Boxing Chatter: Rocky Juarez Beefs Up Cinco de Mayo Fight Card

Golden Boy Promotions listened to the critics concerning their lukewarm under card and found the answer and his name is Rocky Juarez.

On one of the most anticipated fight cards in the history of the sport, the fight card underneath the Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather WBC junior middleweight blockbuster, did not have the proper teaser until Juarez was asked to meet Chicago’s Jose Hernandez (22-3, 14 KOs) in a featherweight clash on May 5.

Now the chess pieces are in place.

Sure, Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista brings raves in the Philippines, but few in the American shores had ever seen the lanky bomber who looks like a 14-year-old but fights like a warrior. But the semi-main event was not the place to showcase the young fighter. Not when an expected 2 million homes were going to shell out more than $50 to watch the pay-per-view showing of the fight card.

Juarez against anyone is explosive. He doesn’t know how to make a boring fight he just attacks.

“It was yesterday (Tuesday) I found out I was going to be the co main event of a great fight. I’m definitely looking forward to fighting Jose Hernandez,” Juarez (26-3, 19 KOs) said by phone on Wednesday. “In the late rounds when he knocked out Jason Litzau, I know he’s going to be a tough fight.”

Hernandez and Juarez could very well overshadow the main event, especially if it turns into a defensive chess match between Mayweather and De La Hoya.

One other minor surprise was revealed that Juarez has changed trainers and now is under the tutelage of Ronnie Shields who also trains lightweight world champion Juan Diaz. Shields was in Juarez’s corner in his last match against Emmanuel Lucero who he knocked out.

“I saw some things he did in his last fight that he didn’t do in the (Marco Antonio) Barrera fights,” said Eric Gomez, matchmaker for Golden Boy. “I think this is a new stage in Rocky’s career.”

Juarez said he plans to fight for the world title should he beat Gonzalez and also promises to rectify one of his losses.

“I’m always think of having a rematch against Humberto Soto in the future,” Juarez said.  “I look at Humberto Soto and after that loss, the way he’s been running over opponents just recently that lot of fighters…I believe Humberto Soto and me are going to be the future of boxing.”

San Diego Fight card

Damian Fuller out of Detroit meets San Diego’s Jairo Ramirez (20-3) in a junior welterweight match at the 4th and B Event Center in downtown San Diego on Friday April 6.

Fuller (26-4-1) hasn’t lost a fight since losing to Diego Corrales more than three years ago. He’s a fast-moving boxer who likes to stick and move. Ramirez is an aggressive fighter who lost his last bout to former lightweight world champion Kid Diamond. It should be an interesting match.

The fight card will also feature bantamweight Heather Donoho against Kerri Hill in a four round bout. For tickets and information call (310) 641-1438. First bout begins at 7 p.m.

Lightweight prospect alert

Oxnard’s Brandon Rios, who is considered one of the top young lightweights from Southern California, meets Carlos Madrid (8-2-1) at the Cicero Stadium in Chicago on April 13.

Rios (14-0) remains undefeated and trains with former lightweight world champion Robert Garcia in La Colonia Boxing Club. The tall lightweight recently helped Marco Antonio Barrera prepare for his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Rios is originally from Kansas where he was discovered by Garcia during an amateur tournament.

Las Vegas boxing judge dies

Long-time professional boxing judge Carol Castellano died last Friday in Las Vegas. She was a boxing judge for the Nevada State Athletic Commission from the 1980s until the present. Some of the fights she judged were Lloyd Honeyghan’s victory over Jorge Vaca for the WBC welterweight title in 1988 and Evander Holyfield’s win over Larry Holmes in defense of his heavyweight world titles in 1992. In 2007, she judged the match between David Diaz and Jose Armando Santa Cruz for the interim lightweight title. Overall she took part in 110 world title bouts.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday April 5, in the Bronx, New York City at Ralph Giordano Funeral Home located at 1727 Crosby Avenue. For more information call (718) 829-5580.

Young Filipino boxer dies

Lito Sisnorio, 24, from the Philippines, died on Sunday from injuries sustained during a boxing match in Thailand.

Sisnorio, the former WBC Youth flyweight champion, was fighting former world champion Chatchai Sasakuol in a flyweight match. After a knockdown the fight was stopped and he was immediately hospitalized, according to news reports.