the best opposition in and around her weight division. Few would have likely predicted that St. John would have had as successful a career as it has turned out to be back when she was fighting in four-rounders on pay-per-view undercards. “I went into the first fight with people thinking I would get knocked out in the first round and obviously that didn’t happen,” recalls St. John. “I went on to fight the best women in boxing. I fought Holly Holm, Jessica Rakoczy and the list goes on. I fought them all. People know by now that I am not just a novelty. I can walk away from the sport knowing the truth. I know I wasn’t the best female boxer in women’s boxing, but nor was I the worst. I was damn good. I know the truth, because I have fought the worst, the mediocre and the best, so I know where I stand. I don’t regret any move in my career. I feel that I did what was right.”

An issue before their first fight and again heading into the rematch was weight. The fight is for the WBC’s 154-pound title. The last recorded weight for St. John was 137 ¼, so right away it is easy to see who the naturally bigger fighter is going to be. “There is still a huge weight difference,” said St. John. “There is a bigger weight difference now than there was ten years ago. That doesn’t bother me because I feel that she is going to be bigger and stronger, but I am faster and a better technician. I feel the better boxer prevails. Not always, but in this case that will be true.” Martin weighed in at 150.2-pounds Tuesday, while St. John scaled 146.6.

In undercard action, Former amateur standout Luis Villagomez of Fresno is still on the bill and will take on Manuel Ortega (1-4) of Seattle, Washington in a four-round featherweight bout. Villagomez, who scaled 125.4 on Monday, has a quickly improving record. His pro debut, which ended on a cut, was recently changed from a loss to a no contest, based on the finding that a headbutt was the original cause of the laceration. Ortega, who came in at 126.2, has lost four straight, but did go the distance with prospect Randy Caballero.

Yoshi Fuji (2-3-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno ends a five-year layoff against Jose Garcia (0-2) of Santa Ana, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Fuij, who scaled 132-pounds, has fought at Table Mountain Casino twice before. He hopes to begin his return with a victory that would end a three-fight skid. Garcia, who came in at 131.8, has gone the distance in both of his two pro bouts, which each took place last year.

In a four-round lightweight affair, Aaron Acevedo (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Moreno Valley, California will take on Angel Torres (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Yonkers, New York. Acevedo, who scaled 132.2, fought just over a month ago, earning a draw against debuting Daniel Martinez. Torres, who weighed-in at 133, has been stopped four straight times.

Fleshing out the card, David Barragan (1-0-1, 1 KO) of National City, California will take on Beau Hamilton (0-2) of Montague, California in a four-round middleweight fight. Barragan, who weighed 157, comes in off of a draw with Marquise Bruce in March. Hamilton, who scaled 156.8, was last seen going the distance with debuting Antonio Tarver protégé Juan Reynoso in June.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Roy Englebrecht Events, are available online at Tmcasino.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC Light Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Martin 150.2
St. John 146.6

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Villagomez 125.4
Ortega 126.2

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Fujii 132
Garcia 131.8

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Acevedo 132.2
Torres 133

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Barragan 157
Hamilton 156.8

Photo by Marty Solis/California Advocate

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Back in December of 2002, the two most well-known faces in women’s boxing at the time squared off in a crossroads bout of sorts, as Playboy cover girl Mia St. John squared off against Sports Illustrated cover girl and long respected fighter Christy Martin before a pay-per-view audience. To the surprise of many, St. John proved she could hang with a top level fighter as she boxed well but lost a wide decision. Both women have had their ups and downs professionally and personally, but still remain two of the most recognizable faces in the history of their sport. Another thing remains the same – neither seems to like the other all that much. The two meet this coming Tuesday at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California with Martin’s WBC Light Middleweight title on the line.

Martin (49-6-3, 31 KOs) of Orlando, Florida was the heavy favorite going into their first encounter. Martin was the fighter and St. John was supposed to be the novelty act. However, by lasting the distance with Martin and winning a handful of rounds, St. John (46-11-2, 18 KOs) of Oxnard, California legitimized herself as a solid pro and used the showing to launch the rest of her fighting career. Fast forward to the present day and Martin seems to give little credit to St. John for how well she performed back in 2002.

“I don’t think that the [first] fight was competitive, but she did take some great shots,” says Martin. “I was convinced in my mind that I was going to knock her out with a body shot, so that’s what I did. For ten rounds I worked on her body and stayed on her body. Whether or not she had on something under her clothes, I don’t know, but that is what I tend to believe. I didn’t hear a little moan or groan from Mia when she took those body shots. I hear that from my male sparring partners, that I have good body shots. So to see no reaction from Mia, makes me wonder what she had on.”

