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The Avila Perspective, Chapter 11: Superfly3 and More

SANTA MONICA, Calif.-Every time the word “Superfly” is mentioned it brings back memories of the 1972 film of the same name starring the late Ron O’Neal and that timeless music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield:
“Oh, Superfly
You’re gonna make your fortune by and by
But if you lose, don’t ask no questions why
The only game you know is Do or Die
Ah-ha-ha.”
Those words and music were not meant for Superfly3, the upcoming fight card at the Forum in Inglewood on Saturday Sept. 8, but fit perfectly in tone. HBO will telecast the 360 Promotions show that features those little but mighty super flyweights.
Does it matter that almost all the fighters come from other countries to fight in Inglewood, a suburban city surrounded by Los Angeles?
Apparently not.
In the previous two Superfly fight cards large crowds first gathered last September 2017 to see Nicaragua’s Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Then this past February they gathered again to see Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
One fighter Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico returns and remains the common denominator on all three Superfly cards. So far all have been successful as a ticket seller and as a televised fight card.
“It all started with Chocolatito,” said Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions. “There’s an excitement with the smaller weights that fans like.”
1960s
Inglewood Forum has always been a haven for smaller weight prizefighters going back to 1968, less than a year after the indoor arena was built by Jack Kent Cooke.
Bantamweights roamed the Los Angeles landscape and were as plentiful as the thousands of California bears that greeted the first Europeans in the late 1700s. South Africans, Aussies, Mexicans and other Latin American countries often were represented in boxing cards at the Forum.
During the late 1960s the Latino population was not nearly as heavy as today which tops over 50 percent of the 10 million people living in the L.A. County area. But fans of boxing, regardless of ethnicity, would show up to watch guys like Ruben Olivares, Lionel Rose and many others.
Today, despite an abundance of entertainment activities and various sports teams like the Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Chargers, Kings, Ducks, and college giants like UCLA and USC, the sport of boxing still thrives and grows like those Spanish river weeds that are spreading in the Southern California rivers.
Boxing just can’t be stopped.
360 Promotions has gambled successfully that fans in the area would come to the fights despite a multitude of entertainment options in Southern California.
Filipino standout Donnie Nietes (41-1-4, 23 KOs) vies for a third world title in a third weight division when he meets fellow Filipino Aston Palicte (24-2, 20 KOs) for the vacant WBO super flyweight world title at the Forum.
Nietes, 36, already has flyweight and light flyweight world titles draped in his closet and now he’s gunning for his third against a heavy-hitting and much younger fighter in Palicte. Look for the veteran to entice Palicte into mistakes with patient probes and traps. He’s a master at setting traps then pouncing on his foes. But is age creeping up on him?
Another super flyweight bout features Mexican star Juan Francisco Estrada (36-3) who lost a close majority decision to the aforementioned Sor Rungvisai last February at the same Forum. Now the Mexican from Hermosillo meets another Mexican named Felipe Orucuta (36-4, 30 KOs) from Mexico City. If Estrada prevails, then a matchup with the Nietes-Palicte winner looks inevitable and explosive. But neither fight is a slam dunk.
Female Title Fight
Former light flyweight world titlist Louisa Hawton (8-1) is dropping down a weight division to meet Tijuana, Mexico’s Brenda Flores for the vacant WBC atom weight world title at the Forum.
Both Hawton, 33, and Flores, 25, are mothers of two children. They’ll clash for 10 rounds to see who walks away with the world title. This is Flores first true attempt at a world title. A previous meeting for an interim title at light flyweight ended in a decision loss to Silvia Torres last December in Mexico City. Hawton shows strength and speed and looks eager to win another strap.
Brooklyn
Former world champions Danny “Swift” Garcia and Shawn “Showtime” Porter clash at Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the vacant WBC welterweight world title on Saturday Sept. 8. Showtime will televise.
It’s an even match between two welters who can take a punch. Garcia is the counterpuncher and Porter the pressure fighter. It’s a good one.
On the same card Amanda Serrano (34-1-1) chases a sixth world title in as many weight divisions when she faces Argentina’s Yamila Reynoso (11-4-3) for the vacant WBO super lightweight world title. A win by the Puerto Rican knockout artist snaps a tie she has with Layla McCarter and Naoko Fujioka who also have five world titles in five weight divisions.
Serrano, 29, fights as low as 118 pounds and now zooms up to 140. That’s a battle in itself. Her fight will be streamed on Showtime’s YouTube and Facebook page.
Neeco
One last word about Neeco Macias who fought at Fantasy Springs Casino and dominated Marvin Cabrera in a super welterweight fight.
Macias unloaded near record-breaking number of punches when he stopped Cabrera last Saturday. He averaged more than 190 blows each round. It was a staggering amount of punches and he just might be perfect for Mexico’s Jaime Munguia who has the WBO super welterweight world title.
Both Macias and Munguia lack the finer technical aspects of boxing but thrive on overwhelming their opponents with blows and more blows. Munguia probably hits harder but Macias will stay in his grill and never ever stop punching.
It’s just a thought.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th 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.
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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
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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
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