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The Avila Perspective Chap. 11: Busy Weekend, Title Fights and Old Warriors
It’s beginning to be a cliché.
Southern California and its neighboring state Arizona are staging a gang of fight cards beginning Thursday and continuing through Saturday. Once again boxing cards are stacking up like cars during rush hour in downtown L.A.
A pipeline of boxers continues its stream from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America to places like Phoenix, Rancho Mirage, Ontario, Corona and Costa Mesa this week to join local fighters in the sport of prizefighting.
Let those fight parties begin.
Costa Mesa
On Thursday, Aug. 23, Roy Englebrecht Events stages a fight card featuring Uzbekistan boxer Murodjon Akhmadaliev (3-0) meeting Chile’s Ramon Contreras (15-6) in a 12- round fight for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental super bantamweight title at the OC Hangar in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Several other fights are planned on the boxing card that begins at 7 p.m. For more information go to: www.Socafights.com.
Englebrecht has been promoting fight cards for more than 20 years now. His team also works with Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions, GGG Promotions and K2 Promotions. They have a strong conduit with European prizefighters. The next Gennady Golovkin might be one of those guys fighting on Thursday. You just never know.
Heavyweights in Corona, Calif.
On Friday Aug. 24, Thompson Boxing Promotions provides its now annual outdoor boxing card at Omega Products International in Corona.
Headlining the event will be Russian heavyweight Andrey Fedosov (30-3, 25 KOs) meeting Mexico’s Miguel Cubos (11-18, 8 KOs) in an eight round bout.
Despite winning the ESPN Boxcino heavyweight tournament back in May 2015, and capturing the WBA Fedelatin title in 2016, Fedosov can’t seem to find someone willing to face him. Enter Thompson Boxing which has the heavyweight headlining the card. The Russian’s last loss was to Bryant Jennings in 2013 due to a cut.
Heavyweights are a valuable commodity and always have been. With the heavyweight division wide open more than a few promoters are jumping into the action. Thompson Boxing wants in too. Fedosov has six consecutive knockout wins.
Also on the same card, another heavyweight match showcases Elvis Garcia (3-0) versus Oswaldo Ortega (3-8). For more information call (714) 935-0900. The fight card begins at 7:45 p.m.
Top Rank – ESPN+
Two world championship bouts take place on Saturday Aug. 25, in Glendale, Arizona as WBO lightweight titlist Raymundo Beltran (35-7-1, 21 KOs) makes his first title defense against Puerto Rico’s Jose Pedraza (24-1, 12 KOs). Pedraza (pictured) is a sharpshooting former world titlist who lost to Gervonta Davis. It’s not an easy fight for either.
Beltran’s road to the world title has been a long arduous journey filled with disappointments and sadness. When he fought Ricky Burns in Scotland to a draw in 2013, many, even those from that country felt Beltran had done more than enough to win. Then, his failure to make weight against Takahro Ao in 2015 for the world title was further clouded despite winning when he failed a drug test. Now 37, does Beltran still have enough?
The other world title clash pits WBO super bantamweight titlist Isaac Dogboe (19-0, 13 KOs) in his first title defense against Japan’s Hidenori Otake (31-2-3, 14 KOs). This is Otake’s second attempt at a world title. He lost to Scott Quigg in 2014 and at age 37 it’s probably his last try at a strap. Meanwhile Dogboe, 23, got off the canvas to beat up and take the title from Jessie Magdaleno last April.
Both world title bouts take place at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona and will be shown on ESPN+.
Also on the same card will be super talented Mikaela Mayer (6-0) versus Edina Kiss (14-7) in a six round super featherweight clash.
Rancho Mirage
On Saturday, Aug. 5, World Fighting Championships brings another boxing card to the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and features almost a dozen pro bouts and several amateur bouts.
The main event pits undefeated Francisco Ochoa (11-0) versus Eduardo Reyes (9-13) in a six round super bantamweight battle.
Most of the prizefighters are young prospects from the Inland Empire region that stretches from Pomona, California to the desert areas of Coachella, Calif. There’s plenty of boxing talent.
Desert Action
Speaking of desert casinos, what is it about Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio that brings out the best fight in prizefighting?
Last week’s battle of machismo between Andrew Cancio and Dardan Zenunaj in a super featherweight clash was epic. It was a year ago in August that another such battle took place when Mauricio Herrera and Jesus Soto Karass engaged in a similar fistic war. Crowds actually stood and cheered for both fighters in this year’s and last year’s affair.
Also on last week’s same Fantasy Springs fight card was Japan’s Yoshihiro Kamegai who received a very warm welcome from fight fans before he fought. It’s a marked example that warriors are never forgotten by real fight fans.
