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Avila Perspective, Chap. 128: Saturday’s Boxing Blitz, Marvelous Marvin and More

Boxing comes full blast in the ides of March. Saturday in particular begins in Europe with a light heavyweight world title match between Artur Beterbiev and Adam Deines in Moscow, Russia for the IBF and WBA belts. ESPN+ will be streaming that card.
London is calling once again with a cruiserweight world title clash between Lawrence Okolie and Krzysztof Glowacki and two outstanding female bouts on DAZN on Saturday too.
Later that day, during the evening hours, Golden Boy Promotions presents its welterweight gem Vergil Ortiz (pictured on the left) against former world champion Maurice Hooker at Fort Worth, Texas on DAZN again. It’s Texan versus Texan.
Ortiz remains Golden Boy’s hope to be the next great fighter and gets to prove if the hype about his talent is real. Let’s just say he spars with some of the best fighters in the world on a daily basis in his home gym.
Hooker is no joke either. The former champion is a Texas native so he won’t be giving up or laying down for anybody. Fans will be allowed in the venue and both fighters will bring their truckloads of backers into Dickies Arena on Saturday.
The co-main event features Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada finally meeting a world champion in the boxing ring when she faces longtime WBA minimum weight titlist Anabel “La Avispa” Ortiz.
Estrada has been chasing a world title opportunity for many years. Ortiz has no fear and has yet to find her equal in eight years. It’s well worth watching.
—
Here’s a late toast to Marvin Hagler.
Back in April 1985, I had picked up several jobs to beat back the process servers looking for their money.
An acquaintance from my college newspaper days had started a throw-away newspaper business. He spotted me one afternoon at a Montebello, Calif. super-market and offered me a job for $10-a-story. I accepted.
This businessman had an acute clientele. Almost all of his patrons were bar owners in the San Gabriel Valley area. Maybe calling them bars is too nice a word. These were cantinas for people that seldom read and always drank. It was up to me to come up with editorial to delight these potential readers.
During college I had always been the organizer. Whether it was for community rights or student affairs I was heavily involved in organizing efforts to bring people together. One topic that brought students together easily was gathering to watch a big boxing event. I kept that in my memory banks.
So, when I got this new offer to write for a throw-away newspaper and had free editorial reign, I knew exactly what to write about…prizefighting.
On April 15, 1985, Marvin Hagler was set to fight Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was televised. Although it lasted a mere three rounds, the two combatants put on an explosive performance that has seldom been equaled. Both needed only two seconds before unleashing kill or be killed combinations that propelled boxing to greater heights.
Hagler won that fight and would only fight twice more. The bald-headed prizefighter from Brockton, Mass. would become a folk hero to blue collar families for his work ethic and sense of loyalty. There was a television show Spenser For Hire that starred the late Robert Urich. There was a character in the series called Hawk who resembled Hagler in certain ways. He was supposedly a boxer too with a strong sense of loyalty and toughness.
That was Hagler.
I wrote my very first newspaper story on Hagler’s fight with Hearns. The publisher told me it was the first time that all of the newspapers were scooped up. Cantina owners all over San Gabriel Valley noticed that they didn’t need to toss old newspaper copies into the trash. It was a huge success and I kept my $10-a-week gig.
It was a decade later, in September 1999, that I finally met Hagler. It was right after Felix Trinidad defeated Oscar De La Hoya by majority decision. Hagler was in an elevator at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and I asked him who he thought won the fight?
“De La Hoya was robbed,” was Hagler’s blunt answer.
That was the first and last time I ever spoke to Hagler.
Later that same night I was invited to an after-fight party at the Mandalay Bay and there was Hagler, Hearns and Ray Leonard sitting together at a small round table with De La Hoya. I remember thinking “this is the greatest gathering of elite fighters in the world sitting around this tiny little table. I didn’t have a camera on me and cameras in phones were not around then. I used to carry throw-away Kodak cameras, but not that night.
Too bad. It would have been a great memory to have.
All I can say is for boxing fans and even boxing journalists Hagler was admired for many of his attributes. Boxing was at the top of the list. He will always be remembered.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
Fights to Watch (all fights Pacific Time)
Thurs. Twitch 4 p.m. Maricela Cornejo (13-4) vs Alma Ibarra (7-1).
Thurs. NBC SN 6 p.m. Alberto Machado (22-2) vs Angel Fierro (17-1-1).
Fri. ESPN+ 11 a.m. Lee McGregor (9-0) vs Karim Guerfi (29-4).
Fri. FITE.tv 6 p.m. Alessandro Riguccini (25-0) vs Johan Perez (26-7-2).
Fri. Telemundo 12 a.m. Saul Sanchez (15-1) vs Frank Gonzalez (8-1).
Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Lawrence Okolie (15-0) vs Krzysztof Glowacki (31-2).
Sat. ESPN+ 12 p.m. Artur Beterbiev (15-0) vs Adam Deines (19-1-1).
Sat. FightsNight.com 1 p.m. Adelaida Ruiz (9-0) vs Sonia Osorio (14-7-1).
Sat. DAZN 6 p.m. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (16-0) vs Maurice Hooker (27-1-3); Seniesa Estrada (19-0) vs Anabel Ortiz (31-3).
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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