Under armor theories aside, Martin has seemed to forget that late in their first fight, it was “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” that asked her corner who they had winning the fight, not St. John. “Clearly she knew she was not easily winning the fight,” said St. John when that moment from their first fight was brought up. “I have a style that Christy does not do well with and many fighters don’t do well with. I’m a mover and I use a lot of angles, very difficult to land a clean punch. This is why I have only been knocked down once in my career and that was by a southpaw.”

It is almost hard to believe it took nearly ten years for a promoter to put together the rematch, as Roy Englebrecht has done. Both fighters spoke as though it was a fight they have wanted to make, and one that they look forward to. “This has been ten years in the making,” St. John said. “I am excited about it. I feel like I outboxed her in the first fight. And now that I know her even better, I feel that not only will I outbox her again, but I will actually stop Christy Martin and I will retire with the WBC belt.” Martin seemed extra juiced to be coming to California for the rematch. “It has been ten years in the making,” said Martin. “I am excited to have the opportunity to beat her again and this time in front of her hometown fans.”

A theme throughout the telecast of their initial encounter was how both Martin and St. John dealt with complications relating to the promotion of their first bout and how it could have affected them on fight night. “The first time around, there were a lot of distractions with the fight being scheduled and rescheduled,” Martin recalled. “It was going to happen. Then it was not going to happen. The day before I found out I was not going to be paid and I was going to have to sue the guy. My trainer at my time was my ex-husband, who was more interested in making sure that Mia got paid than I got paid. It was a bunch of bullshit basically.”

Admittedly both fighters have dealt with their share of distractions in the lead up to Tuesday’s rematch. The fight had been scheduled for earlier in the year, but with Martin still dealing with the legal entanglements surrounding the vicious attack by her ex-husband, the fight was postponed. Meanwhile St. John dealt with the grief of losing her mother to illness. Despite the hardships, both fighters seemed to have put their issues in their proper place and focused on the task at hand.

“We both went into that first fight not being able to spar and not being able to train,” recalled St. John. “We both had distractions having to do with the promoter of the first fight. With this fight, it is no different. She’s had distractions and so have I. My mother spent all of 2011 battling lung cancer and passed away five months ago. So we both have had major distractions in our lives, but at the end of the day we are fighters and that’s what we do. It is not going to be any different. None of that stuff is going to matter once the bell rings.”

Martin gave similar sentiments relating to her issues. “This time is altogether different,” says Martin, comparing the distractions before fight one and two. “I am training in Las Vegas with Miguel Diaz, a number one quality trainer. I am getting great sparring, so I will be more than prepared and ready to go. I am 100 percent. All the injuries from being shot and stabbed were all healed before I got in the ring last year. I broke my hand in nine places, but it is all healed. The doctor released me months ago, and I am ready to try it out on Mia’s head.”

Tuesday’s fight has been billed as “Final Victory.” Both St. John and Martin have kept in the tradition of their male counterparts, having both had more than one “final fight” in their career up to this point. However, it does seem like they recognize Tuesday’s fight at the Table Mountain Casino provides them a chance to go out with a bang, so maybe this will be it for them. Maybe.

“I know that when I win, she is going to want a rubber match,” said St. John, offering a scenario that could see her return to the ring another time. “Her ego is too big to let her just say ‘Mia beat me, I’m retired.’ She won’t do that. I will be willing to give her a rubber match, but I won’t fight anybody else, so stop calling me out. That is going to be it.”

Martin left the door slightly less open to another fight beyond August 14th, “I’m 99.9 percent sure of retirement at the end of the fight, win, lose or draw,” said Martin. “I’m a fighter, so it is hard to say 100 percent that I am done. But the end is definitely very, very near.”

Tomorrow’s undercard was originally meant to feature local Fresno-area fighters from top to bottom, but some late pullouts left the promotion scrambling to piece together the supporting card. Former amateur standout Luis Villagomez of Fresno is still on the bill and will take on Manuel Ortega (1-4) of Seattle, Washington in a four-round super featherweight bout. Yoshi Fuji (2-3-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno will end a five-year layoff against Jose Garcia (0-2) of Santa Ana, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Aaron Acevedo (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Moreno Valley, California will take on Angel Torres (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Yonkers, New York in a four-round lightweight bout. Rounding out the card, David Barragan (1-0-1, 1 KO) of National City, California will take on Beau Hamilton (0-2) of Montague, California in a four-round light middleweight fight.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Roy Englebrecht Events, are available online at Tmcasino.com.

