AVILA RINGSIDE: Fight Results From Quiet Cannon

MONTEBELLO, CA.—Located in a golf course a mere 200 yards from the East L.A. border, you get a different mix of fight fans at the Quiet Cannon restaurant. They range from newcomers to hardened veterans of the sport.

On Friday, there was James “Lights Out” Toney, Israel “El Magnifico” Vazquez and several other prizefighters in the All Star Promotions audience. Both Toney and Vazquez brought their team of fighters to the event.

The main event featured Japan’s Gaku Takahashi (14-5-1, 7 Kos) battling the much taller John Hayes of Canyon Country, Ca. in a junior middleweight clash. Takahashi entered with the Mexican flag embroidered on his trunks.

Hayes looked like a big puncher and chased Takahashi around the boxing ring. The Japanese fighter wasn’t about to test the bigger man’s power and basically moved and slipped while occasionally sending straight lefts to Hayes. By the fourth round Hayes had a tiring Takahashi in front of him and began landing some monstrous blows. The Japanese boxer – cheered by chants of “Mexico! Mexico!” – was able to absorb the blows and return fire. After six rounds all three judges ruled in favor of Takahashi 59-55 twice and 58-56.

Cruiserweights Dion Elam (14-2, 8 Kos) and Rafael Valenzuela (8-5) didn’t take long to decide the winner. Elam, who fights under Toney’s team, stopped Valenzuela at 2:41 of the first round. Two right hands followed by a left hook did the job. Elam fights out Van Nuys and Valenzuela is from Sonora, Mexico.

Featherweight Isaac Dogboe (6-0, 3 Kos) blitzed through El Salvador’s Jonathan Alcantara (7-13-2) with constant pressure and a speedy array of punches to the head and body. Alcantara looked like he was waiting for Dogboe to slow down but that was not going to happen. At 59 seconds into round three Alcantara simply signaled the referee he had enough. Dogboe is from Ghana and fights under Toney’s team.

East L.A.’s Xavier Montelongo (7-3-1) proved too puzzling for southpaw Jesus Sandoval (4-6-3) of Redwood City after six rounds. Montelongo used his speed and movement to dart in and out of range of the stronger punching Sandoval. At times Sandoval looked like he had cornered Montelongo but the East L.A. boxer’s extensive amateur experience enabled him to squirm out of trouble when necessary. His more effective punching proved the difference in winning by majority decision 57-57 and 58-56 twice.

A junior lightweight match between pro debuting Francisco Ochoa (1-0) and Arizona’s Misael Chacon (1-7) proved to be an interesting fight. Ochoa dropped Chacon three times in three of the four rounds. But Chacon landed one big overhand right hand bomb that floored Ochoa and nearly took him out in the second round. Ochoa got up, delivered a right hand down the middle of Chacon’s face, and staggered him to survive. From that point on Ochoa was a little more careful of Chacon’s power and won by scores of 38-33 on all three cards.

Arizona’s Manny Nieves (4-0) discovered that California judges are not partial when it comes to scoring. They gave him the victory after four rounds against L.A. based Osman Rivera (2-8-1) in a lightweight clash. Nieves was sharper and quicker and more accurate. The scores were 40-36 twice and 38-36 for Nieves.

Samuel Antwi (3-0) remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over L.A.’s Andrew Stafford (0-2). Physically both welterweights had equal ability but Antwi was much more active than Stafford who seldom punched. All three judges scored for Antwi 40-34 who fights under Toney’s team. Two points were deducted from Stafford for losing his mouthpiece twice after being warned.

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