Kamegai gave his heart and soul to the fans when he fought Miguel Cotto and Jesus Soto Karass the past two years. Though he lost to Greg Vendetti by decision, fans gathered around the tunnel to sign autographs with the Japanese warrior.
Fighters like Kamegai, Zenunaj, and Cancio carry the torch passed on by other warriors from the past such as Cantu Robleto, Speedy Dado and Midget Wolgast in the 1930s to Gaspar Ortega, Jerry Quarry, and Scrap Iron Johnson in the late 1960s. None of these were world champions, but they fought with every fiber and it’s a reason that Southern California has become the world’s heart and soul of boxing.
Speaking of Scrap Iron Johnson, aside from having one of the coolest nicknames, if you ever saw him fight he was like a human tree stump. He could take a punch and many a heavyweight knew that. Johnson fought almost everyone in the heavyweight division except Muhammad Ali. Though he had more losses than wins in his career, anyone who fought and defeated old Scrap Iron knew they had passed a major test. Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Quarry in particular had major clashes with Johnson.
Sadly, Johnson passed away two years ago in Oklahoma City. He was a true warrior and his legions of fans still remember him. As mentioned before, warriors are never forgotten.
Photo credit: Peter Amador / Top Rank
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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO
Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO
LAS VEGAS-Shades of Henry Armstrong and Baby Arizmendi. If you don’t know those names, look them up.
Floyd Schofield battled his way past Mexico’s super tough Rene Tellez Giron who walked through every blow the Texan could fire but lost by decision on Saturday.
It was a severe test and perfect matchmaking for Schofield who yearns for the big bouts against the lightweight giants roaming the world.
Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) remains undefeated and won the war over thick-necked Mexican Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) who has never been knocked out and proved to be immune to big punches.
In the opening rounds, the Texas fighter came out firing rapid combinations from the southpaw and orthodox stances. Meanwhile the shorter Tellez Giron studied and fired back an occasional counter for two rounds.
Tellez Giron had seen enough and took his stand in the third stanza. Both unleashed blazing bombs with Schofield turning his back to the Mexican. At that moment referee Tom Taylor could have waved the fight over.
You never turn your back.
The fight resumed and Schofield was damaged. He tried to open up with even more deadly fire but was rebuked by the strong chin of Tellez Giron who fired back in the mad frenzy.
For the remainder of the fight Schofield tried every trick in his arsenal to inflict damage on the thick-necked Mexican. He could not be wobbled. In the 11th round both opened up with serious swing-from-the-heels combinations and suddenly Schofield was looking up. He beat the count easily and the two remained slugging it out.
“He hit me with a good shot,” Schofield said of the knockdown. “I just had to get up. I’m not going to quit.”
In the final round Schofield moved around looking for the proper moment to engage. The Mexican looked like a cat ready to pounce and the two fired furious blows. Neither was hit with the big bombs in the last seconds.
There was Tellez Giron standing defiantly like Baby Arizmendi must have stood in those five ferocious meetings against the incomparable Henry Armstrong. Three of their wars took place in Los Angeles, two at the Olympic Auditorium in the late 1930s as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression.
In this fight, Schofield took the win by unanimous decision by scores 118-109 twice and 116-111. It was well-deserved.
“I tried to bang it out,” said Schofield. “Today I learned you can’t always get the knockout.”
Fundora
IBF flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora needed seven rounds to figure out the darting style of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz before firing a laser left cross down the middle to end the battle and become the undisputed flyweight world champion.
Fundora now holds all four titles including the WBO, WBA and WBC titles that Alaniz brought in the ring.
Fundora knocked down Alaniz midway through the seventh round. She complained it was due to a tangle of the legs. Several seconds later Fundora blasted the Argentine to the floor again with a single left blast. This time there was no doubt. Her corner wisely waved a white towel to stop the fight at 1:40 of the seventh round.
No one argued the stoppage.
Other Bouts
Bektemir Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) didn’t make weight in a title bout but managed to out-fight David Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) in a super middleweight fight held at 12 rounds.
Melikuziev used his movement and southpaw stance to keep Pennsylvania’s Stevens from being able to connect with combinations. But Stevens did show he could handle “The Bully’s” punching power over the 12-round fight.
After 12 rounds one judge favored Stevens 116-112, while two others saw Melikuziev the winner by split decision 118-110 and 117-111.
Super middleweight WBA titlist Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) pummeled his way to a technical knockout win over southpaw veteran Chris Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs) who attempted the rope-a-dope strategy to no avail.
Fulghum floored Pearson in the first round with a four-punch combination and after that just belted Pearson who covered up and fired an occasional blow. Referee Mike Perez stopped the fight at 1:02 of the third round when Pearson did not fire back after a blazing combination.
Young welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) blasted away at the three-inch shorter Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) who hung tough for as long as possible. At 2:50 of the first round a one-two delivered Madrid to the floor and referee Thomas Taylor called off the beating.
