Galarza Beaten, But Life Has Done This To Him Before

Published

9 years ago

November 15, 2015

Life has smacked Frank Galarza in the mouth repeatedly, and then kicked him in the gut as he bent down to picked up those teeth that got knocked to the floor. And he took the abuse, and soldiered on, in, really, the most admirable way possible.

He didn’t succumb to sadness or self pity…he found faith, and good people to march with on windy road littered with roadblocks-galore…And now we will see how he handles another smackdown.

It occurred in a Las Vegas ring Saturday night, when a strong and smooth and smart relative unknown showed the boxing world that as of right now, a new prospect/contender is in the mix with the young guns at 154..and that guys name is Jarret Hurd. It’s not Frank Galarza, not today.

Today is a day for contemplation.

Rest, and thought….

What happened in there..and why?

Smart people told me this could be the result before the bout. A boxer friend, Dusty Harrison said Hurd is a talent and would win. A promoter friend, Gary Shaw, told me Hurd was world class, and that he tried to sign him to his company, and that he’d win.

A left hook has filthy leverage when he wings it to the body. His frame is XL for 154, his reach impressive and used smartly. He’s obviously seasoned, so cool when on the ropes, able to see an opening, launch a counter with more Sriracha on it than the lead he’d just slipped. Hurd is a talent.

Galarza is too…and he’s a good story, and a good dude, with Susan Sarandon in his corner. Yeah, in the ring, good stories and admirable personal qualities are important…but most important is the skill set.

Hurd, more folks now know, has a strong package of weapons. Galarza’s arsenal needs some tweaking, we think; he isn’t back to square one, but the new year beckons with a task he likely didn’t see needing to be attended on a To Do list.

How do I bounce back, yet again, this time from a physical beat-down?

His track record outside the ring is superlative, now we see if he can do it again.

“The Brooklyn Rocky” has a sequel to deal with…time to grapple with and surmount another situation.

Here is the release sent out by Showtime:

JARRETT HURD KNOCKS OUT FRANK GALARZA IN MATCHUP OF UNDEFEATED SUPER WELTERWEIGHT PROSPECTS IN MAIN EVENT OF SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION ON SHOWTIME^®

Sergiy Derevyanchenko & David Benavidez Shine With Quick Knockouts

At Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 14, 2015) – Undefeated super welterweight prospect Jarrett Hurd handed Frank Galarza the first loss of his career with a sixth round TKO in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on Saturday from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

Galarza (17-1-2, 11 KOs), who was fighting for his fourth time on ShoBox and favored against the relatively unknown Hurd, became the 136^th fighter to suffer his first loss on the prospect developmental series.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:

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Hurd (17-0, 11 KOs) was the sharper, more accurate fighter from the opening bell against the largely stationary Galarza. Hurd floored Galarza with a huge right uppercut –his favorite weapon– with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth, knocking “The Brooklyn Rocky” down for the first time in his career. Galarza made it to the bell, but was clearly hurt and never recovered.

Hurd, of Accokeek, Md., blasted Galarza with another big uppercut in the sixth, forcing a clearly finished Galarza to turn his body away in defeat. Referee Russell Mora had seen enough and stepped in to stop the bout at :59.

“I knew he was an experienced, tough fighter, but I stuck to my game plan, listened to my corner and came out victorious,” Hurd said. “Once I was able to set up my counter shots, I knew I

could hurt him.

“This was my first time on national TV and I knew how important it was to be successful. I’d like to fight again soon, hopefully early in 2016. I’m ready to take my next step.”

Galarza promised to be back after the crushing defeat.

“I tip my hat off to Hurd, he was the better man tonight,” Galarza said. “I didn’t fight my fight and he did. This type of stuff happens in our sport. I’m disappointed in my performance, but mark my words I’ll be back, better and stronger than ever.”

