It is almost hard to believe it was eight and one half years ago that James Toney last competed at cruiserweight. It was in April of 2003 that Toney, already written off more than once at that point in his career, put an undefeated left hander from Kazakhstan named Vassiliy Jirov on his back en route to a thrilling unanimous decision. Now years later, Toney finds himself in a similar position. Again written off by some, Toney will now venture to Moscow to take on a once-beaten Russian southpaw in Denis Lebedev at cruiserweight in November.

Toney’s win over Jirov earned him the IBF Cruiserweight title, his third major title in as many weight classes, and vaulted him into a fight with Evander Holyfield and eventual Fighter of the Year honors. Prior to the Jirov fight, Toney had been on the outside looking in at the money fights in and around his weight division. It is a parallel that can be drawn again today, which prompted Toney’s move back down in weight.

“My team was consistently trying to get big fights in the heavyweight division,” says Toney (73-6-3, 44 KOs). “But with the Klitschkos, it was never materializing. Everything was going so well [in the gym] and I was feeling so strong, I said if things don’t materialize like we want them to I’m going to jump down to cruiserweight. They came with a fight with this guy Lebedev and I said ‘Let’s make it happen.’”

Originally Toney’s autumn was to have included a mixed rules bout with legendary mixed martial arts figure Ken Shamrock. “The promoter was playing games,” reports Toney. “He didn’t have has much money as he said he did. So the fight is off for the time being. It’s going to happen, but we are not sure when right now.”

For Toney, who plans to continue competing in both boxing and MMA, changing gears back to the sweet science was no problem. “I’m always in the gym,” says Toney. “I’m always doing my boxing training regardless. So it wasn’t a tough situation.”

Lebedev (22-1, 17 KOs) of Chekhov, Russia came to prominence in the cruiserweight division with early round kayos over former titleholder Enzo Maccarinelli and title challenger Alexander Alexeev in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The win over Alexeev earned Lebedev a shot at WBO belt holder Marco Huck last December which resulted in a split decision loss that many felt should have gone his way.

In his one fight since his sole defeat, Lebedev brutally stopped a faded Roy Jones Jr. in the tenth round in Moscow in May. “I saw the last round,” says Toney of the Lebedev-Jones bout. “I wasn’t too impressed. He’s a physical fighter. He did a good job fighting Roy, but I am not Roy Jones. It is what it is.” Toney’s assessment of Lebedev comes solely from that tenth round, as the veteran does not watch tape of his opponents. “The reason I don’t, is because everybody fights me the same way,” says Toney. “Everybody has the same plan for James Toney, which means I need track shoes.”

Like Toney’s last cruiserweight opponent Jirov, Lebedev is a southpaw. Throughout his recent heavyweight run, Toney did not fight one lefthander. It is a fact that fails to worry the future hall of famer. “I love fighting southpaws,” says Toney, who returned from doing a round of press in Russia on Monday. “I’ve fought eleven of them. I’m a southpaw myself and I can switch up if I have to.”

Just as was the case heading into his 2003 bout with Jirov, a win on November 4th at the Khodynka Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia will open the whole world back up for Toney. The options could be plentiful at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. “I’m going to compete at both the heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions,” says Toney. “Nobody has done that, but James Toney is a different person. I’m a different species.”

Toney has designs on making a cruiserweight bout with reigning light heavyweight kingpin Bernard Hopkins. It was a superfight that died on the negotiating table back in 2003 prior to Toney’s fight with Holyfield and before Hopkins switched his focus to making a fight with Oscar De La Hoya. There also remains the possibility that a win over Lebedev could be enough to land Toney his long sought bout with one of the brothers Klitschko, Wladimir or Vitali.

In any event, Toney’s eyes are not on any prize beyond Lebedev yet. “The Klitschkos are garbage,” Toney proclaims. “But I’m not worried about them right now. I’m worried about Denis Lebedev. He’s the number one contender at cruiserweight, so we need to worry about him right now, not the Klitschkos and what they are going to do.”

Another thing that does not worry the former champion is fighting Lebedev on his home turf. “I’ve been overseas many times and I’m not concerned at all, because my hands will do the talking,” says Toney, who last left U.S. soil for a fight way back in October of 1991 for a defense of his middleweight title against Italian Francesco Dell’Aquila in Monte Carlo, Monaco. “They call me “Lights Out,” so it’s time for me to put his lights out. That’s what I plan on doing and I’m going to be successful so there won’t be no controversy.”

It feels like 2003 all over again. In more ways than one, can Toney turn the trick again? Not only can Toney reemerge as a major player in the sport by pulling out the victory, but could it possibly be another Toney-Jirov type classic? “It all depends on Lebedev,” says Toney. “If he comes out like Jirov did, it will be the same type of fight and he’s going to get knocked out too.”

Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

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

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — The improbable comeback run of Paul Nave, which began in 2009 after a nine plus-year retirement, hit a snag on Friday night, as Brandon Hoskins flew in from Missouri with an unbeaten record and came away with a hard-fought eight-round majority decision at Albert Park Field.

The action was competitive, but it was Hoskins (16-0-1, 8 KOs) of Hannibal, Missouri that came out of the gate faster. While Nave (19-9-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California looked to time his right hand in the early going, Hoskins did some solid work behind his jab, including two hard right hands.

Hoskins, 143, opened up the second round with two lefts, as Nave, 146 ½, still could not get his timing just right. After Hoskins doubled up on the left again, Nave decided to let loose and rocked Hoskins with a combination to end the frame.

Both fighters had their moments in rounds three and four as it became mainly an inside fight. Hoskins punctuated an even exchange in the third with an eye-catching right over the top. Nave closed the fourth well as he worked his way inside and landed with some short hooks. By the fifth, Nave’s left eye was badly swollen. There would be a decent-sized cut opened up below the eye by round’s end as well.

Just when the fight looked to be heading in one direction, Nave had one of his better rounds in the sixth. The overhand right Nave had trouble timing in the early going was finding its target with better regularity, but Hoskins did well enough to move out of harm’s way before the local favorite could really follow-up. Hoskins stemmed some of Nave’s momentum with the cleaner punching in the seventh.

Knowing he needed to take the eighth in order to have a shot at coming away with the victory, Nave, who turns 51-years-old in less than a week, outworked and outfought the much younger Hoskins in the final round. Nave’s final round performance got the hometown crowd up and cheering, but it would not be enough to pull out the win. One judge had the fight even, 76-76, but was overruled by the other two who had the fight 78-74 and 78-73 for Hoskins.

“I feel awesome. I’m going deer hunting on Sunday and back to work on Monday,” said Hoskins, full-time factory worker, after the fight. “[I began boxing] just to lose weight. Nine years ago I was 185-pounds, so I have come a long way from just losing weight.”

Though he came away with a deserved win, the 24-year-old Hoskins seemed genuinely impressed with his nearly 51-year-old opponent. “I thought he was going to come out like a dog, and that’s what he did,” said Hoskins, who sought Nave’s autograph during the post-fight interview. “I told Craig, ‘If I can’t outbox him and I am going to try and dogfight with him.’ The last round he was mean. I just tried to wrestle with him a little bit.”

After the fight, Nave refused to make any excuses for loss, such as his age or the added distraction of being the promoter of the event. Instead the veteran seemed to have just one regret. “The bummer is I felt fine at the end and that’s not good,” said Nave. “I should have felt exhausted and given it my all, which I did in the final round especially. I should have picked it up a little earlier. It was just one of those days you feel you could have done a little better. I’m not going to blame anything. The better fighter won tonight and you just have to tip your hat to him and give him the credit he deserves.”

Of course the inevitable question after a loss at this stage is whether or not Nave would continue to fight. “I have to take a step back and take a look at it and see what I am going to do,” said Nave. “I’m going to take time to evaluate everything.”

In the co-main event, Lamont Williams (5-1-1, 2 KOs) of Fairfield, California completely turned around a fight that was going against him and scored a third-round stoppage over Brent Urban (7-5-1, 5 KOs) of Burlingame, California.

The first round was even before Urban, 185, caught Williams, 183, in the final seconds, forcing him to backpedal until the end of the round. Urban again stunned Williams with a short right in the second, but in boxing a fight can turn around in an instant, which it did in the third. Out of nowhere, Williams rocked Urban with a clean right and flurried him into the ropes. After a vicious right uppercut, the referee leaped in to stop the fight at 2:26 of the third round.

Making her professional debut before a throng of fans, Marquita Lee (1-0) of Novato, California pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over a game and determined Laura Deanovic (0-3) of San Francisco, California.

Lee, 132, often gave ground in the fight but did well to catch the onrushing Deanovic, 128 ½, with hard shots. Backing to the ropes, Lee rocked Deanovic late in the first with a combination. Undeterred, Deanovic fired back, but she simply did not posses the same type of power as did her opponent. The second and third rounds looked much like the first, with Deanovic pressing the action, but Lee catching her with the harder shots. Deanovic showed her heart and took the fourth round, most notably rocking Lee against the ropes with a combination. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Lee, 39-37.

In a solid action fight, Luis Alfredo Lugo (12-16-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico slugged his way to a four-round unanimous decision over Hector Alatorre (16-17, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California.

Alatorre, 146, got off to a good start, as he found Lugo’s body a hittable target early. Lugo, 145, got warm later in the round and returned the favor, working the Tulare resident’s body in the final minute. Action further heated up in the second, with Lugo’s left hook, right uppercut combination standing out. After Lugo outworked Alatorre in the third, both men had their moments in a tit for tat fourth. In the end, all three judges had it a shutout for Lugo, 40-36.

In the free-swinging opener, Jesus Partida (0-0-1) of Redwood City, California tasted the canvas in the fourth but managed to eke out a draw against a determined Denis Madriz (0-0-1) of San Francisco. After almost three frantic minutes, Madriz, 125, appeared to hurt the awkward Partida, 127, with a combination late in the first. Partida came out swinging to begin the second, rushing Madriz with combinations in the early going. Madriz looked to time the southpaw Partida coming in, but was too tentative at times.

After getting outworked for much of the third, Madriz caught Paritda with two well-placed right hands that stunned the Redwood City resident. However, Madriz failed to capitalize on the advantage and it appeared Partida had regained his footing before the end of the round. That was not the case as Madriz dropped Partida in the opening seconds of the fourth. As the round progressed, Partida fought on even terms as Madriz tried to put him down again. Each fighter took a card 38-37, with the third judge scoring the bout even, 38-38, forcing the draw.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — Just four days shy of his 51st birthday, local favorite Paul Nave hopes to keep the comeback he began two and a half years ago rolling against the undefeated Brandon Hoskins, a fighter 26 years his junior, tonight at Albert Park Field. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Embassy Suites San Rafael – Marin County.

Nave (19-8-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California has gone 4-0 since ending a nine-and-one-half year retirement against modest opposition, but appears to be taking a leap up in class against an undefeated, accomplished former amateur tonight. Nave, who doubles as the promoter for the event, last fought in June of last year, scoring a third-round stoppage of Daniel Schlienz. Nave weighed in at 146 ½-pounds.

Nave returned to the ring in 2009 after back injures looked to have ended his fighting career prematurely. Nave came back with designs on landing one more big fight, but he understands he cannot look ahead past Hoskins. “Everything hinges on this fight,” said Nave in a recent press release. “If I am to win this fight, it would open up a huge opportunity. But everything is contingent on this fight.”

Hoskins (15-0-1, 8 KOs) of Hannibal, Missouri was 50-7 as an amateur and won several regional titles before turning pro. Hoskins, who will be fighting outside of Missouri or Kansas for the first time, last fought in March, scoring a unanimous six-round decision over 2-9 Keith Collins. Hoskins’ draw came in 2008 against Gustavo Mejia, who he defeated by majority decision a year later. Hoskins weighed in at 143-pounds Thursday.

The supporting card is comprised of four fights tonight. In an interesting match-up, Lamont Williams (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield, California will take on Brent Urban (7-4-1, 5 KOs) of Burlingame, California in a six-round cruiserweight bout. Williams, who went back up to heavyweight in his last fight in May, is back down well below the cruiserweight limit at 183-pounds. Urban, who scaled 185, is looking to rebound from a stoppage defeat in May.

In a four-round women’s attraction, Marquita Lee of Novato, California will make her professional debut against Laura Deanovic (0-2) of San Francisco, California in a super featherweight bout. Lee, who trains out of the Novato Boxing Club under former pro Suzanne Howard, weighed in at 132-pounds Thursday. Deanovic, who turned pro in March and comes in off of a majority decision defeat, scaled 128 ½-pounds.

Jesus Partida of Redwood City, California will take on Denis Madriz of San Francisco as both men make their professional debut in a four-round featherweight bout. Partida, who trains out of Gladiators Boxing Gym in Redwood City, scaled 127-pounds. Madriz, who trains under Ben Bautista at the Straight Forward Club in San Francisco, weighed in at 125-pounds.

Luis Alfredo Lugo (11-16-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico will take on fellow longtime gatekeeper Hector Alatorre (16-16, 5 KOs) of Tulare, California in a four-round welterweight bout. Lugo, who has incredibly fought undefeated fighters in thirteen of his last fifteen fights, weighed in at 145-poounds Thursday. Alatorre, who has been in with more than his share of prospects, weighed in at 146-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
Hoskins 143

Cruiserweights, 6 Rounds
Williams 183
Urban 185

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Lugo 145
Alatorre 146

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lee 132
Deanovic 128 ½

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Partida 127
Madriz 125

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

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA – World ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez dominated veteran Daniel Jimenez, dropping the normally durable Puerto Rican three times en route a second-round stoppage at the Salinas Sports Complex on Friday night. With the eyebrow-raising performance, which came before his supportive local fan base, Perez looks poised to break through against the upper echelon of the division.

Promoter Don Chargin, who celebrated his 60th year of promoting with Friday’s event, proved prophetic with his comments in the days leading into the fight. “Eloy used to be strictly a boxer,” Chargin told 15rounds.com on Wednesday. “But he has started to sit down on his punches and he is going to start hurting people.”

Long seen as a light-hitting classical boxer, Perez (22-0-2, 6 KOs) of Salinas unleashed newfound power against an opponent that had been stopped just once in his career. In fact, the last time Jimenez (20-4-1, 12 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico failed to see the final bell was 2007 and the knockout came in the twelfth round against eventual world champion Rocky Martinez.

Perez, 130, came out aggressively, and appeared to bother Jimenez, 130, in the early going with his left hand. Halfway through the first, a two-punch combination wobbled Jimenez, who had bent over after the jab, enabling the right to land high on his head. Moments later Perez caught Jimenez with a short right in the midst of an exchange, dropping the Puerto Rican on his back. Jimenez got up on very shaky legs, leaning against the ropes while receiving the mandatory eight count.

Late in the round, Perez landed a left that bounced Jimenez off the ropes and into another short left for the second knockdown of the first. With the seconds ticking away in the round, Jimenez smiled and shook his head to referee Ed Collantes, but was likely saved from a first-round knockout by the sound of the bell.

Perez, the WBO #4 ranked super featherweight, opened the second looking to close the show and found an unsteady, but willing opponent in Jimenez. Moments later Perez set Jimenez up with a right hand and unleashed a devastating left that sent the Puerto Rican’s head across his shoulders and into the ropes. Collantes leaped over and immediately waved off the fight. Time of the stoppage was 56 seconds of the second round.

With the win Perez successfully defended his WBO NABO 130-pound title and more importantly put his name in the mix as a marketable and viable contender for any of the champions at super featherweight. Perez, who grew up in Rainier, Washington but has been adopted by Salinas since moving there to train under Max Garcia in 2007, also showed he can draw a crowd in a city that had not held a fight card of Friday’s magnitude anytime in recent memory.

In the co-feature, James Parison (15-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California edged fellow once-beaten Paul Mendez (6-2, 2 KOs) of Delano, California in a closely-contested battle that could have been scored either way.

Action was tense at the outset, as Mendez, 163, did well at range in the first, but Parison, 163, landed two rights that were perhaps the hardest shots of the round. Again in the second, Mendez did best when on the outside, where he could fire his one-two and stay out of danger. Parison looked for ways inside, but wound up getting caught with a solid right late in the frame. Mendez followed up with a combination to punctuate a round that was clearly his.

After some even exchanges to start the third, Parison forced Mendez into an inside fight late in the round. Fighting at close quarters seemed to favor Parison as he placed uppercuts and short shots while smothering much of Mendez’ attack.

Much of the fourth was fought back at range, providing Mendez the room to fire his combinations. When Parison would land coming in it was often one at a time. However, Parison’s one blow often would snap Mendez’ head back, which may have won over some of the judges. The fifth was a tough one to score, as both had their moments. Parison was busier early as Mendez held on the inside, but the Delano native finished strong.

Both men fought the sixth like they needed it. Parison landed a couple eye-catching shots in the early going and Mendez kept firing in combination. With the fight in doubt, both men closed out the final seconds throwing until the sound of the bell. In the end, it was Parison that won over two of the official scorers, 59-55 and 58-56. The lone dissenting judge had Mendez up 58-56. Despite the competitive nature of the bout, the decision was not received warmly by the majority of the crowd on hand.

Returning to a boxing ring for the first time in almost two years, Tony Johnson (5-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California put the first blemish on the ledger of popular knockout artist Joe Gumina (2-1, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California via four-round majority decision in a wild, free-swinging affair.

Gumina, 182, charged out early, landing some wide, but clean shots. Perhaps a little overanxious, Gumina seemed to leave his feet with some of his early swings. Johnson, 182, took some stiff blows in the first two minutes without landing much in return, but managed to weather the early onslaught. In the last thirty seconds of the opening round, Johnson began to land, but it was Gumina that closed with one last uppercut.

The fight turned into a wild shootout in the second, as Gumina left some openings to exploit in between landing some hellacious bombs. And so the fight went, as both men did little defensively, but showed tons of heart in a game of ‘I can take yours, can you take mine?’ In the end one judge had the fight a draw, 38-38, but was overruled by the other two who had Johnson the winner, 39-37.

Jonathan Chicas (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Francisco, California impressively halted late replacement opponent Davis Kamara (4-3) of Audenshaw, Lancashire, England via third-round stoppage.

Chicas, 142, employed a balanced attack, including short stints in the southpaw stance, against his well-built opponent Kamara, 138 ½. After a solid first round, Chicas really turned up his aggression in the second, pounding the sturdy Kamara around the ring. A left hook followed by a right had stunned Kamara early in the third, but the U.K. import hung in there and fired back.

Despite his gameness, Kamara was eventually forced into a corner by a Chicas right hand, setting up an unanswered series of punches that forced the hand of referee Marcos Rosales. Despite Kamara’s protests, Rosales’ decision was just, as an estimated 16 punches were thrown without a single Kamara retort. Time of the stoppage was 2:45 of the third round.

Rudy Puga Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) of Salinas pleased the hometown crowd in his professional debut, stopping winless Raul Talamontes (0-5) of Stockton, California in the fourth-round.

Puga, 165, took a little bit to get warmed up, but began to assert himself in the second round. After a series of right hands, Talamontes, 163 ½, began to go into retreat as blood dripped down from his nose late in the round. After a dominant third round, Puga closed the show in the fourth, rocking Talamontes with a left hook and forcing him to a corner. A few shots later, referee Ed Collantes stopped the bout, much to the displeasure of Talamontes. Time of the stoppage was 1:27 of the fourth.

In the opening bout of the night, quick-handed prospect Bruno Escalante Jr. (4-0-1, 3 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines made short work of journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-11-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California, ending his night in less than one minute.

After a couple jabs, Escalante, 121 ½, dropped Gutierrez, 123, with the first overhand left he threw. Given how hard he went down, it was somewhat surprising Gutierrez made it to his feet as fast as he did. Very quickly, Escalante pressured Gutierrez to the ropes and let go with a two-fisted attack. With Gutierrez prone against the strands, Escalante landed two lefts that crumpled the Highland resident to the mat. Referee Marcos Rosales, who looked to be on his way to stopping it before the final blows, ended the contest without a count at 52 seconds of the opening round.

In the walkout bout, Roman Morales (7-0, 5 KOs) of San Ardo, California pounded away at the body of late fill-in opponent Cain Garcia (0-5) of Bakersfield, California en route to a second-round stoppage. Morales, 124, opened the fight in a measured posture before placing a series of blows to the midsection of Garcia, 124.

With Garcia clearly bothered by the body attack, Morales upped his aggression while remaining calm and composed. An overhand right late in the round had Garcia in trouble, as covering up in the corner exposed his vulnerable body. However, Garcia made it out of the corner and eventually out of the round.

After several digging lefts to the body, Morales downed Garcia with a well placed right downstairs early in the second round. Garcia gamely rose, but could only cover up as Morales dug three or four more lefts into his ribs. The blows forced Garcia down to a knee and prompted referee Ed Collantes to stop the bout at the time of 1:49. Morales returns to the ring September 30th at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA — World ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez defends his home turf, WBO NABO 130-pound title and standing among the leading contenders at super featherweight in the ten-round main event against potential spoiler Daniel Jimenez tonight at the Salinas Sports Complex. Fighters weighed in for the Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised card at a jam-packed Chapala Mexican Restaurant & Bistro on Thursday evening.

Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas is coming off of a one-sided ten-round decision over an unwilling Alejandro Rodriguez in April. Perez, the WBO #4 ranked super featherweight, finds every fight he’s in from here on out a must-win if he hopes to force one of the champions at 130-pounds into a title fight.

Perez is largely responsible for boxing returning to Salinas for the first time in years, as with the help of the Garcia Boxing team that trains and manages him, the unbeaten fighter managed to draw an impressive crowd out to San Francisco in his two most recent fights. “Their people are so loyal to them to follow them up to San Francisco, where they have to get a hotel room,” said promoter Don Chargin, celebrating his 60th year of promoting this weekend. “I talked to Kathy about it, we came up here and looked at a few locations and decided to do it.”

Jimenez (20-3-1, 12 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico had been tabbed to fight Perez back in April, but pulled out weeks before the fight. Jimenez has not been terribly active in recent years, but could provide to stern test for Perez. Jimenez has a few upsets on his ledger, including one that Northern California fight fans should remember. “I wanted to get a strong opponent, so I thought of Daniel Jimenez, who fought for me at ARCO Arena and gave Vicente Escobedo his first loss,” recalls Chargin of the 2006 upset. Perez and Jimenez both weighed in at 130-pounds, though the challenger did have to make three attempts.

Perez has really caught the eye of Chargin, who promoted his last two fights. “He reminds me of Jackie McCoy, who fought in the ‘50’s,” says Chargin. “I saw Jackie fight in San Jose. Eddie Chavez was 26-0 and Jackie came and beat him in a big upset. He had a style, the style that Eloy is getting now. Eloy used to be strictly a boxer, but he has started to sit down on his punches and he is going to start hurting people. I am very high on Eloy now. I’ve noticed the improvement in each fight.”

In the televised co-feature, James Parison (14-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California takes on fellow once-beaten Paul Mendez (6-1, 2 KOs) of Delano, California in an intriguing six-round middleweight bout. Parison, who scaled 163-pounds, has long been an under the radar prospect, losing only one bout to touted Craig McEwan. Much the same could be said for Mendez, who also scaled 163, who has won four straight since a closely contested loss to former European amateur standout David Tabatadze in only his third pro bout. The winner tonight figures to fly under the radar no more.

Super bantamweight prospect Roman Morales (6-0, 4 KOs) of San Ardo, California gets to fight near home for the first time as a professional as he takes on Cain Garcia (0-4) of Bakersfield, California in a four-round bout. Morales, who scaled 124, is coming off of a shutout decision over veteran Rodrigo Aranda last month. Garcia, who also came in at 124, took the fight on short notice after countless others turned the fight down.

Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines returns to the ring against journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Escalante, a former National PAL champion, has had to deal with several cancellations since his last appearance, an impressive second-round stoppage of Shaun Solomon in April. Escalante scaled 121 ½-pounds, while Gutierrez came in at 123.

In a fight that has many associated with the card buzzing, Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California will take on Tony Johnson (4-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California in a four-round cruiserweight bout. Gumina, who has a bus load of supporters coming in from the Bay Area, has impressed with two brutal knockouts since turning pro in February. Johnson may have only one knockout on his ledger, but it was devastating enough that it won him a trophy and fighter of the night honors on a card in 2009. Gumina and Johnson both weighed in at 182-pounds.

Making his professional debut, the latest Garcia Boxing protégé Rudy Puga Jr. will take on Raul Talamontes (0-4) of Stockton, California in a four-round super middleweight bout. Puga, coming off of an impressive amateur career, scaled 165-pounds. Talamontes, who has been up and down the scale in his career, came in at 163 ½-pounds Thursday.

In the opener, Jonathan Chicas (2-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco, California takes on Davis Kamara (4-2) of Audenshaw, Lancashire, England in a four-round light welterweight fight. Chicas is coming in off of a four-round unanimous decision over former amateur standout Michael Islas in June. Chicas scaled 142, while Kamara came in at 138 ½-pounds.

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

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO NABO Super Featherweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Perez 130
Jimenez 130

Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Mendez 163
Parison 163

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 124
Garcia 124

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Escalante Jr. 121 ½
Gutierrez 123

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Puga Jr. 165
Talamontes 163 ½

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Gumina 182
Johnson 182

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 142
Kamara 138 ½

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

Legendary boxing promoter Don Chargin is in Salinas, California tonight with a solid card at the Salinas Sports Complex which will be televised on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo. The event, dubbed “History in the Making,” not only marks the return of professional boxing to a city that has hosted a few events, but serves as a benchmark for a Hall of Famer, as 60 years ago this weekend Don Chargin promoted his first of many shows.

Chargin had been closely involved in the sport before one event gave him the motivation to break out on his own and promote his first show in 1951. “I had assisted other promoters on shows and then a promoter had a big outdoor show and he was going through a terrible divorce and I was feeling bad for him,” recalls Chargin. “He went through like a two-week drunk and I did everything from setting up the chairs to making all the preliminaries to running the whole thing. Then when the show was over, he gave me 50 dollars. 50 dollars was a lot more then in 1951, but it was still nothing for the amount of work and time and the way I killed myself. That day I wouldn’t accept the 50 dollars and told him I was going to promote on my own and I promised him right there I would take his drawing card from him, which was Eddie Chavez, which I did.”

In fact, Chargin’s first show, which took place on September 3, 1951 in San Jose, California, would be headlined by Eddie Chavez. Chargin had known the fighting Chavez family for some time, and put the popular Eddie on in the featured attraction against name that would surely sell. “It was one of my boyhood idols, the great Manuel Ortiz, who was bantamweight champion for like ten or eleven years,” Chargin remembers. “This was at the end of his career, but he fought his first fight for me on Labor Day, 1951. It was just a great, toe-to-toe slugfest, and Chavez won a decision.”

“That first show was so successful, I thought it was going to be easy,” says Chargin. “I thought I was on my way to making a million dollars.”

Chargin’s success has been well chronicled. From the late 1950’s through the mid 1960’s Chargin put together a successful run of cards together for promoter Jimmy Dundee at the Oakland Auditorium. Most famously perhaps he got the nickname “War-A-Week” matching cards at the Olympic Auditorium for twenty years beginning in the 1964, while promoting his successful run of shows in Sacramento, helping develop world champions like Tony Lopez, Loreto Garza and later Willie Jorrin.

One thing that separates Chargin from some of the other established promoters of longevity has been his willingness to mentor aspiring promoters and matchmakers. “They got their own way of doing things,” says Chargin in reference to some other promoters. “I like to see young people in the business, and any way I can help…because I went through it when I was young. When I first started promoting, I jumped in my old car and I’d go to Newman’s Gym and Dolph Thomas’ Royal Gym and all the old managers and trainers would say, ‘Here’s that kid again, here’s that pest.’ But they wouldn’t do anything to help me until I started putting on successful shows. I swore at that time I would never be that way with young people that were interested in boxing.”

One of Chargin’s pupils is Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmaker Eric Gomez. “Eric Gomez, I am very, very fond of,” says Chargin. “He is like a son to me. He is a good matchmaker, and he is going to be a great matchmaker in time.”

This year Chargin has helped revitalize professional boxing in Northern California, co-promoting four shows in Fairfield and two in San Francisco prior to tonight’s card in Salinas. Working alongside Chargin on those shows have been upstart promoters Paco Damian and John Chavez.

When Damian, who owns and operates a successful restaurant in Woodland, California, Paco’s Mexican Restaurant, decided he wanted to go into boxing promoting he immediately sought after Chargin. “I went to the commission to just ask for information and I had already searched for Don, because I knew he had done all the shows in this area,” recalls Damian. “And as a matter of fact he had just left the office that day I was there. One day I went to one of the shows he was doing at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, and I told him my passion for boxing and that I wanted to be a promoter. And I don’t know whether he saw it or not, but when I was talking to him I don’t know if he was able to feel the vibe that I had, but he invited me to follow him around and check what really goes on.”

“He sounded so nice and sincere,” recalls Chargin. “I mentioned it to my wife and she said, ‘Yeah, let him do it. You always like having young guys around.’ So we did it and we’ve been friends ever since. He watches out for me now. He’s always worried about my health or that I might lose money. But he has been a real friend.”

Eventually Damian went to work and started learning the ropes from the ground up. “They started taking me to all the shows here in Sacramento, the shows in Tucson, Arizona, all the shows in Oroville,” says Damian. “Then I just started doing the minimum stuff, like assigning the fighters their dressing rooms, their gloves, getting the contracts ready and delivering to them, translating if the fighters didn’t speak English. Little by little I just started learning more and here I am now.”

Studying at the School of Don Chargin meant learning from his wife and partner Lorraine, who past away last year after a bout with cancer. “She was afraid somebody would come and brainwash me to do some big show and I would lose all this money,” remembers Damian. “That is what she was really afraid of. I am just trying to keep my work ethic the same as when Lorraine was there, trying to do things the same, because she was amazing. Thanks for her, things used to run so smoothly. Now that she’s gone, everything is a little more difficult.”

Chavez, a longtime fight scribe for various web sites, met the Chargin as a writer and quickly became friends with the couple. “I was doing some writing about Lorraine,” recalls Chavez. “They were just stories that were underreported. They had been in boxing for so many years. I just felt it was important. Little by little, I just started to learn more about how boxing works from Don. From the fan’s perspective, I got to see some of the issues that are going on with the sport and Don gave me perspective on what was going on now as well as the past.”

“We started talking on the phone, and he would mention fights or fighters,” says Chargin. “I would always to best of my ability give him an honest answer. We just became closer and my wife was very fond of John also. We used to have John come down to our home in Cambria on weekends.”

When Chargin brought shows to the Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco in February and April, Chavez was a major part of the promotion. “It was a natural thing when I decided to go in San Francisco, because John had always said ‘Let’s do something in San Francisco,’ that John would be apart of it,” says Chargin.

“We had always talked about doing a show together because I had wanted to get into it to see what promoting was all about,” says Chavez. “We had the opportunity this year to make it a reality. For me, it is a damn shame because Lorraine is not around. When I think of Don I think of her too.”

In his time with the Chargins, Chavez has seen firsthand what has separated them from some of their contemporaries. “They are pretty much the opposite [of other promoters,]” says Chavez. “Lorraine took me in like a part of her family. They are like night and day and just so humble, unlike some of the other promoters that always feel like they should be in the spotlight. It seems like in boxing, it doesn’t matter if it’s a writer or a fighter or a manager, they always are badmouthing somebody. When it came to them, it was never like that at all. It was always a positive note and they never had anything bad to say about anybody.”

When the day comes that Don Chargin decides he’s had enough of the boxing game, he will have left at least two promoters with some of his wisdom, though both understand they could never duplicate their mentor. “There is not going to be any replacing Don, that’s for sure, because he has knowledge that not anyone else can come close to in this sport,” says Chavez. “I just want to keep on the legacy of honesty. It’s a high level of honesty that he operates with, regardless of what other people say. I would like to continue to promote like that and be a straight shooter.”

“I don’t think I kind of deserve that,” says Paco in regards to carrying on the Chargin legacy. “He has worked so hard, sixty years, can you imagine? Him and Lorraine used to do one show a week, sometimes two. They would do one here and one in L.A. in the same week. Two in one week. It drains me and takes everything out of me. It just exhausts me mentally and physically. I go to sleep late every night at least one week before the fight. I just have no idea how they did it.

Humbly, not because I am not going to be able to do it, I would love to. Just being humble about it, I don’t want to think that far away. I want to think he is going to keep doing it and I am going to do it with him, learn and have fun and just keep doing it. If one day, he decides he wants me to give me the opportunity to carry on his company name with my name, it would be a privilege and an honor to use his name in every show that I do. So I would have him as my partner even if he doesn’t want to do the boxing anymore or decides to say he is going to take it easy. If he gives me that opportunity, I would use Don Chargin Productions in association with Paco Presents for every show I do.”

The name of the event is “History in the Making,” which was something main eventer Eloy Perez’ manager Kathy Garcia came up with, likely referring to her charge’s road to a title or bringing boxing back to Salinas. However, it’s a fitting title to describe the show for another obvious reason.

“Whatever Kathy had that clicked in her mind to put that name, that was a great name,” says Paco. “She didn’t even know that this fight would be celebrating his 60th year as a promoter. When she found out, I told her that is the perfect name that we would be able to pick for this fight because a living legend and a Hall of Famer will be celebrating his 60th year of promoting boxing, and nobody in boxing history has done that. To me, it’s a privilege and an honor to be part of his team and to learn the ropes from him. Sometimes I can’t find the words to describe it, because he didn’t have to do this for me. He is a top notch guy and has all the contacts. I don’t know what he saw in me, but he saw something in me to give me the opportunity to be with him all these years.”

It is hard to imagine doing something, anything really, for 60 straight years, but Don Chargin would not have had it any other way, “I knew early on I didn’t want to do anything else.”

Photo by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

Promising middleweight Paul Mendez takes a step up in class as he meets once-beaten James Parison in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised co-feature at the Salinas Sports Complex, in Salinas, California, tomorrow night. In the twelve months since his last ring appearance, Mendez relocated from Central California and made a stay down south before eventually finding his way to the San Francisco Bay Area to train under the watchful eye of respected trainer Virgil Hunter. Tomorrow Mendez gets his first opportunity to show off his new tools, before a television audience no less.

Since turning pro in February of 2009, Mendez (6-1, 2 KOs) of Delano, California has built up a solid reputation on the West Coast. Most notably scoring back-to-back wins over prospects Derek Hinkey and Tyrell Hendrix, Mendez managed to maintain his record without the backing of a promoter or well connected manager. Mendez took the Hinkey win in his opponent’s hometown and bested Hendrix on short notice at his walking around weight.

Looking to improve himself as a fighter, Mendez moved from the Bakersfield area to Oxnard, California to train with former world champion Robert Garcia. However, with Garcia being one of the most in demand trainers in the sport, Mendez jumped at an opportunity to come up north and train with Hunter. “I got the offer to come spar with [Andre Ward,] I accepted and came over as a sparring partner at first, sometime in October,” recalls Mendez. Apparently impressed with the work Mendez was giving his star pupil, Hunter eventually asked him to move to the Bay Area.

Mendez made the move in January, settled in Walnut Creek, and has been honing his skills under Hunter’s tutelage ever since. “It’s been great,” says Mendez. “Virg is a very wise man. He knows a lot about the game and a lot about the sport. The best way to describe it is that he is like a scientist. He breaks me down and sees what I need to work on and sees little things that not the normal boxing fan would see. He is very methodical, just like ‘Dre.”

Of course, training alongside and especially sparring a top ten pound-for-pound fighter like Andre Ward is a benefit just in itself for a developing pro such as Mendez. “I hate and love sparring with ‘Dre because it frustrates me that he is so smart and so good,” admits Mendez. “He is always two or three steps ahead of me. But it pushes me and every time when we are through with a sparring session, it makes me think about what he was doing to combat my movements in the ring and that’s great.”

Mendez will take everything he has learned into the ring against the most professionally experienced opponent of his career to date. Parison (14-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego, California turned pro back in 2005, logging 71 rounds compared to Mendez’ 30. Parison’s lone loss came to then unbeaten Craig McEwan by decision in November 2009. “I thought about his record and his experience and I had been out of the ring so long,” says Mendez. “But when they offered me this fight, I saw how he did in his last fight. He didn’t do so good. He won, but he didn’t look so good. At the same time, he is older and I am younger. I have been learning a lot. I am better than the last time I entered the ring. I am probably 60 percent better than I was before. I am getting there and I think this fight will prove it.”

Landing the fight with Parison ends a disheartening year-long layoff for Mendez. “It has been hard, but more frustrating than hard,” says Mendez, who recently spent time as a sparring partner for Andre Berto. “I am trying to get fights here and there, but it’s just not happening. Guys don’t want to fight people with my record, because I am so-called dangerous. It’s time to take risks and this is a big risk for me, but there’s a big reward too. I am going to beat this guy. There is no doubt in my mind I am going to win.”

With the fight being televised nationally on Telefutura and some Golden Boy Promotions execs likely in attendance, Mendez aims to make a statement. “I have some Golden Boy suits that I want to impress,” says the promotional free agent. “Golden Boy is a great company and this is a great opportunity for me. I have always looked at Golden Boy as my promoter of choice and I look highly on Oscar De La Hoya himself and the career he had. His upbringing was similar to mine. I am from a small Mexican town. That is why I would like to land that.”

Though he’s not looking past Parison, Mendez hopes a win Friday could lead to a fight with a recognizable name. “After this I’m looking to fight other guarded fighters,” says Mendez. “I’ll say the names. Demetrius Andrade, 154. I’ll fight at 154, that is where I am supposed to be at anyway, but if I have to come up to fight guys like Shawn Estrada or guys like that, that is no problem with me. I am in this game to fight, and that is what I am going to do.”

Before Mendez can look to a fight with an Andrade or an Estrada, he must take everything he has learned in the gym this year and ring it out like a wet sponge on Friday night. Itching for a fight for over a year, Mendez sounds ready to show everyone what he has learned and advance his career, “I just want to open people’s eyes to what I can do and we’ll go from there.”

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

In a heated back-and-forth grudge match, undefeated Vernon Paris got off the canvas to score the biggest win of his career to date with a seventh-round stoppage of world ranked Tim Coleman in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California on Friday night.

Coleman (19-2-1, 5 KOs) of Baltimore, Maryland downed Paris (25-0, 15 KOs) of Detroit, Michigan late in the second-round with a clean right hand. However, the Detroit native got right back into the fight at the start of the third as the action went both ways through five rounds.

Paris, 140, turned the fight in the sixth, as he hurt Coleman, 140, to the body early and eventually downed him twice with left hands downstairs. Coleman, who entered the bout the IBF#5/WBA #14 ranked light welterweight, rose from his knees the second time just before the bell sounded to end the sixth. In between rounds Coleman told his corner he was ready to continue, but Paris made sure not to give him the time he needed to recover.

Seconds into the seventh, Paris forced Coleman to the ropes and placed another solid left to his body. Coleman fell back on his left knee and referee Dan Stell immediately stopped the bout without a count. Official time of the stoppage was 27 seconds of the seventh.

With the victory Paris claims the USBA Light Welterweight title and will likely appear among the top ranked 140-pounders by the IBF when their next rankings are released. The fight had gained additional heat from a war of words between Paris and Coleman on their Facebook pages. When they arrived at the casino hotel Thursday morning, an altercation in the lobby in which Coleman admittedly threw a punch, led to separate weigh-ins and off site lodging for both main event fighters. In a show of good sportsmanship, Coleman moved past the heightened in-ring security to embrace Paris after the fight.

In impressive fashion, lightweight prospect Mike Faragon (16-0, 7 KOs) of Guilderland, New York broke down Ira Terry (24-6, 14 KOs) of Memphis, Tennessee to the body en route to a second-round referee’s stoppage.

Faragon, 134 ¾, ended an aggressive run by Terry, 129, in the second with a right to the body that referee Raul Caiz asked the prospect to keep up. With Terry clearly bothered by the blow, Faragon targeted his midsection with the ensuing onslaught. With Terry still standing but wilting against the ropes, Caiz leaped in to stop the bout. Official time of the stoppage was 2:32 of the second.

What could have evolved into a solid scrap ended prematurely as unbeaten Art Hovhannesyan (14-0-2, 8 KOs) of Glendale, California by way of Gyumri, Armenia clashed heads with former featherweight titleholder Cristobal Cruz (39-12-3, 23 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in the fourth and ultimately final round.

Ending a long layoff, Cruz, 130, got off to a solid start in the bout landing well with his awkward, winging style. Hovhannesyan, 130, landed one of his better shots, a right hand, just before stepping in with his head. The head clash opened a bad gash just right of center on Cruz’ forehead. Scoring the abbreviated fourth-round under the California rules, each fighter took a card 39-37, with the third judge’s card forcing the draw, 38-38.

Sergio Nunez (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Maywood, California pounded out a one-sided four-round unanimous decision over debuting Ricardo Cubillas (0-1) of Riverside, California. Nunez, 134 ½, was by far the better schooled boxer, but Cubillas, 135, was game enough to last the distance. In the end, all three judges scored the bout a shutout, 40-36, for Nunez.

CABAZON, CALIFORNIA – World ranked super middleweight Anthony Dirrell is still looking to earn the lofty status he has with some of the sport’s sanctioning bodies after Kevin Engel provided little resistance through less than two rounds of action in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa on Friday night.

Dirrell (23-0, 20 KOs) of Flint, Michigan could not miss Engel (18-5, 15 KOs) of Saint Louis, Missouri with his right hand throughout the fight. Before the end of the first, Dirrell’s right had already drawn blood from the Missouri native’s right eye.

Things did not get much better for Engel, 174, in the second as a Dirrell one-two downed the late notice replacement for Alejandro Berrio. Dirrell, 169 ½, met Engel with a right soon after he regained an upright position. The blow forced Engel’s mouthpiece out of the ring and drew blood from his mouth. Moments later, with Engel’s back to referee Lou Moret, Dirrell landed below the belt. Engel went down to a knee and remained there as Moret counted him out for the knockout.

Despite Engel’s protests, the fight was over at the official time of 1:44 of the second round. Dirrell, the WBC #4/WBA #9 ranked super middleweight, fought just twenty days ago, scoring a fifth-round stoppage of Dante Craig in his hometown of Flint, Michigan.

“It was short, but it was beautiful,” said Dirrell’s assistant trainer Leon Lawson Jr. after the bout. “He worked on his precision punches, made everything land and got him out of there.”

Engel’s team was upset the fight ended on a low blow, but Lawson felt the result was inevitable. “He did get hit low, I will admit, but he was looking for a way out of there anyway,” said Lawson. “You can tell when a fighter is looking for a way out. It is what it is, but Anthony was going to beat his ass anyway.”

Originally scheduled opponent Alejandro Berrio would have represented a move up in class of opposition for Anthony, the brother of former title challenger Andre Dirrell, had he stuck with the fight. “We are looking to step-up, but the guys keep dropping out,” said Lawson. “We are ready to fight anytime, against anybody they put in front of us.”

Lawson revealed tentative plans for Anthony to return to the ring sometime in September back in Michigan. The possibility exists that Andre would make his return to the ring on the same bill, against Sebastien Demers.

After having only accepted the fight on Monday, Aaron Martinez (15-1-1, 3 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California upset previously unbeaten prospect Joseph Elegele (12-1, 10 KOs) of Winter Haven, Florida via eighth-round technical decision.

If Martinez, 146, is a welterweight, Elegele, 145, looked like a middleweight in the ring. Somewhat surprisingly Martinez rocked Elegele late in the first round as he took advantage of his shorter arms in a clinch along the ropes. Martinez, by no means a puncher, came over the top with a right hand that stunned Elegele. Martinez’ follow-up attack downed the tall southpaw. Martinez looked primed for unexpected stoppage when the bell rang to end the first.

Martinez went for broke early in the second, but appeared to punch himself out by midway through the round. Elegele regained his footing around the same time a headbutt drew blood from Martinez’ left eye later in the round.

Elegele came out more aggressively to start the third, while the Martinez work rate dipped significantly from the two previous rounds. Both started swinging to start fourth, which got the crowd excited. Despite his size disadvantage, it was Martinez setting the distance and the pace throughout the fourth.

Just when Elegele looked to have the fifth in the bag, Martinez sprang to life again and pressed Elegele in a corner. The round consisted mostly of Elegele jabs, so perhaps that flurry could have stole the round for the East L.A. native. Having taken the fight on just a few days notice, Martinez appeared to be looking to take a breather in the sixth. Fortunately for Martinez, Elegele remained in stalker mode and did not really force the action when there appeared to be an opening. Martinez closed out the round well, another that Elegele appeared to have early.

Elegele narrowly escaped the seventh, as Martinez had him in trouble before the bell intervened again. Martinez ran out and rocked Elegele against the ropes in the eighth. The underdog Martinez seemed let Elegele off the hook as he moved to the outside. Just as the fight appeared to be headed to a dramatic ending, a terrible head clash busted open both men. Martinez’ gash was by far the worse of the two, as the cut went down to his skull.

Stopping the fight at that moment was the only call, sending things to the hands of the judges. Scoring the biggest win of his career, Martinez took all three cards by score of 76-75 and 77-74 twice.

In a offense-first, defense never type fight, Kurtiss Colvin (6-0, 5 KOs) of Austin, Texas scored one spectacular knockdown en route to a third-round stoppage of previously once-beaten Cleven Ishe (3-2, 1 KO) of Long Beach, California

Ishe, 159, threw from his hips, but did find Colvin, 159, at times in the fight. Colvin had a clear technical advantage, but chose to swing for the fences the entire way. Some clowning around led Colvin into a solid left hand to end the second round.

Ishe came out swinging to start the third, but Colvin quickly turned the fight around with a wide right hand that knocked the Long Beach resident into a cartwheel. When Ishe returned to his feet, Colvin quickly pounced before referee Lou Moret stopped the action at 1:24 of the third.

Looking to rebound from a draw in his last outing in May, Julian Williams (7-0-1, 4 KOs) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pounded out a workmanlike unanimous decision over Raul Rodriguez (2-6-1, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California.

Williams, 154, controlled most of the action, but did not dominate Rodriguez, 154, the way one may have expected based on their records. The sixth especially brought some competitive exchanges, as Rodriguez decided to stand his ground and trade with Williams. The Philly fighter was the better and more accurate puncher, but Rodriguez did catch him at times with some pretty clean shots. In the end, two judges had Williams the shutout winner, 60-54, with one judge giving Rodriguez a round for a 59-55 final tally.

Rising super bantamweight prospect Roman Morales (5-0, 4 KOs) of San Ardo, California tore through normally durable Juan Tepoz (4-6-1) of Santa Rosa, California in a one-sided first-round stoppage victory.

Morales dropped Tepoz with a quick combination along the ropes early in the first. Pegged as a normally slow starter, Morales continued to disprove that label as he punished a wincing Tepoz when action resumed. Unable to combat Morales’ fast hands, Tepoz headed down to a knee while the San Ardo native sped up the process with a right hand. Referee Lou Moret decided to stop the contest without a count at 2:30 of the first. Morales returns to the ring August 5th at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

In the night’s opener, DonYil Livingston (5-0, 3 KOs) of Palmdale, California easily moved past journeyman Cameron Allen (3-8, 1 KO) of Battle Creek, Michigan by pounding his way to a fourth-round stoppage.

