Former Olympian David Jackson Wins by KO

HIGHLAND, Calif. – A returning hometown hero got a rude reception from former Olympian David Jackson at San Manuel Casino on Thursday night.

Jackson (8-1, 6 KOs), who fought in the 2000 Olympics as a welterweight, needed only 2:56 of the first round to finish off Portland, Oregon’s William Chapman (7-1) before more than 2,000 fans.

A Jackson right hand to the temple turned Chapman’s legs to rubber near the end of the first round of the middleweight bout. Referee Jack Reiss gave Chapman a standing eight-count but the former Colton boxer’s legs were still rubbery. The fight was halted.

“I didn’t even see the punch,” said Chapman after the fight. “I’d like to get him back in the ring. Maybe in 40 days.”

In the co-main event, Heather Percival (9-3), a top ranked junior bantamweight out of Fontana, California, scored a unanimous decision over Las Vegas boxer Sharon Gaines in a six-round bout.

“I trained for eight rounds, but then they changed it to six,” said Gaines (10-8) who is a stablemate with WIBA flyweight titleholder Elena Reid. “It threw me off. I needed some rounds to get adjusted.”

Percival used her height and movement to keep Gaines from getting an early advantage. But soon she found one of her favorite weapons could not miss.

“My right hand was getting through because she kept dropping her left hand,” said Percival, who weighed in at 112 pounds. “She was pretty tough, but she was a lot smaller than me so I couldn’t land my body punches.”

Percival’s trainer Larry Ramirez said it was her best showing as a pro.

“She was strong for all six rounds that was the difference,” said Ramirez who is also her manager. “She came in great shape.”

Percival said she welcomes a rematch with Gaines or anything that comes her way.

“We’re ready for anything,” Percival said. “Gaines was a strong fighter and a very nice girl.”

During an exchange of punches, Percival slipped over Gaines foot and referee James Jen Kin ruled it a knockdown in the final round.

“I pushed her and she slipped,” admitted Gaines.

No matter. All three judges scored it 58-55 for Percival.

In a welterweight bout, Alan Velasco of East L.A. and Julio Lanzas of Colorado Springs fought to a six-round split-decision draw. Velasco used his tight defense and sharper punching to keep Lanzas from landing power shots. But Lanzas’ right hand landed enough to convince one judge he was the winner at 58-56. Another judge had it 58-56 Velasco and the third judge scored it 57-57.

Lightweight contender Tyrone Harris (17-2, 13 KOs) from Lansing, Mich. swept a six-round decision over Daniel Gonzalez (7-8-2) of Montana. His speed and skill proved too much for Gonzalez to overcome. All three judges scored it 60-54 for Harris.

In a female bantamweight bout, two former amateur standouts collided in a four-round contest. New York’s Stella Nijhoff (1-0-1), a two-time U.S. National champion, met Carly Ann Batey (1-0-1), an All-Marine champion. Both looked like seasoned pros despite having only one pro fight each. As expected, the bout ended in a majority draw. The judges scored it 39-37 Nijhoff, 38-38 twice.

Portland’s Braulio Lopez (3-4-1) out-muscled Colton’s Jesus Rivas (2-3-2) in a six-round lightweight bout. Riva’s used his skills and movement to win the first two rounds, but once Lopez tasted the best power shots the Colton fighter could muster, he unleashed his own bombs. The left hook found its mark repeatedly and guided him to a unanimous decision. The judges scored it 59-55, 58-56 twice for Lopez.