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Avila Perspective, Chap. 50: Chicano Heavyweight Champion Andy Ruiz
Chicano Power!
That was the 1960s rallying cry from those born of Mexican descent decades ago and it seems appropriate for Andy Ruiz Jr. after his knockout victory to claim the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles in New York City this past weekend.
Anything can happen in boxing.
Ruiz, 29, was born and raised in Imperial, California near the Mexican border and in lieu of the long hyphenated tag given to descendants of Mexican parents, I’m using the political term used since before the 1960s when “Chicano” was a word used to describe those born to Mexican parents but living in the U.S.
Whether Ruiz (pictured; that’s head trainer Manny Robles on the left) is called Chicano or Mexican-American he is indeed one of the heavyweight world titlists and has three of the four major jeweled belts to prove it.
“I can’t believe I just made my dreams come true,” said Ruiz just after winning. “I just feel so good, man.”
Long after the doors had closed at Madison Square Garden, the new champion could be seen on social media outlets signing autographs and taking selfies with hundreds of fans at 2 a.m. in the morning. That’s what it means to be the first Chicano heavyweight world champion.
Instead of Chicano riots in the streets of East L.A. or Denver, San Antonio or Albuquerque, as seen in the late 60s and 70s, we now have heavyweight prizefighters go out to battle for world titles. Who would have thought?
Usually Chicanos were too small to fight as heavyweights back in the 1960s or 70s. Sure we had some big Chicanos like Mike Munoz the NFL All Pro lineman but he was a rarity.
In the past, heavyweights of Mexican descent like Manuel Ramos tried to match blows with heavyweight champion Joe Frazier for the New York version when Muhammad Ali was suspended in the 60s. Ramos was knocked out by “Smokin Joe” at Madison Square Garden in June 1968.
Ramos also fought heavyweight contenders like George Chuvalo, Joe Bugner, Oscar Bonavena and Ron Lyle but lost to them all.
Another Chicano heavyweight was East L.A’s Eddie “The Animal” Lopez who fared better and fought former world champion Leon Spinks to a draw after 10 rounds in a Las Vegas fight in March 1980. He also fought and lost by decision to Gerry Cooney and John Tate.
Lopez was as rough as they come and called out Muhammad Ali during a Beverly Hills press conference. The heavyweight from East L.A. fought professionally 30 times with only four losses but never got a world title shot. He was built much like Ruiz and was known for his numerous gang tattoos in a time when they were not common.
The Chicano generation closed the 1980s without any title contender until Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola arrived in the 2000s.
Born and raised in East L.A. he later moved to Riverside and became a heavyweight contender after riveting wins in the early 2000s and was signed by Al Haymon and the late great Dan Goossen. Arreola first fought for the heavyweight world title in the summer of 2009 against Vitali Klitschko at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He lost by stoppage and later made another two failed world title attempts against Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder.
It was during preparation for Stiverne that I first saw the new champion Ruiz trade blows with someone of high caliber.
Indian Willie
The first time I ever got a glimpse of Ruiz was in his pro debut in Tijuana, Mexico. He was one of the openers for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Plaza de Toros near the beach on March 2009. The fight didn’t last long, but Ruiz showed off those quick hands that surprised most of the fans who were not expecting much from the chubby youngster.
Few Americans saw the fight card out of fear of crossing the border and getting caught in the crossfire between warring drug factions. Those that took the risk benefitted in watching Chavez and also getting a glimpse of Ruiz. I made a note of the heavyweight. I also received a personal note from the mayor of Tijuana for being the only American newspaper journalist to cover the boxing card despite the danger. I was even mentioned in their daily newspaper as proof that Tijuana was no longer dangerous.
The next time I saw Ruiz was at his American debut at the Honda Center on the Top Rank undercard that saw Humberto Soto win the WBC lightweight world title against Southern California’s Urbano Antillon. Another on that December 2010 Top Rank card was Mikey Garcia. Both Ruiz and Garcia won by knockout that night. A few journalists commented on Ruiz’s showing.
“He’s got fast hands,” said German Villasenor a journalist for Maxboxing.com
Indeed.
Arreola was the Chicano heavyweight contender ranked high on most lists. All of the attention was directed toward the Riverside fighter who used to train at Willie Schunke’s gym in the area known now as Jurupa Valley. Most boxing people called Schunke “Indian Willie” because of his Native American roots and because there was another Willie in Riverside: trainer Willie Silva who coached Carlos Bojorquez, Mauricio Herrera and Jose Reynoso.
One day as I walked into Indian Willie’s gym I spotted Ruiz wrapping his hands. He was going to spar against Arreola so I got a good place to watch the action.
