BROOKS, CALIFORNIA – Rising middleweight Paul Mendez boxed his way through five rounds en route to a corner retirement of journeyman Rahman Yusubov at the Cache Creek Casino Resort on Saturday night to successfully preserve an already scheduled October 28th Fox Sports 1-televised date and claim the vacant IBA Middleweight title.
Mendez (14-2-1, 6 KOs) of Delano, California began the fight in his usual measured posture, despite rocking Yusubov, 159.5, with an overhand right and nearly scoring a knockdown with a straighter punch with the same hand early in the first round. Yusubov (9-12, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas by way of Tashkent, Uzbekistan reeled towards the ropes on his heels after the straight right, but Mendez refused to follow his off balance adversary for an attempt at ensuring a knockdown. Patience of course is a virtue preached by Mendez’ trainer Max Garcia, but the Delano native seemed to take it to an extreme at times in the first two rounds.
After taking a solid left at close quarters early in the second round, Mendez, 159.5, boxed his way accurately and efficiently through the rest of the stanza. Mendez relied on his jab throughout the third, easily moving the roughly six-inch shorter Yusubov around the ring with his left. Yusubov, who entered the bout having lost nine of his ten bouts within the United States, never managed to really solve Mendez’ jab, even though his favored opponent was stingy with his right in the early going.
The best two-way action in the contest took place in the fourth. Mendez allowed himself to engage Yusubov a bit more recklessly in the round, outright neglecting his defense for a short stretch of flurrying. It was apparent from that solid left in the second that Yusubov was not going to hurt his naturally larger opponent, which perhaps gave Mendez the confidence to throw without worrying too much about what would come in return. A briefly unanswered flurry from Mendez was enough to force a protesting Yusubov to a knee late in the round, which was correctly ruled a knockdown.
Though his trainer never encourages his fighters to go for a knockout, it appeared as though a fire was lit under Mendez as he entered for the fifth. Mendez came out aggressively to begin the round and immediately began to snap Yusubov’s head back violently with both jabs and rights. Some intermittent attention to Yusubov’s body may have help lead to the journeyman’s eventual withdrawal from the bout before the start of the sixth. Referee Mike Margado visited Yusubov’s corner after seconds were ordered out, and it was quickly apparent the Uzbekistan native was not going to be answering the bell.
With the win Mendez claimed the vacant IBA Middleweight title. That the International Boxing Association decided to put their title on the line despite the fact that Mendez’ opponent had a sub .500 record and had lost two straight bouts says all that needs to be said where the IBA stands among recognized sanctioning bodies. Mendez had previously held the IBA Continental Middleweight title.
More importantly than the shiny trinket Mendez claimed, the one-sided win paves the way for an already scheduled Fox Sports 1-televised bout which will take place on Monday, October 28th at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, California. Promoter Paco Damian of Paco Presents told 15rounds.com that Mendez would be in against a high caliber opponent in a ten-round bout on that date. Locally popular prospect Manuel “Tino” Avila will be in the televised co-feature, also in a ten-round contest.
What was the best fight on paper turned out to be the best fight on the casino’s Club 88 stage on Saturday, as was expected. Bruno Escalante Jr. (10-1-1, 5 KOs) of Redwood City by way of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines controlled five eighths and survived three eighths of an intriguing eight-round bout with tough journeyman Joseph Rios (13-9-2, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas en route to a majority decision.
After a somewhat tentative start by both, Escalante, 113.5, used his superior technique, conditioning and athletic ability to clearly take rounds two through four. Rios, 113.5, had his first solid round in the fifth. Escalante, who had boxed beautifully on the outside for most of the first four rounds, found himself in an inside fight in the fifth. Two clean short rights gave the impression Rios was coming on and perhaps in the process of turning the fight around. Escalante battled back in the final seconds, slightly staggering Rios in the final ticks. Though it may have been the best shot of the fight to that point, it was really Escalante’s only moment in the round, which this writer scored as the first round for Rios.
Though the quick turn of events at the end of the fifth was not enough to give Escalante that round it sure set up the sixth nicely for the Filipino. Escalante landed a solid right on the inside early in the round before reverting to his effective earlier form – boxing and moving at range. Rios, though game and determined, had all sorts of trouble cutting off the ring and getting into position to unload when Escalante boxed in this manner.
