BANNER PROMOTIONS AND FIGHT
ACADEMY
IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOP RANK PRESENT
TOTAL DOMINATION
AT PARIS LAS VEGAS
HATTON TRIUMPHS IN LAS VEGAS DEBUT
by Lawrence Hidaka
Tonight at the Paris Hotel and
Casino in Las Vegas England's Ricky “The Hitman”
Hatton recaptured the IBF junior welter title with
a lopsided 12 round decision over Colombia's Juan
Urango. Hatton previously held the title before
moving up in weight and taking the WBA welterweight
belt from Luis Collazo last year. This was Hatton's
first fight in Las Vegas, and judging by the full
house and the thousands of overjoyed British supporters
who crossed the pond to support their man, it will
be the first of many to come.
Largely unknown but undefeated
Juan Urango may very well be the most thickly muscled
140 pounder in the history of boxing. He cut an
imposing figure as he stood as the champion (he
won the vacated title with a decision over Naoufel
Ben Rabah last year) across the ring from the more
modestly built Hatton, but once the bell rang, the
imposing figure proved to be Ricky Hatton.
The “Hitman” has made
his name as a recklessly aggressive blood and guts
go for broke brawler, but we saw a different “Hitman”
tonight. Tonight Hatton used his feet as well as
his hands, moving in and out and circling. What
remained the same was the hand speed, which proved
to be too much for Juan Urango.
The story was largely the same
for the 12 round distance: Hatton (139) scoring
with both hands, moving in and out and circling,
the southpaw Urango (139) meanwhile thinking about
throwing punches. While Urango thought about what
to throw, Hatton would unload three or four. It
seemed as if they were playing the game at different
speeds. Compubox punchstats would attest to Hatton's
greater activity: 755 total punches to 570 for Urango.
When the fighters entered close quarters, where
one would think the muscular Urango would be most
dangerous, Urango could do little more than hold.
Urango had his best moments in
the 5th and the 12th, getting in some good body
shots, but that was about it for Urango's offense.
All three judges, Robert Hoyle, Dave Moretti, and
Jerry Roth scored 119-109 for Ricky Hatton. Lvboxing.com
had the same score. Hatton remains undefeated at
42-0, 30KOs, and is on a collision course with Jose
Luis Castillo. Juan Urango suffers his first defeat
and is now 17-1-1, 13KOs.
Said Hatton in the ring after
the fight, “He was very, very tough. Those
first 4 or 5 rounds I looked like Willie Pep . .
. I think I showed another side. I can box.”
UNDERCARD ACTION
In the opening fight of the evening,
Ricky's younger brother Matthew Hatton (146) scored
a TKO at the end of 7 of a scheduled 12 over journeyman
Frank Houghtaling (146). Matthew did not display
the same overcaffeinated frenzy his older brother
is known for, but his measured, disciplined, short
punches were enough to make Houghtaling's corner
call it a night after 7 rounds. Houghtaling was
down in the 4th to a short right hand preceded by
a quick double jab. Matthew Hatton improves to 30-3-1,
12KOs and takes possession of a minor welterweight
belt, while Houghtaling drops to 19-13-5, 4KOs.
Jon Ibbotson (175) of Sheffield,
England scored the KO of the year so far with a
first round demolition of Shannon Anderson (175)
of Coatesville, PA. Anderson was in a little over
his head (literally, Ibbotson stood a good head
taller) as he first went down to a barrage about
a minute into the fight. Anderson rose, but moments
later a sweeping left hook from Ibbotson landed
on Anderson's temple. Anderson was out on his feet
for a couple of seconds before his body crashed
to the canvas. Referee Jay Nady did not bother to
count. KO at 1:35 of the 1st round for Jon Ibbotson,
who remains undefeated at 8-0-1, 4KOs, while Anderson
suffers his first defeat and falls to 3-1, 1KO.
In the walkout bout, Richard Abril
(139) of Miami, FL stopped Marcus Luck (138) of
Danville, VA at :55 of the 2nd of a scheduled 4.
Luck was in some distress from a body shot in the
1st round, before succumbing in the 2nd. Abril still
undefeated at 7-0-1, 3KOs, while Luck runs out at
7-13-1, 3KOs.
CASTILLO EKES OUT
SPLIT DECISION
By Steve Robinson
Jose Luis “El Terrible”
Castillo lived up to his nickname last night in
a terrible performance against Herman “The
Black Panther” Ngoudjo. Castillo (54-7-1,
47 KO’s), fighting for the first time in nearly
a year and only for the second time as a Jr. Welterweight,
put on a lackluster performance against the less
experienced Ngoudjo (15-0, 9 KO’s). Perhaps
it was the long layoff, perhaps it was difficulty
in making weight again or maybe he just overlooked
Ngoudjo as a serious opponent and didn’t train
seriously but this was not the Jose Luis Castillo
we have seen in tremendous battles with Diego Corrales,
Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Joel Casamayor.
Ngoudjo’s effort was highlighted
by a fast stiff jab combined with quick rights and
right hooks that seemed to keep Castillo at bay.
Castillo did most of his work in close with upper
cuts and body shots. Castillo was warned from time
to tome for low blows. For twelve rounds neither
fighter appeared hurt at any time but from early
on Ngoudjo appeared fresher and threw cleaner blows.
Castillo’s lackluster performance kept his
Mexican fans strangely silent throughout the fight.
Those of us viewing the fight in the auxiliary fight
section were sure had seen a major upset when the
fight ended and the decision went to the judges
scorecards.
Judge Chuck Giampa gave
the victory to Ngoudjo 115-113 giving him rounds
2,3,5,7, and 10-12. Judge Mike Ross saw it 115-113
for Castillo giving him round 1, 4, 5, and 8-11.
Judge Glenn Trowbridge has it 115-113 for Castillo
also giving him rounds 1, 2, 4, and 8-11. Castillo
thus earns a Split Decision win to set up a possible
future match with Ricky Hatton. By the looks of
it, Hatton doesn’t have much to worry about.
Hatton-Urango Weigh-In
Photo by Lawrence Hidaka
lvboxing.com
Ricky Hatton 139
Juan Urango 139
Jose Luis Castillo 139
Herman Ngoudjo 140
Tickets available at Paris Hotel box office and Ticketmaster
4:30PM Doors open to Paris Ballroom
4:50PM First fight
HATTON-URANGO FINAL PRESSER
by Lawrence Hidaka
The final press conference for
this Saturday's IBF junior welterweight championship
bout between Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton
and champion Juan Urango promoted by Art Pelullo/Banner
Promotions and Dennis Hobson/Fight Academy in association
with Top Rank was held today at the Paris Hotel
and Casino. The presence of the entire British press
corps made for an intimate afternoon in the Anthony
Smalls Theater.
Hatton stated that he was happy
to finally fight in Las Vegas, where he had previously
come to watch others fight. For the second time
this week, he playfully referred to “getting
an erection”, to the delight of the media
in attendance. Hatton also stated, “This is
the entertainment capital of the world, I won't
let you down in that department . . . You'll see
a show you won't forget from Ricky Hatton.”
The promoters also announced that
the first fight (Matthew Hatton-Frank Houghtaling)
will be moved up to 4:50pm to accommodate European
television, and that tickets are still available
at the Paris box office and through Ticketmaster.
The full scheduled card:
4:30PM Doors open to Paris Ballroom
4:50PM 12 rounds welterweights
Matthew Hatton vs. Frank Houghtaling
6 rounds junior welterweights Nicky Smedley vs.
Juan Pablo Montes
6 rounds super middleweights Jonathan Ibbotson vs.
Shannon Anderson
TBD rounds lightweights Richar Abril vs. TBA
7:00PM Live on HBO 12 rounds
junior welterweights Jose Luis Castillo vs. Herman
Ngoudjo
12 rounds IBF junior welterweight championship
Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Urango
LVBOXING.COM WEEKLY NEWS AND
NOTES
by Lawrence Hidaka
HAPPY NEW YEAR LAS VEGAS!
And welcome to what we expect
will be another fantastic year of boxing in Las
Vegas. Weekly News and Notes has been off for a
while, due to my regular job rudely distracting
me from my enjoyment of boxing, but I took care
of that. So please bear with me for a couple weeks
as I shake off the rust and get back into the groove.
All right, LET'S DO IT, BABY!