Livingston took the fight to Allen early, stuffing right hands at short range behind his jab. By the second, Allen already seemed winded and was eventually rocked by a quick one-two at close range. Livingston had the Michigan resident in trouble late in the round and opened the third in much the same fashion. Though fading, Allen continued to wing shots from the ropes with little success.

Allen immediately went into retreat at the start of the fourth as Livingston pressured the journeyman. A Livingston left to body finally dropped Allen midway through the round. With his mouthpiece on the mat, Allen got a short reprieve from the onslaught before Livingston went right back downstairs. With Allen hunched over, Livingston landed a couple blows to his cranium which had him headed back to the mat. Referee Tony Crebs jumped in to stop the contest at 2:03 of the fourth-round.

In the walkout bout, Dushane Crooks (1-0) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Clarendon, Jamaica dropped Greg Baca (0-1) of San Bernardino, California in the second-round en route to a four-round unanimous decision. Baca, 157, had some success early, as he rocked Cooks, 156 ½, forcing the Brooklyn resident to hold on for a moment.

Crooks turned the fight in his favor with a left hook that dropped Baca. When Baca quickly popped back up, Crooks landed a couple more shots before referee Tony Crebs could jump in for the eight-count.

From the second on, the fight was completely in Crooks’ control. The Jamaican-born slugger rocked Baca with another wild left and followed up with a combination that shot his mouthpiece out of the ring. After another decisive round, all three judges handed in scorecards of 39-35 or Crooks.

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA – Local favorite Alan Sanchez kept his record at home unblemished with a well-fought technical stoppage victory over Clint Coronel before his supportive fan base, capping an entertaining night of action at the Fairfield Sports Center on Friday night.

Sanchez (8-2-1, 3 KOs) of Fairfield just had too much height and length and too many dimensions for the crude slugger Coronel (4-3-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California. To no great surprise, Coronel, 149, opened the fight moving forward, while Sanchez, 147, remained on the outside, using his footwork and his getting behind his jab. Coronel placed a clean overhand right early, but had trouble getting set to land anything clean for the most part.

By the end of the second, Coronel was already bleeding pretty well from his left eye, which prompted Coronel’s corner to ask referee Dan Stell to watch for the headbutts in between rounds. In any event, Coronel was down two rounds and now had a bloody eye for a target, which Sanchez nailed to start the third.

The third was another clear Sanchez round, but Coronel did manage to get in some clean blows in the fourth as the Fairfield resident stayed more stationary than in previous rounds. Coronel was deducted a point in the fifth for a bad low blow which caused a time out. Though it was low, it seemed to be mostly a side effect of Coronel’s swinging punching style more than an intentional foul. Moments later, the referee had both ringside doctors examine Coronel’s right eye, which was bleeding profusely by the end of the round.

Just seconds into the sixth, Stell brought Coronel over to the ringside doctor again, which would make one believe that the referee was leaning towards a stoppage at that point. However, the fight continued, with Sanchez now fighting more on the inside and rubbing against Coronel’s shredded face.

Stell and the doctor took another close look before the seventh, but allowed the fight to resume. To his credit, Coronel remained determined despite the vision and skill disadvantages. Before much of the seventh round had got underway, Stell brought Coronel over to the doctor and this time got the ok for the stoppage he had been looking for in rounds prior. Stell motioned to the commission table that the blood was spurting from Coronel’s face shortly after the bout’s conclusion.

Manuel “Tino” Avila (5-0, 2 KOs) of Fairfield kept his unbeaten record in tact with a measured four-round decision win over the aggressive Salvador Cifuentes (1-2) of Chula Vista, California in the night’s co-main event.

Cifuentes, 124, came out looking to pressure Avila, 123, but the prospect managed to place some pinpoint shots upstairs against his onrushing opponent. Cifuentes found more success in the second half, as he caught Avila, who employed little head movement, numerous times with clean shots to the cranium. Avila remained composed and managed to weather Cifuentes’ flurries before countering with his own more precision style attack.

Midway through the fourth round, a clash of heads opened up a bad cut over Cifuentes’ left eye. Referee Jon Schorle nearly waved off the fight in the corner, but appeared to be talked into allowing the fight to continue by Cifuentes, who came out swinging when action resumed.

In the end, all three judges failed to give Cifuentes any credit for his second half surge, scoring the bout a shutout, 40-36 across the board.

Super featherweight prospect Guy Robb (5-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento, California did what he was supposed to do against a novice opponent, score a quick knockout. Despite all the talk of his camp at the weigh-in Thursday, Tyshawn Sherman (0-1) of Hesperia, California presented no challenge for Robb.

Sherman, 128, came out running and moving in a very unorthodox manner, which gave Robb, 128, reason to pause and assess the situation for a brief moment in the opening moments of the fight. Once he realized what he had in front of him, Robb stalked his fleet of foot opponent before landing a left hook that got Sherman on his bicycle even more than before.

Moments later, Robb landed a two punch combination that put Sherman into a corner. With Sherman folding over and almost turning away, Robb unloaded with both hands before referee Dan Stell leaped in to protect the amateurish Sherman from any harm. Time of the stoppage was 1:28 of round one.

Former amateur standout-turned mixed martial arts prospect Mike Ortega (2-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento made his return to the sweet science a successful one as he scored a fourth-round stoppage of dangerous Michael Alexander (1-5-3) of Antioch, California.

Ortega, 152, stunned the taller Alexander, 154, early in the bout with two lefts and a hard right. Ortega, who also mixed in his shots well to the body, scored with an overhand right that rocked Alexander for the second time in the round. Ortega continued to press the action before landing a short counter left hand in the closing seconds of the first which backed Alexander into the ropes. Ortega flurried, but Alexander’s cause was aided by the ring of the bell.

Alexander regained his footing by the start of the second, but was still getting outfought by Ortega. The Sacramento native continued to control the action in the third, backing Alexander up with a one-two and placing his other shots well to the body and head.

Alexander got on his toes to start the fourth, eventually landing a stiff jab that got Ortega to take a step back. Just as Alexander landed one of his better shots in the fight, Ortega came back with a four-punch combination that began with a right, followed by a solid left hook and two overhand rights. The last right put Alexander all the way down and prompted referee Dan Stell to wave off the bout without a count. Time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round four.

Local product Omar Sanchez (0-2) of Fairfield came to the Fairfield Sports Center in search of his first pro victory, having fought two legitimate prospects to begin his career in losing efforts, but came away with neither a win nor a loss.

Debuting Jhonnathan Zamudio of San Francisco, California by way of Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico scored a knockdown in the first but had to settle for a no contest when a Sanchez cut was ruled to come from a heabutt.

Zamudio, 139, put Sanchez, 134, down in an exchange of left hooks early in the first, but it appeared to be mostly a flash knockdown. Zamudio began the second well, landing two solid counter left hands against the forward-moving Sanchez. The Fairfield product began to get a bit reckless later in the round, which may have been when the headbutt took place. The now bloodied Sanchez did stun Zamudio with a combination, but the Mexican import fired right back.

What looked to be a solid scrap heading into the second half was cut short when referee Jon Schorle took Sanchez over to the ringside doctor in the third round. After getting advice from the physician, Schorle stopped the fight, resulting in a no contest due to the few rounds completed. Zamudio plans to return to the ring September 2nd in Salinas, California.

Jonathan Chicas (2-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco spoiled the professional debut of former amateur standout Michael Islas (0-1) of Madera, California via decisive four-round unanimous decision in the night’s opening contest.

Chicas, 142, countered the attack of Islas, 139, well and outworked the Madera native over the four-rounds. Islas seemed hesitant to unload his artillery and simply waited for openings too often. Chicas attempted to make his own openings, and usually found Islas best with the third or fourth punch of his combinations. In the end all three judges had Chicas the winner. Scores read 40-36 and 39-37 twice.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Local draw and emerging welterweight prospect Alan Sanchez is back headlining the bill at the Fairfield Sports Center as he takes on free-swinging slugger Clint Coronel in an eight-rounder tonight. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in Thursday evening at the Courtyard by Marriott Fairfield Napa Valley Area in Fairfield.

Sanchez (7-2-1, 2 KOs) of Fairfield has quickly turned into a fan favorite and drawing card in his hometown and looks to impress his local following for the third straight time this year. Last time out, Sanchez pounded John Ryan Grimaldo, scoring two knockdowns en route to an eight-round unanimous decision. Sanchez scaled 147-pounds Thursday night.

Coronel (4-2-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California pulled out a hard-fought six-round decision at the Fairfield Sports Center back in March, overcoming Carlos Musquez via six-round split decision. In the last ring appearance, Coronel fought well but came up short against former amateur standout Michael Zewski, dropping a six-round majority nod in April. Coronel, fighting below his usual weight, managed to come in at 149-pounds Thursday.

In the four-round co-main event, former amateur star and budding professional prospect Manuel “Tino” Avila (4-0, 2 KOs) of Fairfield makes his third appearance at the Sports Center this year in taking on pugnacious Salvador Cifuentes (1-1) of Chula Vista, California. Avila, who will be fighting off television for the first time in his professional career, weighed in at 123-pounds. Cifuentes, dropping down from lightweight, scaled 124-pounds Thursday.

Quickly becoming a venue favorite, super featherweight prospect Guy Robb (4-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California returns to Fairfield for the third time this year against debuting Tyshawn Sherman of Hesperia, California in a four-round bout. Local fight aficionados are still buzzing over Robb’s exciting four-round decision over Manuel Morales in March. Sherman has a limited amateur background, but word is that the Jack Mosley-trained fighter can in fact fight. Robb and Sherman both scaled 128-pounds.

Former amateur standout and professional mixed martial arts prospect Mike Ortega (1-0) of Sacramento will make his long awaited return to boxing in a four-round light middleweight bout against Michael Alexander (1-4-3) of Antioch, California. Ortega turned pro back in 2008 before turning his attention MMA. Despite his record, Alexander poses a tough challenge for Ortega’s squared circle return. Local fight fans may remember Alexander scoring a knockdown over still undefeated prospect Brandon Gonzales in Sacramento in 2008. Ortega came in at 152-pounds, while Alexander made the 154-pound light middleweight limit.

In a four-round light welterweight bout, Fairfield’s Omar Sanchez (0-2) will look to get into the win column against Jhonnathan Zamudio of San Francisco, California by way of Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, who will be making his professional debut. Sanchez, an unrelated J.L. Tepito Boxing Club stablemate of Alan Sanchez, has been matched incredibly tough in his young career, but always given his opponent as well as the fans ringside an exciting fight. Sanchez, who scaled 134-pounds, takes on the primed and ready Zamudio, who trains out of the Pastel Boxing Club in Watsonville, California. Zamudio weighed in at 139-pounds.

Also on the card, Jonathan Chicas (1-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco will take on well regarded Michael Islas of Madera, California, who will be making his professional debut, in a four-round light welterweight bout. Chicas thrilled his fans in San Francisco back in April when he demolished Maja Khali in one round. Islas, who competed at the national level on numerous occasions in the amateurs, scaled 139-pounds, while Chicas came in at 142.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, are available by calling 925-286-0195.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Sanchez 147
Coronel 149

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Avila 123
Cifuentes 124

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Robb 128
Sherman 128

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Ortega 152
Alexander 154

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Sanchez 134
Zamudio 139

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 142
Islas 139

Photos by Arturo Ramos

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

There is something noble about the journey of an aspiring prizefighter. The sport of boxing has always been a way for those that come from humble beginnings to make something of themselves and to provide a better life for their families. Of course there are no promises in boxing and for every one fighter that pulls himself up and makes it, there are many more that do not. Light welterweight Jhonnathan Zamudio begins his professional journey tomorrow night at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California.

Zamudio, who will take on Fairfield’s Omar Sanchez (0-2) in a four-rounder, grew up idolizing Juan Manuel Marquez in one of the rare non-boxing Mexican towns, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. “In my hometown of Cuernavaca, boxing is not very popular and we don’t have any one [fighter] that represents us,” explains the aspiring Zamudio. “That is why one of my long term goals is eventually to be able to go back and open up a boxing gym and be able to pass on my knowledge to future generations.”

Like others before him, Zamudio found boxing while looking for something to fulfill him in his life. “I became interested [in boxing] because I was at a point in my life where I needed something that filled me as a person,” explains Zamudio. “I needed discipline and something that was constant in my life, so I decided to try out boxing. I ended up falling in love with it and figuring out that I have the heart for it.”

Zamudio took up the sport seven years ago, and has gradually improved to the point where he believes he can make the leap to the paid ranks. “I started boxing in 2004 and it wasn’t easy to be where I am right now,” says Zamudio. “Since I am not a natural boxer I had to learn everything I know from scratch and train very hard at it to be able to reach my goal of becoming a professional boxer.”

After amassing 17 amateur fights, including a run at the prestigious Golden Belt in Mexico City, Zamudio’s passion for the sport led him to make the decision to leave Cuernavaca and move to the United States in order to better his boxing career. “I left Mexico because I wanted to find new opportunities with boxing,” explains Zamudio. “I left everything behind in search of my dream and the first thing I did when I got here was to look for a boxing gym, even before I looked for a job.”

Zamudio eventually settled in San Francisco, California, but found his home boxing gym in Watsonville, roughly a two-hour drive on most days. Living in San Francisco and training in Watsonville, Zamudio continued his amateur career under the tutelage of Jose Hernandez at the Pastel Boxing Club.

Zamudio has had some success as an amateur since coming to the States, including taking part in the California Golden Gloves last year, but his most rewarding experience was helping former world champion Robert Guerrero ready for his April bout against Michael Katsidis. “I’ve taken away a lot from the amateur experience,” says Zamudio. “The fact that I’ve got to spar with so many good boxers has given me lots of experience and I have learned a lot from all of them. But I’d have to say that sparring with [Robert] “The Ghost” Guerrero has been the most amazing experience I have had so far as an amateur fighter.”

Not only does Zamudio have a long commute to Watsonville to contend with, the ambitious athlete also has a full-time job working at the restaurant Chaya in San Francisco and a blossoming family life. Also, Zamudio and his wife Carolina welcomed their son William Alexander into the world this past May. “Balancing boxing with my job and my family is very difficult for me, especially this past two months in which I have been training so hard for my debut,” says Jhonnathan. “I just had my first son on May 23rd and it has been very stressful and hard to manage a full-time job at a restaurant, five days a week from 4 to 12 a.m. and running at 6 a.m. and driving all the way from Pacifica to Watsonville every day.”

Such are the sacrifices of the young prizefighter, aiming to change his life and achieve something noble. Tomorrow night, Zamudio aims to take his dedication and hard work and apply it to the next level. “I decided to turn pro because it was my biggest dream ever since I started boxing,” says Zamudio. “I have been working on it for the past six years and I feel like this a cycle in my life that will be completed by becoming a professional.”

When one reaches the moment they have dreamt about for years, and worked so hard to make possible, the pressure could be much to handle. Zamudio has arrived at that moment, the culmination of years of hard work, and now it is up to him to show everyone what he can accomplish. “The people that have supported me all this time expect nothing but the best and a great show,” explains Zamudio. “They know how hard I have worked for this day, and I will give it my all in the ring. As we Mexicans say, I die in the line.”

Photo courtesy Team Zamudio

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

RENO, NEVADA – Crowd-pleasing heavyweight Cristobal Arreola continued his climb back near the top of the division with a one-sided seventh-round stoppage of former fringe contender Kendrick Releford at the Reno Events Center on Friday night.

Arreola (32-2, 28 KOs) of Riverside, California did not exactly come out guns blazing, but controlled Releford (22-15-2, 10 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas from the early going. Arreola, 236, worked over Releford, 230, in the corner for a stretch in the first, which was a somewhat tentative round for both combatants outside of that exchange.

Arreola, the WBC #2/IBF #5/WBO #13/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight contender worked over Releford’s body in round two and began opening up with combinations that kept Releford’s guard up. In the third, Arreola really mixed up his attack, aiming his shots in between and around Releford’s guard, while mixing in shots downstairs as well. Arreola may have been a bit winded late in the round, which allowed Releford to open up momentarily.

By the fourth Releford was beginning to break down from Arreola’s varied attack. Just before the bell Releford was rocked by a right, which would be a sign of things to come. By the fifth Arreola was finding a home for his uppercuts. By this time Releford was mostly in cover-up and flea mode instead of aggressively attempting to win the fight. At the end of the round the ringside physician stepped in Releford’s corner to give the fighter a look over.

It may have been a better idea to stop the bout in between rounds, at least for the sake of Releford’s health. It would be a combination left uppercut-overhand right that would finally force Releford to drop to a knee. To his credit, Releford got up, but was eventually rocked by another left uppercut that had him moving back to the ropes. The writing was written on the wall. Arreola landed a left hook that gave Releford reason to change the expression on his face and back up. The Riverside resident moved in ready to pounce, but referee Russell Mora decided to call it off at 2:43 of round seven.

Friday’s win over Releford marked the second appearance and second knockout for Arreola in as many weeks. More importantly, Arreola came to both fights in great physical condition, especially in comparison to some of the outings in his recent past. “I am in great condition and it paid,” said Arreola. “It’s only going to get better. I am going to work my ass of and get that title. I love boxing and you are going to see it.”

While Arreola was in good shape, his body did work against him in the fight. “I felt sick and nasally when I made it into Reno,” said Arreola, who could hardly be seen without a tissue on Thursday. “I felt great, but I could have taken him out earlier.”

Tony Thompson (36-2, 23 KOs) of Silver Spring, Maryland moved one step closer to another crack at a world title with a one-sided drubbing of an either faded or disinterested Maurice Harris (24-15-2, 10 KOs) of East Orange, New Jersey.

Harris, 244, simply did not show up for the fight. Thompson, 255 ½, started out behind the jab in round one, but soon found chopping rights to be a better weapon. Harris, the IBF #6 ranked heavyweight, appeared to have trouble finding the right stance as he threw mostly off balance shots against the southpaw Thompson.

Thompson, who entered the bout the IBF #7 ranked heavyweight, worked over Harris in the second before landing a chopping right that downed Harris. The New Jersey native rose and made it out of the round on unsteady legs.

Thompson landed a light right hand that dropped Harris down again early in the third. When Harris returned to his feet Thompson landed another chopping right at the top of his head and aided his fall with a light push. Referee Vic Drakulich waved off the knockdown, but soon called the fight anyway. Official time was 1:51 of round three.

With the victory, Thompson earned a title eliminator against IBF #1 ranked heavyweight Eddie Chambers, who earned that position with a victory over Derric Rossy. “It’s going to be my title,” said Thompson after the fight. “The title is coming back to DC. Maurice got the real “Tiger.” No man is going to stand in front of a Tiger, not Eddie, not Wladimir.” IBF Heavyweight ruler Wladimir Klitschko scored an eleventh-round stoppage over Thompson in 2008 in a fight that had some competitive action.

2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (7-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California justly scored a six-round unanimous decision over better-than-his-record journeyman David Lopez (3-6-3) of Nampa, Idaho, but still looks to be a work in progress.

Molina, 149, got off to a solid start, dropping Lopez, 149 ½, with a short right on the inside early in the first. Lopez proved to be game, as he came right out after Molina, forcing the Goossen Tutor Promotions prospect into an exchange. Once Molina slowed down the pace again, he easily outboxed Lopez to close the round.

For controlling rounds two and three with his better technical skills, Molina was drawn into another wild exchange in fourth. This time with was the crude southpaw Lopez that got the better of the action. Lopez seemed to edge a close fifth with a right, left combination that rocked Molina right before the bell.

Lopez refused to go away and traded with Molina again to close the sixth. In the end, the judges gave Molina a wide decision, 60-53 and 59-54 twice. For Molina it was his second fight in thirteen days and his first six-rounder, which could have played a part his less than spectacular performance. Some of the credit must go to the determined Lopez as well.

In the walkout bout, super featherweight prospect Guy Robb (4-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California scored the most entertaining shutout decision you could see over durable Noe Lopez Jr. (7-8, 4 KOs) of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

Robb, 128, forced Lopez, 131, into a corner in the early going to start off a heated two-way exchange. Robb proved a much more elusive target than was Lopez. The Sacramento resident landed the harder shots throughout the bout.

Throughout the next two rounds Robb continued to outpoint Lopez. Robb threw punches at odd angles and from odd places, and Lopez could not adapt. The fight did close with another wild exchange, but Robb took all three rounds on all three cards, 40-36. Robb returns to the ring June 25th in Fairfield, California.

Ricardo Williams Jr. (18-2, 10 KOs) of Cincinatti, Ohio continued his low pressure comeback run with a lackluster six-round unanimous decision over journeyman Chris Gray (13-15, 1 KO) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Williams, 148, did not flash much of the hand speed that made him a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and professional prospect nearly a decade ago. Gray, 148, was game and caught the slow-moving Williams on several occasions.

After six fairly competitive rounds, Williams took the cards 58-56 and 59-55 twice. For Williams, once an HBO favorite, the road back to a meaningful fight looks to be a tough one to navigate.

In a rematch of a November draw, bantamweight prospect Michael Ruiz Jr. (8-0-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California scored a six-round unanimous decision over the always tough Jonathan Alcantara (4-5-2) of Novato, California.

Alcantara, 120, was aggressive at the outset, but missed with an overhand right that left him open for a Ruiz, 119, counter. Just as was to be expected after their contentious interaction at the weigh-in, the action heated up early. Late in the round, Alcantara came on and landed a couple solid right hands.

The inside fight resumed to the start of the second before a Ruiz counter forced Alcantara to stumble back. The Novato resident would not be outdone, and landed two solid left lands solid. Late in the round, Alcantara unloaded a flurry that bothered Ruiz puffed up his left eye. Ruiz had some trouble getting out of the way of Alcantara’s combinations as the round progressed.

Ruiz came back well to start the third, rocking Alcantara with a one-two combination. With Alcantara seemingly stunned for the first time in the fight, Ruiz really opened up and forced his opponent across the ring. Just when it seemed the third would be a clear cut Ruiz round, Alcantara stormed back beginning with a right uppercut. With Ruiz a little punched out for a moment, Alcantara came on for a stretch. Ruiz seized control again, as he landed and overhand right-left hand combination.

Alcantara came back in the fourth as he may have hurt Ruiz with a right hand in the opening moments of the round. Ruiz came back midway through and the fourth was another hard round to score. The last two rounds were fought at a slower pace as perhaps the high work rates coupled with the high elevation began to play their part.

In the end, the Nevada judges seated ringside failed to give Alcantara any credit in their scoring. Two judges had the fight a shutout, 60-54 and the third had it 59-55 all for Ruiz.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

RENO, NEVADA — There was a time not too many generations ago when boxing’s elite fought every few weeks. In an era when the top fighters usually fight no more than twice a year, world ranked heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola eyes his second victory in just under two weeks as he takes on veteran Kendrick Releford in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event at the Reno Events Center tonight. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening down the street at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino.

Tonight’s originally scheduled main event, which would have pitted rising light welterweight contender Josesito Lopez against Steve Upshur Chambers, was scratched not many days before Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) of Riverside, California stopped Nagy Aguilera in three rounds. Lopez, who shares trainer Henry Ramirez with Arreola, went down with an injured hand. While they were still standing in the ring after the stoppage, which took place on the May 14th Andre Ward-Arthur Abraham undercard, the idea of fighting again tonight was brought up and less than a week later the fight was announced.