Super featherweight prospect Diego Magdaleno continued his run through the lower rungs of the division with a fourth-round stoppage over faded trial horse Antonio Larel Davis in defense of his NABF title at the Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.

Magdaleno (23-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, who once had a streak of nine consecutive decision wins, scored his second consecutive stoppage, but over an opponent in Davis (29-8, 13 KOs) of Atlanta, Georgia that had been stopped in each of his last four defeats.

Magdaleno, 130, made sure to put in his work to the 40-year-old Davis’ body in the early going. At first, Davis, 130, seemed to take the shots well, but quickly it became apparent the damage was accumulating. By the fourth round the writing was on the wall. Magdaleno fell back on his jab and pried an opening for a right uppercut that badly rocked the weary Davis. Magdaleno ran in for the finish, pummeling Davis around the ring.

With their guy taking punishment, Davis’ corner began to inch up the ring steps, but it would be referee Joe Cortez that ultimately ended the onslaught as Magdaleno swung away. Official time of the stoppage was 2:59 of round four.

A member of Top Rank informed 15rounds.com that Magdaleno is in the running for a shot at the WBO 130-pound title recently vacated by Adrien Broner. Apparently former champ Roman Martinez will meet Miguel Beltran Jr. in an eliminator in September, with the winner a possible match for Magdaleno.

Already 16 fights into his career and mega prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona has yet to fight a live body as a professional. On Saturday, Benavidez took care of business over novice styled Javier Loya (7-1, 6 KOs) of Phoenix via fourth-round stoppage.

Loya, 143, was unorthodox and routinely came rushing in with his head up and defense relaxed – a terrible plan of attack against any fighter, especially a schooled former amateur star. Bendavidez, 143 ½, took and early opening to score a knockdown with a left hook in the first round.

Somewhat surprisingly that would be the only knockdown for Bendavidez, but the end would come in the fourth with a series of unanswered blows that forced the hand of referee Tony Weeks. Official time of the stoppage was 1:41 for Bendavidez, who is definitely ready for a fairer fight.

Another Top Rank prospect was fed well, as Notre Dame alum Mike Lee (10-0, 6 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois pasted journeyman Tyler Seever (13-12-1, 11 KOs) of Saint Joseph, Missouri inside of two rounds.

After a nondescript opening round, Lee, 177 ½, let his hands go and landed a combination punctuated with a chopping right that dropped Seever, 175, down hard. When action resumed, Lee rushed in and landed a thunderous one-two combination that sent Seever backwards. With the Missouri native in trouble, referee Russell Mora opted to end the mismatch at 1:36 of the second round.

Lee is slated to return to the ring on September 15th on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Sergio Martinez bill at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

CANYONVILLE, OREGON — On a Saturday night that featured excellent fights, but horrendous scoring nearly all the way through, unbeaten and wholly untested Mike Gavronski was lucky to escape the Seven Feathers Hotel Casino & Resort with win number ten over a shocked, deserved victor in Kevin Hand.

Gavronski (10-0-1, 8 KOs) of Tacoma, Washington got off to a slow start and was sporadic at best with his offense. Hand (3-3-1, 3 KOs) of Albany, Oregon clearly took the first two rounds, highlighted by a head-snapping right hand that seemed to hurt Gavronski in the second. Hand’s uppercuts landed with regularity in the round as well.

Entering the third round, the pro-Gavronski crowd was nearly silent, with only a few mutters of ‘Come on, Mike’ to be heard. After Hand tired for a moment midway through the round, Gavronski came on a bit to quite possibly earn the nod in scoring. However, Hand got his wind back in time for the final three rounds. Over the course of those frames, Hand seemed to be clearly the harder, more active puncher. Gavronski did little in stretches other than cover up, waiting for Hand to take a break in punching.

When lopsided scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice were read, the overwhelming thought in the ring and in the building was that Hand must have been the winner. If Gavronski somehow won the fight, it would have to been with very close scores. But alas, the winner turned out to be a previously dejected-looking Gavronski. Unfortunately, the decision only continued a theme that plagued most of the scoring over the course of the night.

Decorated former amateur star Mike Wilson (7-0, 3 KOs) of Central Point, Oregon finally had the opportunity to fight before his supportive local fan base for the first time as a professional and sent his huge crowd home happy with a four-round unanimous decision over determined slugger Harry Gopaul (1-4, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California.

Wilson, dropping down well below the cruiserweight limit after fighting as a heavyweight throughout his pro run, used his natural size advantage against the more natural 175-pounder Gopaul. Wilson flashed the boxing skills that made him a national amateur champion some years ago as he kept the onrushing Gopaul out at range as much as possible.