“HITMAN” HITS VEGAS!
This Saturday night at the Paris Hotel, Ricky “The
Hitman” Hatton will make his long overdue
Las Vegas debut, as he goes back down to 140 to
challenge Juan Urango for the IBF junior welter
title. Very little is known about Urango, except
he is from Colombia, he is undefeated, and he possesses
the IBF junior welter belt that Hatton relinquished
when he went up to 147 and took the WBA welter belt.
Could be a dangerous fight for Hatton, or could
be a walk in the park. If you stroll the strip this
week, you'll notice approximately the entire population
of England here to cheer on their countryman. Gee,
I better brush up on my English.
The undercard has Jose Luis Castillo
in his first appearance in Las Vegas since weighing
in heavy for Corrales-Castillo III last June, sabotaging
that fight. It will be interesting to see how the
fans receive him. I predict all will be forgiven.
Castillo should have little problem with undefeated
Herman Ngoudjo, setting himself up nicely for the
winner of the main event.
The show is scheduled to begin
at 5:00pm at the Paris, with tickets starting at
$50. Hatton-Urango and Castillo-Ngoudjo will be
broadcast live by HBO (barring local blackout) .
. .
ON THE VERY SAME NIGHT IN BASEL,
SWITZERLAND, stubborn Jameel McCline of Las Vegas
will challenge Nicolay Valuev for the WBA heavyweight
title. This will mark the end of a remarkable journey
for “Big Time” which began after a failed
challenge of Chris Byrd for the IBF belt over two
years ago and a subsequent loss to Cal Brock. McCline,
dissatisfied with his performances, went back to
the minor leagues, fighting on undercards across
the country with the goal of earning another title
shot. McCline fought eight times in just a year
and a half, including a loss to Zuri Lawrence. McCline's
tenacity (or stubborness) paid off, as he will get
his second chance at the title this Saturday night.
If McCline manages to dethrone the 7 foot champion,
we will already have our comeback story of the year
. . .
KID DIAMOND WHIPS AUGUSTUS! Las
Vegas-based Kid Diamond (aka Almazbek Raiymkulov)
scored a lopsided 10 round decision over Emmanuel
Augustus last Thursday in Philadelphia in a fight
broadcast by VERSUS. Augustus was down in the 9th.
Augustus stepped in on short notice, but he is a
fighter who is always in shape and has been in with
everyone from Floyd Mayweather to Micky Ward to
Ray Oliveira, and serves as a good measuring stick
for Diamond's progress. Looks like Diamond is right
back at the top of the list of lightweight contenders,
a position he enjoyed until he was stopped by Nate
Campbell back in '05 . . .
BEST WISHES AND A SPEEDY RECOVERY
TO CHARLES “DOC” BROADUS, who is recovering
at Valley Hospital from a broken bone suffered in
a fall. Doc discovered a young man named George
Foreman and guided him to the heavyweight championship
of the world. At age 87, Doc is one of the great
repositories of boxing knowledge in the world. I
stopped by to visit with Doc last Friday, and he
was very happy to chat about everything from the
NFL playoffs to the current heavyweight beltholders
to fighter safety. He said his injury isn't bad
in itself, but at his age, well, they're not sure
how long he'll be hospitalized. Doc said he welcomes
all visitors, so if you want to talk some boxing
with a legend, Valley Hospital is located on Shadow
Lane north of Charleston . . .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO “THE GREATEST”,
who will turn 65 years young on Wednesday . . .
HAVE A GREAT BOXING WEEK!
McCarter Retains Title with
2nd Round TKO
By Steve Robinson
“Amazing” Layla McCarter
beat Donna “Nature Girl” Biggers into
submission in just under two rounds at The Orleans
Hotel and Casino Friday night to retain the women’s
GBU and WBA Lightweight titles. Before a sold out
Las Vegas crowd McCarter (21-12-5, 3 KO’s)
dominated Biggers (18-3-1, 15 KO’s) in a history
making women’s boxing event originally scheduled
for 12 3-minute rounds. (Women’s boxing usually
fights two-minute rounds)
McCarter, not known for knock out power with only
3 previous KO’s in her 38 fights, took advantage
of every opening landing stiff jabs, hard lefts
and rights to the body and head in an unending assault
that never allowed Biggers to mount any offence.
Late in the first round Biggers went down after
a series of blows to her head. She was able to get
to her feet and hold out until the round ended which
fortunately for Biggers came soon after. McCarter’s
relentless attack continued into round two until
after a series of unanswered blows Referee Kenny
Bayless stepped between the fighters and stopped
the bout. The winning time was 2:28 of the second
round. McCarter’s “amazing” boxing
demonstration of superior boxing skills makes a
statement for Women’s boxing and capped off
an evening of enjoyable bouts.
Heavyweight Action
(***View the Complete Photo Gallery***)
Former IBF Cruiserweight Champion
Kelvin “Koncrete” Davis of Reno moved
up to Heavyweight to take on journeyman Willie Chapman
of Ogden, Utah. Davis (23-4-2, 17 KO’s) weighed
in at 207 pounds while Chapman (20-27-3, 6 KO’s)
came in at 222 pounds. A smaller, faster Davis with
a build reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson, got off
to a fast start dropping Chapman to the canvas about
two minutes into the first with a left hook. Chapman
beat the count but we all thought this would be
over soon. Chapman managed to stay on his feet throughout
the second and even landed a few good rights which
showed little effect on the determined Davis. Chapman,
evidently confident after the second, decided to
mix it up early in the third and was dropped with
a right to the head. He beat the count only to go
down again late in the round from another right.
At ringside we thought surely this was soon to be
over. The remaining five round were action packed,
mostly dominated by Davis attacks and lots of action
from both fighters. Kudos to Chapman for putting
up a good fight for the remainder after getting
behind early in the fight. It was a good clean fight
with little of the clinching and holding we are
used to seeing in heavyweight bouts that go into
later rounds. At the end of eight it went to the
judges scorecards where Judge Bill Graham had it
78-72, and Judges Chuck Giampa and Jerry Roth had
it 80-69 all for Kelvin Davis in a dominate victory
where he demonstrated both power and skill. Lvboxing.com
also scored it 80-69.
Undercard Action
Aguiar vs. Lopez
The opening bout was a Middleweight
fight between Rodrigo “The Body Hunter”
Aguiar and Kristan Lopez, both in the professional
debuts. Lopez opened quickly with a decent body
attack of his own in a sloppy first round. Aguiar
got busy in the second landing some hard shots while
Lopez appeared to slow and was warned for holding
by Referee Robert Byrd. In an ugly third round Lopez
was penalized twice by the referee for excessive
holding. In the final round Lopez was warned again,
and then disqualified when he continued to hold
thus ending the fight. Unfortunately for Aguiar
he didn’t get to demonstrate his skills in
his first pro victory.
Marin vs. Hurley
In an entertaining Lightweight
match Oscar Marin (2-0, 1 KO) took on Ronald Hurley
in his pro debut. A lanky Hurly had a height and
reach advantage he demonstrated from early on but
a tough Marin walked right through his jabs working
his way inside for some good close action. In an
action packed four rounds Hurley used his left jab
– straight right combination while Marin countered
effectively. There were no knockdowns and neither
appeared hurt throughout the fight. At the end of
four all three judges scored it 39-37 for Oscar
Marin who remains undefeated at 3-0.
Jett vs. Cortez
In another Lightweight match
Terrance Jett (1-5, 1 KO) of Las Vegas took on Alejandro
Cortez (0-3) of Fresno, CA. Early on Jett demonstrated
superior speed and skill landing lefts to the body
and lefts to the head throughout the first three
rounds. Cortez landed a few good body shots but
got countered every time with shots to his face.
At the end of four rounds Judge Bill Graham saw
it 38-38 draw, while Judge Chuck Giampa had it 40-36
and Judge Dave Moretti had it 39-37 for Terrance
Jett who gets his second professional win with a
majority decision.
Orr vs. Lyubarsky
In a Middleweight bout Donny
Boy Orr (6-0, 2 KO’s) of Victoria, BC now
fighting out of Las Vegas took on Mikhail “The
Czar” Lyubarsy of Hollywood, CA. Orr dominated
from the beginning dropping Lyubarsky with a left
hook early in the first. He beats the count only
to go down a minute later from a right-left combination.
