Mexico’s Kenia Enriquez TKOs Jolene Blackshear For Female NABF Title

SAN DIEGO-Mexico’s Kenia Enriquez captured the vacant NABF junior flyweight title and Amaris Quintana also won to the approval of the sold out crowd on Friday.

Tijuana’s Enriquez (11-0, 6 Kos; seen landing in Ray Flores photo) stopped San Diego’s Jolene Blackshear (8-5, 3 Kos) in the seventh round before a star-studded audience at Four Points Sheraton Hotel. The Bobby D Presents fight card also featured three men’s bouts. In the crowd were Chris Arreola, Josesito Lopez, Carlos Molina, Oscar Molina, Antonio Orozco and Chris Martin.

Blackshear, 43, was not there to lose and tried her best to work inside the longer reach of Enriquez. The quick jab of the Mexican boxer kept the San Diego fighter at bay and the quick combinations behind the jab were powerful. For two rounds it was all Enriquez.

The third round was also an Enriquez round as she fired combinations and quickly got out of range. In and out she would shoot combos and quickly step back and move slightly to one side or the other. Blackshear seemed to be measuring the distance and looking for an entrance.

After several careful attacks in the previous rounds, the Mexican brunette began to increase the attack against Blackshear in round four. But it also gave the San Diego boxer more opportunities to catch her with her favorite weapon the counter right hand. One of those counters bloodied the Mexican fighter’s nose.

Maybe it was the blood trickling down her nose, but in round five Enriquez opened up with a strong right cross and a solid three-punch combination that connected. A right uppercut-left hook combination staggered Blackshear but she remained composed and caught Enriquez with another counter right. An Enriquez left hook caught Blackshear but she still looked dangerous and seemed to be setting up the younger Mexican fighter for yet another counter right.

Both female boxers opened up the sixth round with some serious action. Enriquez fired a six-punch volley and Blackshear responded with a solid one-two connect. The time for strategy seemed over and both female boxers were looking for the kill shot.

Enriquez still had blood trickling down her nose and Blackshear’s face seemed puffy when round seven began. Once again Enriquez ignited the action and Blackshear responded. During one of their exchanges Enriquez connected with three consecutive snapping left hooks that caught Blackshear flush in one of the neutral corners. Enriquez recognized Blackshear was hurt and immediately attacked with a fury. The referee Jose Cobian stopped the fight at 1:26 of round seven.

“It was just determination and guts that won this fight,” said Enriquez, 20, after the fight. “I wanted a knockout here in San Diego for my fans.”

Diamond Girl

In the co-main event Amaris “Diamond Girl” Quintana (7-2-2) of San Diego defeated Susan Reno (1-2-1) of New York City in a six round junior flyweight contest.

Quintana usually boxes and moves and uses her movement to score when the openings come but not in this fight. The petite junior flyweight fired away from the opening bell with a pressure style that seldom saw her move backward.

The San Diego female boxer was raining combinations on Reno who couldn’t seem to gather any momentum for the first two rounds. It was all Quintana who rained body blow after body blow on the New York female fighter.

Reno caught her footing in round three and finally adjusted to the fast pace. She began to time Quintana’s rushes and was able to land some of her own blows for the first time in the fight.

Both women fired away in round four. A welt appeared on the corner of the left eye of Quintana who didn’t seem to have any problems with serious swelling. Though Reno landed some blows Quintana was still landing far more.

Quintana opened up the fifth round with a strong left jab. Reno wasn’t about to absorb another jab and countered with a strong right. Quintana erupted with a five-punch combination including an uppercut, but Reno was firing back.

“I thought for sure I was going to stop her,” said Quintana. “But she was tough.”

In the final round Quintana’s strength and volume punching seemed the difference in the fight. Reno kept firing and landing but just couldn’t match Quintana’s quantity. All three judges scored every round for Quintana 60-54.

“I had to be in shape. Instead of going backwards I kept going forward in this fight,” Quintana said. “I landed a lot of body shots.”

Other bouts

San Diego’s David Barragan (8-0-1) defeated Utah’s Eddie Cordova (4-6-1) by unanimous decision in a junior middleweight match.

Adrian Vargas (8-0-1, 6 KOs) was lucky to win a technical knockout against Palm Springs’ Luis Cervantes (7-7-3) who seemed to win the first two rounds. A severe swelling on Cervantes left eye forced the referee to stop the fight. Otherwise, Cervantes was headed to a win or draw.

L.A.’s Jarrod Tennant (3-0) defeated Mario Angeles (1-5-1) of San Diego by unanimous decision.

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