Releford (22-14-2, 10 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas is a fighter that has been around the block and given an impressive list of solid fighters tough fights in his ten-year career. Just two years ago, Releford, who scaled 230-pounds Thursday, trimmed down and made a run at cruiserweight which ended with a third-round stoppage to Alexander Alexeev in July 2009. Since then Releford came back up around 220 and posted two wins before dropping an eight-round decision to former international amateur champion Luis Ortiz last August.

The word on Arreola, the WBC #2/IBF #5/WBO #13/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight contender, was if you could keep him busy enough he would stay in shape. After years of showing up to big fights carrying some extra baggage, Arreola came in looking lean at 234-pounds on May 14th. On Thursday, Arreola looked much the same as he came in at 236-pounds. With an impressive showing tonight, Arreola would be right in line for a return to the upper level of the division and the bigger paydays that come attached to those fights.

Arreola is not the only ranked heavyweight on the bill. In fact, the co-feature has even bigger implications, at least in the short-term, on the heavyweight title picture. Longtime top ten big man Tony Thompson (35-2, 23 KOs) of Silver Spring, Maryland takes on career-spoiler Maurice Harris (24-14-2, 10 KOs) of East Orange, New Jersey in a twelve-round bout with the IBF #2 heavyweight ranking on the line.

Harris, the IBF #6 ranked heavyweight, has taken an improbable road to get to this position once again his career. If there was ever a rollercoaster ride of a career, Maurice Harris’ fits the bill. Harris, still just 35-years-old, turned pro way back in 1992. Harris told 15rounds.com earlier in the week he feels the years of experienced have served him well going into the fight tonight.

“With age comes wisdom,” says Harris. “It was all a matter of being refocused. I always knew I knew had the talent, it was just the work ethic that I needed to improve. I have a couple more kids involved, so that changes things.”

When Harris came back to the ring last year, he made the move expecting to work his way back to this position. “I would have never come back to the ring if I didn’t feel I could do it,” says Harris, who previously fought for the IBF #2 ranking back in 2003 against Fres Oquendo. “From that first day in March that I first got back in the ring, I knew this is what I could do.”

Harris has victory of sorts over Thompson. Back in November of 2002, promoter Cedric Kushner put together a one-night heavyweight. Harris beat Gerald Nobles and Ray Austin, while Thompson advanced past Jeremy Williams and Derrick Jefferson to lead them into the finals. “When I fought him the first time, I didn’t know much about him,” recalled Harris. Harris lack of preparation did not hinder him, as he took the decision and the cash prize. “I hadn’t trained to fight a southpaw or anything. I didn’t know who I would be fighting, but that showed a lot of people where I was skill wise. I beat three different guys, three hungry guys.”

Thompson, the IBF #7 ranked heavyweight, has bounced back from his spirited effort in defeat against Wladimir Klitschko in 2008 with four consecutive stoppage victories. Most notably, Thompson halted former prospect Chazz Witherspoon in nine-rounds in December 2009. Thompson weighed in at 255 ½, while Harris came in at 244-pounds. The winner of the eliminator will eventually be matched with IBF #1 heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers with a crack at the title hanging in the balance.

“Tony’s a good fighter,” says Harris. “I’m not taking anything away from him. He’s up there for a reason. We are fighting for the number two position. It’s going to be an interesting fight. He’s hungry. I’m hungry. So it is going to be a good fight.”

In the first swing bout, 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (6-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California returns to the ring with the same turnaround as Arreola, having fought on the May 14th Ward-Abraham card in Carson, California. Molina will take on David Lopez (3-5-3) of Nampa, Idaho in a four-round light middleweight fight. Molina, who fought one more round than Arreola did two weeks ago in a four-round decision over Danny Figueroa, weighed in at 149, while Lopez scaled 149 ½-pounds.

In the other swing bout, rising super featherweight prospect Guy Robb (3-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will take his most experienced opponent to date Noe Lopez Jr. (7-7, 4 KOs) of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico in a bout scheduled for either four or six-rounds. Robb, who scaled 128-pounds, is coming in off of a thrilling four-round decision over Manuel Morales in March. Lopez, who has lost when he has stepped up to the prospect level in the past, came in at 131-pounds.

One of a few fights that have fight of the night potential is the six-round super featherweight rematch between Michael Ruiz Jr. (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California and Jonathan Alcantara (4-4-2) of Novato, California. Ruiz pressed the action for the most part, but was never quite able to pin Alcantara down. Alcantara boxed well at range as each fighter took a card 58-56, with the third one coming up even at 57-57. At the weigh-in it was clear there was some animosity between the two fighters. During the post-scale photo op, Alcantara shoved Ruiz. When asked what he did to provoke Alcantara, Ruiz stated, “I just smiled at him.” Ruiz came in at 119, while Alcantara came in at 120-pounds.

There is another former U.S. Olympian on the card, but from the 2000 team, as Ricardo Williams Jr. (17-2, 10 KOs) of Cincinatti, Ohio continues his comeback against journeyman Chris Gray (13-14, 1 KO) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the six-round curtain raiser. Williams, who claimed silver in Sydney, Australia, weighed in at 148-pounds, as did Gray. Williams has scored three consecutive stoppages against mostly limited opposition.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 10 Rounds
Arreola 236
Releford 230

IBF Heavyweight Championship Eliminator, 12 Rounds
Harris 244
Thompson 255 ½

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Molina 149
Lopez 149 ½

Super Featherweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Robb 128
Lopez 131

Super Bantamweights, 6 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 119
Alcantara 120

Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Williams 148
Gray 148

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA–In a high stakes pairing of former world champions, Kendall Holt put himself in line for a meaningful fight with a devastating third-round knockout of Julio Diaz on Friday night at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

The jury is still out on whether Holt (27-4, 15 KOs) of Patterson, New Jersey is still the same fighter he was during his title reign, but one thing is for sure: he can still punch. That is what Diaz (38-7, 27 KOs) of Coachella, California found out in their ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event.

Holt, the WBO #8/WBC #8/WBA #10/IBF #15 ranked light welterweight, was the naturally bigger and stronger fighter and fully exploited that advantage in the less than three rounds of action. Holt quickly landed two solid right hands in the first round, before Diaz, the IBF #9 ranked 140-pounder, came right back, throwing his left. Before the end of the round, Diaz would be cut above his left eye from an apparent headbutt.

Out-muscled for a stretch in the first, Diaz, 141 ½, had a determined start to the second. Diaz threw several combinations, but Holt, 142, did well enough covering up. Several times in the round, Holt would wait for Diaz to finish throwing before looking for a haymaker counter. On a few occasions, Holt just missed landing one of the wild swings. Diaz was the busier fighter in the round, as it was obvious Holt was looking for one knockout punch.

The third round featured excellent two-way action before the fight’s sudden end. Holt came out quick with a good right hand which briefly upset Diaz’ rhythm. In an exchange in which Diaz landed a left and Holt a right, the former belt holders clashed heads again. Soon after action resumed, Diaz opened up and landed a nice combination that gave Holt reason to take a step back. Diaz followed Holt, perhaps thinking he had hurt the New Jersey resident. Instead, Holt gave himself the room to land a left to the body that brought down Diaz’ guard and left him susceptible to the ensuing left hook upstairs. Diaz went down hard, but somehow managed to make it to his feet. With Diaz in no condition to continue, referee Marcos Rosales waved off the fight. Time of the stoppage was 2:37 of the third.

The Diaz victory alone – compounded by its shocking conclusion – instantly makes Holt a viable opponent for one of the money players at 140-pounds. After the fight, talk was that the Holt camp is considering an offer to fight IBF Light Welterweight titleholder Zab Judah. The match-up would be a turf war of sorts, with Holt hailing from New Jersey and Judah, New York. The fight will have to simmer should it come to pass; as an arm injury Holt suffered earlier in the bout gave the California State Athletic Commission reason enough to tag him with a 180-day medical suspension.

For Diaz, Friday’s stoppage may have been the knockout blow to his career and at the very least drops him from contender to opponent status. Should his career be over, Diaz should take solace in the fact that for a bunch of years he was one of the best in the sport. Counted out more than once his career, Diaz always battled back and brought himself back into the upper echelon. Diaz twice claimed the IBF Lightweight title and twice dropped the belt to elite fighters, Jose Luis Castillo and Juan Diaz. This time however, it is hard to envision the now 31-year-old “Kidd” Diaz working his way back to a title opportunity.

In the spirited co-feature, Jonathan Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico turned back the challenge of a game Rudy Cisneros (12-3, 11 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois, scoring a seventh-round stoppage. Cisneros, 152 ½, gave Gonzalez, 154, some trouble, especially in the early going, with his constant pressure. Eventually class showed through, as Gonzalez, the WBA #11 ranked light middleweight, took charge in the second half.

Cisneros took some solid shots through four, but handled them well outside of some bad swelling around his left eye. However, by the fifth, Gonzalez’ power began to have a showing effect on Cisneros. Most notably a short right forced the Chicago native to stutter step. Still determined, Cisneros managed to return the favor and rock Gonzalez late in the round.

The fight took a complete turn in favor of the 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian in round six, as Gonzalez unloaded with Cisneros against the ropes late in the round. Cisneros refused to cave in and fired back when possible, but with not much behind his shots. Gonzalez jumped back on Cisneros early in the seventh, eventually forcing him to the ropes for an unanswered barrage. Cisneros’ corner attempted to throw in the towel, but their toss fell short and got caught on the rope. Finally the inspector in their corner signaled referee Ray Corona to stop the bout. The official time came at 1:50 of round seven.

Gonzalez will be back after a quick turnaround as he is scheduled to compete in an eight-rounder against an opponent to be named on a special Saturday edition of Showtime’s Shobox: The New Generation on June 11th emanating from the Roseland Ballroom in New York, New York.

In a rematch of a thriller, undefeated Kurtiss Colvin (5-0, 4 KOs) of Austin, Texas made a statement with a second-round knockout of Cameron Allen (3-7, 1 KO) of Battle Creek, Michigan. Colvin, 159, jumped on Allen, 158 ½, early and often, rocking him early in round one with a combination.

Allen managed to withstand Colvin’s attack and make it into the second round, but may wish he had not. Colvin dropped Allen with a left, but the Battle Creek resident got up to take more punishment. Eventually, Colvin forced Allen against the ropes for a pounding before a right to the body set up a two-punch combination upstairs which downed Allen a second time. Referee Ray Corona waved off the fight without a count at 2:52 of the second round.

In their first meeting, which took place in February, the well regarded Colvin survived a knockdown and a standing eight-count to drop the tenacious Allen in the third en route a four-round majority decision. Colvin will likely return to the ring on June 10th back at the Chumash Casino Resort.

In an excellent fight, unbeaten prospect Julian Williams (6-0-1, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania failed to notch a win for the first time in his pro career as Francisco Santana (12-2-1, 6 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California came on strong in the second half of the fight to force a unanimous draw.

Williams, 153, got off to a solid start, outboxing Santana, 153 ½, in rounds one and two. Santana was competitive in the early going, but Williams seemed to be taking the rounds with a composed and measured performance. Santana looked to turn the fight in round four, as he just threw and threw, keeping Williams on the defensive. Eventually Santana tired, which enabled Williams to pick him off at range as the round closed.

In the second half of the fight, Santana seemed to understand he had little chance fighting on the outside, and made it an inside fight whenever possible. At times he would smother his shots, but it was still more effective than anything he had done at a distance, where Williams’ boxing skill made a big difference.

Santana had his best round when he needed it most, the fifth. The Santa Barbara native caught Williams with a leaping left counter, rocking the Philly prospect. Late in the round, Santana landed clean with a combination and flurried Williams until the bell. Had there been another minute in the round, it looked as though Williams may fall.

One would have had to figure Williams was up on the cards entering the sixth, and it would be in his best interest to keep the fight at range if not get outright on his bicycle. However, Williams was apparently too tired to run which made for an exciting final round. Both had their moments in some heated exchanges to close out the fight, which received a standing ovation from the crowd on hand. Justly perhaps, no fighter left with an ‘L’ as all three judges had the fight 57-57.

Rufino Serrano (9-3) of Santa Maria, California did enough to edge journeyman Ramon Flores (3-12-2, 3 KOs) of Wilmington, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a six-rounder. Flores, 129, did have more than his fair share of moments in the contest. After getting outboxed from the opening bell, Flores managed to drop Serrano, 126 ¾, with a right hand before the end of the first round. It was clearly a flash knockdown, but still not the way Serrano wanted to end the first round.

The fight was mostly Serrano’s from there on out however. Serrano, who fights and dresses in a style similar to former champion Paul Malignaggi, scored a knockdown late in the fight, but when Flores kneeled down, the local favorite continued to swing away at him. Nothing really damaging seemed to land and referee Marcos Rosales chose to issue a warning to Serrano, rather than take a point. In the end, Serrano was a unanimous victor by scores of 58-55, 58-56 and 57-56.

Anthony Dirrell (21-0, 18 KOs) of Flint, Michigan continued to bolster his stats with a third-round knockout of a completely outclassed Alberto Mercedes (14-18-1, 10 KOs) of West Allis, Wisconsin.

Dirrell, 170, was superior in every way and it was very clear from the first bell. Mercedes, 171, came to earn his paycheck however, and did not fold at the first opportunity as one might have expected him to. Watching the fight, you got the sense Dirrell, the WBC #8 ranked super middleweight, could end it at any instance if he really wanted to, but he opted to toy with Mercedes instead.

Apparently deciding he had put in enough time, Dirrell opted to throw and land the left to the body that had been available all night. Having taken some stiff head shots, Mercedes gave in to the body blow and dropped to a knee. Having seen enough, Mercedes’ corner threw in the towel to signal for the stoppage which came officially at 2:48 of the third round. According to his team, Anthony Dirrell is pegged to fight in his home of Flint, Michigan for the first time in almost five years on July 2nd.

Former amateur champion Seniesa Estrada (1-0) of East Los Angeles, California flashed some of the skills that made her one of the top amateurs in female boxing over the last few years en route to a shutout unanimous decision over Maria Ruiz (0-3-2) of Houston, Texas.

Estrada, 111 ½, switched seamlessly from orthodox to southpaw, showed great hand speed and solid technique over the four rounds. Ruiz, 112 ½, was rocked by a left hook in the early going and had no answer for Estrada at any time in the fight. Estrada may have been a bit too relaxed and cautious considering the level of her opponent. At range Estrada looked like a world class veteran, but she did look uncomfortable in spots on the inside. In the end all three judges had the fight and every round for Estrada, 40-36.

In an exciting swing bout, Daniel Roman (2-0-1, 1 KO) of Garden Grove, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over a gritty Alfredo Madrigal (1-1) of Bakersfield, California. Roman and Madrigal went toe-to-toe from the outset. In the first, it seemed every time one of them landed solid; the other would return the favor right away.

The action remained pretty even until a left hook from Roman, 118, dropped Madrigal, 118, in the second round. Roman began to find Madrigal’s body repeatedly in the third round. By the middle of the round, it was clear that Madrigal’s right side was pretty tender. Roman had loaded up on lefts to his body all round before the final bell sounded. When Madrigal made it back to his corner, his trainer placed him gently on the stool and the Bakersfield native still winced in pain. Roman took the fourth, most notably landing a solid one-two against the ropes and went on to win by the score of 40-35 three times.

In the opening bout of the night, Jhon Ortega (5-0, 5 KOs) of Londonderry, New Hampshire scored a devastating fourth-round knockout of Marcus Thompkins (5-4-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Indiana. After controlling the action for three plus rounds, Ortega, 144 ½, landed a picture perfect one-two to drop Thompkins, 145 ¼, who went down hard and did not require even the start of a count from referee Ray Corona. Official time was 27 seconds of round four.

Joel Diaz (3-0, 2 KOs) of Palmdale, California made short work of Dionicio Alvarez (1-3) of Fresno, California in the final bout of the evening. After a clean body shot, Diaz, 128, flurried Alvarez, 126 ¼, into a corner before referee Ray Corona stopped the bout. The stoppage came at 2:08 of the first round.

Photos by Mark Ortega

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

CARSON, CALIFORNIA–In the first Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final, tournament favorite Andre Ward continued his unbeaten run through the competition with a decisive twelve-round decision over Arthur Abraham at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Saturday night.

Abraham (32-3, 26 KOs) of Berlin, Germany by way of Yerevan, Armenia did have his moments in the early going. Ward (24-0, 14 KOs) of Oakland, California did not appear to be comfortable in rounds one and two. Abraham, 167, kept Ward, 168, out of his rhythm while making the former Olympian fight his fight.

The fight got rough and ugly in the third, as Abraham, the WBO #1/WBA #3 ranked super middleweight, got on the inside and smothered Ward. Not much was accomplished, but it was Abraham that landed the only clean blows in the round.

Incredibly after winning all of the first three rounds on this writer’s unofficial card, Abraham reverted back to his shell defense of previous fights to start the fourth. Slowly as the round progressed, Ward began to open up offensively, while Abraham remained defensive. Just before the end of the round, Ward began to break through Abraham’s guard. A heated exchange to close the fourth woke up the crowd.

Each fighter had their moments in a back-and-forth fifth. Two rights for Ward stunned Abraham. The Germany-based, Armenian-born crowd favorite managed to catch Ward while chasing the champion into a corner. After a warning from referee Luis Pabon for holding, Abraham landed a solid left near the end of the round.

In the sixth, Ward began to find a home for his one-two combinations. The jab forced Abraham to cover up, but Ward would place his follow-ups where he could find openings. Abraham’s body also became a more available target once Ward began utilizing his jab. Before round’s end, Ward landed a clean uppercut followed by a hard right hand. Again, Abraham just covered up and offered nothing in return.

Rounds seven, eight and nine were near mirror images of each other. Abraham remained defensive and Ward found success boxing and moving his hands. Not everything landed clean, but even when Ward hit Abraham’s gloves it took an effect on his face, which was hiding behind them. In the tenth, a now ultra-confident Ward turned southpaw for the longest stretch in the fight and pounded away at Abraham while facing no consequences.

After making little visible effort to win from the middle rounds of the fight, Abraham made a somewhat spirited attempt at making something happen in the final round. It would be far too little too late. Ward weathered the brief on rush was out in front again by the end of the round. The scoring was academic, as judge Ingo Barrabas had it 118-110, James Jen-Kin, 118-111, and judge Stanley Christodoulou, 120-108.

Given the large Armenian community in Southern California, Ward had the crowd against him for the first time in a long time Saturday night. It was something Ward, who has received criticism from pundits as well as opponents’ promoters for fighting at home in recent bouts, welcomed with open arms.

“I told people before, who said they thought he might have more fans, ‘He might have more fans but it’ll be fun.’ That’s what it was, because you have to prove you as a champion that you can win under different circumstances,” said Ward at the post-fight presser. “I know that I can perform under any circumstances, but it was good to let the people know I can perform under any circumstances.”

With the victory, Ward retained his WBA 168-pound title and moves on to the tournament finals where he will meet the winner of the June 4th clash between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Froch is currently the WBC Super Middleweight ruler, and a unification bout is something Ward looks forward to. “I want that green belt,” said Ward, citing its historical relevance as the reason.

While Ward does not discount Johnson’s chances in the bout, he expects Froch to come out victorious and move into the finals. It is a fight that Ward eagerly anticipates, should it come to fruition. “He’s been calling for it,” said Ward of Froch. “We want to give the fans what they want. It is going to be an action-packed fight. It’ll be a live atmosphere like it was tonight.”

Chris Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) of Riverside, California came in shape, but fought a risky fight en route to a third-round knockout over Nagy Aguilera (16-6, 11 KOs) of Newburgh, New York. Arreola, 234, landed a right hand that staggered Aguilera, 238, early in the first. With Aguilera in the ropes Arreola opened up, but left himself open to a right hand counter that looked good. But Arreola did not flinch and kept coming before rocking Aguilera again.

Arreola, the WBC #3/IBF #5/WBO #12/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight, worked over Aguilera again in the second, but the New Yorker remained game. Late in the second round Arreola went for the kayo, but ended up punching himself out. Aguilera took note of Arreola’s waning energy level and opened up himself to some success.

Arreola came out swinging and wobbled Aguilera with a right in the third. As the Riverside native unloaded a combination, referee Raul Caiz Jr. almost jumped in to stop the fight. However, Aguilera would fire a wild swing every time the stoppage looked eminent. When Arreola took a break and flurried again, Caiz decided Aguilera had taken enough. Right when Caiz leaped in, Aguilera fired a wild shot. While Aguilera was coherent and angry over the stoppage, Caiz made the right call. Time of the stoppage was 1:58 of round three.

Shawn Estrada (12-0, 11 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California did what he was supposed to in knocking out Joseph Gardner (7-3-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island early into round one. Estrada, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, was the much bigger man in the fight and it showed. Estrada, 174, landed a right hook, left hook combination to drop Gardner, 166, in the first round. The referee immediately waved off the bout at 1:27 of the first.

In Gardner’s two previous losses it took former world title challenger Elvin Ayala four full rounds to get a stoppage and prospect Vladine Biosse only managed a four-round decision. Given that information, Estrada’s performance looks pretty impressive on paper. However, much of the praise he would have received for outshining Gardner’s previous foes will not come due to the fact that Estrada, a middleweight as an Olympian, came in several pounds over the contracted weight on Friday. At the scales Estrada outweighed Gardner by eight pounds, a differential that was likely increased by first bell.

Goossen Tutor Promotions’ Javier Molina (6-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over durable Danny Figueroa (3-2, 2 KOs) of Hastings, Minnesota. Molina, 148, was clearly the more technically sound boxer and used those skills to outbox the determined Figueroa, 148. After four-rounds, Molina, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, had scored a shutout on all three cards, 40-36. Molina will get a quick turnaround with a fight already scheduled for May 27th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Molina is slated to take on David Lopez in a swing bout that may be his initial foray into the six-round scheduled distance.

Dominik Britsch (23-0, 8 KOs) of Neckarsulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany stopped Delray Raines (18-10-1, 13 KOs) of Paris, Arkansas in the fifth-round of a bout that was put together at the last possible minute. Britsch, who had his opponent switched several times in the last month, scored one knockdown each in the second thru fifth rounds. Most of them looked brutual enough to warrant the stoppage. The one that did it in the end was a right that sent the journeyman down in a heap. Referee Ray Balewicz had finally seen enough at 2:21 of the round.

Armen Ovsepyan (11-1, 9 KOs) knocked out Arturo Brambila (9-15, 4 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in the first round of a scheduled four-rounder. A two-punch combo started with the left dropped Brambila to the canvas and referee Raul Caiz Jr. opted not to begin a count. Time of the stoppage was 2:44 of the first.

Rising bantamweight prospect Matt Villanueva (6-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, Caifornia overpowered young journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in an impressive first-round knockout. Gutierrez, 118, was game us usual, but also outgunned as usual. Villanueva, 117, went swing for swing with Gutierrez before placing a blow that looked to catch the Highland resident behind the head. However, the referee ruled it a knockdown. It was quickly downhill from there, as another right knocked Gutierrez down and out. Official time of the stoppage was 2:56 of the first.

Andrey Klimov (11-0, 6 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of Klimovsk, Moscow, Russia scored the most impressive win of his young career with a third-round knockout of former prospect Ty Barnett (18-2-1, 12 KOs) of Washington, DC. Klimov, 137, was in control of the fight from the outset before putting Barnett, 135, down and out in the night’s opening bout. Official time of the stoppage was 1:12 of the third round.

Bowie Tupou (21-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Nuku’alofa, Tonga battled back from some tough early rounds to stop former world ranked contender Manuel Quezada (29-7, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California in the final bout of the evening.

After a feeling out first round, Quezada, 233, turned up his aggression and took control of the fight in the second. Quezada stuck Tupou, 245, with a hard left early in the round. The shot put Tupou against the ropes and set him up for a clean right. The series put Tupou in clinch mode, which helped him get out of trouble.