He gets up again only to get caught immediately
with another Orr left that floors him. Referee Toby
Gibson has seen enough and waives off the count
at 2:44 of the first. Donny Boy Orr takes his undefeated
record to 7-0 in a dominating performance.
FIRST FIGHTS OF 2007 THIS FRIDAY
The Orleans Hotel and Casino
and Frank Luca's Crown Boxing start
the new year in Las Vegas with 6 bouts of professional
boxing this Friday night at 7:00 pm in the Mardi
Gras Showroom at The Orleans. Featured bouts include
a Womens' Lightweight Championship match between
Layla McCarter
(21-12-5, 3 KO's) of Las Vegas and Donna
Biggers (18-3-1, 15
KO's) of Shelby, NC. This will be the first time
two female fighters are scheduled to go 12 - 3 minute
rounds. Also featured is a Heavyweight match between
Kelvin "Koncrete"
Davis and Willie
Chapman scheduled
for 8 rounds.Four other bouts round out the evening.
Tickets are $25 Reserved and $50 Ringside and are
available at The Orleans box office at 365-7075.
BEST OF LAS VEGAS BOXING 2006
By Lawrence Hidaka
LAS VEGAS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR.
With two dominating and significant
victories right here in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather,
Jr. regains the title of Las Vegas Fighter of the
Year. Floyd was our Las Vegas Fighter of the Year
for 2002 and 2003, and then was supplanted by Diego
Corrales for two years.
In April at the Thomas & Mack,
it was Floyd versus Zab Judah for the IBF world
welterweight title. The fight was infamously interrupted
by a melee in the 10th round instigated by Floyd's
trainer Roger Mayweather, who stormed the ring after
Floyd was struck by a couple of illegal blows. Thanks
to security, the athletic commission, and referee
Richard Steele, order was restored and the fight
reached a natural conclusion, which was a unanimous
decision for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Floyd was surprisingly
challenged early by Judah, but he turned it on and
was on the verge of stopping Judah at the point
of the brawl.
Then in November at the Mandalay
Bay, Floyd dispelled any possibility that he is
a mere mortal with
a 12 round rout of WBC welter champ Carlos Baldomir.
Baldomir, by far the largest man Floyd had ever
faced, was expected to provide at least a bit of
annoyance for Floyd by virtue of his size, but in
a dazzling display of defense and comic book superheroish
hand speed, Floyd casually dismissed Baldomir while
barely breaking a sweat.
In a bizarre post fight press
conference, a tearful Floyd announced that he would
have just one more fight (Mayweather-Delahoya has
been scheduled for May 5 at the MGM). If that is
the case, this might just be Floyd's final reign
as Lvboxing.com Las Vegas Fighter of the Year.
LAS VEGAS FIGHT OF THE YEAR:
OLEG MASKAEV TKO12 HASIM RAHMAN 8-12-06 AT THE THOMAS
& MACK
I have to admit after viewing
the tape a week after the live event, there was
not quite as much action as was impressed onto my
brain at the time at ringside. The unexpected drama
that unfolded that night along with the crowd hysteria
slightly amplified the experience in my memory.
Nevertheless, there was no fight in Las Vegas this
year that provided more suspense, more inspiration,
or a more stunning ending than Hasim Rahman-Oleg
Maskaev II.
On paper Rahman-Maskaev II was
another unfortunate money-grubbing stunt, not worthy
of a Las Vegas main event. Rahman was a paper champion,
gifted with the WBC heavyweight title upon the retirement
of Lennox Lewis, and 37 year old Oleg Maskaev had
no significant victories and was knocked out three
times in the period following their first encounter.
To put this in a little perspective, Maskaev was
one year younger than Muhammad Ali at the time of
Ali-Holmes, and two years older than Sugar Ray Leonard
when he was embarrassed by Terry Norris. This fight
was made solely on the basis of that first fight
in 1999 when Maskaev knocked Rahman out (of the
ring). The promoters threw in some false patriotic
hype (Maskaev, a naturalized American, was portrayed
as a foreign invader) which still leaves a bad taste
in my mouth and undoubtedly in the mouth of Maskaev.
The potential for danger was introduced
in the first round, as both men ominously loaded
up their right hands. In the first half of the fight,
they would both land those big right hands, often
during massive heavyweight crowd rousing exchanges.
Previous to the fight, neither man would have been
expected to survive such violent blows, but unknown
to us and probably to each other, both men were
on missions: Rahman to finally earn the respect
he felt he has never received, and Maskaev to pull
a Rocky-like upset late in his career.
As the fight entered the 6th round,
Maskaev looked all of his 37 years and it appeared
to be just a matter of time before he dropped of
exhaustion. But in the late rounds, Maskaev dug
deep into his Russian-American heart and found the
strength to stage a rally that culminated in a knockdown
of Rahman in the 12th and final round, and moments
later, a referee stoppage. Maskaev had pulled off
the improbable “Cinderella Man” upset,
and ironically, in defeat, Rahman finally earned
the respect he'd been looking for his whole career.
Mission accomplished for both warriors.
HONORABLE MENTION:
MANNY PACQUIAO TKO10 ERIK MORALES
1-21-06 AT THE THOMAS AND MACK
MANNY PACQUIAO KO3 ERIK MORALES 11-18-06 AT THE
THOMAS AND MACK
“Pacman” solidified
his superstar status by twice avenging his '05 loss
to ring legend Erik Morales. Erik, like the warrior
he has always been, went out on his shield both
times.
ALFONSO GOMEZ D8 JESSE FELICIANO
5-04-06 AT THE ALADDIN
The rubber match between
Contender Season 1 star Alfonso Gomez and scrappy
local Jesse Feliciano approached Gatti-Ward territory
for action. Gomez-Feliciano IV in '07?
JOSE LUIS ZERTUCHE TKO8 CARLOS
BOJORQUEZ 8-10-06 AT THE ORLEANS
Zertuche was in deep trouble
in the opening round, but survived and it was bombs
away until the 8th when Bojorquez finally succumbed
to a final body shot.
JUAN CASTENEDA W6 LONNIE SMITH
10-13-06 AT THE ORLEANS
In a rare match up of undefeated
fighters early in their careers, Casteneda and Smith
went Hagler-Hearns on each other for 6 full rounds.
The difference on the scorecards was a flash knockdown
of Smith in the opening round. This Orleans classic
was marred only by Smith squandering a priceless
PR opportunity by angrily fleeing the ring upon
the announcement of the decision rather than acknowledging
his opponent and his new fans.
LAS VEGAS KO OF THE YEAR:
CAL BROCK KO6 ZURI LAWRENCE 2-25-06 AT MANDALAY
BAY
It was a single huge left hook
that crashed on the side of Zuri Lawrence's head,
putting him out before he his huge frame hit the
canvas. Lawrence was down for several frightening
minutes before he left the ring under his own power.
HONORABLE MENTION:
ANTONIO MARGARITO TKO1 MANUEL
GOMEZ 2-18-06 AT THE ALADDIN
Gomez hit the canvas face
first after a devastating left-right from Margarito,
but somehow managed to beat the count and confusedly
give referee Richard Steele a hard time for stopping
the bout.
DANIEL PONCE DE LEON KO1 SOD
LOOKNONGYANGTOY 7-15-06 AT THE MGM
After a right-left in the
opening round, bottles oxygen was required to revive
Sod.
SHERMAN 'THE TANK” WILLIAMS
TKO1 JOSH GUTCHER 8-04-06 AT THE SOUTH COAST
This was memorable for the
ringside physician flying into the ring to attend
to Gutcher while referee Richard Steele was still
counting.
LAS VEGAS PROSPECT OF THE YEAR:
WES FERGUSON
Lightweight contender Ferguson
emerged from the shadow of mentor Floyd Mayweather,
Jr. with three big wins in '06, including a 10 round
gut-check with Jose Manuel Lopez. Ferguson, who
had previously been seen as a moving boxer, fought
and scrapped and brawled his way to a split decision
victory.
LAS VEGAS AMATEUR FIGHTER OF THE
YEAR:
THE UNLV COLLEGIATE BOXING TEAM
In one of the most remarkable
stories in the history of sports at UNLV, the boxing
Rebels, led by head coach Skip Kelp and individual
national champions Greg Murrell and Henry Namau'u,
captured the National Collegiate Boxing Championship
in just the eighth year of its existence, upsetting
perennial boxing powerhouses Air Force, Army, and
Navy.
