Elena Reid and Kaliesha West Battle

EL MONTE, Calif. — World champion Elena “Baby Doll” Reid and Moreno Valley’s Kaliesha West tangled in an exhibition bout before an excited crowd at the Florentine Gardens on Friday.

Although it wasn’t an official bout, Reid and West showed the crowd of more than 800 that female prizefighters attack whether it’s official or not official in their three round bout.

West, who is rated number six in the world as a bantamweight at 118 pounds, was unsure what to expect from Reid the WIBA flyweight world champion.

“I was surprised a little,” said West (5-0). “I expected her to come forward more, but she moved around.”

Reid, who lives in Las Vegas, used her southpaw stance to fire right hooks against West in the first two rounds. Both traded body shots with Reid using more feints.

“It was a lot of fun to get in the ring with her. I’m used to chasing opponents around. She has a lot of skills,” said Reid (18-3-5) of the 18-year-old West. “She’s going to be a champion some day for a long time.”

West said she was a little nervous facing a world champion for the first time in her career.

“She’s a world champion so I guess I was pretty nervous,” West said. “It wasn’t until late in the second round that I began to feel comfortable and do what I always do — throw fast punches.”

Jack Mosley, who assisted Juan West in Kaliesha’s corner, said that she had Reid in awe too much before stepping into her regular pace.

“In the last round she began doing what she usually does, that’s throw fast punches,” said Mosley, the father and trainer of Sugar Shane Mosley.

Chris Benn, who trains Reid, said they accepted a fight with the heavier and hard-hitting West because it was a woman fighter.

“Elena only gets to spar against bigger guys. So this was a great opportunity to fight someone with a lot of experience and skill like Kaliesha West,” said Benn. “I say she has a lot of experience because she fought for years as an amateur. That’s where she gets her skills.”

The judges did not score the bout but fans got to see Reid perform for the first time in California. She expects to defend her title in February, perhaps in California again. One of the names mentioned is Wendy Rodriguez, who holds the junior flyweight world title.

Other bouts

In the main event, Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis (6-1-1) used his quicker hand and foot speed to out-distance Oxnard’s Leonel Madrigal (5-4) in a six-round welterweight contest.

Pendarvis, whose boxing style resembles Floyd Mayweather Jr. but in a left-handed stance, began the fight with a lightning fast right jab. He used it for most of the round but Madrigal landed a stiff left hand when he switched to a southpaw stance too.

It was hit and move for Pendarvis, who held when the distance was too close. Madrigal, though willing, just couldn’t muster enough offense to win rounds. Even though Pendarvis remained stationary far too long, Madrigal couldn’t click into attack mode. The speed bothered the Oxnard fighter for all six rounds.

The judges scored it 60-54, 59-55 twice for Pendarvis.

Oxnard’s Miguel Angel Garcia (4-0, 3 KOs) didn’t waste any openings in demolishing Arizona’s Baladan Treviso (5-10-6) in 2:18 of the first round of a featherweight bout. A left hook stunned Baladan and a right connected that took the legs from the Arizonan. Garcia coolly fired several short bursts that had Baladan reeling. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. saw enough to realize it was a mismatch and wisely stopped the fight.

A lightweight bout between Oxnard’s David Rodela (6-1-3) and David Hernandez (4-4-3) ended in a draw after six rounds. It was Rodela’s second consecutive draw.

Daniel Quevedo (4-4-1) proved too strong for Jerry Pavich (2-3-1) in a junior bantamweight bout and scored a fourth round knockout with a sizzling right hand. Right from the start Quevedo seemed much bigger than Pavich who usually fights at a lower weight. By the second round it was evident that Quevedo hurt Pavich with every punch he landed, especially the uppercuts. But it was a stinging right counter that dropped Pavich in the fourth for the first knockdown. The High Desert fighter attempted to use his legs to keep out of danger but the previous knockdown seemed to short-circuit them. Quevedo unloaded a flurry of punches that snapped Pavich’s head back. Referee David Denkin stopped the fight at 1:50 of the last round.