After winning the third close, Quezada was got caught by a suddenly wild Tupou in the fourth. One flurry forces the Wasco native to the ropes, but Quezada managed to avoid Tupou’s fiercest bombs. After a shaky fourth, Quezada battled back in the fifth and got the better of some heated exchanges.

The fight then turned against Quezada in the sixth, as Tupou suddenly discovered his right hand. After some hard shots upstairs, Tupou landed a combo to Quezada’s body that had the former contender bending at the waist. Another right to Quezada’s body seemed to score a knockdown for Tupou, but it was waved off as a slip by referee Jerry Cantu.

Further illustrating the fact that Tupou had really scored a knockdown in the sixth, Quezada was quickly in trouble after the start of the seventh. With “El Toro” against the ropes, Tupou landed a clean left to his face that forced Quezada to his knees. Stunned with a bloody and perhaps broken nose, Quezada failed to get up off of his knees and was counted out. Official time of the knockout, the most significant win of Tupou’s career to this point, was 53 seconds of the seventh.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — The Super Six World Boxing Classic, boxing’s version of Survivor, enters its final stages tonight as tournament favorite Andre Ward defends his WBA Super Middleweight title against early tournament front-runner Arthur Abraham at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Los Angeles International Airport in nearby Los Angeles.

Ward (23-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, California may be just two wins away from breaking through into the superstar realm of the sport. Entering the tournament, few of boxing’s so-called experts gave Ward much chance to upset Mikkel Kessler, much less win the entire tournament outright, running the table in the process as he has done thus far. Some may be quick to point out that, due to some early fighter fallouts, Ward has only faced one of the original Super Six in his three bouts since the tournament began.

However, Abraham (32-2, 26 KOs) of Berlin, Germany by way of Yerevan, Armenia is not only one of the original tournament competitors, but entering the ground-breaking experiment, “King” Arthur was one of the co-favorites alongside Kessler. Abraham finds himself in a position he probably never envisioned. After putting Jermain Taylor’s career in doubt with a last minute stoppage, the former middleweight champion was completely outboxed by Andre Dirrell before he got himself disqualified in the eleventh. In his next outing, Abraham was again outboxed, this time even more one-sidedly by Carl Froch. Abraham, ultra-confident entering the tournament, was so down that his promoter arranged a confidence-building tune-up this past February in Germany. What Abraham gained from his second-round stoppage of an overmatched Stejepan Bozic remains to be seen.

Based on their recent body of work, Ward enters tonight’s contest an overwhelming favorite and the pick of many to win the entire tournament, regardless of who triumphs in the other semi-final between Froch and late tournament entry Glen Johnson. Abraham, who enters the bout the WBO #1/WBA #3 ranked super middleweight, has left some to question his viability as a 168-pound contender with his recent performances. Should Abraham pull of the upset tonight, his recent disappointments will be quickly forgotten. Ward scaled 168 Thursday, while Abraham came in at a fit 167-pounds.

Adding some ticket-buying incentive for the local fight fans, world class heavyweight Chris Arreola (30-2, 26 KOs) of Riverside, California will continue his rebuilding process in a ten-rounder against former upset artist Nagy Aguilera (16-5, 11 KOs) of Newburgh, New York.

Arreola, the WBC #3/IBF #5/WBO #12/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight, came in at a fit-and-trim 234, shocking many of his critics. Aguilera, whose name-making victory came over former champion Oleg Maskaev, came in at 238-pounds. A motivated Arreola figures to be a hard test for Aguilera to pass. Arreola, who has routinely showed up out of shape for much bigger fights, looks to be ready to make a statement and move on to bigger things once more.

Another local favorite looks to further endear himself to the Southern California faithful, as Shawn Estrada (11-0, 10 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California will take on Joseph Gardner (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island in a six-round super middleweight attraction. Estrada got his career back on track late last year and has looked impressive against a higher caliber of opponent in recent outings. Estrada, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, dominated once-beaten Jon Schmidt this past January and will look to do the same tonight against Gardner, who has only lost to quality opposition. Unfortunately any victory Estrada comes out with tonight will likely be diminished by the lack of professionalism he displayed by coming in well over the contracted weight Thursday. Estrada did not look to be in great condition as he scaled 174-pounds to Gardner’s 166-pounds.

Javier Molina (5-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California signed a promotional agreement with Goossen Tutor Promotions at the same time his 2008 U.S. Olympic teammate Shawn Estrada did, but injuries have held Molina back at several instances in his brief career. Molina looks to accelerate his career path beginning tonight with a four-round welterweight bout against Danny Figueroa (3-1, 2 KOs) of Hastings, Minnesota. Should Molina, who scaled 148-pounds, come out unscathed, he is already scheduled to return to the ring May 27th in Reno, Nevada. Figueroa also came in at 148-pounds.

In an intriguing crossroads heavyweight clash, former world ranked contender Manuel Quezada (29-6, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California takes on untested hopeful Bowie Tupou (20-1, 15 KOs) in a ten-rounder. For tonight’s victor, big fights and big names could be right around the corner. Quezada, who is returning to the ring for the first time since a brave effort against Chris Arreola, came in at 233-pounds. Tupou, who has had a stop and start career to this point, came in at 245-pounds.

Rising bantamweight prospect Matt Villanueva (5-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, California will take on young journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-9-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in a four-round bout. Villanueva, who has impressed his fair share of boxing pundits in his five outings, weighed in at 117-pounds Thursday. Gutierrez, who has never been matched in an easy fight, came in at the 118-pound bantamweight division limit.

Armen Ovsepyan (10-1, 8 KOs) of Yerevan, Armenia will take on longtime journeyman Arturo Brambila (9-14, 4 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a four-round light middleweight fight. Ovsepyan, who will likely have a large and supportive Armenian crowd on hand, came in at 147 ¾-pounds on Thursday. Brambila, in the familiar role of opponent once again, scaled 149 ½-pounds at the weigh-in.

Ty Barnett (18-1-1, 12 KOs) of Washington, DC will test Andrey Klimov (10-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of Klimovsk, Moscow, Russia in a six-round light welterweight bout. Barnett, who not too long ago was a well-regarded prospect himself, is by far the toughest for Klimov has shared a ring with since turning professional. Klimov, trained by Joe Goossen, came in at 137-pounds. Barnett, came in at the lightweight limit of 135.

For the last few weeks it looked as though Sauerland Event-promoted Dominik Britsch (22-0, 7 KOs) of Neckarsulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany would be left without an opponent tonight. Among the opponents that fell out were journeyman Ryan Davis and former title challenger Billy Lyell. Stepping in last minute for the six-round encounter is Delray Raines (18-9-1, 13 KOs) of Paris, Arkansas. Britsch came in at 168, while Raines came in at 167-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ward 168
Abraham 167

Heavyweights, 10 Rounds
Arreola 234
Aguilera 238

Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Estrada 174
Gardner 166

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Molina 148 ¼
Figueroa 148

Heavyweights, 10 Rounds
Quezada 233
Tupou 245

Super Flyweights, 4 Rounds
Villanueva 117
Gutierrez 118

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Ovsepyan 147 ¾
Brambila 149 ½

Light Welterweight, 4 Rounds
Barnett 135
Klimov 137

Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Britsch 168
Raines 167

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

Former world title challenger Andre Dirrell took in a night at the fights Friday at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. The fight Dirrell came to see was his brother’s, Anthony Dirrell, who moved to 21-0 with a win over journeyman Alberto Mercedes. Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs) of Flint, Michigan, who was forced to put his career on hold reportedly due to recurring neurological symptoms, told 15rounds.com he has been cleared to resume his boxing career. Dirrell also gives his take on the Andre Ward-Arhtur Abraham Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final, which just happens to be taking place today.

The term “must-win” is one of the many overused phrases in all of sports. That being said, tonight’s pairing of former world champions Kendall Holt and Julio Diaz, which takes place at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, is one that warrants that abused label. The winner will be set up for one last crack at a major player, while the loser will likely be relegated to name opponent status.

It seems like forever ago that Holt (26-4, 14 KOs) of Patterson, New Jersey was in a pick ‘em unification bout against Timothy Bradley Jr. A quick check of the record books shows that bout, a notch or two below a superfight at the time, took place just over two years ago. Holt scored two official knockdowns, but came up short in losing a twelve-round unanimous decision, thus handing over his WBO 140-pound title to Bradley. Holt has experienced his share of troubles since, including legal woes and a surprising stoppage suffered at the hands of Kaizer Mabuza. Diaz represents the type of opponent that could bolster the view of Holt enough that a bigger money fight could be possible.

Diaz (38-6, 27 KOs) of Coachella, California is in a very similar position. Turn the pages of the record books back a little further and you will find Diaz entering a lightweight unification bout with Juan Diaz a slight underdog. The young “Baby Bull” handled Julio “The Kidd” quite handily that October night in 2007. Diaz would go on to losing two of his next four bouts before restoring some of his credibility with a recent two-fight winning run over solid to decent opposition.

Their ten-round fight, which takes place just over the light welterweight limit, headlines tonight’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights telecast. Diaz, the two-time former IBF Lightweight titleholder, scaled 141 ½-pounds Thursday. Holt, who ended an eleven-month layoff with a first-round knockout in January, weighed in at 142-pounds.

In the televised co-feature, undefeated puncher Jonathan Gonzalez (12-0, 12 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico will take on his toughest test to date in Rudy Cisneros (12-2, 11 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in an eight-round light middleweight bout. Gonzalez, a 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian, weighed in at 154-pounds. Cisneros, who had a solid win on his resume before his 2008 decision over Latif Mundy was changed to a no contest for a failed drug test, weighed in at 152 ½-pounds. Cisneros has been out of action since December of 2009.

In an intriguing undercard bout, Julian Williams (6-0, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania meets Francisco Santana (12-2, 6 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California in a six-round pairing of light middleweights. Williams has an unblemished record, but he has never been in with a fighter of Santana’s caliber before. Santana has faced the tougher opposition and both of his losses were suffered at the hands of still unbeaten prospect Karim Mayfield. Williams scaled 153-pounds, while Santana weighed-in at 153 ½.

Locally popular super featherweight Rufino Serrano (8-3) of Santa Maria, California will take on Ramon Flores (3-11-2, 3 KOs) of Wilmington, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a six-rounder. Serrano, a winner of this last four, weighed in at 126 ¾-pounds, while Flores came in at 129.

Jhon Ortega (4-0, 4 KOs) of Londonderry, New Hampshire will take on Marcus Thompkins (5-3-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Indiana in a six-round welterweight fight. The unbeaten Ortega, fighting in California for the fifth straight time, weighed in at 144 ½-pounds. Thompkins, who has failed to win four straight times, scaled 145 ¼-pounds.

Joel Diaz (2-0, 1 KO) of Palmdale, California looks to get his year rolling against Dionicio Alvarez (1-2) of Fresno, California in a four-round super featherweight fight. Diaz turned pro last July and picked up two wins in three months, but has been on the shelf since late last year. Diaz’ layoff is nothing compared to the one Alvarez will end tonight. Alvarez was last seen in May of 2006 and is coming off of a knockout defeat at bantamweight. Diaz scaled 128-pounds, while came in at 126 ¼.

In a rematch, undefeated Kurtiss Colvin (4-0, 3 KOs) of Austin, Texas will take on Cameron Allen (3-6, 1 KO) of Battle Creek, Michigan in a four-round middleweight fight. In what was described in various ringside reports as a war, Colvin survived a knockdown and a standing eight-count to drop the tougher-than-advertised Allen in the third en route a four-round majority decision in February. Allen took a fight against another unbeaten foe just a month later and lost a decision, while Colvin has been idle since his first pro scare. Colvin came in at 159-pounds, while Allen scaled 158 ½.

Former amateur champion Seniesa Estrada of Los Angeles, California will make her professional debut against Maria Ruiz (0-2-2) of Houston, Texas in a four-round light flyweight bout. Estrada, the 2009 USA Boxing National Champion at 112-pounds, came in at 111 ½-pounds, while Ruiz scaled 112 ½.

In a four-round bantamweight bout, Daniel Roman (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Garden Grove, California will take on Alfredo Madrigal (1-0) of Bakersfield, California. Roman, coming in off of a February draw, weighed in at 118-pounds, as did Madrigal, who is making his 2011 debut.

A familiar name was a late addition to the card, as Anthony Dirrell (20-0, 17 KOs) of Flint, Michigan will take on Alberto Mercedes (14-17-1, 10 KOs) of West Allis, Wisconsin in a six-round light heavyweight fight. Dirrell, the WBC #8 ranked super middleweight, came in at 170-pounds. Mercedes, originally of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, scaled 171-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, are available online at StarTickets.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Holt 142
Diaz 141 ½

Light Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Gonzalez 154
Cisneros 152 ½

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Williams 153
Santana 153 ½

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Serrano 126 ¾
Flores 129

Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Ortega 144 ½
Thompkins 145 ¼

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Diaz 128
Alvarez 126 ¼

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Colvin 159
Allen 158 ½

Light Flyweights, 4 Rounds
Estrada 111 ½
Ruiz 112 ½

Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Roman 118
Madrigal 118

Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Dirrell 170
Mercedes 171

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

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA — What was supposed to be a banner night for one of the famed boxing families in Southern California history slowly unraveled over the last two days and ended in dramatic fashion Thursday night at the Hollywood Park Casino. The three fighting brothers of former heavyweight champion Mike Weaver were positioned to make an improbable comeback, but it was not to be.

Floyd, Troy and Lloyd Weaver, identical triplets, who began their pro boxing careers way back in 1985, had hoped to turn back the clock in their three advertised featured bouts. However by start time, “Pretty Boy” Floyd would be the only member of the clan left on the bill.

Floyd Weaver (18-10-3, 11 KOs) of Diamond Bar, California began the scheduled four-rounder as a ball on fire, quickly catching Santiago Perez (11-3-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Copala, Guerrero, Mexico with an overhand right and scoring a knockdown with the resulting combination.

Perez, 153.2, tried clinging to Weaver, 153.6, once action resumed, but the veteran managed to get space and land a short right. Ever so slightly, the momentum began to change as Perez caught Weaver off balance with a right midway through the first. Weaver was still a frantic offensive-minded force as Perez looked to block as many blows as possible. However, just before the end of the round, Perez, who had regained his footing, landed a hard right hand. The crowd may have noticed it was a clean punch, but little did the pro-Weaver crowd know the fight had completely shifted in favor of the Mexican.

Early in the second, a right hook drops Weaver directly on to his face. Weaver rose on unsteady legs as many in the crowd took a deep breath. Weaver, still wobbly, traded for a moment before another right hurt him against the ropes. Perez continued to flurry until Weaver slumped over, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:37 of the second round.

It would appear to be the end for Floyd Weaver, who had last fought in April of 2007. Weaver has now lost six of his last nine outings, which incredibly dates back to 1998. Floyd was walked to the ring arm-in-arm by his two identical brothers, both of whom had been scheduled to appear on the card Thursday night.

Troy Weaver (20-8-2, 20 KOs) of Diamond Bar was to have fought Billy Bailey (10-11, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California in another four-rounder. However, at yesterday’s weigh-in the Weaver camp withdrew from the fight. According to a member of Team Weaver, they had signed to fight in a 174-pound bout. Bailey, who replaced Alex Armenta, had a contract set for 184. Troy Weaver was last seen in the ring in September of 2004.

Lloyd Weaver (10-7, 6 KOs) of Diamond Bar was to have met journeyman Juan Pablo Montes De Oca (9-19-2, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of San Miguel Zinacantepec, Estado De Mexico, Mexico in a four-round middleweight bout. However just before the first bell Thursday, the ring announcer announced Weaver was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. Word ringside was that there was something that looked off about Weaver’s jaw, and the California State Athletic Commission doctor pulled the fight. Lloyd Weaver was last seen in action in June of 2001.

Jesus Arael Adame (1-0) of Los Angeles made it through his first pro bout and claimed a four-round majority decision over Manuel Machorro (0-4) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a free-swinging, but somewhat amateurish affair.

Adame, 118.8, landed the harder shots, but left several openings for the determined Machorro, 120, to exploit during the twelve-minute contest. Adame ran across the ring throwing to begin the bout, quickly pressing Machorro against the ropes. To his credit, Machorro weathered the storm and took Adame’s punches well. Eventually Machorro turned Adame around and worked over the young local against the ropes.

The second round was fairly even, as both charges threw punches in bunches, but failed to put their body behind many of their offerings. The third was all “Chuy” Adame, as he landed clean with several wild swings. Machorro found his back against the ropes for much of the round and could not turn Adame as he had done earlier in the contest. Adame remained the busier and more successful of the two in the fourth, most notably catching Machorro as he attempted to utilize a feint. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38. That score was overruled by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 for the winner Adame.

Brandon Adams (2-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles scored an impressive fourth-round knockout of Miguel Lopez (2-1, 1 KO) of Oakland, California in the night’s opener. Lopez, 153.6, got off to a good start in round one, as he pressed Adams, 155.8, to the ropes and used his strength to control the pace.

Adams took over the fight in the second, as his body work began to take effect on Lopez. Adams buzzed Lopez in the third with a right that forced the Oakland native to hold on the inside. Adams was the busier and more effective fighter in the round and carried the momentum into the fourth. Lopez came out fighting, forcing a heated exchange in the early going. Again Adams stunned Lopez on the inside which eventually set up a clean overhand right that scored a knockdown. Lopez went down hard, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the bout without a count. Time of the stoppage was 2:09 of the fourth.

Promoters Garcia Promotions and Big Champion Promotions plan to bring another card to the Hollywood Park Casino on June 9th. They expect to announce the main event sometime next week.

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

RENO, NEVADA — Peter Quillin announced his presence amongst the leading middleweight contenders with a third-round stoppage of a suddenly faded former title challenger in Jesse Brinkley at the Reno Events Center on Friday night. The Telefutura-televised fight, which looked like a great crossroads bout on paper, unfortunately ended up being a total mismatch.

Brinkley (35-7, 22 KOs) of nearby Yerington, Nevada never looked sure of himself in the fight, which was almost to be expected after witnessing his physical and emotional state at Thursday’s weigh-in.

Quillin (24-0, 18 KOs) of Hollywood, California wobbled Brinkley, 166.6, early in the first round with a left to his ear. Brinkley retreated to the ropes, but managed to throw just enough to keep a patient Quillin, 165, at bay for much of the remainder of the round.

Brinkley, who entered the fight the IBF #7 ranked super middleweight, was fooled by a feint early in the second, which left him open for a Quillin right that landed clean. Brinkley was briefly inspired and traded with Quillin for a quick back-and-forth exchange. Before the close of the second, Brinkley landed a straight right hand that looked good, but did not seem to affect Quillin.

While Brinkley was competitive for a moment in the second round, it seemed to be more of a case of Quillin letting off the gas pedal, as he looked to pace himself for the scheduled ten rounds. Though the writing was on the wall from the moment the bell rang, the end of the fight came somewhat suddenly in the third. Quillin landed a perfect straight right hand and seriously rocked Brinkley with the ensuing one-two. Referee Joe Cortez apparently thought Brinkley was going down, as he leaped in and reached across Quillin as if a knockdown had been scored.

The Cortez blunder only delayed the inevitable, as Quillin quickly pressured Brinkley against the ropes and let loose with a rapid flurry. Brinkley, either dazed or resigned to the eventual stoppage stood up to the blows, but did not attempt to counter or move out of the corner. After five or six clean punches, Cortez decided that he had seen enough and called the fight at 2:34 of round three. The victory netted Quillin the IBO-affiliated USBO Super Middleweight title, but more importantly sets the unbeaten Grand Rapids, Michigan/New York transplant up for some lucrative paydays.

While it was apparent Brinkley was a shell of his former self, possibly having not shaken off the aftereffects of his damaging loss to Lucian Bute last year, the incredibly humble Quillin still gave him more than his due after the bout. “He ate that first punch, and that was a hard punch I hit him with,” described Quillin. “I don’t know how hurt he was, because I am not him, but he is a tough guy and I am very thankful I had the opportunity to fight him here in Reno. He had all the things I didn’t have. He had the pressure with his home crowd and I didn’t have none of that. I just wanted to go in there and do what I was trained to do.”

The story going into the fight was that Jesse Brinkley was having trouble making the contracted 165-pounds, and there were some disagreements between the camps over what the actual contracted weight requirement was for the bout. In the end, Brinkley officially weighed either 1.6 or .6-pounds over the contract, depending on which side of the dispute you stood. Quillin, the positive guy that he is, remained restrained throughout the whole process. “It’s all about being professional,” said Quillin succinctly after the fight. “We signed a contract to fight at 165-pounds, so be fair and come in at the weight we were supposed to.”

The word after the fight was that the Quillin team has been in serious discussions with the representatives of undisputed middleweight king Sergio Martinez. “They are going to try and secure me a fight with Sergio Martinez,” revealed Quillin. “If that’s what they want me to do, then that is what I am going to train for. They have been having talks, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything. This was the fight to see how well I would do, and I put it out there for the people to see.”

A fight with Martinez would be a monumental step-up in class for Quillin, especially considering the lackluster version of Jesse Brinkley he was presented with on Friday night. However, Quillin talks the talk of a fighter ready for his breakout opportunity. “I am out here to call out all comers,” said Quillin, breaking away from his normally reserved tune. “Whoever want to come and get it, let me hear from you. It’s whatever my team says. If they say ‘fight King Kong’, then I am going to get ready to fight King Kong. So Sergio Martinez, I doubt he is King Kong and I know he is not Superman, because if he is Superman, I have kryptonite.”

In the action-packed Telefutura-televised co-feature, Lonnie Smith (13-2-2, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada impressively moved past former prospect David Rodela (15-4-3, 6 KOs) of Oxnard, California with a six-round unanimous decision.

Smith, 130.8, came out fast, looking to pressure Rodela, 130.8, in the first, and that is exactly what he did. After covering up, taking some headshots and defending others, Rodela briefly turned Smith to the ropes and landed a clean uppercut. As the round came to a close, it was Smith putting it on Rodela, who held up his gloves and leaned into the ropes.

Rodela battled back and did well in the second, but Smith looked reinvigorated at the start of the third. Rodela had his moments, as he timed Smith’s shots in spots. However, Smith landed the harder blows throughout the round, often forcing Rodela against the ropes and into retreat mode.

The fourth round was back-and-forth, but the constant was that Smith remained the harder puncher. Midway through the fifth, Rodela landed a clean two-punch combination at range, but the unfazed Smith countered with a smile before sticking out his tongue, informing the Oxnard native that he was not affected by his offering. Smith proceeded to land a clean left hook out of the corner that stopped Rodela in his tracks momentarily. Smith punctuated the round with an unanswered series against the ropes.

Smith came out for the sixth much like he did for the first, rushing out at Rodela looking to do damage. The wilting Rodela had little left on his punches, but Smith looked fresh and strong. Rodela still landed in spots, but Smith won over the fans ringside as well as the official scorers, who had the fight 58-56 and 59-55 twice for the Las Vegas native.

Jose “Chuy” Elizondo (1-0) of Reno did not exactly thrill his local fan base, but he did emerge victorious in his professional debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Rodrigo Espinoza (0-1-1) of Lindsay, California.

Elizondo, 155.4, has freakish height for a junior middleweight, but did not use that to his full advantage. Espinoza, 154, could never get close enough to do any real damage and was consistently outworked by the taller Elizondo over the four rounds. When the Lindsay resident did get in close he was usually too off balance to throw a punch in the manner he would like.