In the third, Gopaul made inroads to close range, but Wilson did well enough for the most part, tying the Sacramento resident up and moving back out behind his jab. Aiding Gopaul’s aggression was a minor hand injury Wilson began showing signs of in the third stanza, which likely prevented him from committing to some of his blows. Still Gopaul is to be commended for bringing the fight to the bigger fighter, which was his only hope going into the bout.

When the final scores were read, Wilson had taken every round on every card, for tallies of 40-36 across the board. Given his strong local following, it is more than likely Wilson will be returning to the Seven Feathers Hotel Casino & Resort sooner than later.

In a fight more competitive than the scores indicate, Guillermo Delgadillo (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Walla Walla, Washington hammered out a four-round unanimous decision over Corben Page (4-4, 1 KO) of Springfield, Oregon in an action-packed super featherweight encounter.

The bout featured many give-and-take moments, but it was Delgadillo that was more consistently effective throughout the fight. In the end, all three judges had the fight a shutout, 40-36.

Marco Antonio Cardenas (4-3) of Salem, Oregon impressed in front of his home crowd with a well deserved four-round unanimous decision victory over Danny Martinez (2-2-1, 2 KOs) of Azusa, California.

Martinez, 129, was in trouble from the early going, as Cardenas, 129 ½, staggered him with a flush right hand midway through the first round. Despite the damage, Martinez refused to stop throwing his own arsenal, a theme that made for an entertaining contest all the way through.

After a solid comeback round for Martinez in the second, Cardenas seized complete control of the bout in the third as he began breaking down the Azusa resident slowly. The action went both ways, but it was clear Cardenas’ power shots were taking their effect. Martinez was badly wobbled again later in the third, but managed to throw enough back so that the referee could not rightfully stop the fight. After another solid round for Cardenas, scores read 40-36 and 39-37 twice.

Manuel Mendez (2-1) of Ontario, Oregon pounded out a four-round majority decision over boxer-mover Ronnie Reams (1-1) of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mendez, 139 ½, worked over Reams, 139, from the outset in a fight that was undeserving of the even score handed in by one of the official scorers.

Reams looked to counterpunch, but was simply not aggressive enough to take any of the four rounds. Mendez continually pressed the action, often forcing to defend himself off the ropes. Mendez took what potshots Reams offered up well, and continued to move forward. In the second half of the fight, Reams seemed inclined to avoid the combat rather than trying to pull out the victory. Mendez again forced him to the ropes and pounded away as the bout came to a close. One judge surprisingly had an even score, 38-38, but was thankfully overruled by scores of 39-37 twice.

In one of several excellently matched fights on the card, Kevin Davila (1-1-1) of Puyallup, Washington outworked Gerardo Reyes (1-2-1) of Salem early, but faded late en route to a four-round split decision draw.

Reyes, 129 ½, boxed well in the first, outworking the tentative Davila, 129 ½, for the three minutes. Despite wobbling from a headbutt in the early going of round two, Davila came back and controlled the round with his constant pressure and relentless output. By the third, Davila looked a little spent which seemed to spark a fire underneath Reyes. After four hard-fought rounds, judges had it 39-37 for Davila, 39-37 for Reyes and 38-38 even.

From ringside it looked as though George Thompson (1-1, 1 KO) of Bellingham, Washington had done more than enough to edge out his second pro victory, but it was not to be as it was Sylvester Barron (6-1, 1 KO) of Anacortes, Washington that won over the official scorers in a wildly entertaining fight.

The two southpaw heavyweights slugged it out early, as Thomspon, 238, managed to press Barron, 219, into the ropes and launch and all-out attack. However, Barron quickly regrouped and soon had Thompson taking unanswered blows.

The second round looked a lot like the first, as both big men took their turns unloading on one another and playing to the crowd in between exchanges. Finally by the third, fatigue began to play a part as Barron began to show signs of slowing down. Thompson took full advantage and landed some clean left hands while Barron had his hands lowered. The two slugged it out throughout fourth as the packed house cheered until the final bell. In the end, scores were somewhat surprisingly unanimous for Barron, 39-37 across the board.

David Courchaine (1-2) of Spokane, Washington claimed his first professional victory in emphatic fashion, stopping Rafael Umarov (1-5) of Seattle, Washington 1:44 into the opening round. Courchaine, 170, connected with a clean straight right hand that sent Umarov, 163, crashing to the canvas. Though Umarov was clearly out on his feet when he beat the count, the referee allowed the fight to continue. However, it only took one more one-two before the fight was mercifully stopped.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

The on again, off again return of former amateur star Mike Wilson is on again. After days in which it looked as though the fight was in jeopardy, Wilson will indeed take on free-swinger Harry Gopaul in a four-round cruiserweight special attraction on Saturday night at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, Oregon.