“It’s a crushing blow to Galarza’s career,” said ShoBox analyst Steve Farhood. “Because of his late start in boxing and his age, he can’t afford a loss like this. After the first round, he didn’t show any adjustment and lost every subsequent round.

“With that said, the story is obviously Jarret Hurd, who hadn’t fought a high level of opposition coming in, but stuck with a sound game plan, executed it well and showed no nerves in his national television debut. He made a name for himself in stopping a legitimate tough guy in ‘The Brooklyn Rocky.’”

In the ShoBox co-feature, blue-chip prospect Sergiy Derevyanchenko defeated Jessie Nicklow with an impressive diet of body shots and uppercuts in a dominating, third round TKO.

Derevyanchenko (7-0, 5 KOs) attacked Nicklow from the outset, landing an astonishing 72 percent of power punches and 56 percent of his total shots. The durable Nicklow, who took the fight on short notice, could do nothing against the former Ukrainian amateur standout. In the third, Derevyanchenko backed Nicklow (25-8-3, 8 KOs) against the ropes and unleashed a series of punishing shots against a defenseless opponent, forcing referee Jay Nady to step in and halt the contest at 2:18 of the third.

“This was a great performance by me,” Derevyanchenko said. “Jessie was a very tough opponent. I feel like I showed another element to my game tonight. No one has done to Jessie what I did to him tonight.

“I’m improving every time and I feel like I’ll be ready for a title shot by the end of 2016.”

In the opening bout of the telecast, undefeated light heavyweight prospect David Benavidez scored three knockdowns en route to a first round TKO (2:00) of veteran Felipe Romero. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://s.sho.com/1NxpwT0

Benavidez (11-0, 10 KOs) had no trouble facing his most experienced opponent to date, knocking Romero (15-10-1, 9 KOs) down with a series of lefts to the body and head with less than a minute into the fight. Romero got up, but Benavidez continued to pepper Romero and floored him again with a left hook to the body. Ramirez again beat the count, but only lasted a few seconds before Benavidez finished him off with this third knockdown in just two minutes.

“I know how strong my body shots are and I knew they would be effective,” Benavidez said. “I wanted to make a great impression in my first nationally televised fight. I’m ready to get back in the ring gain as soon as possible.”

In a non-televised bout, former WBC Heavyweight World Champion Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) defeated Derric Rossy (30-11, 14 KOs) via unanimous decision (95-94, 96-93, 96-93) in his first fight since losing the title to Deontay Wilder last January.

“I feel good—it was great to be back in the ring again,” Stiverne said. “I wasn’t rusty, but maybe I sparred too much in the gym. He was a tough guy. The knockdown was more of a flash knockdown. It was a good punch, but I was a little off balance, too.

“I’m ready to get back in the ring soon and work my way back to become a world champion again.”

Stiverne knocked down with 10 seconds left in the first round.

The ShoBox tripleheader will re-air on Monday, Nov. 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be available onSHOWTIME ON DEMAND^® beginning Sunday, Nov. 15.

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Chuck McKean directing.

# # #

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports follow on Twitter @Notorious_FG, @Swift_JHurd, @SHOSports, @TGBPromotions, @HardRockHotelLV and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports.

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Michael Woods

Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

7 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Japanese-Superstar-Naoya-Inoue-is-Headed-to-Vegas-after-KOing-Y-Joon-Kim

Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

13 hours ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

Eric-Priest-Wins-Handily-on-Thursday's-Golden-Boy-card-at-the-Commerce-Casino

Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 310: Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue and More

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-310-Japanese-Superstar-Naoya-Inoue-and-More

Many proclaim super bantamweight world champ Naoya Inoue to be the best fighter in the world today. It’s a serious debate among boxing pundits.

Is he Japan’s best fighter ever?

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) takes another step toward immortality when he meets Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank and Ohashi Promotions card.

Inoue defends the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.

This is Inoue’s third defense of the undisputed super bantamweight division that he won when he defeated Philippines’ Marlon Tapales in December 2023.