Las Vegas boxing will get off to
a flying start in '07. Just look at what's on tap
for January:
It all starts on January 5 with
Crown Boxing at the Orleans, with The Amazing Layla
McCarter defending her world lightweight championship.
The next night in Florida it's
the rematch of Las Vegan Samuel Peter and James
“Lights Out” Toney.
On the 20th, Ricky Hatton will
make his Las Vegas debut at the Paris Hotel &
Casino against Juan Urango.
On the same night in Switzerland,
Las Vegan Jameel “Big Time” McCline
will challenge Nicolay Valuev for Valuev's WBA heavyweight
title.
Good Lord have mercy. And let's
not even talk about Oscar Delahoya-Floyd Mayweather,
Jr. in May at the MGM.
THANK YOU LAS VEGAS FOR A GREAT
2006, SEE YOU IN 2007!
Results from the Las Vegas vs.
California Boxing Show
Barry's Boxing Gym 11/25/06
75 lbs Deshawn
Bringhurst (Unattached) points over Jordan Sullivan
(Barry's)
100 lbs Andre Cantlin (NLVCR) RSC over Zahir Castrejon
(Barry's)
112 lbs Andres Valadez (Barry's)points over Paul
Magallanes ( Duarte)
114 lbs Martin Mendez (Unattached) points over Jesus
Serano (Duarte)
114 lbs Gino Padilla (Barry's) points over Steven
Beagles (Chino)
119 lbs Jacob Velasco (Duarte) RSC over Marcos Magdaleno
( Barry's)
119 lbs Luis Sedano (Duarte) points over Donald
Townsend ( Barry's)
119 lbs Jesus Magdeleno (Barry's) points over Victor
Altamirano (Chino)
119 lbs Celine Roman (Chino)points over Marlin Avila
(NV Boxing)
125 lbs Sarra Baskerville( NV Boxing) Retirement
over Krystal Sitthivong(Barry's)
135 lbs Bronson Stultz (Unattached) points over
Jose Espinoza (AT Gym)
140 lbs Ramon Valedez (Chino) points over Victor
Salcedo (Chino)
140 lbs Diego Magdeleno (Barry's) points over Aris
Ambris(Duarte)
140 lbs John Saldana (Duarte) RSC over Marcos Terriquez
(Barry's)
150 lbs Jonthan Candido ( Barry's)Retirement over
Jorge Cabrera (Chino)
165 lbs Ariel Amaro (Barry's) Retirement over Salaidin
Campbell (LV Boxing)
165 lbs Gregory Murrell (UNLV Boxing) points over
Jared Johnson (Barry's)
165 lbs Amanda Valdivia (Duarte) points over Carmen
Anguiano (Chino)
132 lbs Jose Gonzalez (AT Gym) RSC over Quron Snoddy
(Barry's)
201+ lbs Alex Garcia (Barry's)RSC over Chris Padilla
( Barry's)
201+ Aavala Israel ( Barry's) RSC over Sineva Aino'u
( Unattached)
Results from Silver Gloves Tournament
at Barry's Boxing Gym 11/18/06
65 lbs Andres Cortes (LV
Elite) points over David Johnson (Head Strong)
75 lbs Oscar Serrano (LV Elite) points over Cesar
Quinonez (Steele Boxing)
girls 90 lbs Chanel Campello (Round 1 Boxing) points
over Dakota Konde (Head Strong)
100 lbs Luis Cortes (LV Elite) points over Santos
Vasquez (Arce Boxing)
112 lbs Joschua Loftis (Henderson PAL) points over
Logan Warren (Head Strong)
147 lbs Thierry Henri Bennett (LV Elite) points
over Michael Gascon (Bruno's Boxing)
178 lbs Sterling Morgan (Rite of Passage) points
over Joshua Kunde (Head Strong)
Off-Tournament Bouts
65 lbs Gullian Humberto (Arce Boxing) points over
Joey Martinez (NLV Center Ring)
106 lbs Javier Montes (Arce Boxing) points over
Pablo Montiel (Barry's Boxing)
110 lbs Andres Valadez (Barry's Boxing) RSC over
Mikey Madore (Bruno's Boxing)
Pacquiao Downs Morales in 3!
Tonight, in front of a near-record crowd, Manny Pacquiao dominated a stunned Erik Morales, who later said: "He was too fast, too strong."
Read the Main event report by Gregory Robinson
Read the Undercard Report by Steven Robinson
CROWN BOXING PRESENTS WORLD
CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
AT THE ORLEANS
by Lawrence Hidaka
Crown Boxing put on their first
show at the Orleans tonight, taking the place of
Guilty Boxing, which has moved permanently to the
new South Point. Crown has put on some shows at
the Stardust, but they now have big shoes to fill,
as Guilty regularly put on entertaining shows. Despite
a late start, an uncomfortably long wait between
the first and second bouts, and increased drink
prices, it was an auspicious debut for Crown, as
the fights were competitive and action-filled, worthy
of the high standards of the Mardi Gras Ballroom.
Read the Full Article
TOP RANK PRESENTS FIGHT NIGHT
ON VERSUS AT THE HARD ROCK
by Lawrence Hidaka
MAIN EVENT
PACQUIAO DQ'ED!
Professional boxing returned to
the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino tonight for the first
time in what felt like several years, but was actually
just fifty four months. The main event featured
red hot Bobby Pacquiao, younger brother of Manny,
against Hector Velazquez. Bobby was coming off three
straight big wins over Carlos Navarro, Carlos “Famoso”
Hernandez, and Kevin Kelley. A year ago, older brother
Manny beat up on Hector Velazquez, and Bobby looked
to turn the same trick tonight.
Bobby was supposed to be defending
a minor super feather belt, but in yet another scale
scandal, he relinquished the belt along with monetary
penalties when he came in 3 pounds over at 133,
to Velazquez' 129.
Read the Full Article
Bobby Pacquiao Fights in Main
Event Thursday at the Hard Rock
WBC Continental Americas Super Featherweight
Title
By Steve Robinson
For the first time in his career
Bobby Pacquiao will fight in the main event this
Thursday at the Hard Rock Casino. Bobby ((27-11-3,
12 KO’s), who is the younger brother of Manny
Pacquiao, will take on veteran Hector Velazquez
(45-11-2, 32 KO’s) of Tijuana, Mexico. Bobby
is coming off his three career-best wins, the two
most recent against former world champions Kevin
Kelley on June 10 and Carlos Hernandez in October
2005 and Carlos Navarro in June 2005. Velazquez
has been in ring with Bobby’s brother Manny,
Guty Espadas, Robbie Peden, Israel Vazquez and Kevin
Kelly.
Valezquez stated today at a press
conference held at the Hard Rock, “As with
all Mexican fighters I came here to fight! If Pacquiao
wants to be the best he has to fight the Mexicans
because we are the best.”
Fight Promoter Bob Arum
of Top Rank said “this fight is a fitting
appetizer for Saturday nights Manny Pacquiao vs.
Erik Morales fight” at the Thomas and Mack
Center. Tickets ranging from $50 to $200 are still
available and the event will be televised on the
VERSUS Network.
GONZALEZ AIMS FOR 12 STRAIGHT
IN IBA FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE DEFENSE
Jose Alberto
Gonzalez will make the second defense of his International
Boxing Association featherweight championship against
Daniel Moldanado November 17 at the Orleans Hotel
and Casino.
The 12-round bout will be held in the Orleans’
Mardi Gras Ballroom. There will be five other matches
on the program, including a Global Boxing Union
lightweight championship fight between Layla McCarter
and Belinda Laracuente. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
Boxing will start at 7 p.m.
Gonzalez, from Bell Gardens, California, has won
eleven consecutive matches, including a 12-round
decision over Marcos Licona for the title in October
2005. He successfully defended the crown five months
later by knocking out Verquan Kimbrough in four
rounds. The 24-year-old champion was also impressive
in a ten-round non-title win over Licona in May.
He has a 14-2 record with six knockouts.
Maldonado won the North American Boxing Association
title in 2004 after compiling 13 straight victories
to start his career. In September, the Kentucky
native knocked out Jimmy Holloway in two rounds.
