Navy Vet Chatman Sinks Gonzalez' Title Plan, For Now

Chris Chatman (9-1, 4 KO’s) put in a very spirited performance against the well regarded Lester Gonzalez (11-1-1, 6 KO’s) at the Crown Plaza Hotel in San Diego en route to a unanimous eight round decision win in front of over a thousand spectators. The win earned him the California State Super Welterweight Title.

Gonzalez, a thirty three year old former amateur stand out from Cuba, just couldn’t overcome Chatman’s physical prowess and high work rate.

In the first round, Gonzalez came forward aggressively as Chatman boxed from the outside in what turned out to be an even round with both men getting the “feeling out process out of the way. In the second, Chatman boxed nicely but Gonzalez was starting to find him more frequently with his left hand. Chatman, a U.S. Navy veteran, showboated frequently but was able to get off some nice straight hands from the outside.

It was a great beginning to the third as the Cuban came out of his corner with bad intentions. Chatman boxed nicely and landed from a safe distance as Gonzalez kept the pressure. Excellent exchanges ensued as the boisterous crowd cheered on the gladiators.

The fourth round was tough to score as both men took turns landing their shots. A nice left hand by Gonzalez capped off the last ten seconds of the round.

Nice ring usage by Chatman in the fifth as he provided Gonzalez with some difficult angles. Chatman was pot-shotting from the outside and took the round on the basis of punches landed and effective aggression.

The sixth round came and Chatman was now using his physical strength to bully Gonzalez. Gonzalez looked frustrated and was lulled into fighting his opponent’s fight. Chatman took the round as he was easily manhandling his opponent and pushing him around the ring.

He was now in full control by the seventh as he boxed on his toes and landed continuously. Chatman showed no signs of tiring as Gonzalez started getting discouraged and looking the worse for wear.

Gonzalez came out for the last round with a sense of urgency and fought hard but Chatman wasn’t letting up. The hard chinned Chicago native landed a left hook that made Gonzalez stutter step. Chatman’s physical condition was top rate as he ended the round with several flurries.

The judges scored the bout 77-75, 79-73 and 78-74 for the winner.

“I felt strong in there against a very tough opponent, Chatman stated afterwards. “My conditioning played a key role and I have to thank my team for that. I look forward to great things happening in the future.

Manager Mark Dion stated that Chatman’s potential has yet to be tapped. “He’s improved tremendously and he’s only going to get better. He fought a guy that fights at 160 and you saw what he did in there. I think he can accomplish even more as a 147 pounder.

“Chocolate Parison snacks on Myers

Local super middleweight James “Chocolate Parison (13-1-0, 4 KO’s) and Loren Myers (7-10-1, 2 KO’s) of Ontario, Oregon mixed it up during the semi main event in a scheduled six rounder. In the first round, Parison used his jab effectively to keep the hard charging Myers at bay. He landed a nice uppercut and straight right combination. Parison used the ring well as Myers tried to close the distance with some body work.

Nice jabs by Parison in the second round as he easily controlled the action. A left hook dropped Myers but he got up in seemingly good condition. Parison smelled the end and went after Myers with all guns blazing as he landed several rights and lefts that were obviously doing damage. Myers tried to fight off the attack but there were only so many uncontested shots that the referee would allow. The end came at 1:59 of the third when Referee Raul Caiz Jr. stepped in and waved off the action.

Armenta scores decision over Hurley

Super-featherweights Pablo Armenta (4-0-1, 1 KO) and Ronald Hurley (4-5-2) put on a solid match as both men traded from the very first round. Hurley took the first as he used good footwork to confuse Armenta. In the second, Armenta found his distance and was landing with more frequency. He won the round by scoring the more telling shots. The third and fourth were all Armenta as he backed his opponent into the ropes and unleashed several flurries. Hurley fought back but was never able to regain control of the bout. The scores were 39-37, 38-38 and 40-36.

Okada overwhelms Modad

Japanese super flyweight Takashi Okada (3-0-1, 1 KO) used a non stop punching machine style to overwhelm the less refined Daniel Modad (2-3-0, 1 KO) of Tijuana. Modad could’ve made use of his jab if he had one and therefore was never able to create enough distance to keep the Asian buzz-saw off him. There were great exchanges throughout with Okada landing the more significant shots. The scores of 40-36 on all three cards reflected Okada’s domination of the bout.

Ocon blasts Diaz

Los Angeles welterweight Ernesto Ocon (2-0, 1 KO) dropped Juan Carlos Diaz (7-11-1, 6 KO’s) five times en route to a third round TKO stoppage in a fight that had action from beginning to end. Diaz couldn’t avoid Ocon’s left hand all night and paid a dear price for it as a fast left, right combination put him down dramatically for the final count in the third round.

The bouts were promoted by Bobby D. Presents and Jorge Marron Productions