Now Arreola has pretty good hand speed for a heavyweight and could always take a punch. But I also knew Ruiz had what seemed to be faster hands. I wanted to see how he would do against Arreola when trading blows. The two had some furious exchanges with Arreola gracious as always saying that “Andy was for real.”
Later, I sat down with trainer Henry Ramirez, journalist Bill O’Neill and trainer Schunke. They all said the same thing. O’Neill and Schunke are no longer with us. Both passed away more than a year ago. Only Ramirez is still around.
“I think this kid can do something,” said Ramirez after watching him crash punches on Arreola and receive some too. “He has those fast hands.”
The big question as always with talented young fighters: Can he take a punch from a heavyweight champion?
Last Saturday we finally got our answer when Ruiz got up after getting knocked down and dropped Anthony Joshua four times.
“I remember when he first walked into our gym Lincoln with his dad. Andy was probably around 17. They asked if they could spar with Chris,” said Ramirez, adding that it was the first of many sparring sessions with Ruiz. “We knew he could do something if he could take a punch. We found out.”
“I’m really glad for the kid. He did something that you can never take away no matter what he does in the future,” said Ramirez
Yes, he did. Ruiz is the first Chicano to win the heavyweight world title.
Saturday So Cal boxing
All Star Boxing presents a fight card at the Commerce Casino on Saturday, June 8, featuring undefeated Damien Lopez facing Moris Rodriguez in a welterweight main event.
Lopez, 23, fights out of the North Hollywood area and has slowly risen up the ranks with an aggressive but skilled style.
Also on the boxing card will be undefeated super welterweight Martin Saldana and another welterweight prospect Arthur Saakyan. Several other bouts are scheduled on the boxing card that begins at 6 p.m. For more information call (323) 816- 6200.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel
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Bakhodir Jalolov Returns on Thursday in Another Disgraceful Mismatch
How good is Bakhodir Jalolov? Some would argue that in terms of pure talent, the six-foot-seven southpaw from Uzbekistan who has knocked out all 14 of his opponents since turning pro, is better than any heavyweight you can name. Others say that this can’t possibly be true or his braintrust wouldn’t keep feeding him junk food. Jalolov has been brought along as gingerly as Christopher Lovejoy who was exposed as a fraud after running up a skein of 19 straight fast knockouts,
One thing that’s indisputable is that Jalolov was one of the best amateurs to come down the pike in recent memory. A three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, Jalolov won 58 of his last 59 amateur bouts. The exception was a match in which he did not compete which translated into a win by walkover for his opponent, countryman Lazizbek Mullojonov.
The circumstances are vague. Was Jalolov a no-show because of an injury or illness or a technicality? Amateur boxing, save in a few places or in an Olympic year, is the quintessential niche sport. The mainstream media does not cover it.
What we do know, thanks to boxrec, is that Jalolov caught up with Mullojonov in May of last year in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk and won a split decision. And Mollojonov was no slouch. He too won a gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the heavyweight division to give the powerful Uzbekistan contingent the championship in the two heaviest weight classes.
Jalolov, whose late father was a champion free-style wrestler, has answered the bell as a pro for only 35 rounds. The Belgian-Congolese campaigner Jack Mulowayi came closest to taking the big Uzbek the distance, lasting into the eighth round of an 8-round fight. But when Jalolov closed the show, he did it with a highlight reel knockout, knocking Mulowayi into dreamland with a vicious left hook.
The KO was reminiscent of Jalolov’s most talked-about win as an amateur, his first-round blast-out of Richard Torrez Jr at a tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019. Torrez, knocked out cold with a left hook, left the ring on a stretcher and was removed to a hospital for evaluation.
This was the first AIBA-sanctioned international tournament in which pros were allowed to compete and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was incensed, calling the match-up “criminal” in a tweet that was widely circulated. (Jalolov then had six pro fights under his belt.) They would meet again in the finals of the Tokyo Olympiad with the Uzbek winning a unanimous decision.
Perhaps there will be a third meeting down the road. When Jared Anderson was roughed-up and stopped by Martin Bakole, Torrez Jr (currently 12-0, 11 KOs) vaulted ahead of him on the list of the top home-grown American heavyweights. But Torrez Jr, a short-armed heavyweight who overcomes his physical limitations with a windmill offense, would be a heavy underdog should they ever meet again.
Bakhodir Jalolov’s last bout before heading off to Paris was against the obscure South African Chris Thompson. His match on Thursday at the Montreal Casino in Montreal pits him against an obscure 33-year-old Frenchman, David Spilmont.