His record is 19-2 with 13 kayos.
The McCarter-Laracuente match will be the first
time ever that female boxers are scheduled for ten
three-minute rounds. The GBU lightweight title is
currently vacant.
McCarter (20-12-5), who lives in Las Vegas, has
held the GBU light welterweight championship and
the International Female Boxers Association featherweight
crown. She has won two of three fights this year.
Her most recent outing was an eight-round draw with
Dakota Stone.
Laracuente once held the Women’s International
Boxing Federation light welterweight championship.
The Puerto Rican has knocked out nine of her 22
victims. Her record includes 14 defeats and three
draws.
The Orleans card will also feature two former Olympians,
middleweight Donnie Orr and flyweight Cesar Grajeda.
Both fighters now live in Las Vegas.
Orr, who fought for the Canadian national team,
has won all five of his professional fights. In
May he defeated Andres Zapata in a four-rounder
in Las Vegas. He will meet Victor Robles (1-1) of
Las Vegas in a four-round bout. Grajeda fought on
the Mexican Olympic team. He will make his pro debut
Friday against Kristian Magallon (1-0) of Oxnard,
California.
General admission tickets are $25. Additional ticket
information can be obtained by calling 702-365-7075.
OOSSEN-TUTOR PRESENTS "PRETTY
RISKY" AT THE MANDALAY BAY
FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. CARLOS BALDOMIR
FOR THE WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
MAYWEATHER SCHOOLS BALDOMIR
By Lawrence Hidaka
Despite coming off impressive
wins over Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti, Carlos Baldomir
proved to be no match for the otherworldly speed
of "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather
once again displayed his defensive genius, as he
seemed to enter another dimension where he could
not be hit. As for his offense, there were stretches
of minutes at a time when Mayweather popped Baldomir
with right hands at will. On the rare occasions
when Baldomir connected, Mayweather emerged unfazed,
unmarked, and unhurt. Turns out the only thing “Pretty
Risky” about this fight was Baldomir's $25,000
bet on himself.
Mayweather weighed in at 146 and was around there
as he entered the ring, while Baldomir weighed in
at 147 but entered the ring around 160. Baldomir
suffered a cut over his left eye in the 1st, which
was kept under control. Mayweather showcased his
lightning hand and foot speed from the outset, popping
Baldomir then using his feet to escape from danger.
Floyd really turned it on in the 2nd, tattooing
Baldomir with lefts and counter rights, then dancing
out of harm's way. All the rounds would be variations
on this basic theme, with Mayweather either winning
big or winning huge. In a telling exchange in the
6th, Baldomir hit air while Mayweather hit Baldomir's
face. Baldomir was able to connect on some lefts
to the body and rights to the head, especially in
the 4th and 7th, but Mayweather absorbed them easily.
In the 8th, the Mandalay Bay crowd cheered Mayweather's
dazzling escape from a corner. Mayweather finally
showed some fatigue as a result of fending off the
bigger man in the 11th, and Baldomir was able to
land some punches in a round ending exchange. Floyd
coasted in the 12th, to the consternation of the
demanding crowd. Nevertheless it was a completely
dominating victory for Mayweather with scores of
120-108 from John Keane and Chuck Giampa and 118-110
from Paul Smith, who gave Baldomir the 4th and 10th.
Lvboxing.com scored 119-109, throwing Baldomir the
11th round.
According to Compubox, Mayweather landed 43% of
his punches, while Baldomir landed at 12%. That
is not a misprint.
In the ring following the fight, Mayweather reported
that he hurt his right hand in the 6th round.
In today's Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kevin Iole
preposterously challenged Floyd to step up to 160
and face middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. After
tonight's performance, it's clear that fight would
be a mismatch in favor of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
In a bizarre post fight press conference, Mayweather
announced that he would fight just one more time,
then broke down in tears. Among Mayweather's statements
were, “I don't need boxing”, “I'm
not in this sport for the money”, “(tonight's
fight) was a cakewalk in the park”, and “Oscar
Delahoya will never go down as a legend like I will.”
UNDERCARD ACTION
"GHOST" BUSTED
In the semi-main event, Orlando
Salido (126) outhustled Robert "'The Ghost"
Guerrero (126) over 12 rounds to take the IBF featherweight
belt. Guerrero had held the title despite not fighting
anyone named Marquez, Harrison, Larios, not to mention
Pacquiao, Morales or Barrera. Salido displayed a
high level of energy over the course of 12 rounds,
while the taller lefty Guerrero grew increasingly
fatigued as the fight went on. There were no knockdowns,
though Guerrero took dozens of clean, sharp punches.
Scores 118-110, 117-111, and 115-113, all for Orlando
Salido, who improves to 28-9-2, 18KOs, while Guerrero
suffers just his second defeat and is now 19-2-1,
12KOs.
In a rare matchup of unbeaten heavyweight prospects,
Chris Arreola (229) of Riverside, CA, used a straight
right hand behind the jab to break down and stop
Damian Wills (250) of Hollywood, CA at 2:17 of the
7th of a scheduled 8. Arreola starting bleeding
almost immediately above the right eye, but it was
kept under control. Wills was in some trouble in
the 2nd, and started to look busted up in the 6th.
The end came in the 8th when Wills took numerous
unanswered blows in the corner and referee Kenny
Bayless stepped in. Arreola goes to 18-0, 16KOs,
while Wills falls to 21-1-1, 15KOs.
Santos Pakau (147) came in on short notice and tried
to make a fight of it, bless his Maori warrior's
heart, but took a beating from red hot welter prospect
Paul "The Punisher" Williams (147). Williams
was coming off an impressive stoppage of Sharmba
Mitchell. Williams was able to keep Pakau at the
end of his freakishly long reach and batter him
with both hands. Pakau took frightening punishment
in the 5th before referee Joe Cortez finally stepped
in at 2:16 of the 6th. Williams stays undefeated
at 32-0, 24KOs, while Pakau drops to 27-4-1, 10KOs.
Alejo Sepulveda (146) made his pro debut tonight,
and dispatched of Cedric Holmes (147) at 1:09 of
the 2nd. Holmes was down twice before it was stopped.
Sepulveda makes an auspicious pro start at 1-0,
1KO, whole Holmes remains winless at 0-4.
Barry's Boxing Invitational
(Amateur)
Jordan Sullivan ( Barry's) over Elisco Duran (LV
Boxing) - Points
Adrian Lopez ( Barry's) over Francisco Esparza (NLV)
- Walkover
Andres Valdez ( Barry's) over German Lopez (Barry's)
Points
Jose Leon (Unattached) over Sean Zittel ( Barry's)
- Poionts
Oscar Torres (LV Boxing) over Luis Lopez ( Barry's)
Manuel Herrera (Unattached) over Marces Terriquez(
Barry's) - Points
Carlos Rodriguez (Unattached) over Christopher Dean(
Barry's)
Donald Towsend ( Barry's) over Enrique Cacho(Barry's)
RSCM
Israel Zavala (Unattached) over Michael Smith (
Barry's) - Retirement
UNLV Boxing vs. UNR
(Amateur)
10/26/06
Ryan Kotey (UNR) over Matt Spillman (UNLV) - Points
Jason Morris (UNLV) over Don Linquest (UNR)- Points
Kennt Dyer-Redman (UNR) over Jason Crocco (UNLV)-Points
Thomas Gennaro(UNR) over Chad Edralin (UNLV)-Points
Henry Nanauu (UNLV) over John Lorman (UNR) - RSC
GUILTY FIGHT NIGHT
AT THE ORLEANS
By Lawrence Hidaka
An era ended tonight as Guilty
Boxing held its final Fight Night at The Orleans.
The South Coast will now be the exclusive venue
for Guilty Boxing. The bittersweet evening was highlighted
by an entertaining main event, and an extraordinary
walkout bout, both representative of the high quality
Guilty bouts The Orleans has hosted over the years.
View the Photo Gallery
MAIN EVENT
VARELA DEFENDS MINOR JUNIOR MIDDLE
BELT
We last saw Nicaraguan Jose Varela
three months ago at the South Coast when he won
a minor junior middle title with an impressive majority
decision win over Corey Johnson. Varela (160½)
put that belt on the line tonight, despite weighing
in at six and a half pounds over the junior middle
limit. The opponent was Manuel Gomez (154), who
earned a shot at the belt by getting KO'd in 1 by
Antonio Margarito at the Aladdin earlier this year.
