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The Avila Perspective, Chap. 45: Looking Back at Danny Roman, Vegas Notes and More

Traffic congestion in Los Angeles rates among the worst in the world. Yet, those who struggled through murderous traffic to see last week’s fight card on a late Friday afternoon were rewarded with the top boxing card this year.
It was a thriller.
Except for one dud, the entire Forum fight card showcased enough action to make frustrated drivers forget the crunching L.A. traffic nightmares to get to Inglewood. One major drawback was the $30 parking cost. What the..?
But the multiple championship fights, especially the super bantamweight and super flyweight world title fights, were blazing.
The L.A. area finally has another local hero in Danny “The Baby Face Assassin” Roman. His super bantamweight world title unification match with Ireland’s TJ Doheny probably woke up the ghosts of past champions who fought there.
First, anytime you match a Mexican against an Irishman you are going to get the real deal. I’m sure the late Don Chargin was watching from above and smiling at the matchup. In his days at the Olympic Auditorium he would often pit Irish fighters like Frankie Crawford and Art Hafey against Mexican pugilists such as Bobby Chacon and Ruben Olivares. They were guaranteed to light up the arena.
Roman (on the left) and Doheny did not disappoint. It was like watching the Academy Awards for prizefighting and these two 122-pounders delivered every ounce of guts into their performance. It was perfectly amazing.
It’s what fans truly want. They want to be amazed and inspired and they got it from Doheny who rose from two knockdowns and from Roman who was reeling from those rocket lefts delivered from the Irish fighter. This was prizefighting at its best.
The Matchroom Boxing card assisted by Thompson Boxing Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions put their heads together and amassed one of the most thrilling fight shows I’ve seen in years.
Believe me. The several thousand fight fans that tortured themselves driving across town to watch this card will do it again and bring their friends. And those fans watching on DAZN, more than got their money’s worth.
So what’s next?
Las Vegas
The once boxing capital of the world has been relegated to two big weekends a year now. Some blame the Nevada State Athletic Commission for making it difficult to stage big fights and others blame the promoters who refuse to match their top fighters against each other.
Cinco de Mayo weekend remains a big time of the year for boxing and here comes Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs in a middleweight unification match at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday May 4.
Unification is in the air and that’s a good thing for boxing fans.
Nobody wants multiple world champions in the same weight class. Fans can’t remember the true champion nowadays and that’s a bad thing. Imagine baseball fans not knowing who won the World Series.
“Every single one of my fights is important. Every single fight marks history for me. It’s another check. (Jacobs) is the second best middleweight in the world, so it’s another step in that direction, to keep writing my history,” said Alvarez.
Canelo has risen to the top of the boxing world but it’s a tenuous hold. In Mexico he’s loved and hated simultaneously and that spells big numbers in viewership. Jacobs has a decent following but nothing compared to Canelo. Can he attract viewers to DAZN’s fan base remains the big question.
“It’s the biggest fight that can be made, especially at the middleweight division. I’m looking forward to displaying great skill Saturday night and I’m looking forward to being victorious,” said Jacobs.
One other intriguing match on Saturday’s T-Mobile card features young power-hitter Vergil Ortiz facing veteran Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera in a super lightweight clash set for 10 rounds. Both fighters train in different parts of Riverside, Calif. which has become boxing central for the area known as the Inland Empire which is east of Los Angeles County.
It’s new school versus old school once again.
Ortiz (12-0, 12 KOs) has never won by decision. All of his previous foes have been stopped before the final round. He’s 12 for 12 when it comes to knockouts. The lean tall Texan trains with Robert Garcia in the hills of Riverside. He has power in both fists and stamina to boot. If he wore a black hat he would be the villain, but in actuality he’s a nice kid with musical talent. He plays a mean guitar when not busting heads.
“I’m definitely one of the hardest workers in boxing, and May 4, it’s going to show. I’m not going to get tired. I’m going to show that I can go even more rounds,” said Ortiz about fighting a veteran like Herrera.
Herrera (24-8) trains in other Riverside hills nearby and has been fighting world champions since his third year as a professional. Despite fighting world beaters like “Mighty Mike” Anchondo, Ruslan Provodnikov, Mike Alvarado and Danny “Swift” Garcia, he has never been stopped. Most experts swear he defeated Garcia back in March 2014 in Puerto Rico and should have been wearing those world title belts. It’s one of the most egregious decisions ever rendered. They don’t call Herrera “El Maestro” for nothing. He’s slick, smart and tough as they come.
“It doesn’t mean nothing, it doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t care what he does. It’s what I’m going to do. I don’t care about his record,” said Herrera, 38. “I just want to go out there and give it my best and give a good fight to the crowd and come out with a win.”
Last weekend a similar matchup in women’s prizefighting took place with undefeated Selina Barrios losing to veteran fighter Melissa Hernandez. Will history repeat again this week?
It should be a very interesting match between Ortiz and Herrera.
Hard Rock Hotel
Golden Boy Promotions has a boxing card featuring mostly middleweights at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday May 2. Doors open at 2 p.m.
Canada’s Steven Butler (26-1-1) meets Vitalii Kopylenko (28-1) of Ukraine in a middleweight clash set for 10 rounds on the main event.
Butler, 23, fights out of Montreal and needs a win to move up the ladder to contention. Kopylenko, 35, trains in Oxnard and needs a win to stay relevant in the prizefighting world. Something has got to give.
Also on the fight card is local fighter Francisco Esparza (9-0-1) in a 10-round featherweight fight with Aram Avagyan (8-0-1) for the WBC Silver title. It’s Avagyan’s first fight outside of Russia.
Stockton
An IBF super flyweight world title fight between champion Jerwin Ancajas (30-1-2) of the Philippines and Japan’s Ryuichi Funai (31-7) will be held Saturday May 4, at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. The Top Rank fight card will be streamed on ESPN+.
Ancajas, 27, a southpaw, fought to a draw in his last fight against Alejandro Barrios at the Oracle Arena in Oakland last September. Funai, 33, is getting his first shot at a world title and is fighting for the first time outside of Japan. It should be interesting.
Battles between the Philippines and Japan are always pretty intense.
Fallen Fighter
Izaac Colunga, 25, is still recovering from a gunshot wound incurred more than a month ago while at a party in Riverside, Calif. The tragedy took place on March 3. The super featherweight prospect was attending a party and sitting inside a home when someone riding outside in a car shot into the house where people were gathered. Colunga was hit by the gunfire and immediately taken to a nearby hospital. Currently he is in a rehabilitation center in Colorado. He just had his birthday yesterday on April 30.
Colunga was part of famed trainer Robert Garcia’s team and had recently fought in San Bernardino on Mikey Garcia’s first boxing card. He won by first round knockout. Now the Colunga family seeks helps with his hospital costs. A Go Fund Me page has been created for those wishing to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/team-colunga
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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