Spilmont’s last two opponents were the same guy, an undersized Lithuanian slug who has lost 36 of his 41 documented fights. It seems almost inevitable that Spilmont will suffer the same fate as Thompson who was KOed in the first round.
There’s talk that Jalolov doesn’t really care how far he advances at the professional level; that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where he would have an opportunity to become only the fourth boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, joining the immortal Teofilo Stevenson, Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp, and Cuban standout Felix Savon. Were he to accomplish the hat trick, they would build monuments to him in Uzbekistan. But, if that is his mindset, he’s skating on thin ice. There’s no guarantee that boxing will be on the docket at the Los Angeles Games and, if so, the powers-that-be may choose to roll back the calendar to the days when the competition was off-limits to anyone with professional experience.
While it’s true that Jalolov needs to work off some rust, a pox on promoter Camille Estephan and his enabler, the Quebec Boxing Commission, for not dredging up a more credible opponent than the grossly overmatched David Spilmont.
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Jalolov vs. Spilmont is ostensibly the co-feature. The main event is a 10-round junior welterweight clash between Movladdin “Arthur” Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KOs) and Spilmont stablemate Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KOs). Undefeated light heavyweights Albert Ramirez and Mehmet Unal will appear in separate bouts on the undercard. The Feb. 6 event, currently consisting of seven bouts, will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
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Claressa Shields Powers to Undisputed Heavyweight Championship
Claressa Shields blasted her way to the undisputed heavyweight championship and nearly knocked out challenger Danielle Perkins in the final seconds, but settled for a win by unanimous decision on Sunday.
Yes, she can punch.
“I just feel overwhelmed and so happy.” Shields said.
Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) proved that even the super athletic Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs), a true heavyweight, could not stop her from becoming an undisputed world champion in a third weight division at Dort Arena in Flint, Michigan, her home town.
In the opening round it was easy to see the size difference. Shields calmly measured Perkins long right jabs then countered with rocket rights through the guard. The speed was evident in Shield’s punches. Perkins used jabs to work her way in but was caught with counters.
“That girl was strong as hell,” said Shields describing Perkins.
Perkins, a southpaw, was somewhat confident that she was the stronger puncher and the stronger fighter overall. But when Shields connected with 10 rocket overhand rights in the third round the power moved Perkins several feet backward.
Suddenly, Perkins realized that indeed Shields has power.
Perkins became more cautious with her approaches. Though the true heavyweight was not frozen in fear, she was wary about getting caught flush with Shields rights. But bullet jabs and lightning combinations still rained on Perkins.
Finding a way to nullify Shields speed was crucial for Perkins.
The former basketball player Perkins continually proved her athleticism with agile moves here and there, but Shields just was superior in every way.
When Perkins became focused too much on the right, a Shields left hook caught the New York native flush. Suddenly there was another Shields weapon to worry about.
Many critics of Shields had focused on her lack of knockouts. But in her previous fight against another heavyweight, the two-time Olympic gold medalist surprised Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with knockout power. It’s the same power Shields showed Perkins as if firing a fast ball by powering her right with leverage by using her left leg to produce momentum and an explosive punch.
In the 10th and final round Shields and Perkins exchanged blows. Perkins was looking to connect with one of her power shots when suddenly Shields countered with a perfectly timed right to the chin and down went Perkins with about 10 seconds remaining. She beat the count to finish the round.
“I showed I was the bigger puncher and better boxer,” said Shields. “I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”
All three judges favored Shields 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92.
It was another convincing performance by Shields. So what is next for the best female fighter pound for pound?
“I want to fight Franchon Crews, Hanna Gabriels,” said Shields also naming a few others. “Flint, (Michigan) I love you all so much.”
Other Bouts
A heavyweight clash saw why there is a rule against holding. Brandon Moore (17-1) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2) punched and held throughout their eight rounds. Referee Steve Willis finally disqualified Lacy when he tackled Moore and took him through the ropes and on to table below.
No, holding and clinching is not part of the fight game. Now you know why.
Moore was ruled the winner by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct by Lacy at 1:35 of the eighth. No need to describe the fight.
A battle between undefeated welterweights saw Joseph Hicks (12-0, 8 KOs) stop Keon Papillon (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at 1:35 of the seventh round. Hicks stunned Papillon at the end of the sixth, then unloaded in the seventh round to force a stoppage.
Joshua Pagan (12-0) out-battled Ronal Ron (16-8) over eight rounds to win the lightweight match by unanimous decision.
Samantha Worthington (11-0) defeated Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6) by decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight bout.
Featherweight Caroline Veyre (9-1) out-boxed the shorter Carmen Vargas (5-3-1) to win by decision after six rounds.