Read the full Report Here
ORLEANS UNDERCARD
By Steve Robinson
WALK OFF BOUT HIGHLIGHTS GREAT NIGHT
OF FIGHTS
Usually the walk off showcases
two inexperienced fighters or a couple of washed
up bums hired to fill out a fight card and therefore
gets little attention from us in our report other
than a mention of who won or a joke about ineptness.
Tonight that was not the case as local knockout
artist Lonnie Smith (4-0-1,
4 KO’s) took on Juan Castenada
(2-0, 2 KO’s) of San Antonio, TX. This fight
was four rounds of unending action by two tough
Super Featherweights who both threw nothing but
bombs and could both take a punch.
Read the Full Report Here
10/07/06
CASAMAYOR WINS BY SPLIT DECISION
By Steve Robinson at Ringside
In a three fight series filled
with controversial calls and controversy, tonight’s
rubber match was no exception. At the end of twelve
rounds of semi-championship boxing, despite a disputed
knockdown, it was Joel Casamayor who came out on
the winning end of a split decision.
The biggest controversy of this
fight occurred yesterday when the Champion Diego
Corrales failed to make the lightweight limit of
135 pounds, thus forfeiting his belt and unable
to win it with a victory tonight. Corrales who weighed
in at 139 Friday, came in at 145 ½ on fight
day. Joel Casamayor who weighed in at the statutory
135 Friday came in at 144 ½.
The first three rounds were excruciatingly
slow with few punches thrown to the lament of the
crowd. Finally in round four they got busy, each
getting in their licks- Casamayor early with straight
lefts and Corrales late with good left-right combinations.
Round five saw the fighters trade blows early. Casamayor,
to his dismay, was given an eight count when what
appeared to be a combination of a stumble and a
push caused him to touch his glove to the canvas.
Referee Kenny Bayless saw it as a knockdown and
Casamayor’s protests went unheeded. This seemed
to encourage Casamayor as he opened round six aggressively
with solid lefts and right-left combos and Corrales
went to his corner at round end with a cut over
his left eye. Inexplicably, Casamayor slowed up
in round seven while Corrales landed some good left-right
combinations. The remainder of the fight was back
and forth but Casamayor seemed more active. Neither
fighter went down and neither appeared hurt for
the remainder of the match. When it went to the
score cards we all believed it would be a close
decision. Judge Jerry Roth had it 114-113 for Corrales.
Judge Adelaide Byrd saw it 116-111 and Judge Nobuaki
Uratani had it 115-112 for Casamayor thus giving
him the split decision. lvboxing.com had it 114-113
for Casamayor also. It seemed right that the only
contender able to win a title tonight was able to
win it. Thirty-five year old Joel Casamayor gets
his 34th win against 3 losses and a draw and becomes
the new WBC Lightweight Champion.
DARCHINYAN DOMINATES DONAIRE
FOR FLYWEIGHT TITLE
Vic Darchinyan (26-0, 21 KO’s)
showed his power and overwhelming skills tonight
in a dominating performance over Glen Donaire (16-2-1,
9 KO’s). Darchinyan showed that a little guy
at 112 pounds can muster a lot of power by rocking
Donaire with a dynamite left that he landed almost
at will. Donaire was unable to land many blows of
any effect and when he did a tough Darchinyan was
unaffected. Donaire was dropped for an eight count
at the end of round four. The ring ending bell rang
just as he recovered from the knockdown. In the
middle of round six, after receiving some hard blows,
Donaire turns around and starts a walk toward his
corner, then turns and talks to Referee Tony Weeks.
Weeks stops the fight and has the ringside doctor
examine Donaire. It is ruled that Donaire has a
jaw injury from an accidental head butt and is unable
to continue. Since four rounds had elapsed at the
time the fight was stopped, the judges scorecards
were the deciding factor. All three judges had Darchinyan
ahead 60-53. Vic Darchinyan notches another dominating
victory and Donaire is lucky to escape with only
a broken jaw.
Undercard Bouts
WBC Youth Featherweight Championship
Title
Eduardo Escobedo (16-2, 11 KO’s)
of Mexico put on a dominating boxing demonstration
for ten rounds to defeat Manuel Perez (6-1, 2 KO’s)
for the WBC Youth Featherweight Championship. Ecobedo
used his speed and superior boxing skills to pick
Perez apart every round and showed excellent defensive
skills in avoiding all of Perez attacks. At the
end of ten all three judges saw it 100-93, giving
Escobedo all ten rounds by unanimous decision. Escobedo
goes back to Mexico with a championship belt that
proves that the sanctioning bodies will do anything
to pick up a fee. Since these guys were both 22
years old we are unable to comprehend the meaning
of the title.
NABO/NABF Super Flyweight Championship
Nonito Donaire (15-1, 9 KO’s)
and brother of Glenn Donaire of the co-main event,
took on veteran Oscar Andrade (34-24-1) for the
NABO/NABF Super Flyweight Championship. Donaire
started fast and strong dominating the early rounds.
In round two Donaire landed a left that staggered
Andrade, followed by a series of blows and another
hard left that dropped Andrade for an eight count
at the bell. At ringside we all felt this fight
would be over soon and Donaire dominated for the
next several rounds but was unable to put Andrade
away. Andrade’s ring experience and determination
kept him in the fight until the end and he earned
his fee with an unending effort in a losing cause.
At the end of twelve rounds Judge Robert Hoyle saw
it 118-109, David Sutherland and Duane Ford each
saw it 116-111 all for Donaire.
WBC Caribbean Super Bantamweight
Championship
In a competitive match for
the most obscure title yet concocted, Jorge Lacierva
(29-6-6, 20 KO’s) took on Leivi Brea (15-3-2,
7 KO’s). The fight was back and forth early
with each dominating the other at times and the
rounds were close. At the end of four rounds all
judges had the fight tied at 38-38. Early in the
fifth Lacierva lands a round house right that drops
Brea to the canvas. Brea just manages to get to
his feet but is wobbly and Referee Joe Cortez looks
into his eyes and stops the fight. Lacierva gets
a TKO at 1:18 of the fifth for his 30th victory.
CORRALES FAILS TO
MAKE WEIGHT
By Steve Robinson
It’s Déjà
vu all over again. For the second time this year
a major fight is screwed up because one of the fighters
failed to get his weight down to the required limit.
This time the tables are turned as its Diego Corrales
who couldn’t make the 135 pound lightweight
limit last night at Mandalay Bay. The fight will
go on as scheduled but Corrales (139#) is forced
to forfeit his WBC Lightweight belt. Four months
ago Corrales canceled a highly anticipated rematch
with Jose Luis Castillo when Castillo failed to
make weight. Corrales was highly critical of him
at that time accusing Castillo of “not doing
his job”. In addition to giving up his title
Corrales will be fined 20% of his purse and be forced
to weigh in today where his weight may not exceed
147 pounds. It is also rumored that he had to pay
Casamayor additional money to entice him to continue
with the fight. Regardless of the outcome, this
fight, which promised to be a good one, is now tainted
and Diego “Chico” Corrales has disappointed
his fans and disgraced the sport.
CORRALES VS. CASAMAYOR III –
“MANIFIST DESTINY”
THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST FIGHT YOU
CAN SEE FOR FREE ALL YEAR. This Saturday at Mandalay
Bay Events Center, Diego “Chico” Corrales
defends his WBC Lightweight Title against former
champion Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor.
If you can’t pony up the ticket price to see
it live, ($50 - $300), then you can stay home and
see it for free on Showtime. This is Showtime’s
Free Preview Weekend, so you don’t even have
to be a subscriber. The Showtime broadcast which
takes place live on the east coast beginning at
6:00 pm will be delay broadcast at 9:00 pm on the
west coast. Chances are that you can show up and
watch it live, then go home and watch it again.
Either way, this fight should be quite a show. These
guys have eighty fights between them and 54 KO’s.
They have met twice before, each coming away with
a victory and they really don’t like each
other. This combination of experience, opponent
knowledge and genuine hatred should make for a great
contest. Don’t miss this one.