Espinoza finally got Elizondo pinned against the ropes in the third, but unfortunately for the Lindsay native, it was the local fighter that got work done in that instance. Elizondo tired in the fourth, as he held after nearly every combination, but alas Espinoza could still not get anything of significance to land in close. All three judges scored the fight a shutout, 40-36 for the southpaw Elizondo.

Jose Sandoval (1-0, 1 KO) of Modesto, California was successful in his pro debut as he pounded away at the amateurish Andrew Rempp (1-3-1) of Yerington en route to a fourth-round corner stoppage. Sandoval, 124.6, rocked Rempp, 126.4, with left hooks all night. Rempp was in trouble in both the second and third rounds, getting a short reprieve when Sandoval punched himself out briefly in the latter round.

The fight went from one-sided, to brutally one-sided in the fourth as Rempp took an unanswered series of head shots against the ropes with referee Joe Cortez looking on. With the result a formality and Rempp taking many blows to the head, a stoppage seemed to be the obvious call. With Cortez unwilling to take the initiative, Rempp’s corner finally threw in towel to force the ref’s hand. Official time was 2:04 of the fourth.

Trevor McCumby (3-0, 3 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona ran through a less than stiff opponent just inside of one round in the final bout of the evening. Ritchie Cherry (2-2, 1 KO) of East St. Louis, Missouri provided no test and did little to earn his free airfare to the Biggest Little City in the World.

McCumby, 180.4, rocked Cherry, 178.4, with the first left hook he landed. Cherry was awkward, which may have provoked McCumby to throw the Midwest club fighter to the ground. Cherry’s one shinning moment came when he caught McCumby off balance with a quick combination that made him stumble over his own feet. It was a fleeting feeling for Cherry, as he was soon deposited onto the canvas by a right uppercut followed by a glancing left. Cherry’s gingerly fall to the mat left many at ringside questioning the validity of his instability.

Another left put Cherry down again, but the St. Louis fighter did make it back up. However, when Cherry leaped off the ground, only to fall back on to the canvas, he turned away from McCumby which forced referee Vic Drakulich to stop the mismatch. Time of the stoppage was 3:00 of the first.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

Former two-time world title challenger Richard “Bam Bam” Duran passed away Tuesday, one week after suffering a stroke at the far too young age of 44. Though he had an excellent six-year pro run, preceded by a long and meritorious amateur career, Duran may have touched even more lives in gyms near his Sacramento, California home in recent years. Duran survived by seven children, and their loss is mourned by the large Sacramento boxing community.

Duran turned pro at 22-years-old in 1988 and quickly became a staple on Sacramento boxing cards while running his mark to 26-0. His unbeaten run led to an April 1993 crack at respected IBF Super Bantamweight titleholder Kennedy McKinney. The fight took place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, but resulted in a unanimous decision defeat. However, Duran’s impressive showing led to another title bout, this time against another respected champion in Tracy Harris Patterson, who turned back the challenge via unanimous decision in Reno, Nevada.

Duran fought once more, three months later, dropping a decision to prospect Eddie Croft in San Mateo, California. In his immediate life after boxing, Duran did encounter some personal setbacks, which included a jail term for manslaughter as the result of a bar fight. However, Duran managed to turn his life around and become a positive example for aspiring boxers in Sacramento.

“I knew Richard “Bam Bam” Duran for a few years,” recalls former California Golden Gloves champion Michael Ortega. “I would usually run into him at local amateur boxing events here and there. I knew Richard as a good coach. I never trained with him, but I knew he looked out for his fighters and was a solid coach who knew the ins and outs of a boxing ring. From what I knew he was a very cool and outgoing dude that always had fun fight stories to tell. I also know he was one bad ass fighter, as I heard great things from my first trainer Angelo Nunez and most every trainer after. Richard “Bam Bam” Duran will always have a place here in Sacramento’s fight scene. May he rest in peace, and his memory live on.”

“Rest in peace champ, my prayers are with you and your family,” says former fighter and current matchmaker Edward Rodriguez, who fought Duran in the amateurs. “We had fun in the ring when we were both fifteen years old in Hayward, California. You will be missed. I still remember what we talked about. You might have beat me, but I beat the guy that beat you, and you said I might have lost but we did get best fight of the night. It put a mile on my face. God bless.”

“I would like to offer my condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of “Bam Bam” Duran,” said world ranked light heavyweight contender Otis Griffin. “ I did not know him close, but I recognize him as one of Sacramento’s historical gym legends. He has passed a great deal of boxing IQ to myself and younger NorCal fighters. My last memory of “Bam” was just this weekend as Gilbert Zaragoza told me of the legendary PAL wars and how so many fighters came before us that never got the spotlight. “Bam” you are remembered, and the stories will never fade from the Sacramento gyms and because of this you will live forever in the heart of the city.”

“I am truly saddened by Richard Duran’s death,” said Sacramento-based lightweight prospect Stan Martyniouk. “He was not only a great boxer but an amazing person as well, who helped out a lot in the boxing community as a trainer and mentor. He will always be remembered. My prayers go out to his family. Rest in peace, champ.”

“I will tell you that Richard has helped his community for many years,” said Sacramento fight legend Tony “The Tiger” Lopez. “He worked at helping keep kids off the streets while never asking nothing from anybody. He was a true warrior in and out of the ring.”

“They don’t men like him no more,” said former Sacramento fight favorite Richard Savala. “He worked to keep kids out of trouble as the boxing coach at Lord’s Gym. He was a great mentor in Sacramento. This guy was always trying to help kids learn the sport of boxing, which kept those kids out of trouble. He was a great man, and he will be greatly missed in Sacramento.”

There will be services held for Richard Duran on Monday at the Lord’s Gym in Roseville, California. For more information, e-mail info@lordsgym.org or call the gym at 916-783-1989.

Richard “Bam Bam” Duran (1966-2011)

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

Photo courtesy Greg Huerta/Smash Time Boxing

RENO, NEVADA — Weeks of bargaining and negotiation culminated with some bad blood at Thursday’s weigh-in at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, as hometown favorite and former title challenger Jesse Brinkley came in heavy for his Telefutura-televised bout with undefeated prospect Peter Quillin, which takes place down the street at the Reno Events Center tonight. After deliberation between the two camps, the intriguing crossroads fight will go on as scheduled with the vacant USBO Super Middleweight title at stake.

Brinkley (35-6, 22 KOs) of nearby Yerington, Nevada is coming off a ninth-round stoppage defeat to Lucian Bute in a failed attempt and claiming the IBF 168-pound crown last October. The loss ended a properly matched nine-fight win streak highlighted by an upset decision win over Curtis Stevens last January in Reno. Brinkley’s run to a title shot was as unlikely as one could be if you think about where he was back in 2007, having lost four of five fights. With a win over Quillin, Brinkley is instantly back in the mix at super middleweight, but a loss could mean the end of his viability as a contender.

Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs) of Hollywood, California does not have a resume littered with big names, but he has beaten everyone he has been in the ring with to this point. Brinkley represents a step-up in competition for Quillin, who wants to campaign at 160-pounds after tonight’s fight. Quillin last fought just over two months ago, as he quite easily dispatched journeyman Dennis Sharpe inside of four rounds in Fairfield, California. Quillin initially weighed-in over at 165.2-pounds, but took the scale in the nude and came in at 165 even.

Brinkley, who has publicly admitted to ballooning up in weight between fights in the past, apparently had trouble making the contracted 165-pound weight limit. In Nevada, there is a one pound leeway in the contract weight unless specified. Due to a communication error perhaps, Brinkley’s contract stated 165-pounds, while Quillin’s stated 165-pound max. Brinkley came in at 166.6-pounds, which would have been over the allowance by .6 pounds anyway, but Quillin’s camp vehemently declared that Brinkley needed to come in at 165-pounds even. A deal which included a pay increase for Quillin salvaged the fight.

Brinkley was determined to show that he had made 166-pounds, which is what his contract allowed him to weigh, but by the time he came back to the weigh-in the digital scale had been taken away. Brinkley, either bitter over the weight discrepancy or testy because he had been in a sauna all day, refused to pose for any pictures and made his presence at the weigh-in very brief.

In the Telefutura-televised co-feature, Lonnie Smith (12-2-2, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada will take on once-promising prospect David Rodela (15-3-3, 6 KOs) in a six-round super featherweight fight. Smith, an exciting action fighter, has rebuilt his career, reeling off seven straight wins since his last defeat back in 2007. Rodela, who has seen his career take a downturn, going 1-2-1 in his last four bouts, represents a major step up in opposition for Smith. The jury is still out on what David Rodela will show up in Reno tonight however. Since suffering a third-round knockout to Dante Jardon over a year ago, Rodela struggled to a split decision over Eric Cruz and wound up with a draw against 4-3-1 Juan Montiel last September. Smith and Rodela both scaled 130-8-pounds Thursday.

Former amateur standout Jesus “Chuy” Elizondo of Reno will make his long awaited professional debut against Rodrigo Espinoza (0-0-1) of Lindsay, California in a four-round super middleweight fight. Elizondo, once nationally ranked as an amateur, has been attempting to make his debut several times over the last two years, but injuries have always popped up at the wrong time. Espinoza, who trains out of the McDermont Field House in Lindsay, was cut in the first-round of his only pro bout, which resulted in a technical draw. Elizondo weighed in at 165.4-pounds, while Espinoza scaled 164.

Andrew Rempp (1-2-1) of Yerington will take on debuting Jose Sandoval of Modesto, California in a four-round featherweight fight. Rempp has been out of action since dropping a four-round decision to 0-2 Johnny Mancilla in December of 2009. Rempp scaled 126.4-pounds, while Sandoval scaled 124.6.

Cameron Dunkin-managed Trevor McCumby (2-0, 2 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona will take on Ritchie Cherry (2-1, 1 KO) of East St. Louis, Missouri in a four-round cruiserweight fight. McCumby, who scored a first-round stoppage in his last outing just last month, weighed in at 180.4-pounds. Cherry, who fought to a no-contest in March due to a headbutt, scaled 178.4-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Let’s Get It On Promotions and Don Chargin Productions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

USBO Super Middleweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Brinkley 166.6
Quillin 165

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Smith 130.8
Rodela 130.8

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Elizondo 165.4
Espinoza 164

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Rempp 126.4
Sandoval 124.6

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
McCumby 180.4
Cherry 178.4

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com.

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

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — Giving away 52 ½-pounds, local heavyweight and current James Toney sparring partner Hector Martinez avenged a closely-contested decision defeat with a six-round unanimous decision over Yohan Banks in the featured attraction at the Red Lion Hotel on Friday night.

The fight was not the action-packed slugfest their first encounter was last year, but surely Martinez (6-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California was happy to reverse the result no matter how the route. Banks (4-5-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California was tentative in the early going, as he allowed Martinez to control the distance with his long arms.

Martinez, 225, landed his first telling combination in the second, catching Banks, 277 ½, with a jab, followed up by a right. Once the punch landed, Martinez was in Banks’ range, and thus forced a clinch to get back on the outside. It would be a strategy that would work well for Martinez for much of the contest. In the moments that Martinez would stay in range, Banks was quick to fire his right, but the shot hit the target only sparingly.

Banks began the third well, snapping Martinez’ head back with a looping right. Martinez quickly got on his bicycle. Once Martinez got his legs back to one hundred percent, the local favorite went right back to his one-two and hold technique to great effect. Action picked up in the fourth, as Martinez began to fire quick combinations when on the inside, before backing back out at range. Banks looked quite drained by the fourth, as the big guy threw even less and often took heavy breaths.

Wearing out Banks further, could have been Martinez’ longs arms and tall body hanging on him when they would clinch. When the fight was a wrestling match, Martinez had the advantage because he would look for an opening to throw in those situations. Banks on the other hand, looked to be looking for a rest when they would come together on the inside. After some mauling rounds, Martinez took the fight by scores of 58-57, 59-56 and 60-54.

“I felt that I had to redeem myself,” said Martinez Monday. Banks had scored a four-round split decision over Martinez in Oroville, California in March of last year. Martinez has been in training camp with future hall of famer James Toney. “It’s like going to college,” said Martinez of the experience. “I’m going to the school of hard knocks and learning from the professor. The living legend: James “Lights Out” Toney.”

Martinez will return to the ring on the undercard of Toney’s upcoming fight with Vinny Maddalone. That bout will take place May 21st at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Martinez is already scheduled to come back to the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th as well.

In the co-feature, rising prospect Maximilliano Becerra (5-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California scored a four-round unanimous decision as he turned back the challenge of a game Christian Gonzalez (2-1, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California by way of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.

Gonzalez, 136, came out throwing in the first, but his punches clearly did not have the same force behind them as the ones that would be uncorked by Becerra, 136. After competitive exchanges in the first, Becerra turned the fight completely in his favor in the second round. Seconds in, Becerra unloaded a right hook that dropped Gonzalez into a corner. Gonzalez got up, but was soon downed by a flurry which looked to be helped by the tangling of their feet. When Gonzalez got up he was rocked by a straight left and right hook combo that almost put him down a third time. Had Gonzalez not stayed up, the fight would have been over.

Gonzalez managed to make it out of the second, even throwing back as the round concluded. In the third, the Bakersfield resident caught Becerra with a solid right, which began a good back-and-forth between the two. Gonzalez’ main problem was getting inside on the much taller and longer Becerra. The Mexican native almost had to eat one or two punches just to get close enough to throw one of his own.

Still, Gonzalez continued to press the fight, even landing a pretty combination in the fourth. The power difference remained clear however, as Becerra shook off the Gonzalez rally before taking all three official cards by the scores of 38-36 and 40-34 twice. Becerra will likely be back in the ring June 3rd at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California and then return to the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th.

Former New York Golden Gloves champion Joshua Landers (1-0, 1 KO) of Hollywood, California spoiled the pro debut of locally popular former Badge VS. Badge and toughman competitor Larry Ward (0-1) of Sacramento via first-round stoppage to silence the boisterous Red Lion crowd.

Ward, who works full-time at the California Medical Facility, a state prison in nearby Vacaville, backed Landers to the ropes early and seemed to get overconfident after his brief success. Landers, 230, turned the momentum in his favor with a right that stunned Ward. Landers followed up the right with a left hook that rocked Ward, 223, almost wobbling him to the mat.

For a moment, it looked as though Landers was letting Ward off the hook, as he backed into the ropes and allowed Ward to come in throwing shots. With his back to the ropes, Landers landed a left hook that dropped Ward hard to the canvas. Referee Ed Collantes immediately waved off the fight at the time of 2:47 of the first round. Despite the loss, Ward will try it again June 17th back at the Red Lion Hotel.

In one of two exciting four-rounders on the card that evenly matched fighters making their pro debut, Brett De La Torre (1-0) of Vacaville scored a four-round majority decision over Will Walters (0-1) of Sacramento.

The action was fast and furious from round one on and throughout the fight. De La Torre, 142 ½, got things going as he quickly backed Walters, 142 ½, into the ropes. De La Torre, who kept his hands unusually low almost the entire fight, got a little cocky, which opened the door for Walters to take a turn at forcing the action. De La Torre then landed a pretty one-two combination before Walters came on again just before the bell.

After Walters had a successful round two, De La Torre clearly took the third with some excellent combination and counter-punching. The high work rate seemed to catch up to De La Torre late in the third, as he was visibly breathing heavily before the round ended. With De La Torre still looking a bit winded, Walters rocked the Vacaville native against the ropes in the fourth.

The tired De La Torre was in retreat much of the final round, but Walters did not cut off the ring enough to do any real damage. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38. The other two favored De La Torre, 40-36 and 39-37. The 40-36 card seems highly questionable, considering De La Torre barely landed a punch in the fourth.

The joy of yet another Sacramento fighter’s pro debut was dampened by an out-of-towner, as Lee Reyes (1-0) of Hollywood scored a unanimous decision over Juan Luna (0-1) of Sacramento in an action-packed four-round affair. Reyes, the son of well known Santa Clara, California-based martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr, was also making his pro debut.

Luna, 159, got off to a great start, landing a stiff left hook that got the attention of Reyes, 160. Reyes soon landed a left hook of his own and the fight was on from there. Luna was controlling the round with his boxing for a moment, before Reyes landed another left hook that rocked the local product and likely stole the round.

Reyes, who trains out of the Wild Card, found himself bloodied over his left eye sometime in the second, but that turn of events would not deter him as he controlled the round with his higher output. Reyes began to utilize his right more in the third, often following it with a left that would rock Luna. In the fourth, Luna came out determined and forced Reyes into a neutral corner. Reyes adeptly fought his way off the turnbuckle and had a winded Luna in some trouble as the round progressed. Luna then briefly turned the tide, before getting stunned again to close out a thrilling final round of action. In the end, all three judges favored Reyes, 40-36. However, just as in the De La Torre-Walters bout, the loser had nothing to be down about and looks to have a bright future as a fighter for pay.

Fighting for the first time in almost two-and-a-half years, Andrey Kim (3-3, 1 KO) of Sacramento jumpstarted his pro career again with an impressive third-round knockout of Matt Mahler (0-3) of Stockton, California. Mahler, who himself had been out of action since a January 2009 knockout, was never a factor in the bout.

Kim, 137, wobbled Mahler, 137, with the first left hook he landed in the bout’s opening moments. The left would be there all night for Kim, who also controlled the distance with his movement. Finally in the third, Kim caught Mahler with a straight right, followed by that left hook again. The combo had Mahler stumbling around the ring, before Kim planted him with a right hook that put him down flat on to the right side of his face. No count was need, as referee Jon Schorle waved it off at 2:01 of the third.

Mixed Martial Arts

Derrick Burnsed (7-1, 3 KOs, 4 Submissions) of Citrus Heights, California flashed some power with a scary first-round knockout of Moses Baca (3-5) of Pleasant Hill, California. Burnsed, 154, dropped Baca seconds in and quickly pounced on his prone body before the referee could step in and call off the fight. Official time of the knockout was 1:01 of the first round. Baca was taken out of the ring by paramedics on a stretcher.

Amateur Boxing

Five amateur boxing exhibitions combined to open and close the card. Drew Heneffe of Overcome Training in Cameron Park, California scored a first-round stoppage of Arnulfo Rizo of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, California in the opening fight of the night. Heneffe, 199, forced a standing eight count with two left hooks. When action resumed, Heneffe again landed a couple clean left hooks against Rizo, 192, which was enough for referee Ed Collantes to end the bout.

Joshua Green out of California Total Fitness in Manteca, California scored a three-round unanimous decision over Koran Richardson of the Cal Street Fight Club. It was a competitive contest throughout. Green, 161 ½, closed out the first well, while Richardson, 172 ½, did well in the second. With the fight apparently on the table, both fighters fought the third hard. Green did best with a straight right hand, while Green had his moments with the Manteca resident against the ropes. In the end, all three judges gave two of the three rounds to Green, 29-28.

Ukrainian import Aleksander Muza continually found a home for his overhand right on his way to a three-round unanimous decision over Jesus “Chuy” Sandoval of the Cal Street Fight Club. Muza, 116, who trains out of Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville, California, fought a very measured fight throughout. Muza seemed comfortable waiting for Sandoval, 123, to throw and leave an opening before offering up any offense of his own. Muza did come out of this shell in the third, as he closed the fight as the aggressor. In the end, all three judges gave the fight to Muza and his overhand right by scores of 30-27 three times.

James Davis out of Smash Time Boxing in Sacramento scored a hard-fought three round decision over Jared Moore of Anaheim, California. Moore, 175, took round one with two left hooks. Davis, 178, found a right hook and a solid body shot with his left in the second to take that round. The third was competitive, but judges favored Davis 29-28 across the board.

In the final fight of the evening, amateurs Jason Williams and Albert Avina of the Cal Street Fight Club traded at close quarters and fought at a steady pace for three rounds. In the end, all three judges had the fight for Williams.

Promoter Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions is arranging to host the next event at the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th. When tickets for the event, planned to be held outdoors, do go on sale, they will be made available by calling the hotel at 916-782-4757.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — Promoter Nasser Niavaroni brings professional boxing and mixed martial arts back to the Red Lion Hotel for the first time in over a year-and-a-half tonight. In the featured attraction, heavyweights Yohan Banks and Hector Martinez will look to pick up where they left off in March of last year as they engage in a six-round rematch. Also, rising local lightweight prospect Maximilliano Becerra will take on unknown Christian Gonzalez in the co-feature. Fighters weighed in Thursday afternoon at JB’s Lounge inside the hotel.

Banks (4-4-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California met Martinez (5-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California at the Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, California in a short-notice match-up just over a year ago. That night, Martinez took a little while to warm up and was dropped in the second round. Once Martinez regrouped, the fight quickly turned into a heavyweight shootout. As the fight progressed, it was Martinez that was getting the better of the exchanges. However the point Martinez lost for the knockdown proved to be the difference in the scoring, as Banks won over two of the judges, 38-37.

Since their initial meeting, Banks has gone 1-1, getting stopped by unbeaten Adam Kownacki and upsetting overhyped Quadtrine Hill via fourth-round knockout. Martinez has fought just once since the Banks loss, dropping another split decision heartbreaker to Lamont Williams this past January. Banks weighed in at 277 ½-pounds Thursday. Martinez, who launched into a Muhammad Ali-inspired rant while still on the scale, weighed in at 225.

Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California returns to the site of his first three pro bouts against the unknown Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California by way of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico in the four-round co-feature. Becerra, who has grown into a solid ticket seller in the area, pleased his local following with a dominant four-round unanimous decision over Omar Sanchez at the Fairfield Sports Center in nearby Fairfield, California this past January. Gonzalez, who has been out of the ring since 2009, weighed in at 136-pounds, as did Becerra.

The fighter most responsible for the popularity of the Badge VS. Badge series of events in Northern California, Larry Ward of Sacramento, will make his pro debut against former amateur standout Joshua Landers of the Bronx, New York. Landers, who currently trains out of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, is also making his professional debut. Ward, who is known for his colorful personality, was unusually subdued at the weigh-in while scaling 223-pounds. Landers, a former novice division New York Golden Gloves champion, weighed in at 230-pounds.

Perhaps looking for a fresh start, Andrey Kim (2-3) of Sacramento fights for the first time almost two-and-a-half years in a four-round lightweight bout against Matt Mahler (0-2) of Stockton, California. Mahler himself has been out of action since a January 2009 knockout suffered at the hands of the aforementioned Maximilliano Becerra. Kim’s last bout ended via second-round stoppage to prospect Gabriel Tolmajyan in December of 2008. Kim and Mahler both weighed-in at 137-pounds Thursday.

Juan Luna of Sacramento will make his professional debut against Lee Reyes of San Jose, California in a four-round middleweight fight. Reyes, the son of well known martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr, is also making his professional boxing debut. Luna weighed in at 159-pounds. Reyes, who trains out of the Wild Card, originally came in one pound over at 161, but made 160-pounds after taking the scale in the nude.

In another pairing of pro debutants, Brett De La Torre of Vacaville will take on Sacramento’s Will Walters in a four-round light welterweight fight. The baby-faced De La Torre, who trains alongside Maximilliano Becerra at the Vacaville PAL, weighed in at 142 ½-pounds. Walters, who impressed ringside observers during the California Golden Gloves last year, also weighed in at 142 ½-pounds.

Mixed Martial Arts

Derrick Burnsed (6-1, 2 KOs, 4 Submissions) of Citrus Heights, California will take on Moses Baca (3-4) of Pleasant Hill, California in a three-round welterweight fight. Burnsed, who trains alongside Urijah Faber in Sacramento, weighed in at 154-pounds. Baca, who trains out of the Cesar Gracie Sports Center in Pleasant Hill, had trouble finding the hotel and weighed in at a later time.