Wilson (6-0, 3 KOs) of Medford, Oregon ended a long layoff in May with a four-round decision in Rhode Island and had been pegged to make his first home state appearance as a professional this Saturday night. Several opponents opted not to take on the former national amateur champion, but luckily rugged Harry Gopaul (1-3, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California has stepped up to the challenge and will meet Wilson this Saturday night.

For Wilson, who has fought all over the country and even in Australia, fighting at home is a dream come true. “It feels great,” exclaimed Wilson about coming back to Oregon. “I’ve been overseas and fought and we’re usually packing onto a plane to get to wherever I have fought. You are kind of going over there to no man’s land by yourself. Sometimes I have to look at the weigh-in for someone to work my corner and you are kind of a one-man team. Here being at home, you have the support of everybody – your friends and your family and all these people that have only read about you through the years. It is sort of like a home field advantage in the NFL. When you are tired, you have all these people hooting and hollering for you, it can really make the difference and pick you up. It gives a little more fuel to the fire.”

Wilson, who fought at 201 in his last fight and has come in as high as 220 as a pro, this fight also marks a move down to the cruiserweight division. “This is the start of a new run,” explains Wilson. “I dropped down a weight class. I have always fought at heavyweight and I was always considered a really small heavyweight. So I had to fight these really big guys. By today’s standards, heavyweights are about 250-pounds. So I started living right and making the right decisions as far as not being out there screwing around or drinking or anything like that. My whole body has tightened and I feel great, like a whole new person.”

Looking at the cruiserweight division rankings, it is definitely a weight class that has room for some new faces. “I just want to campaign at cruiser and I feel I definitely could move up the ranks a lot faster at cruiserweight than I could have at heavyweight. We’ll campaign at cruiser, hopefully get a cruiserweight title and then at the tail end of my career move on and go up to heavyweight. If you have a cruiserweight title, you are already pretty much in the top ten. So hopefully make some noise up there before I call it a career.”

Helping to keep Wilson motivated through the trials and tribulations any young fighter has in their career has been the success of other fighters the Oregonian competed against at the top amateur level. “It’s tough,” explains Wilson. “You are seeing all these guys fight on Showtime, and I would go, ‘Hey, that was my roommate at this camp or I beat that guy at this tournament.’ You feel like you have fallen off the radar. It is not really anything I’ve done, but being from the Northwest it seems you can sort of fall off the map. It has been tough so to speak, watching these guys come up. But I’ve never let it get me down. It has just given me fire.”

Though Gopaul does not sport a glossy record, he has a reputation for being a tough guy that will bring the fight to whoever he is in the ring with. “I expect him to be right at my face and come right at me,” says Wilson. “I know he is shorter than me, so I am going to keep him at the end of my reach. It is going to be like a bull and a matador. I just have to use my angles and I think I have superior boxing skills than him. I am not looking for a knockout, but if it comes then great. I am just looking to box and give him a boxing lesson. That’s what I do best is I box and that’s what I have done forever.”

Should the fight get tough, for once Wilson will have the support of the crowd. The Medford resident expects a crowd of over a 100 out to support him on Saturday. “It’s an honor to be able to fight before my hometown fans and bring them a fight that they want to see,” says Wilson. “We used to have a really big following as amateurs and had some shows with sellout crowds here. The people really enjoyed it and it is just a big deal. It is a big opportunity for me to hopefully get my foot in the door with this casino and hopefully do this on a regular basis.”

With all the ups and downs he has encountered in his career and in just making this fight, Wilson has always had a positive mindset and never given up, even when he was told no. It is the sort of determination you would want in any fighter. Wilson’s positive outlook has brought him to a place some others would have never found, “I took off two years, but I still got up and did my road work almost every day and I never let myself get out of shape because I knew there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Wilson steps into the light this Saturday as part of a seven-bout card headlined by a Northwest Light Heavyweight title bout between Seattle, Washington’s Mike Gavronski and Kevin Hand of Salem, Oregon. Tickets for the event, promoted by Patrick Ortiz’ Ringside Ticket, are available online at StarTickets.com.

TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA – Local favorite Jesus “Bombardero” Valadez and returning former U.S. amateur standout Aldwayne Simpson thrilled the spirited fight crowd on hand at the Salon Mutualista with devastating first-round stoppages in their featured attractions as Diego “Pelucho” Morales’ Promociones PM returned to the border city on Friday night.

