Orange County Fights

IRVINE, CALIF.-Two Southern California prospects, Jennifer “The Razor” Barber and Luis Ramos, put on a show to remain undefeated on Thursday at the Irvine Marriott Hotel.

It was another sell out for Roy Englebrecht Events.

More than 1,200 boxing fans saw Barber win by unanimous decision over San Antonio’s Elizabeth Villareal (5-6) and also got a glimpse of Santa Ana’s Ramos win in the same fashion. Both are former amateur stars.

With a polished boxing style Barber opened up the four-round featherweight match with a triple left hook that landed flush against the veteran Villareal. It was impressive for a boxer only in her sixth pro fight.

“That’s my favorite punch,” said Barber (6-0, 3 KOs). “I was a little over anxious.”

Barber used a steady jab and quick combinations to keep Villareal from mounting any kind of attack for two rounds. But in the third, the Texas boxer began landing right hands over Barber’s combinations. To make matters worse, a head butt in the second and fourth round caused some swelling on Barber’s face.

”I wanted to knock her out,” said Barber, whose quick pace kept Villareal on edge.

Though the Texas fighter became more aggressive in the third and fourth round, it wasn’t enough to convince the judges. All three scored the fight 40-36 for Barber.

In a lightweight bout, Ramos of Orange County used his southpaw quickness to beat Riverside’s Mike Lynks (6-6) to the punch for all four rounds. The right hook was the most accurate weapon in Ramos' arsenal and kept the stronger looking Lynks from charging in.

Ramos (4-0) has improved since his debut and displayed a tighter defense. He also uses distance very well. One thing he does tend to do is keep his chin too high during his combinations. That chin is open to a counter against a good fighter with power and speed.

All three judges scored it 40-36 for Ramos.

Perhaps the Fight of the Night featured Constancio Alvarez (2-1-4) of Salinas meeting David Gaspar (0-0-1) who made his pro debut. The pair of junior bantamweights put on riveting display of power boxing to the delight of the crowd. After four rounds it ended in a majority draw. The crowd tossed crumpled dollars bills into the ring.

In a heavyweight contest Takalesi Fifta (1-1) scored a technical knockout over Huntington Beach’s Jim Collins (0-2) with a right hand at the end of the third round.

The main event saw Paul Vasquez (8-2) use his height and reach to score a unanimous decision victory over Palmdale’s Alex Virgen (5-6) in a light heavyweight bout. The judges scored it 60-53, 59-54 twice for Vasquez of Martinez, California.

The semi-main event resulted in a fifth round technical knockout win for Arron Martinez (8-0) who pummeled Hollywood’s Christian Valverde (4-2),  forcing the referee to halt the fight in the fifth round.