Former California Golden Gloves Champion boxer Michael Ortega (1-1, 1 KO) had hoped to continue his MMA career in a scheduled three-round welterweight bout against Chris Quitiquit (4-0, 1 KO, 1 Submission). However their fight was a late scratch. Ortega fights for Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male and Quitiquit is part of the Nick Diaz camp. Reportedly the two camps have a gentlemen’s agreement to not match-up their fighters.

Amateur Boxing

Six amateur boxing exhibitions will open up the card. Drew Heneffe, who fights out of Overcome Training in Cameron Park, California, will take on Arnulfo Rizo out of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, California in three-round heavyweight bout. Heneffe weighed in at 199-pounds, while Rizo scaled 192.

Joshua Green, fighting out of California Total Fitness in Manteca, California, will take on Koran Richardson of the Cal Street Fight Club in a three-round light heavyweight fight. Green weighed in at 161 ½-pounds. Richardson weighed in at 172 ½-pounds, which infuriated Green’s trainer and former pro heavyweight Gilbert Martinez. However, the weight difference is within the allowance for an amateur exhibition, and the fight will go on as scheduled.

Ukrainian import Aleksander Muza will take on Jesus Sandoval of the Cal Street Fight Club in a three-round bantamweight fight. Muza, who trains out of fight promoter Nasser Niavaroni’s gym, Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville, California, weighed in at 116-pounds. Sandoval, yet another fighter out of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, weighed in at 123-pounds.

Jared Moore of Anaheim, California will take on James Davis out of Smash Time Boxing in Sacramento in a three-round light heavyweight fight. Moore weighed in at 175-pounds, while Davis came in at 178.

Fighters for the last amateur exhibition, Jason Williams and Albert Avina, will weigh in tomorrow.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Uppercut Promotions, are available by calling the Red Lion Hotel at 916-782-4757.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Banks 277 ½
Martinez 225

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Becerra 136
Gonzalez 136

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Ward 223
Landers 230

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Kim 137
Mahler 137

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Luna 159
Reyes 160

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Walters 142 ½
De La Torre 142 ½

Mixed Martial Arts Weigh-in Result:

Welterweights, 3 Rounds
Burnsed 154
Baca*

Amateur Boxing Exhibition Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Heneffe 199
Rizo 192

Light Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Green 161 ½
Richardson 172 ½

Bantamweights, 3 Rounds
Muza 116
Sandoval 123

Light Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Moore 175
Davis 178

*weighed in late Thursday

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

It has been both a great and busy time to be a Northern California fight aficionado or roving fight scribe in 2011. After years of sporadic events and a club scene that was almost nonexistent, professional boxing is thriving again in the region, thanks in large part to Don Chargin and his team of co-promoters, with additional shows being put on by fight promoters both new and old as well. The trend continues this week, with several other shows in the offing in the not too distant future.

Banks-Martinez II, Becerra Featured in Sacramento

One of the promoters that has been active in the region over the years, Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions, will host his first event of the year at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento, California this Friday. In the featured attractions, local heavyweight Hector Martinez will look to even up the score against Yohan Banks in a six-round rematch and rising lightweight prospect Maximilliano Becerra will take on Christian Gonzalez in the four-round co-feature.

Banks (4-4-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California took a highly competitive four-round split decision over Martinez (5-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California at the Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, California back in March of last year. Banks scored a second-round knockdown that proved to be the difference in a wildly action-packed heavyweight slugfest. Martinez has fought once since, dropping a hard-fought four-round split decision to Lamont Williams this past January. Banks was last in the ring this past September, as he weathered three rounds against hyped former football player Quadtrine Hill, before scoring the come-from-behind stoppage in the fourth round of a pay-per-view undercard bout at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California returns to the intimate venue at which he fought his first three pro bouts against the unknown Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico in the four-round co-feature. Becerra, who proved to be a solid ticket seller, pleased his local following with a dominant four-round unanimous decision over Omar Sanchez at the Fairfield Sports Center in nearby Fairfield, California this past January. Gonzalez has no fights reported since 2009, but it is likely he has fought during that time in Mexico.

In another intriguing bout, former toughman and Badge VS. Badge competitor Larry Ward of Sacramento will make his pro debut against former amateur standout Joshua Landers of the Bronx, New York. Landers, who currently trains out of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, is also making his professional debut.

Three other boxing matches and two mixed martial arts fights will round out the card. Tickets for the event are available by calling the Red Lion Hotel at 916-922-8041.

Sanchez Back in Action June 3rd

Locally popular welterweight Alan Sanchez (7-2-1, 2 KOs) will return to the Fairfield Sports Center for the third straight time in his career as the main event on June 3rd. Sanchez, who trains out of the JL Tepito Boxing Club in Fairfield, had been scheduled to fight at the venue on March 25th, but had to pull out with a minor arm injury. Sanchez packed the Sports Center for his two fights there, and will likely do the same in June.

Sanchez’ gym mate Lamont Williams (4-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield will be featured on the card in a four-round cruiserweight bout. Williams fought just this past Friday in San Francisco, California, as he rose from a first-round knockdown to drop Juan Hernandez twice and cruise to a four-round unanimous decision.

Exciting lightweight prospect Guy Robb (3-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento will also be on the bill in Fairfield in June. Robb thrilled his local following last time out at the Sports Center, as he went toe-to-toe with relentless Manuel Morales for four-rounds en route to a majority decision victory. Robb, who is slated to take to the ring one week prior in Reno, Nevada, drew large crowds in Fairfield in both February and March. In his previous outing, Robb dominated Fairfield’s Omar Sanchez, scoring two knockdowns on his way to a four-round unanimous decision.

When tickets go on sale for the event, promoted by Don Chargin Productions, Golden Boy Promotions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, they will be made available by calling Paco’s Mexican Restaurant at 530-669-7946.

Griffin Gets another Shot

World ranked light heavyweight Otis Griffin (23-7-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento came up short in a recent IBF title eliminator against Yusaf Mack, but will not have to wait long to get right back in the mix at 175-pounds. Griffin has signed to fight IBF #9 ranked Karo Murat, with the IBF #2 position at stake, on May 7th in Germany.

“After the Yusaf Mack fight, I didn’t take much time off and I was right back in the gym,” Griffin told 15rounds.com Wednesday. “I didn’t have any injuries or anything, so I need to go out and take advantage of this opportunity.”

In scouting Murat (23-1, 13 KOs) of Kitzingen, Bayern, Germany, Griffin has come to expect an action-packed encounter. “I expect him to come forward and bring a high pressure style, much like Arthur Abraham,” says Griffin, the IBF #7 ranked light heavyweight. “He is going to try and put a dent in me or hurt me and finish me off. So that is pretty much what we are preparing for.”

Rarely do two opportunities, such as the fights with Mack and Murat, come back-to-back. This is something that is not lost on the 33-year-old Griffin. “I am tremendously looking forward to this fight,” said Griffin, who has been sparring USA Boxing #3 ranked amateur super heavyweight O’Jayland Brown. “It is an opportunity for redemption. It’s my third world title eliminator. So we are praying it turns out victoriously this time around.”

The light heavyweight elimination bout, which will be Griffin’s second career bout in Germany, serves as one of main undercard attractions to the IBF Middleweight title bout between champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Daniel Geale.

Notes

-Plans are coming together for a July 3rd event at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California. WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California would be in the main event. Local unbeatens Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) and Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) are already pegged to fight in separate bouts on the undercard. All three fighters notched wins last Friday in San Francisco.

-According to eyewitnesses, perhaps not the most unbiased, but eyewitnesses nonetheless, longtime San Francisco-based prospect Karim Mayfield has been giving Manny Pacquiao excellent work in training camp down at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. Promoters of last Friday’s event in San Francisco made attempts to get Mayfield (13-0-1, 8 KOs) on the bill, but had trouble finding an available opponent. Mayfield made a quick trip up to the City anyway to cheer on fellow Straight Forward Club fighter Jonathan Chicas, who was making his pro debut. Chicas (1-0, 1 KO) stopped debuting Maja Khali in just over a minute.

-Another Straight Forward Club fighter, Miguel Lopez of Oakland, California, returns to the ring next Friday on the undercard of Jesse Brinkley-Peter Quillin at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Lopez (2-0, 1 KO) will take on former nationally ranked amateur Jose “Chuy” Elizondo of Reno, who will be making his pro debut in a four-round light middleweight bout. Despite turning pro back in May 2009, Lopez has only two pro fights under his belt even though he is always in shape, should his phone ring. Elizondo has been trying to turn pro for about the last two years, but has had injuries flare up at inopportune times.

-Former amateur standout Jason Montgomery (2-1-1) of Hayward, California returns to the ring for the first time since suffering his lone loss against another well regarded young pro in Alejandro Galarza (1-0, 1 KO) as part of a private show at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, California on May 19th. Montgomery, who trains under Arvin Jugarap at the Kennel Boxing Club in San Leandro, California, dropped a hard-fought four-round unanimous decision to prospect Cleven Ishe on March 5th. Also on the card, cruiserweight Tony Johnson (4-0, 1 KO) of San Jose, California takes a step up in class against Brent Urban (7-3-1, 5 KOs) of Dallas, Texas in a four-rounder.

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

World ranked 175-pound contender Otis Griffin has just informed 15rounds.com that he has signed to meet once-beaten Karo Murat in an elimination bout with the IBF #2 light heavyweight ranking at stake on May 7th at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Griffin (23-7-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California rode a four-fight win streak into an IBF title elimination bout against Yusaf Mack this past March. Griffin had received a lowball offer to fight reigning IBF kingpin Tavoris Cloud, but opted to take the Mack bout instead in order to optimize his earning potential for the title bout. However, Griffin’s strategy backfired a bit, as Mack took a twelve-round split decision after several postponements of the bout. Now Griffin, currently the IBF #7 ranked light heavyweight contender, gets a second chance at making the Cloud bout a reality.

Murat (23-1, 13 KOs) of Kitzingen, Bayern, Germany is coming off of an eight-round unanimous decision over Griffin acquaintance and fellow Sacramento resident Christian Cruz which took place this past February in Germany. Murat’s only defeat came at the hands of current WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title holder Nathan Cleverly via tenth-round stoppage at the ringside physician’s request last September. Murat is currently the IBF #9/WBO #10/WBA #13 ranked 175-pound fighter.

Their light heavyweight elimination bout serves as one of main undercard attractions to the IBF Middleweight title bout between champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Daniel Geale.

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

In today’s internet age, the way a fighter markets himself has a huge bearing on the progression of his professional career. Promoters, television producers and venues need fighters that put butts in seats in order to do business. One fighter, yet to even turn professional, has proven to have the ability to do just that. Heavyweight Larry Ward expects to pack the Red Lion Hotel in his home city of Sacramento, California this Friday night, just as he has recently as an amateur.

Ward’s road to professional boxing is in many ways a familiar one, and in others quite unique. Like many eventual pugilists, Ward liked boxing as a kid, but had aspirations in other sports. “I always messed around with [boxing] as a kid, but never took any classes or anything,” recalls Ward. “I thought I was going to turn professional in football, but that didn’t pan out. I wanted to do something with my athletic background and started boxing.”

Ward found organized boxing while in the Army in the late 1990’s. “I fought in a couple smokers after I joined the military and I did really well in those little tournaments,” says Ward. “From there, I just continued boxing because I was pretty good at it. I got second place in my first tournament, and from there did some more smokers in the military and won all of them.”

When Ward left the Army he found toughman competitions in Colorado. His success in those tournaments convinced him that he may have a future as a fighter for pay. After finding work at a prison, Ward continued to box before moving to California in 2004. “When I finally came to California I didn’t want to start boxing right away, so I took some time off,” says Ward. “I eventually got back into it and started doing the battle of the badges. I asked for the toughest guy they had and ended up knocking him out. He wanted a rematch, so we did it again, and the same thing happened again.”

If you have heard the name Larry Ward, but you are not quite sure where, it may have been on a Bay Area newscast. On May 21, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, Ward, who works at the California Medical Facility, a state prison in nearby Vacaville, took on Casey Johnson, a police officer from Oakland, California. The event was the initial promotion of Badge VS. Badge, which is run by respected trainer Gary Shurley and Tom Gaffney, and matches amateur boxers/law enforcement officers in bouts sanctioned by the International Association of Boxing.

According to most accounts, Ward was the clear victor when the fight was over, and indulged the pro-Johnson crowd, many of whom were likely off-duty Oakland PD, by returning their taunts with some gestures of his own. Soon thereafter, before the decision had even been read, a fracus broke out in the crowd. It was clear some of the out-of-the-ring activities involved Oakland PD and when the YouTube video surfaced many local news outlets picked up on the story.

While the situation that occurred is not the way a promoter or a fighter would like to get their name out there, that is the way it happened for Badge VS. Badge and Larry Ward. “It was bittersweet in a way,” says Ward. “It got publicity. Maybe not the right publicity, but either way, it got publicity.”

Now that some time has past, Ward seems to have put the event in the right perspective. “You get a whole bunch of guys in a crowded area and you mix booze and testosterone, of course occasionally you are going to get a couple guys trying to do too much,” says Ward. “At every event, you get guys shadowboxing, thinking they can do the same thing, and you mix alcohol with it, and they can get a little carried away with it.”

If there is another positive to take away from the incident for Ward, it would be that no matter where he fights in his professional career, he is likely to never enter a more unfriendly environment than he did that night in Sacramento. “That wasn’t even the only incident that night,” says Ward. “That just happened to be the one that was videotaped. There were a couple other incidents that night with me and a couple of the guys. It was just one of those nights when you walk into a hostile area, and you just want to leave in one piece. But if you are a fighter, then you love to fight. So for me, I didn’t have a problem with it. It just let me know it was going to be a fight pretty much all night.”

What most of the news outlets did not pick up on in their coverage of the incident, was that the bad blood may have started in the weeks leading up to the actual fight. Ward, and the promoters of Badge VS. Badge, have done what some professional promoters have only slowly begun to do in recent years, and that is build up fights and their fighters by using the internet, and more specifically sites like YouTube, as their primary vehicle.

Ward, who goes into character in his pre-fight videos, had angered supporters of the Johnson camp with some of his remarks in those YouTube-hosted segments. “The video is how the whole incident started with the Oakland crowd,” explains Ward. “They watched the videos and they didn’t appreciate what I had to say about their boy Casey Johnson and it kind of blew up.”

The videos helped make the event a box office success, as over 2,000 patrons jammed into the Radisson that night to see the Ward-Johnson main event. “I try to get things sparked up and get people a little upset,” says Ward. “I mean, anybody can get some gloves and box. But if you put a personality behind the gloves, you can go a long way. Like Kimbo Slice, he used to have all these YouTube videos, but when he started fighting he actually wasn’t that good. But if you are pretty good at fighting, and have a personality with it and a few videos, the sky’s the limit.”

Ward plans to continue shooting videos with his persona, “Cyco,” as he embarks on his journey into the professional ranks seeks bigger and better things. “It is good to get people wound up,” says Ward. “But me, I am just a regular dude. I have dreams and aspirations just like the next person, but I have got to pump myself up so I will be that guy that people love to hate. I am glad that it is turning out well for me and I keep winning and people keep hating to see me win. So far, it is just a dream come true for me. I am going to keep putting the videos out. I am going to keep talking stuff. I am going to keep dancing in the ring and hopefully one day I will be a household name. That is my main objective at the end, to be someone that everybody talks about.”

While Ward is turning pro in his own backyard, he is not getting the luxury of going up against fall guy this Friday night at the Red Lion Hotel. Promoter Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions has matched Ward against Joshua Landers, a well regarded amateur formerly of the Bronx, New York that now trains at the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

“I have never had an easy fight either,” says Ward. “Every guy that I have fought was the best at his craft. In a way it is good, because I want to see if I really have it or if I don’t. So I want to be in with somebody that really has it. Somebody is going to be upset, and it is not going to be me. It is going to be a test of wills. I feel that this guy has never fought anybody like me, and I can’t say that I have fought anybody like him. So we are going to see what is going to happen.”

This Friday is the culmination of a lot of hard work and sacrifice for Larry Ward. The clock may not be on the side of the 34-year-old, but he feels everything has come together for a reason and at the right time. “I definitely wanted to turn pro when I came to California when I was 27, but I didn’t have enough confidence in myself at the time,” admits Ward. “So I figured if I had a couple more fights under my belt I could gain some confidence and then I would be ready. At this point I am very confident, so it might have taken a long road, but I am here now and I am ready to make the most of my opportunity.”

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — World ranked super featherweight contender Eloy Perez jabbed, bobbed and weaved his way to an utterly one-sided ten-round decision victory over Alejandro Rodriguez at the Longshoremen’s Hall on Friday night. With the victory, a crack at a world title may be right around the corner.

Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California just had too much class for Rodriguez (12-2, 6 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to have any chance in the bout. Perez, 129 ½, gave a performance the great Willie Pep would have been proud of, as Rodriguez, 129, could not crack the code that was the Salinas resident’s defense.

Perez, the WBO #2 ranked super featherweight, won many of the rounds with his jab and defense alone. There were no openings for the tentative Rodriguez to exploit, as Perez was selective with his offense while still controlling every second of the fight.

Rodriguez was by no means an immovable object either, as he routinely jumped back two steps from every moderately stiff shot. By the seventh round, Perez began to open up for longer stretches than he had earlier in the fight, but Rodriguez offered little in return. In the eighth, Perez stunned Rodriguez with a short left hook, prompting the Mexican to hold on for a bit.

For the most part, Perez seemed satisfied putting on a boxing clinic and never really pressed for anything more. When it was all said and done, Perez had won every round, if not every minute, of the fight and all three judges handed in identical scorecards of 100-90.

With the victory, Perez successfully defended his WBO NABO Super Featherweight title and remains in line for a crack at the WBO 130-pound title holder Ricky Burns. Word after the fight was that Perez may finally get to headline an oft-talked about event in Monterey County this summer.

2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (15-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland easily outboxed Adolfo Landeros (21-19-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico en route to a six-round unanimous decision in the televised co-feature.

Russell, 128, just had too much speed for the serviceable Mexican journeyman Landeros, 128, to handle. Russell got a knockdown in the first, when he rocked Landeros with a straight left and followed with a quick combination. However, the experienced Landeros managed to cover up and survive the round. Other than that, Russell never seemed to have Landeros in any serious trouble.

The bout became more of an inside fight in the second and remained one much of the rest of the way. Landeros began to land more frequently in the third, but most of the telling blows were coming from the former U.S. Olympian. Perhaps Landeros’ best shot was an uppercut he landed that gave Russell reason to pause late in the third. Landeros followed up with two clean blows upstairs.

Throughout the fight, Landeros remained game, continuously coming forward, despite the quick hands of Russell. When Russell utilized his speed, Landeros had absolutely no chance. However, when Russell stood still and sat down on his punches, it gave Landeros the opportunity to land in spots. Even in those instances, Landeros was clearly outgunned.

The fight closed with some entertaining action in the sixth. Russell got Landeros motivated again briefly with a hard short left. With Landeros coming forward again, Russell landed a right, straight left combo that hurt the Mexican. Russell closed out the round pressuring Landeros, but the journeyman would not end the fight in retreat, deciding to throw with him, even with his back against the corner. In the end, scores read 60-53 three times for Russell.

Lamont Williams (4-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield, California regrouped from a first-round knockdown to down Juan Hernandez (1-1, 1 KO) of Redwood City, California in the same stanza before boxing his way to a four-round unanimous decision victory.

Hernandez, 197 and listed at 5’8” tall, dropped the 6’2” Williams, 194, with a right hook which came on the heels of a solid left hand. Hernandez came rushing at Williams once the fight resumed and appeared to have the Fairfield resident in some trouble. However, Williams managed to get some space and land a short right that stunned Hernandez. Williams followed up with a flurry that dropped Hernandez into the ropes, thus evening up the knockdown tally for the round.

Hernandez was clearly hurt by the knockdown, but managed to make it out of the first. Not surprisingly, Williams seemed to have the clearer head going into the second. With about a minute to go in the round, Williams caught Hernandez with a right uppercut and sent him down against the ropes with the following combination to score his second knockdown in the fight.

Over the next two rounds, Hernandez was never really able to get close enough to do the damage he did with his right hook in the first, and Williams boxed his way to the clear decision. Scores read 40-35 across the board for Williams.

In mere seconds, Jonathan Chicas (1-0, 1 KO) of San Francisco got his pro career off to a rousing start via first-round knockout of Maja Khali (0-1) of Oakland, California. Chicas, 140, scored a quick knockdown with a right, left hook combination. Khali, 139, gamely rose to his feet, but soon found himself on his knees after a well-placed left to his body put him in that position with referee Ed Collantes counting to ten in front of him. Collantes would reach the full count at the time of 1:07 of the opening round.

Increasingly locally popular brawler Joe Gumina (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California demolished pro mixed martial artist Harry Gopaul (0-1) of Sacramento, California in about half of a round, exciting his throng of fans on hand at the Longshoremen’s Hall.

Gumina, 181, rocked Gopaul, 183, with a right hand as the two came together and traded before the sound of the opening bell had the chance to fade away into the night. Gopaul looked to tie up Gumina, but the local hero kept his right hand free and scored a knockdown with three clubbing blows. Gopaul unwisely came rushing toward Gumina as soon as referee Jon Schorle finished his eight count and was caught in an exchange of right hands that sent him down for the second time. Gopaul got back up and looked to brawl with Gumina some more, but was rocked again by a left uppercut that sent him into a corner. With Gopaul taking shots, Schorle leaped in and stopped the bout at 1:31 of the first round.

Gumina, who will be in camp with super middleweight champion Andre Ward this coming week, has a tentative fight set for July 1st at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California, but hopes to get back into the ring sooner than that.

In the closing fight of the night, which pitted two southpaws, former amateur star Bruno Escalante Jr. (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines impressively steamrolled normally durable journeyman Shaun Solomon (1-3-1) of Moreno Valley, California inside of two rounds.

Escalante, 120, was too quick and even too strong, despite giving away size to Solomon, 121 ½, who had been stopped just once in his professional career prior to Friday night. Escalante stunned Solomon with the first straight left he landed in the bout and dropped him with the same shot seconds later.

Escalante focused some of his attack on Solomon’s body to begin the second, prior to landing a left uppercut that sent the Moreno Valley resident down like a redwood. Referee Ed Collantes immediately called a halt to the bout at the time of 46 seconds of the second round. Escalante is slated to appear on the aforementioned July 1st event in Burlingame, but he may take a fight before that date as well.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — The most dangerous times for leading contenders are the fights they take while waiting for that world title shot. Super featherweight contender Eloy Perez has had a top three world ranking for sometime now, but still waits for that right opportunity to come his way. Tonight at the Longshoremen’s Hall, Perez steps into the ring against unknown once-beaten Mexican Alejandro Rodriguez, risking everything he has worked so hard for in the process. Their ten-round bout headlines the Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecast. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Radisson Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf just around the corner from where the fights take place tonight.

Perez (20-0, 5 KOs) of Salinas, California will be making the third defense of his WBO NABO Super Featherweight belt, a regional title he claimed with a fifth-round stoppage of Juan Santiago back in December 2009. It was a win that catapulted Perez into the WBO world rankings at 130-pounds. Currently, Perez sits at the WBO #2 position in the division, a spot that means the next call his manager Kathy Garcia gets could be from Scotland – the home of world champion Ricky Burns.

Before Perez can look at that possibility, he must first get past Rodriguez (12-1, 6 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Rodriguez represents that great unknown, as almost all of his fights have taken place in a small arena in Jalisco. In fact, every one of his widely reported bouts have taken place in Jalisco, while it is likely he has more fights under his belt than his listed record indicates. Rodriguez’ claim to fame, if you could call it that, was that he scored a twelve-round stoppage of a 5-0 fighter for the Jalisco State Lightweight title in August of last year. However, Rodriguez’ last win was over an 0-1 opponent, a level of opposition that will not adequately prepare anyone for Eloy Perez. Rodriguez weighed in at 129, while Perez scaled 129 ½-pounds Thursday.

