Luis Feliciano and Blair Cobbs Remain Undefeated in Desert Showdowns

Published

6 years ago

August 23, 2019

Luis-Feliciano-and-Blair-Cobbs-Remain-Undefeated-in-Desert-Showdowns

INDIO, Calif.-After years of honing and crafting their combat skills, several undefeated prizefighters met in the desert and a pair emerged victorious – one by knockout and the other by decision on Thursday night.

Puerto Rican super lightweight prospect Luis Feliciano (13-0, 8 KOs) walked into the Fantasy Springs Casino arena to boos and hisses from the crowd, but departed the winner of the NABF super lightweight title by unanimous decision over Mexican challenger Genaro Gamez (9-1,6 KOs).

It wasn’t an easy task for Feliciano (in the black trunks), who was the naturally bigger and taller fighter. Gamez began his pro career as a super featherweight but could not make lighter weight divisions and found himself as a super lightweight.

Just using the eye test, a person could see Gamez was physically a smaller fighter. But when it comes to weight there are no true height sizes. And once the punches flowed the action was torrid.

Feliciano trains in South El Monte, Calif. with boxing wizard Ben Lira, and he learned his craft well. From the opening bell he zipped body shots underneath Gamez’s guard repeatedly. The San Diego fighter never allowed Feliciano to enjoy too much success and often retaliated every big hit with one or two of his own.

After several overhand rights and uppercut body shots by Feliciano, one connected solidly in the torso of Gamez, who buckled severely but did not go down. Feliciano noticed immediately and increased the attack. It was the crucial moment of the fight.

For three ensuing rounds Feliciano controlled the fight. It looked like the Puerto Rican fighter might dominate and win easily, but in the fifth round, Gamez took a stand and reminded everyone just why he was undefeated. The San Diego fighter opened up with three-punch combinations and shots to the head and to the body. The momentum shifted to Gamez.

Perhaps Feliciano was told by his corner to stop going backwards. In round six Feliciano slipped into his most offensive mode and unfurled three-punch combinations with a steely look on his face that seemed to say whatever happens, happens, I’m not going backwards.

For the remainder of the fight Feliciano was steadfast in his attacks and refused to yield despite the many attempts by Gamez to regain control.

After 10 rounds all three judges scored in favor of Feliciano 99-91 and 98-92 twice, and the Puerto Rican became the NABF titlist.

“That was a very tough fight. He came to fight,” said Feliciano. Conditioning was the difference. I was the stronger fighter in the end and no disrespect to Gamez, he was very good.”

Cobbs Wins NABF Title

Blair Cobbs (12-0-1, 8 KOs) traded knockdowns with Steve Villalobos (11-1-1, 9 KOs), then slipped into overdrive to knock out the local Indio fighter with a blinding combination in the ninth round of their NABF junior welterweight title fight.

It was slow going at first as Cobbs boxed and moved laterally from side to side and was racking up most of the rounds, until Villalobos caught him with a combination and floored the Philadelphia-born speedster in the sixth round.

Cobbs got up and both fired rapid combinations with a right hook stopping Villalobos’ assault. But it was the best round for the local fighter whose crowd of fans roared loudly, sensing a stoppage.

“I got nailed,” said Cobbs. “But when I landed that right I could sense his energy go down.”

Blair Cobbs on the attack

Cobbs returned to his box and move strategy that had worked effectively for five rounds. Then, with 30 seconds remaining in the seventh round, Cobbs unfurled a sizzling combination that took the steam out of Villalobos.

In the eighth round Cobbs stopped moving rapidly and was instead looking for openings, and he unloaded three successive straight left – right hook combinations. All connected and Villalobos looked for a solution to stop the Philadelphia fighter’s momentum. None could be found.

Cobbs increased his attack and connected with a three-punch combination and a follow up right hook that floored Villalobos. The Mexican fighter got up and Cobbs returned with a right uppercut and left cross combination that sent Villalobos violently down near the ropes. Referee Eddie Hernandez didn’t bother to count and wisely stopped the fight at 1:20 of round nine for a Cobbs knockout win. He also retains the NABF junior title in the welterweight division.

“I tried to place my shots and once I found him, boom; game over,” said Cobbs. “Villalobos came and brought his A game and I respect him. I wish nothing but the best for him.”

Other Bouts

A super welterweight battle between undefeated Richard Acevedo (5-0-1, 5 KOs) and Connecticut’s Jose Rivera (8-4-1, 5 KOs) ended in a split draw after six back and forth rounds. Acevedo started quickly against the southpaw but Rivera could not miss with the right hook and rallied back into the fight. No knockdowns were scored but each had their moments in the six-round fight. Scores were 59-55 Acevedo, 59-55 Rivera, and 57-57 for the draw. Rivera looked much better than his record indicated.

Mexico’s Raul Curiel (7-0, 5 KOs) upper-cutted his way to victory over Florida’s Alphonso Black (8-7-1, 4 KOs) by knockout in the sixth and final round. Though Black was never knocked down, Curiel was unloading six-punch combinations with impunity. Referee Eddie Hernandez stopped the super welterweight fight at 51 seconds of the sixth round.

“I felt good today, very strong,” said Curiel. “My opponent was honestly strong. He had a heavy hand.”

Curiel is trained by Freddie Roach and has shown obvious improvement in his combination punching and timing. Black showed a sturdy chin but was absorbing multiple combinations. In the fifth round, Curiel connected with four consecutive left hooks to the body and head. The fighter from Tamaulipas is managed by Frank Espinoza.

“It was my first fight at 154, but I knew how to handle his punches,” Curiel said.

Nicholas Sullivan out of Norfolk, Virginia won his pro debut in a tug of war type of fight with Mexico’s Jose Palacios (1-4) by unanimous decision after four rounds in a lightweight match. Sullivan cruised through the first round with his speed, but subsequently Palacios began timing the attacks and the fight got closer each round. Both fighters connected but Sullivan was more accurate and won on all three cards 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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David A. Avila

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

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

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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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