AFTERMATH MONDAY: Avila Reflects On Mosley-Mayorga

Published

10 years ago

September 1, 2015

Our crew began early Saturday morning as we trekked from Riverside, Calif., to Inglewood – a distance of more than 80 miles. We left with the temperature hovering at 105 to the “cooler” climate of 95.

Katherine Rodriguez of La Prensa, Jeannie Avila of Uppercutmagazine.com and I loaded up the faded gold Mercedes and headed to our favorite watering hole, El Cholos, in downtown Los Angeles. On a regular basis you can see one or more of us at the restaurant that, I think, has the best margaritas in the world, pound-for-pound.

Once in a while you can spot a boxer, promoter or manager at El Cholos. Earlier in the year I ran into K2 Promotions managing director Tom Loeffler, trainer Abel Sanchez and writer Kevin Iole in the patio area. Before that it was boxing writers Igor Frank and Anna Dragost. No wonder El Cholos is my favorite place in L.A.

After one margarita and some lunch we headed toward The Forum via Manchester Avenue. It’s been decades since I took this route. I wanted to see if anything had changed. Not much, from what I could tell.

Readers and fellow journalists might wonder why I chose to cover Shane Mosley’s fight with Ricardo Mayorga. It’s very simple. Long ago, when I was a fledgling writer, Sugar Shane Mosley was a fast-rising star from Pomona. He had recently grabbed the lightweight world title and nearly everyone in the boxing world had dubbed him one of the most dangerous fighters out there. He had speed, power and stamina to go with a rock-steady chin. At the time I was working for a new magazine called Uppercut. We published out of East L.A., in the heart of the barrio on Whittier Boulevard.

Back in the 1990s Mosley was famous for his gym wars with guys like Zack Padilla, Genaro Hernandez and even Julio Cesar Chavez. He and his dad, Jack, were everyday figures in East L.A. at Bell and La Habra. Those wars were explosive with fans getting an eyeful for free. The famous Main Street Gym had recently closed because of the Northridge earthquake, so boxers were fanning out over the Southern California landscape.

I would talk with Jack a lot in those days while his son was duking it out with the entire world, it seemed. Shane reminded me of a pit bull with his willingness to match blows with anyone. His hand speed was blinding and his quickness afoot was equally dazzling.

It was the third year of Uppercut magazine and we had a small but hustling staff of people working all hours of the day. One of our staff had a side job working as a bodyguard for Oscar De La Hoya, who was a certified superstar. Our guy told us that Oscar read our magazine, so we decided to do a story on Mosley challenging De La Hoya.

Mosley knew us vaguely,but when we promised that Oscar would see the story we were planning, he decided to take a chance and come to our building.

One Sunday morning at 5 a.m. , Shane, Jack and Shane’s sister Serena drove from Pomona to the dark streets of East L.A. and met us before the sun came up. Shane was asleep in the back seat of a the car when Jack parked in front of our building. We needed to beat the Sunday traffic so we could pose Shane under the famous East L.A. sign on Whittier Boulevard. Ironically, De La Hoya lived a few blocks from that sign as a child and still had family members in the area.

Mosley posed for us in the early morning light when traffic was extremely light. It was so early that some guys were barely leaving the cantinas. They emerged from their dark havens with a weak morning sun greeting them, and Sugar Shane Mosley standing with us in the middle of the boulevard.

“Azucar!” shouted a few of the knowledgable barflies walking by us. They motioned, drunkenly, with their arms for him to come over. Our photographer that day was Carlos Puma, who worked for the Riverside Press-Enterprise at the time. We shot photos of Mosley in challenging poses under the East L.A. sign. The crowd seemed to get a kick out of it.

Our first copies of the magazine went directly to De La Hoya via our guy Alfredo. According to Alfredo, De La Hoya immediately decided to demand a fight with Mosley. I never got a chance to ask Oscar if this was indeed the case, but whether or not it’s true, the fight was made.

Mosley was appreciative, but we were more so. Here was Shane, an emerging megastar, willing to wake up at 4 a.m. to drive to East L.A. I never forgot that, and I always try to repay a favor whenever possible. So when Mosley decided to make this comeback fight with Mayorga, I was all in, no matter what.

I’m loyal to those who are loyal to me or helped me in some way. What Shane did for us 16 years ago was unforgettable.

The Fight

In my columns leading up to Shane Mosley’s fight card, I wondered if he could pull it off. It was like somebody placed one mine field after another in front of his promotional company, GoBox Promotions.

But Shane Mosley is no quitter.

Fights kept dropping out, he lost or fired the person handling media credentials, promoter tried to stop the main event and Premier Boxing Champions put on a competing card the same night at the Staples Center. Others would have meekly capitulated, but that is not in Mosley’s makeup.

Mayorga was the victor, by knockout, in his previous two fights and he has never been a pushover. At times, when Mayorga was fighting hard, Mosley took time off. It was a risk that some in the audience probably overlooked, but it was a risk nonetheless. Mayorga might be crazy, but he is plenty dangerous. Anybody who can claim to have defeated Vernon Forrest twice has to have talent. Ask Mosley.

The fight turned one-sided in Mosley’s favor, but Mayorga was always ready with his left hook cocked.

When Shane Mosley got popped and staggered backward in the sixth round, it looked like Mayorga – who calls himself “El Matador,” but is really more of a wild bull – had finally landed the big punch to turn things around. Instead, it was the beginning of the end for him.

Mosley let loose the one sure punch guaranteed to take out the Nicaraguan, the liver shot. Down went Mayorga. It made me believe that Mosley always knew he could dust off Mayorga with a body punch, but you never know.

Mayorga lost several teeth early in the bout. His mouth guard had broken and apparently he did not have another available. Mosley was cracking Mayorga with overhand rights in every round. Sometimes that was at the invitation of the macho Mayorga, who repeatedly pointed to his chin and invited Mosley to target it. It was Mayorga at his unhinged best. Who can forget him doing the same thing to Forrest or Felix Trinidad? Mayorga has a big heart and took his punishment like the warrior he is. No crying. No complaining. From what I hear, it was his wife who did the crying.

Here’s hoping the best for both Mosley and Mayorga with each early-morning sunrise.

Follow @AvilaBoxing

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

David A. Avila

Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

Published

5 hours ago

May 11, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Argentina's-Fernando-Martinez-Wins-His-Rematch-with-Kazuto-Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12^th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.

The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.

But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.

Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.

Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.

As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

7 hours ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

Emanuel-Navarrete-Survives-a-Bloody-Battle-with-Charly-Suarez-in-San-Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.

What do they feed these guys?

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.

From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.

It was savage.

Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.

Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.

Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.

But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.

Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.

Interim IBF Lightweight Title

The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.

Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.

Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.

Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.

There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.

Muratalla was brief.

“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”

Perla Wins

Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.

Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Published

21 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Late-Bloomer-Anthony-Cacace-TKOs-Hometown-Favorite-Leigh-Wood-in-Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.

Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.

In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.

Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.

Semi-Wind-Up

Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.

Other Bouts of Note

In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.

In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.

Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.

A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).

Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!