In what was a face-paced bout for as long as it lasted, Valadez (6-1, 3 KOs) of Tijuana scored a frightening knockout of aggressive swinger Edgar Vazquez (4-3-1, 2 KOs) of Tijuana, ending the night’s main event in just 1:13 of the first.

Vazquez, 140, charged out at Valadez, 140, as the bell sounded to begin the fight. Valadez, just 18-years-old, kept composed as he defended Vazquez’ onslaught. Once Vazquez began to slow his output, Valadez seized an open opportunity by connecting with a vicious short right hand. Vazquez was out immediately, but found himself tangled in the ropes near a neutral corner. Vazquez’ team rushed from his corner and spectators assisted in removing his unconscious body from the strands as referee Juan Morales Lee rushed in and waved off the bout. After some scary moments, Vazquez regained consciousness as his team removed his shoes and fanned him with a towel.

Aldwayne Simpson (2-0, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California, United States by way of Kingston, Jamaica worked off just a bit of ring rust with a first-round knockout of tough Jorge Sillas Amor (1-3) of Tijuana.

Sillas Amor, 135, looked to exchange early, but the difference in strength and hand speed were apparent immediately. When Sillas Amor leaned in to throw a body shot, Simpson, 142.9, grazed the top of his head with a left hand. Referee Manuel Rincon gave Sillas Amor a short reprieve to warn Simpson for the borderline infraction.

Shortly after action resumed, Sillas Amor came rushing in again, but soon found himself on the wrong end of straight lefts and straight rights as Simpson switched effortlessly from orthodox to southpaw and back. Sillas Amor continued to exchange, but when a counter left hook took him off his feet, the Mexican opted to stay flat on his back as Rincon counted to ten.

Sillas Amor replaced originally scheduled opponent Miguel Nava, who had failed to appear at Thursday’s weigh-in. Sillas Amor took to the scales Friday morning and came to fight, but was simply overmatched in skills and natural physical ability. Simpson, who is scheduled to return to the ring at the Craneway Pavilion in his hometown of Richmond on August 17th, had recently wrapped up a training stint alongside new WBC Interim Welterweight titleholder Robert Guerrero at high elevation in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, United States.

Former Tijuana amateur champion Erick Cebreros (3-0, 1 KO) methodically broke down a much shorter Benny Guevara (0-1) of Tijuana en route to a fourth-round referee’s stoppage. Cebreros, who turned professional only in April, had the most vocal following of any fighter on the card and sent his contingent home happy.

Cebreros, 127.2, began the bout using his advantages in height and reach by boxing the undersized Guevara, 123.5, at a distance. By the time round one was coming to a close, Cebreros began letting go with power shots to the head and body. Guevara attempted to get into the fight, at times unloading looping rights that would find their mark, but do little to faze Cebreros.

The Raul “Jibaro” Perez-trained Cebreros had completely wore down Guevara by the time the fourth round came along. With the fight out of Guevara, referee Juan Morales Lee opted to end the contest at 1:26 of the fourth, giving the young prospect his first career knockout as a pro.

In a rare all-Tijuana heavyweight attraction, Juan Manuel Dominguez (3-0, 2 KOs) halted Rodrigo Ramirez (0-2) in the second round for a scheduled four. After a fairly even first round in which both Dominguez, 229.3, and Ramirez, 260.1, landed their share of power shots, Dominguez pressed the fight in the second. After a series of unanswered blows from Dominguez, Ramirez winced, shaking his right hand to signal to his corner that he was injured. Dominguez refused to let up, swinging away with his foe back into his own corner. Eventually Ramirez’ corner opted to throw in the towel, forcing the hand of referee Manuel Rincon. Official time of the stoppage was 2:58 of the second. Ramirez had been out of action since a second-round stoppage loss back in September of 2010.

In a competitive action fight, Ciro Arrellanos (2-0) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal moved past Tijuana’s debuting Martin Gomez (0-1) via four-round majority decision. Arrellanos, 141.1, was solid all the way through, but Gomez, 141.1, seemed to have an edge in the middle two rounds. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38, but was overruled by scores of 39-37 twice for Arrellanos.

In the opener, two fighters looking for their first pro victory fought their hearts out attempting to get into the winner’s circle, but it was Pedro Garcia (1-2) of Tijuana that ultimately achieved his goal with a four-round majority decision over Luis Contreras (0-3) also of Tijuana. Defense was a concern for neither Garcia, 134.5, nor Contreras, 135.7, but what the two lacked in boxing skill they made up for in heart and determination. Ultimately it was the harder-punching Garcia that won over two of the judges, 39-37. The lone dissenter had it 38-38 even.