Japan has always been a fighting nation, a country derived from a warrior culture like Mexico, England, Russia, Germany and a few others. Professional boxing has always thrived in Japan.

My first encounter with Japanese fighters took place in March 1968 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was my first visit to the famous boxing venue, though my father had performed there during the 1950s. I was too young to attend any of his fights and then he retired.

The main event featured featherweights Jose Pimentel of Mexico against Sho Saijo of Japan. Both had fought a month earlier with the Mexican from Jalisco winning by split decision.

Pimentel was a friend of my female cousin and gave my father tickets to the fight. My family loved boxing as most Latino families worldwide do, including those in the USA. It’s a fact that most sports editors for newspapers and magazines fail to realize. Latinos love boxing.

We arrived late at the boxing venue located on Grand Avenue and 18th street. My father was in construction and needed to pick me up in East L.A. near Garfield High School. Fights were already underway when we arrived at the Olympic Auditorium.

It was a packed arena and our seats were fairly close to the boxing ring. As the fighters were introduced and descended to the ring, respectful applause greeted Saijo. He had nearly defeated Pimentel in their first clash a month earlier in this same venue. Los Angeles fans respect warriors. Saijo was a warrior.

Both fighters fought aggressively with skill. Every round it seemed Saijo got stronger and Pimentel got weaker. After 10 strong rounds of back-and-forth action, Saijo was declared the winner this time. Some fans booed but most agreed that the Japanese fighter was stronger on this day. And he was stronger still when they met a third time in 1969 when Saijo knocked out Pimentel in the second round for the featherweight world title.

That was my first time witnessing Japan versus Mexico. Over the decades, I’ve seen many clashes between these same two countries and always expect riveting battles from Japanese fighters.

I was in the audience in Cancun, Mexico when then WBC super featherweight titlist Takashi Miura clashed with Sergio Thompson for 12 rounds in intense heat in a covered bull ring. After that fight that saw three knockdowns between them, the champion, though victorious, was taken out on a stretcher due to dehydration.

There are so many others going back to Fighting Harada in the 1960s that won championships. And what about all the other Japanese fighters who never got the opportunity to fight for a world title due to the distance from America and Europe?

Its impossible to determine if Inoue is the greatest Japanese fighter ever. But without a doubt, he is the most famous. Publications worldwide include him on lists of the top three fighters Pound for Pound.

Few experts are familiar with Korea’s Kim, but expect a battle nonetheless. These two countries are rivals in Asian boxing.

Golden Boy at Commerce Casino

Middleweights Eric Priest and Tyler Howard lead a Golden Boy Promotions fight card on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Commerce Casino in Commerce, CA. DAZN will stream the boxing card.

All ticket money will go to the Los Angele Fire Department Foundation.

Kansas-based Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) meets Tennessee’s Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in the main event in a match set for 10 rounds.

Others on the card are super welterweights Jordan Panthen (10-0) and Grant Flores (7-0) in separate bouts and super lightweight Cayden Griffith seeking a third consecutive win. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Diego Pacheco at Las Vegas

Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) defends his regional titles against Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

It’s not an easy fight for Pacheco.

“I’ve been fighting for six years as a professional and I’m 22-0 and I’m 23 years old. I feel I’m stepping into my prime now,” said Pacheco, who trains with Jose Benavidez.

Also on the card is Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz and Southern California’s dangerous super lightweight contender Ernesto Mercado in separate fights.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Thurs. DAZN 6 p.m. Eric Priest (14-0) vs Tyler Howard (20-2).

Fri. ESPN+ 1:15 a.m. Naoya Inoue (28-0) vs Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2).

Sat. DAZN 9:15 a.m. Dalton Smith (16-0) vs Walid Ouizza (19-2); Ellie Scotney (9-0) vs Mea Motu (20-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (22-0) vs Steve Nelson (20-0).

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