Roach and Cruz Fight To Spirited Draw
Lamont Roach Jr. and Isaac Cruz fought to a 12-round majority draw in a tough fight for the WBC Interim Super Lightweight title at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
In round three, Cruz landed a left hook that sent Roach sprawling and his left glove hit the canvas for a knockdown. +
In round seven, Cruz was deducted a point for hitting on the hip.
Cruz landed 1599 of 544 punches. Roach was 191 of 467.
Cruz, 138.6 lbs of Mexico City is 28-3-2. Roach of Washington, DC is 25-1-3.
“I knew he would stand his ground and go toe-to-toe, but I know how to box too,” said Cruz. “People don’t realize I can box.”
“Hats off to ‘Pitbull,’” said Roach. “He’s a great champion himself. I gave the fans a great fight. Back to the drawing board.”
“All I want is a fair shake,” said Roach. “I think I should have won a close victory. All I want is a fair shake. That’s it…I don’t know what I got to do. I don’t accept this at all. I clearly thought I won a close fight. I’m tired of this.”
“I did my job,” said Cruz. “I did my work. The ref was on his side. The judges too. The crowd in San Antonio saw I won this fight…Absolutely I’d do a rematch. With a different referee who is not on his side. The referee took this fight from me.”
Foster Decisions Fulton to Win Interim Lightweight Crown
Junior Lightweight titlist O’Shaquie Foster won a 12-round unanimous decision over featherweight World champion Stephen Fulton to win the WBC Interim Lightweight title.
Foster landed 191 of 600 punches. Fulton was 56 of 438.
Foster, 130 lbs of Houston, TX won by scores of 119-109,118-110 and 117 -111 and is now 24-3. Fulton, 132 lbs of Philadelphia was 2 pounds overweight for the 130 lb. bout is now 23-2.
“The game plan was to stay smart, stay sharp and get him out of there in the later rounds,” said Foster. “But he’s a damn good fighter and a veteran and he knew how to survive.”
“I want Shakur Stevenson,” said Foster. “I’ve been saying it for the longest. But it looks like he’s gonna fight at 140. So I have to choose either 130 or 135. I’ll see what happens and make a decision.”
Lara Decisions Gonzalez; Retains Middleweight Title
Erislandy Lara retained the WBA Middleweight title with a unanimous decision over late-replacement Johan Gonzalez.
Late in round 12, Lara landed three straight lefts that put Gonzalez on the canvas.
Lara.159.6 lbs of Houston won by scores of 120-108, 119-107 and 118-108 and is now 32-3-3. Gonzalez, 158.6 lbs of Las Vegas, took the fight after unified world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly failed a drug test is now 36-5.
“Gonzalez came to fight and he came to win,” said Lara. “We knew him a little bit, so we were ready for that and we made the adjustments we needed to make. He was a tough opponent who had a great opportunity in front of him, but we executed the game plan.”
“I spend all my time at the gym, so I had no problem being ready for this fight,” said Gonzalez. There are no excuses, but I did feel that Lara didn’t come to fight me the way he said he would.
“I felt a little uncomfortable in the first few rounds,” said Gonzalez. “The first knockdown was a punch and a slip. The second was a clean shot from Lara.”
“I showed the world that I’m 42-years-old and I’m still at the top of my game,” said Lara. “I can compete with the best. I don’t care at all about Janibek and I don’t wanna talk about him anymore.”
Ramos Decisions Mosley Jr. To Win Interim Middleweight Title
Jesus Ramos Jr. won a 12-round unanimous decision over Shane Mosley Jr. to win the WBC Interim Middleweight title.
Ramos landed 201 of 613 punches. Mosley was 210 of 573.
Ramos, 159.8 lbs of Casa Grande, AZ won by scores of 117-111 twice and 116-112 and is now 24-1. Mosley, 159.6lbs of Pomona, CA is 22-5.
“I was just being myself,” said Ramos. “I’m not gonna lie, it was tough. I actually had a right hand injury the last three weeks of camp. We didn’t spar for the last four weeks. So it was tough to get my timing. I would catch a rhythm and lose it. I faced a lot of obstacles but I told my family there was no way I was leaving San Antonio without a belt.”
“It was a hell of a fight,” said Mosley. “Thanks to Ramos and everyone who made this fight happen. He was the man tonight. I’ll be back and be better.”
“He never hurt me but he did surprise me,” said Ramos. “I never felt rocked, but I was surprised. He hit me with shots I wasn’t expecting. But I never felt like my legs weren’t there.”
“In those last few rounds I just kept remembering the Erickson Lubin fight,” said Ramos. “I kept getting flashbacks and I didn’t want the same thing to happen again. I kept pushing and pushing. I was in a dark place in that 10th round. I was tired, but I knew it would be worth it when the final bell rang.
“I want Carlos Adames. He’s the full champion. I don’t want the interim belt, I want the champion.”
Former world title challenger Frank Martin scored a devastating fourth round stoppage over former two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy in a 10-round junior welterweight bout.
In round two, Barthlelemy was cut above the right eye. In round four, Martin dropped Barthelemy with an overhand left. Moments later, Martin landed a perfect left to the jaw that put Barthelemy down and out at 2:56
“Man, it felt good,” said Martin after his first fight with trainer Buddy McGirt in his corner. “I felt more comfortable at this weight. I still got my speed. I felt strong. I felt better than my two fights before this. It took me a little time to warm up and get going but, then I saw the shot we’ve been working on. That’s why I took my chance and landed it.
“I feel like I got slept on. I took one loss. It’s a new era. I’m here and I’m back. No disrespect to any of the main event fighters, but I’ll fight any of them next.”
Martin, 139.4 lbs of Indianapolis, IN is 19-1 with 13 knockouts. Barthelemy, 139.8 lbs of Las Vegas is 30-4-1.
Isaac Lucero stopped Roberto Valenzuela Jr. in round eight of their 10-round super welterweight bout.
In round one, Lucero dropped Valenzuela with a clubbing right.
In round eight, Lucero landed a hard right that drove Valenzuela back to the ropes. Lucero then land five more crushing head shots just before the bell sounded and referee Mark Nelson stopped the bout at 2:59.
Lucero, 153.8 lbs of Le Paz, MEX is now 18-0 with 14 knockouts. Valenzuela, 154 lbs of Aqua Prieta, MEX is 31-6.
Luis Nunez won a 10-round unanimous decision over Hector Sosa in a featherweight bout.
In round seven, Nunez began to bleed from the nose.
Nunez, 126 lbs of Puerto Plata, DR won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 22-0. Sosa, 1256 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 18-3.