Photos by Felipe Leon

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA — Some questioned whether former 126, 130 and recent 135-pound titleholder Robert Guerrero could handle a true welterweight in his first appearance above the lightweight limit. Guerrero answered those questions in fine form as he outfought previously unbeaten and longtime WBC #1 ranked Selcuk Aydin to claim the vacant interim version of the 147-pound title on his home court, the HP Pavilion.

Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KOs) of Gilroy, California looked like a physical equal to career-long welter Aydin (23-1, 17 KOs) of Hamburg, Germany by way of Trabzon, Trabzon, Turkey. Guerrero, 145.8, surprisingly opted to stand and trade rather than rely on his superior boxing ability for much of the fight. Despite getting the type of fight he needed, Aydin, 146.6, could not handle Guerrero’s output. Aydin, who had held the WBC Silver title before signing on for the Showtime-televised bout with Guerrero, just did not have a Plan B when his Plan A was clearly not going to get it done.

The fight started with frantic action, as both men looked to take the initiative early. Guerrero placed some shots to the body and timed a couple combinations, but Aydin did not take more than a couple steps back.

The fight got rough as round two came to a close. Both challengers looked to get the edge on the inside, and both took a shot after the bell with Guerrero throwing last. After the late exchange, Guerrero and Aydin stood and stared each other down before their cornermen came to pull them away from each other.

The roughhousing continued through the third, as both combatants looked for any advantage possible. This round it was Aydin that got the better of it on the inside, as he landed a solid two-punch combination starting with the body and ending upstairs.

Guerrero became the first to hurt his opponent when he landed a picture-perfect counter left hand that violently snapped Aydin’s head back in the fourth. Guerrero followed up and controlled the round, but Aydin seemed to recover from the shot fairly quickly.

Guerrero controlled round five, but two right hands that landed for Aydin served as a reminder of the danger that will exist throughout fights as the Gilroy native and former 126-pounder moves up in weight.

Aydin broke through to hurt Guerrero for the first readily apparent time in the fight, highlighting a combination with a right uppercut that landed clean in close late in the seventh. Likely egged on by his corner between rounds, Guerrero stormed out and rocked Aydin back to open the eighth. Aydin came back with a right uppercut again in close, took some more from Guerrero and returned fire after the bell.

Midway through the tenth, Aydin bothered Guerrero with something in close and that had the local hero holding on inside. Aydin had trouble giving himself room to follow up, and Guerrero made it out of the round without taking anything else flush.

After a tough tenth, Guerrero found his range again in the eleventh and did well to keep Aydin at the end of his jab, A frustrated Aydin pulled down Guerrero’s head and attempted a downward strike to the back of the head right at the bell to end the round.

The fight started fast again in the twelfth as Guerrero opted to fight inside again. Aydin, unable to land the type of blow to rescue the bout, showed his frustration again, rubbing his laces against the Gilroy resident’s face and repeatedly attempting to land behind the head. Guerrero continued to fight unfazed and battled with Aydin to close the round.

When all was said and done, scores read 117-111 and 116-112 twice for the new WBC Interim Welterweight titleholder Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. Of course, pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. holds the full version of the title. It is unclear what sort of timeframe Mayweather has with the WBC to decide if he is going to return to 147-pounds after his prison stint, or keep the 154-pound belt he won from Miguel Cotto last time out. Guerrero and his team have aggressively pursued the “Money” Mayweather fight for years, but it has never appeared that Floyd has any interest in the prospective bout.

Shawn Porter (20-0, 14 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio remained unblemished with a fairly dominant ten-round unanimous decision against gatekeeper Alfonso Gomez (23-6-2, 12 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in the televised co-feature.

Porter, 146.2, just had too many facets for the one-dimensional former title challenger and reality star Gomez, 146.4, to keep up with for ten frames.

The first round had its moments. An accidental headbutt opened a cut over one of Porter’s eyes. At the sight of his own blood, Porter upped his output in retort, only to have Gomez come right back as the bell sounded. The steady action continued into the second, as did the accidental headbutts. Despite the vastly apparent deficit in hand speed, Gomez got the better of Porter as the second round winded down. The right hook especially looked good for Gomez, and may have been enough to seal it for him.