The Undercard features an IBO/IBF
Flyweight Championship bout between Vic “
Raging Bull” Darchinyan and Glenn “The
Filipino Bomber” Donaire. The Champion Darchinyan
sports an impressive undefeated record of 26-0 with
21 KO’s. His record shows the power that even
a little guy can have. We last saw Donaire in March
2005 when he was TKO’d on the undercard of
the Pacquiao fight. Since then he has gone 3-0-1.
Doors open at 2:30 pm with
the first fight scheduled for 3:30 pm. TV bouts
are scheduled to go off at 6:00 pm PDT.
GUILTY BOXING and THE ORLEANS
HOTEL AND CASINO, AND THE BOYD GAMING GROUP and
in association with SILVERHAWK BOXING, presents
“Guilty Fight Night”.
It may be Friday the 13th
but I promise you won’t have any bad luck
if you come to the Mardi Gras Ballroom at The Orleans
for a great night of boxing. Friday’s show
features the return of Jose Verela (15-2-0-10 KO’s)
from Los Angeles versus Manuel Gomez (28-11-2-19
KO’s) out of Laredo, TX for the W.B.C Continental
America’s Title in the Middleweight division.
Varela fresh off his big win over highly regarded
Corey Johnson this past July to win the title, and
now it’s up for grabs again and Manuel Gomez
wants it. This bout is not to be missed. As a special
added attraction will feature the return of Melinda
Cooper (16-0-0-9 KO’s) from Las Vegas, NV.
Ms Cooper will take on an opponent to be name later,
Guilty is proud to bring her back.
The undercard features fresh
off his knock out win Alexis Camacho (11-0-0-9 KO’s)
in a six round bout vs Anthony Charnell (6-3-1-5
KO’s) from Sacramento, CA. Coming back is
Las Vegan cruiserweight Brandon Harris (4-0-0-3
KO’s) vs Adam Conley (2-3-0-1 KO) from Fort
Worth, TX the fast hands of Lonnie Smith (4-0-1-4
KO’s) super featherweight from Las Vegas both
in four round bouts against Juan Castaneda (2-0-0-2
KO’s) from San Antonio, TX. Rounding out the
card is Frankie Leal (7-1-0-4 KO’s) in a six
round featherweight bout vs TBA, and making his
Las Vegas pro debut is Anthony Martinez from Las
Vegas in a scheduled four rounder versus Anibal
Torres (1-1-1-0 KO’s) from San Diego, CA.
TICKET PRICES START AT $25.00 AND CAN BE PURCHASED
EITHER AT THE DOOR OR BY CALLING THE ORLEANS TICKET
BOX OFFICE.
9/16/06
BARRERA RETAINS WBC TITLE
By Steve Robinson at ringside
MGM Grand Garden Arena
On Mexican Independence Day weekend,
Mexico City’s Marco Antonio Barrera gave Houston’s
Rocky Juarez a boxing lesson. For twelve rounds
Barrera crafted a workmanlike but uninspiring performance
that frustrated Juarez efforts by staying on the
outside, controlling the rounds with a stiff left
jab, landing left hooks and straight rights when
openings allowed and tying up his young opponent
when he muscled his way inside. The crowd, that
heavily favored Barrera, showed their disappointment
in the lack of the toe to toe slugfests they craved
by booing loud and often throughout the fight. But
the cagy veteran Barrera, who fought Juarez to a
close decision victory earlier this year in L.A.,
had a plan and stuck to it because it worked, leading
to a Unanimous Decision victory with scores of 117-111
and 115-113 twice. Lvboxing.com saw it 117-111 as
well.
Although seemingly not appreciated
by the crowd, Barrera’s boxing skills dominated
the action. He was content to continue his boxing
lesson throughout the twelve rounds, avoiding skirmishes
and demonstrating excellent defensive skills. Half
way through the fight, the more experienced Barrera
looked fresh, while the upstart Juarez was battered
with his right eye nearly closed from eating a series
of left hooks that Barrera landed often and with
effect. There were no knockdowns and neither appeared
seriously hurt throughout the fight. Marco Antonio
Barrera, the “Baby Faced Assassin”,
started smart, fought smart throughout the fight
and finished smart, proving to Ricardo “Rocky”
Juarez why he is one of Mexico’s and the worlds
finest champions.
WBC SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
In one of the more entertaining
bouts of the evening, WBC Champion Israel Vazquez
(40-3, 29 KO’s) took on Mexico City’s
Jhonny Gonzalez (33-4, 28 KO’s) for the WBC
Super Bantamweight title of the world. The first
three rounds were lackluster and disappointing to
the crowd for lack of action but that was soon to
change. Early in round four, Gonzalez dropped the
Champion with a left hook. Vazquez easily beat the
count and came back with some solid shots of his
own. By the end of the round Gonzalez nose was bleeding
profusely, something that would continue throughout
the fight. In round six Gonzalez lands another solid
left hook that absolutely floors Vazquez but he
manages to regain his feet and finish the round.
By this time Vazquez must have seen that he needed
to do something because in round seven Vazquez lands
a right hook followed by a straight right that floors
Gonzalez. Good back and forth action followed for
the next few rounds with Gonzalez nose continuing
to bleed. At the start of round ten both were battered
and bruised but Gonzalez was way ahead on all three
judges’ cards – 85-83twice and 86-82.
Late in the round Vazquez drops Gonzalez again with
a right and Gonzalez drops to his knees and just
barely beats the count. Just as the fight is about
to resume, Gonzalez corner throws in the towel stopping
the fight. Israel Vazquez retains his title in a
valiant comeback effort and goes to 41-3 with his
30th KO.
WBO JR. LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE
Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (46-2-1,
33 KO’s) of Argentina took on Joan Guzman
(25-0, 17 KO’s) for the vacant WBO World Jr.
Featherweight Title. But strangely enough Barrios
could not win the title even if he had won the fight.
Barrios, the reigning champion a day ago was forced
to vacate the title when he couldn’t make
the 130# weight limit in Friday coming in at 131
½. Since he didn’t make the weight
limit he could not win the title for that division
therefore he lost his title before the fight even
started and couldn’t win it because he was
no longer in that weight division. That said lets
get down to the fight.
Guzman started strong and confidently, walked Barrios
down landing accurate lead blows and clean counter
punches. For the first half Guzman stalked Barrios
who seemed content to throw body shots. Barrios,
who Referee Vic Drakulich had warned before, lost
a point for low blows in the sixth round, an event
that would have serious consequences at the end
of the fight. The second half of the fight saw Guzman
content to hang on the ropes, cover and counterpunch
for much of the rounds. He appeared to do this effectively
for many rounds. By the 12th and final round Guzman
played with and taunted a beat up and worn out Barrios.
When it went to the scorecards Judge Bill Graham
saw it 114-113 for Barrios. Judge William Leach
saw it 115-112 and Judge Carol Castellano saw it
114 -113 for Guzman who becomes the new WBO World
Jr Lightweight Champion. Had it not been for the
penalty in the sixth the fight would have been scored
a draw.
PAEZ JR. VS CAMPOS
Derrick Campos (6-2, 5 KO’s)
of Topeka, KS was brought into Las Vegas tonight
to pad the record of Jorge Paez Jr. (10-0, 7 KO’s)
of Mexicali, MX in a four round Lightweight attraction
meant to highlight Paez’ skills – someone
forgot to tell Campos. Campos started strong landing
a strong left hook early and a few more during the
first round. Paez woke up in round two landing a
left hook that staggered Campos followed by a right
that dropped him for an eight count. Campos got
off the mat to land a left hook that staggereded
Paez before the round ended. Round three saw Paez
land a good right-left-left combo in a slower round
with many missed blows by both. Paez appeared to
be winning the final round when at the end Campos
landed another left hook that sent Paez sprawling
into the ropes. After an eight count, Referee Jay
Nady let an unsteady Paez continue the fight but
the final bell rang before it could continue. When
it went to the scorecards Judges Robert Hoyle and
Jerry Roth saw it 38-36 for Paez while Judge Dalby
Shirley had it 37-37. Lvboxing.com also had it 37-37.
The difference was that Hoyle and Roth awarded the
first round to Paez who gets the decision and remains
undefeated.
UNDERCARD ACTION
In his Professional Debut, Craig
McEwen of Scotland, who is trained by Freddy Roach,
met George N Montalvo (1-3-0) in a Middleweight
match. McEwen took control of the inept Montalvo
immediately landing every punch he threw for the
first two minutes. Once Montalvo was staggered for
the second time, Referee Robert Byrd stepped in
and stopped the fight before serious harm was done.