Super bantamweight Asheleyann Lozada (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Denise Moran (3-1) in a four-round fight.
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Benavidez Defeats Morrell; Cruz, Fulton, and Ramos also Victorious at Las Vegas
David Benavidez showed fans why they call him “El Monstro” as he plowed through Cuba’s heavy-punching David Morrell to retain a number one ranking in the light heavyweight division by unanimous decision on Saturday.
Not even a flash knockdown for Morrell could make a difference.
Phoenix native Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) gave Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) his first loss as a professional in front of more than 15,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No one needed to hear the judge’s decision.
“I prepared for everything. I know he’s a great fighter,” said Benavidez. “I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t.”
Before the fight, Morrell was almost an even bet according to oddsmakers, but that was not the case once the fight commenced.
Immediately Benavidez pounded the body and exposed the weaknesses of Morrell’s peek-a-boo defense by using his own left glove to push down the Cuban’s guard. Then immediately firing a crushing right to the jaw.
For the first four rounds Benavidez pounded away on the left and right side of Morrell’s body. And when the openings came the uppercuts caught Morrell’s chin. But he absorbed the blows.
Morrell didn’t waver in trying to find a solution. Though Benavidez connected often to the body and head, the Cuban fighter who moved up from super middleweight displayed a very solid chin.
In the fourth round during a furious exchange Morrell beat Benavidez to the punch that stunned him momentarily. But the blow seemed to spark outrage and a storm of blows followed from Benavidez.
It must have seemed like a nightmare for Morrell.
At times the Cuban fighter would connect perfectly with a right hook and pause. Then Benavidez would return fire with massive blows.
The look on Morrell’s face bore traces of disappointment.
As the rounds continued Benavidez became emboldened by his success. Soon the Mexican Monster began launching lead right uppercuts through Morrell’s guard especially in the sixth round.
“He was easier to hit than I expected,” Benavidez said.
During the breaks Morrell’s corner asked him to pressure Benavidez. It was a fruitless suggestion. How do you corner a Monster?
Benavidez continued to stalk Morrell who never stopped swinging but could not seem to hurt the Monster. In the 11th round Morrell managed to catch Benavidez perfectly with a right hook and down went Benavidez. He immediately got up and the two fighters unloaded on each other. Morrell fired one punch after the bell and was deducted a point by referee Thomas Taylor. That negated the extra point gained from the knockdown.
“I wasn’t really hurt,” said Benavidez. “That bullshit knockdown caught me off-balance.”
The final round saw both resume their efforts to knock the other out. Both showed great chins and the ability to trade. Benavidez was simply better. Even Morrell didn’t wait for the decision to be read as he raised the arm of the Monster at the final bell. All three judges scored in favor of Benavidez 115-111 twice and 118-108.
“He knows this is Monstro’s world. Big shout out for Morrell, he’s a tough fighter,” Benavidez said.
Other Bouts
In a fight dedicated to honor the late Israel Vazquez, the ultimate Aztec warrior, super lightweights Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1) and Angel Fierro (23-3-2) battled like demons for 10 nonstop rounds. Cruz was ruled the winner by unanimous decision.
With little resemblance of defense, Cruz and Fierro whacked each other relentlessly with shots that might have stopped a moving car. Cruz was tagged by a right cross on the top of the head that staggered him momentarily. Fierro was driven back four feet by an overhand right to the chin early in the fight.
Both fighters took cruel and unusual punishment and never wavered more than a few seconds. It was brutal war and fans were the winners after 10 rounds of violent and savage action.
All three judges saw Cruz the winner 96-94, 97-93, 98-92.
“I’m so happy I gave the fans a great fight,” Cruz said.
Fulton Wins
Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated Brandon Figueroa (23-2-1, 19 KOs) again and took the WBC featherweight title by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He had previously defeated Figueroa in 2021 for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.
Most of the action took place in nose-to-nose fashion where Fulton landed the cleaner shots especially with uppercuts. Figueroa had his moments but was unable to hurt the challenger who lost to Naoya Inoue by knockout 17 months ago.
Fulton landed clean shots but as his record shows he lacks the power with only eight knockouts on his record. But Figueroa was unable to hurt or knock down Fulton. After 12 rounds all three judges saw Fulton win by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111,
“It feels good. I’m champion again,” said Fulton.
Ramos Wins
Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs) won by technical knockout over former world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2) in the eighth round of a middleweight fight. Both fighters attacked the body but by the sixth round Ramos was the busier fighter and began to dominate the fight. At 2:18 of the eighth round referee Robert Hoyle stopped the fight.
“I like to throw a lot of body punches. It’s kind of my style,” said Ramos.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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