The fight turned again in the seventh. Rios managed to turn Escalante and back him into a neutral corner before uncorking a clean right hand that landed flush in the middle of “The Aloha Kid’s” face. For several moments Escalante was in survival mode, holding and turning Rios every time the Texan got into punching range. Late in the round Escalante battled back at the urging of his corner who continuously yelled, “Get it back Bruno,” despite what looked like a comfortable lead on the cards.
Despite all the vehement encouragement from his corner, Escalante was forced into full-on survival mode in the eighth and final round. Another short right hand at close quarters wobbled Escalante for a bit. The normally offensive whirlwind that is Bruno Escalante was now a fighter looking to buy time by holding, pushing and spinning his way through the round. Rios never could get close enough for the succession of punches he needed to pull out the miracle. Judge Bruce Rasmussen had the fight even, 76-76, while Judges Susan Gitlin and Marshall Walker had it 78-74 and 78-75 respectively, giving Escalante the majority nod.
Every card needs something unexpected to happen. On Saturday night’s bill that instance was the shocking second-round stoppage of former amateur star Ricardo Pinell (5-1-1, 4 KOs) of San Francisco, California by inactive three-year pro Eric Mendez (3-1, 2 KOs) of Hawaiian Gardens, California. Pinell, 153.5, carried the action in the first round with his better all-around boxing skills. Though it was not dominating, the only action of note in the first stanza was the right jabs and few lefts thrown by the southpaw Pinell.
Mendez, 154, came out more offensive-minded in the second, quickly engaging Pinell in an exchange. Mendez’ right hand landed first in one such exchange and wobbled Pinell across the ring to a neutral corner. Mendez followed and flurried his favored opponent to the mat for a knockdown. Pinell beat the count on unsteady legs and retreated back to the neutral corner where Mendez again followed with an unanswered flurry that forced the hand of referee Mike Margado. Time of the unlikely stoppage was 1:53 of the second round.
In a pretty solid fight, Andy Vences (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California turned back the game challenge of Matthew Flores (0-3) of Twin Falls, Idaho via four-round unanimous decision. Flores, 134, was solid from the outset, clearly taking the first round in this writer’s eyes on the strength of several solid hooks. Vences, a former amateur standout, shrugged off the shots but did little in return through the first three minutes of the fight.
Flores rocked Vences, 134, in the first few seconds of the second round with a right hand. Flores, seeing he had his man in trouble, threw punches without really directing them to a specific target. It proved to be a costly miscalculation as the well-schooled Vences dodged and moved while regaining his footing. Vences, now apparently fully recovered, rallied back late in the round with a concentrated body assault. Though Flores had moments in the final seconds, Vences rally may have snatched a round that looked like Idahoan’s in the early going.
Solid exchanges marked the third and fourth rounds. Though Flores got in his licks, Vences’ offense was more sustained and eye-catching. In the end, Flores went home one of the better 0-3 fighters in the sport by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice.
Darwin Price (2-0, 1 KO) of Saint Louis, Missouri outworked and outfought his naturally smaller short-notice opponent Johnny Frazier (2-20-4, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada en route to a four-round unanimous decision in the evening’s opening contest. Frazier, who took the fight on less than one week’s notice, just could not keep up with the fresher and more athletically-gifted Price.
Price, a former collegiate track star, was effective behind his jab all fight. Especially in the early going, Frazier, 139, just could not find his way around Price’s stick. For one instance in the first, Price, 139.5, let Frazier into range and the Nevadan landed a solid overhand right. Just that quickly, Price got back out at range and behind his jab.
In the second the third rounds, Price began to let his right hand go behind his jab, giving Frazier and even tougher time finding his way into punching range. Though it would not have much affected the final scoring of the fight, referee Mike Margado did miss what looked like a clear knockdown call in the final seconds of the fight. Frazier landed a right hand while Price was clearly off balance, which sent the Missouri native to the mat. Margado ruled the fall a slip, even though a clean punch had landed. Though it would not change the outcome of the fight, which was scored 40-36 across the board for Price, it would have given the now 20-loss veteran Frazier something to hang his hat on in the aftermath.
Photos by Stephanie Trapp
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MarioG280.