In the televised co-main event, 2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (14-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland will take on long tenured Mexican journeyman Adolfo Landeros (21-18-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico in a six-round super featherweight fight. Russell had been slated to appear on a pay-per-view card last Saturday, but had several opponents fall out before finally his bout was scratched. Russell, competing for the second time this year, weighed in at 128-pounds Thursday.

Landeros (21-18-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico is as experienced as they come, and enters the bout off of a rare victory. Landeros ended an eight-fight winless streak with a four-round stoppage of usually durable Juan Jose Beltran on April 1st. Prior to the win over Beltran, the last time Landeros tasted victory was a June 2008 split decision over then unbeaten prospect Alejandro Perez. Making the win stand out even more, Perez recently bombed out contender Antonio Escalante and looks to be a player at 126-pounds. Landeros, a super bantamweight in his prime, weighed in at 128-pounds Thursday.

In the first television swing bout, now likely to make air with the announcement today that Solo Boxeo will run two hours long, San Francisco’s Jonathan Chicas will make his debut against Maja Khali of Oakland, California in a four-round light welterweight fight. Chicas has been one of the better amateurs from the Bay Area in recent years while training under Ben Bautista at San Francisco’s Straight Forward Club. Khali, also making his pro debut, weighed in at 139-pounds, while Chicas scaled 140.

In the next swing bout, former amateur standout Bruno Escalante Jr. (2-0-1, 1 KO) of San Carlos, California by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines will take on tough journeyman Shaun Solomon (1-2-1) of Moreno Valley, California in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Though he does not have a glossy record, Solomon should provide Escalante with a stern test. Escalante, the 2008 National PAL Champion at 112-pounds, admittedly would be better suited for a lower weight class, but has taken fights at super bantam due to the dearth of available opponents any lower down the scale. Escalante scaled 120, while Solomon came in at 121 ½-pounds.

Exciting brawler Joe Gumina (1-0, 1 KO) of nearby San Bruno, California makes his much anticipated return to the Longshoremen’s Hall Friday against debuting Harry Gopaul of Sacramento, California in a four-round cruiserweight fight. Gumina excited the local fight fans with a first-round demolition of Jose Jesus Hurtado at the Longshoremen’s Hall in February. Gumina had planned to return to the ring in late March, but promoters in Fairfield, California had a hard time finding an opponent willing to get in the ring with the slugger. Gopaul, a professional mixed martial artist, gets the assignment tonight. Gumina weighed in at 181, while Gopaul came in at 183-pounds.

In another interesting cruiserweight attraction set for four rounds, Lamont Williams (3-1, 1 KO) of Fairfield will take on Juan Hernandez (1-0, 1 KO) of Redwood City, California. Williams comes in off of a hard-fought four-round split decision over much larger heavyweight Hector Martinez in February. A rematch had been planned between the two, before Williams was sidelined with a minor injury. Hopefully Williams is fully healed, because he may have his hands full with Hernandez, a powerhouse cruiserweight in the mold of former champion Kelvin Davis. Hernandez bombed out Seth Keeling in his debut in August of last year, but has been idle since. Hernandez scaled 197, while Williams came in at 194-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, are available online at http://theboxingtruth.vbotickets.com/events

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO NABO Super Featherweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Perez 129 ½
Rodriguez 129

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Russell Jr. 128
Landeros 128

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 140
Khali 139

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Escalante Jr. 120
Solomon 121 ½

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Gumina 181
Gopaul 183

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Williams 194
Hernandez 197

Photos by Mark Ortega

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

Featherweight prospect and 2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. will make his second ring appearance of the year this Friday night in the televised co-main event on Telefutura Solo Boxeo. Russell, who had been slated to appear on the ‘Action Heroes’ pay-per-view event this past Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada will take on long tenured journeyman Adolfo Landeros in a six-round bout.

Russell (14-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland was slated to fight on the free preview portion of the televised card at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Saturday, but had several opponents fall out before finally his bout was scratched. Russell was pegged for a step-up opponent in the form of former prospect Ira Terry, who withdrew earlier last week. Then Russell had been tabbed to me undefeated replacement opponent Sherali Dostiev, who missed his flight to Las Vegas.

Luckily for Russell, the co-feature slot had yet to be filled for this Friday’s edition of Solo Boxeo, emanating from the Longshoremen’s Hall in San Francisco, California. Landeros (21-18-1, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico is as experienced as they come, and enters the bout off of a rare victory. Landeros ended an eight-fight winless streak with a four-round stoppage of usually durable Juan Jose Beltran just eleven days ago, April 1st. Prior to that, the last Landeros victory was a June 2008 split decision over Alejandro Perez, a win that looks even better in retrospect. Perez recently bombed out contender Antonio Escalante and looks to be a contender at 126-pounds.

In the televised main event, WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Eloy Perez defends his WBO NABO Super Featherweight title and risks his world ranking against unknown Mexican contender Alejandro Rodriguez in a ten-rounder.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents, are available online at http://theboxingtruth.vbotickets.com/events

Photo by Jim Wyatt

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

This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Golden Boy Promotions hosted a highly entertaining HBO Pay-Per-View dubbed ‘Action Heroes.’ In the main event, light welterweight contender Marcos Maidana survived a surprisingly stiff challenge from aging former champion and all-time great Erik Morales. The undercard featured several other surprises and thrills, as did the post-fight press conference, thanks in large part to the emcee work of Oscar De La Hoya.


Watch Morales-Maidana Post-Fight Press Conference in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Marcos Maidana may have turned back the challenge of Erik Morales at the MGM Hotel & Casino tonight, but it was the Mexican legend’s unexpectedly heroic performance that will undoubtedly be remembered most.

Few gave Morales (51-7, 35 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico any hope of even making the fight competitive in the days and weeks leading up to the fight. More than a few experts were fearful for Morales’ well-being. But after twelve wildly entertaining rounds, some of those same experts were calling for a rematch.

One of the top four fighters in the light welterweight division, Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina took the Mexican head on and pounded his way to the deserved majority decision.

Maidana, 140, got off to a solid start, as he forced Morales, 140, to the ropes in the very early going. Maidana found Morales’ body with his left hand and shot an uppercut that got the Mexican’s attention. Morales did land one right in the first that seemed to perk up Maidana and prompt the Argentine to close out the round throwing. Morales returned to the corner with a rapidly swelling right eye at the end of round one.

Maidana, the WBA #1 ranked light welterweight, began the second surprisingly measured, but eventually forced Morales to the ropes with a left to the body and a following combination. Morales came off the ropes throwing, and landed one right that looked good and excited the crowd.

In the third, again Maidana fought more tentatively than advertised, and may have allowed Morales to take the round with his jab and greater output. Early in the fourth, Morales landed a counter left hook that landed clean, but the round was mostly Maidana’s. If Morales’ right eye was not bad enough, he was now dealing with a cut over his left as well.

Maidana caught Morales with a right early in the fifth, but the Mexican returned fire with a combination that stopped the always fearless Maidana in his tracks. The warriors took turns rallying off flurries, but Morales landed a right uppercut that backed up Maidana. Glimpses of a younger Morales would flash intermittently throughout the fight. In one such instance, Morales made Maidana miss and countered beautifully circa 2002. Maidana walked slowly across the ring to his corner when the bell for the fifth sounded.

Each fighter had their moments in the sixth, as Morales did well early, but began to tire towards the end. Maidana came on, catching Morales clean with a looping right. Morales fired back and had Maidana in trouble before the round ended. Maidana began the seventh with a jab that staggered Morales, and took the round pretty clearly.

Morales, ranked WBA #5 entering the bout, battled back in the eighth, staggering Maidana, who rolled around behind his opponent and went for a rabbit punch. Morales came back with a one-two combination that had Maidana in trouble again. Not to be outdone, Maidana fired a right, left combination, to which Morales nodded back. Maidana tried pressuring Morales, but the Mexican warrior managed to evade the Argentine until the end of the round.

Maidana hurt Morales with a left to the body, and followed with two more to his back. Just as Maidana began to put the hurt on Morales, “El Terrible” battled back with a combination that stunned the Argentine. Morales pressured Maidana against the ropes and appeared to have Maidana in some trouble. Morales went for a wild punch that missed and forced his head through the ropes. Maidana, who had been rough and somewhat dirty, missed an opportunity to capitalize. By the end of the ninth, Morales’ right eye was not only swollen shut, but a large knot was forming around the socket.

Morales continued to keep the fight in close in the tenth, landing a right. Morales caught Maidana lazily waiting for a break with an overhand right, and followed with a left uppercut. Maidana was forced back to the ropes, but landed a stiff left that had Morales in trouble before the bell.

Another Maidana left hurt Morales in the eleventh. Just when everything was going his way, Maidana gassed out and stood winded, looking to gain a breath. But the 2011 version of Morales could not take advantage of the moment, and Maidana came on to close out the round strong.

Another right rocked Morales to start the twelfth, but it was the Mexican that got the best of the following exchange. As the round came to an end, it was Marcos Maidana that pulled an Erik Morales – throwing everything right at the ten second warning for the final bell. HBO’s unofficial scorer Harold Lederman had the fight a draw, as did one of the official scorers. But alas, the potentially monumental upset was not to be, as Maidana took the other two cards 116-112.

At the post-fight press conference, promoter Oscar De La Hoya pointed the finger at some of those media members who talked down the fight when it was made and said, “I told you so.” De La Hoya stated he would like to put together the Maidana-Morales rematch, something both Maidana and Morales seemed to welcome.

In a thrilling action fight, Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) of Gilroy, California waged war for twelve rounds with Michael Katsidis (27-4, 22 KOs) of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It was the type of fight Katsidis has become known for, but this time he met up with a stronger and more scientifically skilled foe in Guerrero, who came away with a wide unanimous decision to claim two interim titles.

Guerrero, the WBA #1/WBO #1/IBF #4 ranked lightweight entering the bout, flexed his muscle early and often. Determined as always, Katsidis, the WBA #2/WBO #3 ranked 135-pounder, came forward and was effective in spots, especially when Guerrero could be enticed to go blow-for-blow.

In the second round, Katsidis rocked Guerrero with a left. When Guerrero fell back, it appeared that his right glove touched the canvas. It was not ruled a knockdown by referee Russell Mora, who may have felt the fall was the result of contact between their feet. Whatever the cause, it seemed to provoke Guerrero into a firefight. Guerrero comes back with two hard lefts inside.

After a close third round, Guerrero was rocked by a straight right in the fourth, which kicked off another fiery exchange. The momentum of the fight began to turn more heavily in Guerrero’s favor in the fifth, as the three-time champion wobbled Katsidis with a straight left. Still on unsteady legs, Katsidis fired back, but Guerrero was clearly getting the better of the exchange.

In the eighth, the referee got unnecessarily involved after a stray low blow from Katsidis. Though it did not appear flagrant, a point was deducted from Katsidis for the infraction. Motivated to get the point back, Katsidis went for Guerrero’s body, which seemed to be taking an effect. One stray shot, prompted the referee to stop the action and deduct another point from Katsidis, which gave Guerrero time and effectively end the Aussie’s rally. Somewhat comically, the referee Mora seemed to make up for one of the Katsdis deductions by taking a point from Guerrero in the following round for an inadvertent low blow.

The action continued through the tenth, before Guerrero got back out at range and boxed Katsidis in the eleventh. Katsidis came out determined in the twelfth and caught Guerrero with one stiff shot before Guerrero took back over and closed out the fight landing the harder blows again. By scores of 118-107, 118-106 and 117-108, Guerrero claimed the interim versions of both the WBA and WBO Light Welterweight titles.

Former WBA Interim Light Middleweight titleholder Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2, 8 KOs) of Osaka, Osaka, Japan scored three first round knockdowns in an unbelievable upset over James Kirkland (27-1, 24 KOs) of Las Vegas. Kirkland, 158, fighting for the third time in a month after a two-year absence, came right out at Ishida, 158. The much taller Japanese import met him square on and took some decent shots.

Kirkland, already the WBO #4 ranked middleweight despite fighting complete fall guys in his two previous bouts this year, stepped right into a straight right from Ishida that dropped him and silenced the crowd. Ishida, the usually light-punching WBA #4 ranked junior middle, dropped Kirkland a second time with another right. Despite moving on wobbly legs, Kirkland still came forward throwing punches. It was an unwise move, as Ishida came straight with a third right to score a third and final knockdown.

With the three knockdown rule in effect, referee Joe Cortez waved off the fight at the 1:52 mark of the first. Afterwards, Kirkland claimed he was not hurt, and that his trips to the canvas (there were three of them) were flash knockdowns. With the victory, Ishida immediately becomes a player at junior middleweight. With the loss, the talk of Kirkland fighting Sergio Martinez for the middleweight crown looks pretty foolish in retrospect.

Paul Malignaggi (29-4, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York jabbed and move his way to a wide unanimous ten-round decision over undersized Jose Miguel Cotto (32-3-1, 24 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Cotto, 147, came out firing in the first and had Malignaggi, 147, in retreat for much of the round. Towards the end of the second, Cotto roughed up Malignaggi with a few right hands. However, by the third round, Malignaggi, the IBF #11/WBO #12 ranked welterweight, settled in to his usual stick-and-move style took over control of the bout.

Cotto, the WBO #11 ranked light welterweight, could not get into range for most of the fight, as Malignaggi moved three steps back anytime the Puerto Rican took one forward. By the late rounds, what steam Cotto carried up to welterweight had mostly come off of his punches, so when he did get his one shot in, it did not have close to the same effect it had early in the contest.

Unable to get in on Malignaggi, Cotto attempted to lure the former champion to him by languishing against the ropes. It was a tactic that did nothing but maybe give both men a short rest, as Malignaggi did not take the bait. In the end, Malignaggi won comfortably by scores of 97-93 and 99-91 twice. With the victory, Malignaggi gained a small measure of revenge over the Cotto family, as younger brother Miguel broke his right cheekbone en route to issuing him his first defeat back in 2003.

Emerging light welterweight contender Danny Garcia (21-0, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia Pennsylvania did everything better, faster and harder on his way to a ten-round unanimous decision over faded former champion Nate Campbell (33-8-1, 25 KOs) of Jacksonville, Florida.

Garcia, 139, showed the poise of a veteran throughout a classy performance. Campbell, 140, did a little showboating and posturing, but never committed to any serious offensive attack. Garcia, the WBC #9 ranked light welterweight, was not baited by any of Campbell’s tactics, even remaining composed when the veteran took a swing at him long after the bell to end round nine. In the end, all three judges had the fight wide for Garcia, by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.

With his decisive victory, Garcia looks to be more than ready for the next level of competition. Campbell on the other hand appears to be comfortable in playing the role of opponent at this stage of his career. Campbell had announced his retirement after a loss to journeyman Walter Estrada last November before returning to the ring for tonight’s bout.

2008 Russian Olympic Gold Medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev (9-0, 7 KOs) of Hamburg, Germany by way of Tobolsk, Russia continued rolling as a professional with a measured performance en route to a third-round knockout of journeyman Harvey Jolly (11-16-1, 6 KOs) of Adrian, Michigan.

Chakhiev, 203, pressured and chased Jolly, 203, around the ring for the most part. In the second, Chakhiev was credited with a knockdown when he forced Jolly to hunch over from a body shots. Although Jolly did not go down, he was not defending himself and referee Joe Cortez separated the fighters to administer a standing eight count. Finally in the third, Chakhiev landed the power shot he was looking for, an overhand right that sent Jolly down. The journeyman opted to sit out Cortez’ ten count, with the stoppage coming at 2:18 of the third.

In the opener, heralded former amateur star Mikael Zewski (9-0, 5 KOs) of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada had all he could handle in the form of rugged swinger Clint Coronel (4-2-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California in a six-round split decision victory.

Despite his solid amateur background, Zewski, 151, opted to stand and trade with Coronel, 151, who knows how to do little else. It turned out to be a solid scrap, with Coronel winning over the small crowd and rocking Zewski in the final round. In the end, two judges inexplicably had each fighter a shutout winner, 60-54. The third judge had the fight 59-55 for Zewski, thus maintaining his unbeaten mark.

Photo courtesy Golden Boy Promotions

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

IBF #6 ranked lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo is in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend, taking in the anticipated Erik Morales-Marcos Maidana HBO Pay-Per-View event at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino tonight. Escobedo (23-3, 14 KOs) of Woodland, California is a knowledgeable observer, considering he fought both co-main event participants, Robert Guerrero and Michael Katsidis, and was in negotiations to fight Morales some time back. Escobedo, who was also presented with the Cinturon Tecate title for getting the most votes via text message during Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecasts as the boxer who displayed the most character, weighed in on both of tonight’s fights with 15rounds.com.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Beloved Mexican boxing icon Erik Morales returns to Las Vegas as a long shot to knock off fearsome puncher Marcos Maidana with a vacant interim title at stake to headline an event dubbed ‘Action Heroes’ at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino tonight. Fighters for the HBO Pay-Per-View event weighed in Friday at the same venue where the fight will be taking place tonight.

The match-up has many questioning aloud Morales’ readiness for such stiff competition and worrying about his well-being. Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico returned to the ring a year ago last March, and has scored three wins against mid-level opposition. Morales, the WBA #5 ranked light welterweight, won over the hearts of Mexican fans everywhere over his long career with his aggressive and fiery style. Though he is a classy boxer when he wishes to be, he has a penchant for trading once the action heats up and the crowd gets into it. It is a penchant that could get him in serious trouble tonight. Morales weighed in at 140 Friday, bearing no resemblance to the anorexic guy that used to make 122-pounds.

Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina claimed the interim WBA title which is at stake tonight back in June of 2009 with an upset of Victor Ortiz and made three defenses before running into full champion Amir Khan last December. It is Maidana’s obscene knockout percentage that has many worried about Morales’ health. If there is one thing to pick out on Maidana’s resume that could give Morales supporters hope it would be the Argentine’s off night against DeMarcus Corley last August. Even though he won a clear decision, Maidana struggled with the classy boxer in a bout that went the full twelve. Maidana, the WBA #1 ranked light welterweight, weighed in at 140-pounds.

In the fight most insiders are predicting will steal the show, Robert Guerrero (28-1-1, 18 KOs) of Gilroy, California will take on Michael Katsidis (27-3, 22 KOs) of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia in a twelve-rounder with two interim belts on the line.

Guerrero, the WBA #1/WBO #1/IBF #4 ranked lightweight, appears to be on the cusp of breaking through as a major player in the sport and an impressive victory over Katsidis would go a long way in making that happen. In Katsidis, the WBA #2/WBO #3 ranked 135-pounder, Guerrero has an adversary that could make for a thrilling war, which is the type of fight that could launch the Gilroy native into stardom. Guerrero claimed titles at featherweight and super feather before abdicating the latter title for a move up to 135-pounds a year ago. Guerrero came in at 134-pounds Friday.

Katsidis is a blood and guts warrior in the mold of the late Arturo Gatti. Katsidis, a former WBO Interim Lightweight titleholder, has tripped up at the elite level, but always given a good account of himself in those situations. Does Robert Guerrero represent the elite level of the sport? That is the question that will be answered tonight. Katsidis, who unveiled a beach bum character throughout fight week, donning sunglasses and suntan lotion on his nose, scaled 134 as well. If you try to keep on the crazy title belt situation, this fight is for both the WBO and WBA interim versions of the lightweight crown. Juan Manuel Marquez holds the more recognized versions of both those titles.

In his first test since regaining his freedom after a 17-month prison term, former rising star James Kirkland (27-0, 24 KOs) of Las Vegas take on former interim belt holder Nobuhiro Ishida (22-6-2, 7 KOs) of Osaka, Osaka, Japan in an eight-round middleweight attraction. Kirkland returned to action for the first time in two years just one month ago and has already scored two quick stoppage victories. However, the former junior middleweight contender did look rusty in his last outing on March 18th, which ultimately ended in the second round.

Ishida, who claimed the WBA Interim Light Middleweight title in 2009 before dropping it to Rigoberto Alvarez by split decision last October, does have a sizeable height and reach advantage over the power-punching Kirkland. The loss to Alvarez was Ishida’s only fight outside of Japan, and it was a loss. Kirkland, already the WBO #4 ranked middleweight, and Ishida, the WBA #4 ranked junior middle, both scaled 158-pounds Friday.

The always colorful Paul Malignaggi (28-4, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York, who takes on Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-1, 24 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico in the ten-round pay-per-view opener, stole the show at Friday’s weigh-in, as came out painted up like a golden Green Lantern, spandex shorts and all. The former 140-pound title holder is now campaigning at welterweight and will take on the diminutive brother of Miguel Cotto in his second fight at the new weight class.

Cotto, who was underpowered as a lightweight title challenger, did rock current 154-pound titlist Saul Alvarez early in their meeting last May before succumbing to a ninth-round stoppage. Malignaggi has a history with the Cotto family, having fought Jose’s brother Miguel to a twelve-round decision defeat in a war back in 2006. Malignaggi, the IBF #11/WBO #12 ranked welter, and Cotto, the WBO #11 ranked light welterweight, both scaled the 147-pound welterweight limit Friday.

Fast-rising light welterweight contender Danny Garcia (20-0, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia Pennsylvania looks to embellish his reputation a victory over faded former unified lightweight champion Nate Campbell (33-7-1, 25 KOs) of Jacksonville, Florida in a ten-rounder that will be televised just before the pay-per-view hits the air at 6 o’clock.

Garcia has been on a knockout tear over the last year, most notably knocking out former title contender Mike Arnaoutis last October. Campbell retired after a shocking loss to journeyman Walter Estrada via split decision last November. Garcia is expected to get the victory, but a win over Campbell will look good on your resume nonetheless. Garcia, the WBC #9 ranked light welterweight, scaled 139, while Campbell came in at 140-pounds.

In the heavyweight attraction, former international amateur star Rakhim Chakhkiev (9-0, 7 KOs) of Hamburg, Germany by way of Tobolsk, Russia takes on journeyman Harvey Jolly (11-16-1, 6 KOs) of Adrian, Michigan. Chakhiev, who is apparently moving down to cruiserweight, weighed in at 203-pounds, as did Jolly.

In the scheduled curtain raiser, touted former amateur star Mikael Zewski (8-0, 5 KOs) of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada takes on west coast tough guy Clint Coronel (4-1-2, 1 KO) of San Jose, California in a six-round light middleweight fight. Zewski and Coronel both weighed in at 151-pounds.

2008 U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (14-0, 9 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland was slated to fight on the free preview portion of the televised card, but had several opponents fall out before finally his bout was scratched. Russell was originally pegged to fight Ira Terry, and his replacement opponent Sherali Dostiev missed his flight to Las Vegas.

According to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, a late replacement opponent for undefeated Omar Figueroa (10-0, 8 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas that was matched late Thursday also missed his flight. Originally tabbed opponent John Figueroa fell out early Thursday.

Ivan Morales (9-0, 5 KOs) of Tijuana, a southpaw that bares a striking resemblance to his older brother Erik, never had an opponent scheduled and fell off of the card.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Box Latino and Universum Box Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Interim Light Middleweight Championship, 12 rounds
Morales 140
Maidana 140

WBA Interim Lightweight Championship
WBO Interim Lightweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Guerrero 134
Katsidis 134

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Kirkland 158
Ishida 158

Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Malignaggi 147
Cotto 147

Light Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Garcia 139
Campbell 140

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Chakhkiev 203
Jolly 203

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Zewski 151
Coronel 151

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