McEwen gets a TKO win in his first pro fight at
2:16 of the second.
Las Vegan Anthony Martinez in
his Pro Debut took on Leon Green of Brooklyn, NY
in a Jr. Welterweight bout. Green proved hard to
hit because he spent the first round running away
and failing to engage. When there was any action,
Martinez landed the harder blows. Martinez hurt
Green early in the second, then after a break landed
a left that dropped Green hard into his corner.
Referee Jay Nady took one look into Green’s
eyes and waived off the count giving Martinez his
first victory by KO at 1:14 of the second.
In an entertaining Welterweight
match Euri Gonzales (11-0, 9 KO’s) of the
Dominican Republic fought Las Vegan Juan Pablo Montes
De Oca (8-9-2, 5 KO’s). This was another obvious
match up meant to pad someone’s record but
someone forgot to tell De Oca. De Oca surprised
me and the crowd with a strong first round landing
some solid right hooks. Gonzales decided to get
down to business in the second landing the cleaner
sharper blows more often. De Oca was warned for
low blows. A sloppy round three saw De Oca penalized
a point for a low blow followed by Gonzales losing
a point for holding and hitting. The remaining three
rounds saw lots of back and forth action with De
Oca winning the crowds approval and respect for
a valiant effort. When it went to the scorecards
Jerry Roth had it 57-55 for De Oca, Judge Al Lefkowitz
saw it 57-55 for Gonzales and Robert Hoyle saw it
58-54 also for Gonzales keeping Gonzales undefeated
record intact. Lvboxing.com had it a 56-56 draw.
The crowd loudly booed the decision.
In a Featherweight attraction,
Miguel Reza (2-1) of Oxnard, CA took on Sergio Mendez
(4-2) of Norwalk, CA. Reza suffered a cut high on
his head when heads clashed early in the first.
There was lots of back and forth action for four
rounds with neither seeming to gain the upper hand.
Judge Robert Hoyle saw it 40-36 for Reza, Judge
Patricia Morse Jarman had it 39-37 for Reza and
Judge Dalby Shirley saw it 38-38 tie as did lvboxing.com.
Reza escapes with a Majority Decision.
In the brief opener, Henry
Crawford (11-0-1, 4 KO’s) of Patterson, NJ
KO’d Adam Wynant (12-4-1, 6 KO’s) of
Indianapolis, IN at just 12 seconds into the first
round. Crawford landed a hard right-left combo followed
by a right hook that floored Wynant. Referee Robert
Byrd took one look at Wynant’s eyes and called
off the match.
Kid Diamond Wins with Brains Over Brawn.
View the Photo Gallery
9/14/06
KID DIAMOND CLOBBERS RAMIREZ
By Steve Robinson at Ringside
Almazbek “Kid Diamond”
Raimkulov of Las Vegas by way of Kyrgyzstan dominated
Jairo “El Giro” Ramirez for seven rounds
of Top Rank Boxing at the Orleans Arena. Ramirez
took a knee after a series of blows while his corner
people stepped into the ring and called off the
remainder of the bout. Ramirez ((20-2, 7 KO’s),
after a pretty good first round of boxing, was unable
to escape Kid Diamond’s power and was dropped
by a left uppercut in the second and a straight
right in the third, both counts going to nine before
he was able to regain his feet. Raimkulov continued
to walk Ramirez down for the next several rounds
landing with bigger shots, more often, while Jairo
tried to box and escape. Eventually the effect of
a series of blows and a damaged left eye caused
Ramirez too take a knee in the seventh to collect
himself. Realizing that Ramirez would not likely
overcome Kid Diamond’s power, his corner stopped
the fight and ended the punishment. Referee Jay
Nady called the fight at 2:25 of the round. Kid
Diamond improves to 23-1-1, with 14 KO’s and
hopes to take on the winner of Castillo/Casamayor
scheduled for Oct. 7 at Mandalay Bay.
In the strangest fight of the
night, Fulgencio Zuniga (17-2-1, 16 KO’s)
of Columbia took on Jose Luis Zertuche (19-2-2,
14 KO’s) of Mexico in a ten round Middleweight
attraction. These two fought each other to a 12
round draw in April 2005 in Arizona for the IBA
title. During the first round in a pattern that
was to repeat itself throughout the fight, Zuniga
cornered Zertuche on the ropes and worked him over
with a series of blows from all angles. Zertuche
was content to stay on the ropes, cover and counter
punch. He countered with a big left hook that staggered
Zuniga, and then hammered him with power shots for
the remainder of the round. Rounds two through four
continued with Zuniga’s aggression, landing
often but without effect. To Zuniga’s credit
he absorbed some massive Zertuche blows but was
able to keep his feet. Round 5 saw Zertuche on the
ropes again absorbing another Zuniga barrage, when
Zertuche landed another big left hook that floored
Zuniga. Zuniga beat Referee Robert Byrd’s
count and weathered the remainder of the round.
Zuniga came back with a pretty strong sixth round
that Zertuche seemed to take off. The next few rounds
turned out to be the most controversial as Zeruche
appeared to dominate with his power and Zuniga’s
blows continued to be ineffective. At the end of
ten it came down to the scorecards: Judge Glenn
Trowbridge saw it 97-92 for Zertuche, while judges
Bill Graham and Robert Hoyle saw it 95-94 for Zuniga.
Coincidentally, their scorecards were identical,
each agreeing on all ten rounds. The crowd was incensed
and expressed their displeasure with loud and unending
boos. The press section was amazed and each reporter
I talked to didn’t believe that Zertuche hadn’t
clearly won. HBO analyst and former judge Harold
Lederman saw it 97-92 for Zertuche as did lvboxing.com.
Sometimes this sport just leaves you scratching
your head.
OTHER UNDERCARD BOUTS
In the opener, Ahmed “Baby
Face” Kaddour (19-2, 9 KO’s) of “Contender
Series” fame took on Jesse Valverde (21-12,
16 KO’s) of Mexico. Kaddour disappointed the
Orleans Arena crowd with a lackluster performance
against a tough but over-the-hill opponent. Kaddour’s
strategy seemed to be to start the round fast, rest
most of the round, then finish strong. Valverde
appeared unimpressed with his younger, prettier
opponent and just kept coming forward. After eight
rounds, one judge had it 78-74 for Kaddour and two
saw it 76-76 for a majority draw.
In his Las Vegas debut, highly
touted Irishman Andy Lee (4-0, 2 KO’s) didn’t
take long to show his stuff. Lee took control of
Jess Salway (2-1-1, 0 KO’s) of Montana from
the opening bell. Lee landed a left to Salway’s
stomach that crumpled him to his knee in agony.
Referee Kenny Bayless never reached the ten count
before waiving off the bout at 1:34 of the first.
Lee is a former 2004 Olympian and is trained by
Emanuel Steward at Kronk’s Gym in Detroit.
We look forward to seeing Andy Lee against stiffer
competition in the future.
Alejandro Perez (5-0-1, 2 KO’s)
looked sharp in a scheduled six round Super Bantamweight
match against Robert DaLuz (7-4, 6 KO’s).
A quicker, better skilled Perez dominated the first
three rounds. Early in the fourth, Perez backed
DaLuz into a corner and worked him over dropping
him to the canvas. DaLuz appeared to beat the count
but Referee Kenny Bayless called off the match at
34 seconds. The good looking prospect remains undefeated.
In the most dominating performance
of the evening, John Molina (3-0, 3 KO’s)
of L.A. overwhelmed Julio Chavez (6-2-1, 2 KO’s)
of New Mexico. Chavez was knocked down in each and
every one of the four rounds. After this target
practice the judges scored it 40-31 and 40-32 twice,
all for Molina who improves his unblemished record
to 4-0.
The walk off bout was a
Cruiserweight match between Andy Carlton (6-9-3,
3 KO’s) of Kearney, NE and Salah Zabian (5-6,
4 KO’s) of Newport Beach, CA. Both of these
guys looked like they trained at the buffet table.
My biggest surprise was that one of them didn’t
have a heart attack during the scheduled four rounds.
Carlton was down for an eight count in round one.
Zabian lost two points for hitting at the break
in round two and we were al
