Perez Scores Emphatic Knockout, Ready for World Stage

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.