Iriarte, from Bakersfield, Calif., could not miss with left uppercuts and short rights as New Mexico’s Madrid absorbed every blow but would not quit. It was just too much firepower from Iriarte that forced the stoppage.
Photos credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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Results and Recaps from Turning Stone where O’Shaquie Foster Nipped Robson Conceicao
Top Rank was at the Turning Stone casino-resort in Verona, New York, tonight with an 8-bout card topped by a rematch between Robson Conceicao and O’Shaquie Foster with the victor retaining or recapturing his IBF world junior lightweight title. When the smoke cleared, the operative word was “recapturing” as Foster became a two-time title-holder, avenging his controversial setback to the Brazilian in Newark on July 6.
This was a somewhat better fight than their initial encounter and once again the verdict was split. Foster prevailed by 115-113 on two of the cards with the dissenting judge favoring Conceicao by the same margin. Conceicao seemingly had the edge after nine frames, but Foster, a 4/1 favorite, landed the harder shots in the championship rounds.
It was the thirteenth victory in the last 14 starts for Foster who fights out of Houston. A two-time Olympian and 2016 gold medalist, the 36-year-old Conceicao is 19-3-1 overall and 1-3-1 in world title fights.
Semi-wind-up
SoCal lightweight Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) made a big jump in public esteem and moved one step closer to a world title fight with a second-round blast-out of Jose Antonio Perez who was on the canvas twice but on his feet when the fight was stopped at the 1:24 mark of round two. Muratalla, a product of Robert Garcia’s boxing academy, is ranked #2 by the WBC and WBO. A Tijuana native, Perez (25-6) earned this assignment with an upset of former Olympian and former 130-pound world titlist Jojo Diaz,
Other Bouts
Syracuse junior welterweight Bryce Mills, a high-pressure fighter with a strong local following, stopped scrawny Mike O’Han Jr whose trainer Mark DeLuca pulled him out after five one-sided rounds. Mills improved to 17-1 (6 KOs). It was another rough day at the office for Massachusetts house painting contractor O’’Han (19-4) who had the misfortune of meeting Abdullah Mason in his previous bout.
In a junior lightweight fight that didn’t heat up until late in the final round, Albany’s Abraham Nova (23-3-1) and Tijuana native Humberto Galindo (14-3-3) fought to a 10-round draw. It was another close-but-no- cigar for the likeable Nova who at least stemmed a two-fight losing streak. The judges had it 97-93 (Galindo), 96-94 (Nova) and 95-95.
Twenty-one-year-old Long Island middleweight Jahi Tucker advanced to 13-1-1 (6 KOs) with an eighth-round stoppage of Stockton’s teak-tough but outclassed Quilisto Madera (14-6). Madera was on a short leash after five rounds, but almost took it to the final bell with the referee intervening with barely a minute remaining in the contest. Madera was on his feet when the match was halted. Earlier in the round, Tucker had a point deducted for hitting on the break.
Danbury, Connecticut heavyweight Ali Feliz, one of two fighting sons of journeyman heavyweight Fernely Feliz, improved to 4-0 (3) with a second-round stoppage of beefy Rashad Coulter (5-5). Feliz had Coulter pinned against the ropes and was flailing away when the bout was halted at the 1:34 mark. The 42-year-old Coulter, a competitor in all manner of combat sports, hadn’t previously been stopped when competing as a boxer.
Featherweight Yan Santana dominated and stopped Mexico’s Eduardo Baez who was rescued by referee Charlie Fitch at the 1:57 mark of round four. It was the 12th knockout in 13 starts for Santana, a 24-year-old Dominican father of three A former world title challenger, Mexicali’s Baez declines to 23-7-2 but has lost six of his last eight.
In his most impressive showing to date, Damian Knyba, a six-foot-seven Pole, knocked out paunchy Richard Lartey at the 2:10 mark of round three. A right-left combination knocked Lartey into dreamland, but it was the right did the damage and this was of the nature of a one-punch knockout. Referee Ricky Gonzalez waived the fight off without starting a count.
Knyba, 28, improved to 14-0 (8 KOs). A native of Ghana coming off his career-best win, a fourth-round stoppage of Polish veteran Andrzej Wawrzyk, Lartey declined to 16-7 with his sixth loss inside the distance.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More
Those lightweights.
Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.
Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.
Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.
Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left) is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.
“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.
Even in Las Vegas.
Verona, New York
Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.
Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.
“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.
Foster disagrees.
“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.
Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).
Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.
“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.
Muratalla likes challenges too.
“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.
Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship
WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.
Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.
But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.
“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.
In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.
Bad choice for Mucino.
Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.
Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.
Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.
Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.
“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.
It should be exciting.
Fights to Watch
Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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