Porter picked up his output again in the third, giving Gomez trouble with his hand speed. Gomez looked to place one or two when Porter paused, but the Ohio native’s breaks were brief. By the time Gomez threw or landed, Porter had an answer. Another heated exchange highlighted the fourth, but this time it was clear who was landing the harder shots – Porter. Gomez especially had trouble handling Porter’s right hand.

Porter again had the game as always Gomez in trouble in the fifth, landing loaded combinations at close range. Just when it looked like Gomez would wilt against the ropes, the longtime underdog fired back for an entertaining exchange. However, the momentum was still clearly with the surging Porter.

Gomez rebounded to a degree in the sixth, due in part to Porter’s decision to fight on his toes. Gomez was allowed to come forward without paying much of a price, and appeared to be the aggressor throughout the round.

The fight began to fall into the rhythm as the rounds wore on. Gomez continued to hang tough, but the cumulative punishment had left him a step or two slower than he already was heading into the contest. At that point, there was not much Gomez could do to turn around the fight.

Perhaps a small ray of hope entered into the bout, as an accidental head clash opened a nasty gash over Porter’s left eye in the tenth. After referee Edward Collantes brought Porter over for a long examination, the fight resumed and Gomez seemed to have renewed interest in the fight. The swing was fleeting, as Porter handled the blood well and returned to his close range attack to close the fight.

In the end, scores read 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92 for Porter. With the victory, Porter claims the vacant WBO NABO Welterweight title, which will more importantly lead to a world ranking with the WBO at 147-pounds.

Super bantamweight prospect Manuel Avila (8-0, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California moved past Raymond Chacon (4-4) of Los Angeles, California in less-than-thrilling fashion in a bout shortened to four-rounds to fit the Showtime Extreme undercard television time slot.

Just as he has in other recent bouts, Avila, 122.5, had too much class for his overmatched opponent Chacon, 121.6, but the Cameron Dunkin-managed prospect failed to really make a lasting statement. Scores read 40-36 and 39-37 twice for the still undefeated and untested Avila. The Vacaville resident, who trains in nearby Fairfield, returns to the ring in the latter city’s Sports Center on August 25th.

In a dreadful fight, heralded prospect Hugo Centeno (15-0, 8 KOs) of Oxnard, California simply went through the motions against the much smaller Ayi Bruce (22-8, 14 KOs) of Albany, New York by way of Accra, Ghana en route to an eight-round unanimous decision.

Centeno, 152, went for the stoppage in the first and had Bruce, 151.4, in a bit of trouble early. However, from round two through the end, Centeno was satisfied to step around Bruce while placing one or two shots at a time. When the fight ended, much to the delight of the crowd, scores read for Centeno 79-73 and 80-72 twice.

WBC #5/IBF #9/WBA #11 ranked super middleweight contender George Groves (15-0, 12 KOs) of Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom showed resilience before ending the night of Francisco Sierra (25-6-1, 22 KOs) of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico at 2:15 of sixth-round in the first televised fight of the night.

Groves, 169.4, opted to slug it out with the brawling Sierra, 170, for an entertaining close to the third round. The round saw Groves’ face opened up, but the injury never seemed to be a factor in the fight. An overhand right started the trouble for the underdog, as Sierra was downed in hard in the sixth. The Mexican fringe contender gamely returned to his feet. However, two clubbing rights were enough for Sierra’s cornerman to hurry up on the steps and sidearm the white towel through the ropes. Groves had been reportedly scheduled to fight September 14th in Wembley Arena in London, England, but it remains to be seen if the cut he suffered will prevent that date from sticking.

Paul Mendez (8-2-1, 2 KOs) of Delano, California took a workmanlike six-round unanimous decision over weathered journeyman Leshon Simms (5-11, 3 KOs) of Hemet, California in the second warm-up of the card. Mendez, 160.2, picked his way to the win, but never went in for the kill against Simms, 161.4, who goes by the nickname of “Scrappy Mix.” All three official cards read 59-55 for Mendez. The Delano resident, now fighting out of Salinas, California, returns to action August 25th at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California.

Imposing heavyweight Gerald Washington (1-0, 1 KO) of Vallejo, California pounded hopeless Blue DeLong (0-4) of Glendale, Arizona for about two-and-one-half minutes en route to a first-round stoppage in the night’s opening bout. Washington, a mammoth figure at 246.6 pounds, scored one official knockdown of Delong, 254.4, who spent much of the night on the canvas. Referee Ray Balewicz ended the clobbering after Delong fell to the mat one too many times 2:36 into the fight. Ironically Washington shares the same nickname as Paul Mendez, the fighter in the fight that followed his – “El Gallo Negro.”

Photos by Stephanie Trapp

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.