Avila Perspective, Chap. 177: Return of Ryan Garcia and More

Published

3 years ago

March 3, 2022

Avila-Perspective-Chap-177-Return-of-Ryan-Garcia-and-More

L.A. traffic couldn’t prevent us from arriving on time for the Ryan Garcia versus Emmanuel Tagoe press conference in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.

I’m an East L.A. native and know all the shortcuts and detours to make in case of obstructions or traffic jams. My mother and father were both born and raised in East L.A. and we all worked at one time or another in downtown L.A.

Even my grandpa worked in downtown L.A. as a newsboy in the 1920s across the street from the now gone Main Street Gym.

As a sports reporter, now specializing on boxing and baseball, I’ve covered Golden Boy Promotions since its inception when it opened the first office in 2002. I remember walking into a bare office with boxes strewn across the floor and on top of one desk and a friendly Marylyn Aceves greeting us. A lot has changed.

Oscar De La Hoya was still fighting and had a dream of becoming a promoter focusing on bringing high level prizefighting to Los Angeles and the Southern California area. His emergence as a pro boxer actually set off an explosion of gyms throughout not just Southern California, but the entire southwest region of the USA.

Now Golden Boy Promotions has a reputation as one of the stronger American promotion companies in prizefighting and De La Hoya owns a building on Wilshire Boulevard worth much more than when he bought it. The press conference was held in the spacious bottom floor with the large storefront windows blacked out.

presser

Success in boxing promotions is all about talent. Do you have the talent to attract viewers on television or on streaming applications? Do you have the talent to entice fans to buy tickets to attend fight cards in Las Vegas, Los Angeles or New York arenas?

Talent is the key.

KingRy

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia is one of several key fighters that Golden Boy signed and his mercurial rise to the top of the boxing world has amazed and befuddled fans, promoters, and fighters. On just Instagram alone he has nearly 9 million followers.

Does he possess the fighting skills, athleticism, grit and most of all the chin to withstand a punch from an elite prizefighter?

That’s the big question.

I’ve been covering boxing as a writer since 1985 when I wrote a story for a San Gabriel newspaper on the electrifying Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns fight. The reaction from readers convinced me that boxing’s hold on sports fans would always be strong. And during the 37 years of studying fighters and watching their rise and fall I’ve seen just a handful of prizefighters that had that certain something aside from talent.

Garcia has that certain something. Its rare.

Strangely, De La Hoya had that certain something too and I vividly remember his introduction to the pro fight world back in 1992. At the time, I was working for the LA Times and was assigned to write a feature story on his rise to fame from a small unknown kid from Garfield High in East L.A. to Olympic gold in the 1992 Barcelona Games.

De La Hoya admitted there are similarities but huge differences due to social media platforms. They didn’t exist in the early 1990s.

“I actually wonder how I would really deal with social media,” said De La Hoya about the difference between Garcia and himself under the public eye. “It’s a different pressure. In today’s world you can’t help but hear what people think.”

When Garcia departed from trainer Eddy Reynoso’s camp it erupted into a firestorm of response from pseudo-experts who claimed to know the reasons. Then Saul “Canelo” Alvarez chimed in too and that sparked more response and conclusions.

Garcia and his family were respectful of Reynoso and Canelo and said there is a reason that came to light when the lightweight star was unable to perform due to mental pressures outside of the boxing world.

Canelo recently said on social media that Garcia showed up in one instance and stayed for only 20 minutes before departing. And that it displayed lack of dedication and that trainer Reynoso cannot be blamed.

Henry Garcia, father of Ryan, explained that during that 20-minute occasion, his son Ryan was going through the mental pressures and could not concentrate. It was not a lack of dedication.

“I knew he wasn’t 100 percent,” said Henry Garcia regarding his son’s mental state at that time.

Mental recuperation and power jabs

Ryan Garcia said he sought professional help and was able to return to normal and return to boxing.

“It was never boxing related,” said Ryan Garcia about his taking a break due to mental pressures. “I love boxing.”

Garcia said his goal has always been to reach the top of the boxing world like Canelo Alvarez and De La Hoya before him.

De La Hoya admitted that he too was also was knocked off his path due to mental pressures when he fought. And that he admires Garcia for publicly admitting he needed help.

“I think what Ryan did, was the right thing to do. Talk it up. Get help,” said De La Hoya. “Bottling it up didn’t do so well for me.”

Garcia seemed energetic and composed speaking about his upcoming clash with Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe, a lightweight fighter avoided by the top fighters in the lightweight division.

It’s been more than a year since Garcia fought Luke Campbell in Dallas, Texas, and it will be 15 months when he actually enters the boxing ring to fight Tagoe on April 9. Will ring rust emerge and will a change in trainers from Reynoso to Joe Goossen cause a stumble?

Garcia confidently disagreed.

“I still got my timing and my precision,” said Garcia who posted footage of his workouts with Joe Goossen on social media platforms. “Boxing is what always makes me hungry.”

De La Hoya said he’s seen the footage and what impressed him most of Garcia working with Goossen has been a focus on the power jab.

“With Ryan throwing that power jab that’s the key to it all,” said De La Hoya who was known for his power jab that led to him winning six division world titles as a fighter during the 90s and 2000s. “I see some good things.”

New trainer Joe Goossen has worked with countless other world champions the past 40 years including Michael Nunn, Gabe and Rafael Ruelas, Diego Corrales, Joel Casamayor and many more.

“Joe Goossen has a lot of experience,” said Garcia in selecting Goossen to be his trainer. “He said he’s taken a lot of guys with a lot less talent to world titles.”

Photo credits: Al Applerose

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 177 pt. 2: Tagoe, Chocolatito, Fresno and More

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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

1 hour ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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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

Published

15 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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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Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Years ago, I worked at a newsstand in the Beverly Hills area. It was a 24-hour a day version and the people that dropped by were very colorful and unique.

One elderly woman Eva, who bordered on homeless but pridefully wore lipstick, would stop by the newsstand weekly to purchase a pack of menthol cigarettes. On one occasion, she asked if I had ever been to San Diego?

I answered “yes, many times.”

She countered “you need to watch out for San Diego Smoke.”

This Saturday, Top Rank brings its brand of prizefighting to San Diego or what could be called San Diego Smoke. Leading the fight card is Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) defending the WBO super feather title against undefeated Filipino Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) at Pechanga Arena. ESPN will televise.

This is Navarrete’s fourth defense of the super feather title.

The last time Navarrete stepped in the boxing ring he needed six rounds to dismantle the very capable Oscar Valdez in their rematch. One thing about Mexico City’s Navarrete is he always brings “the smoke.”

Also, on the same card is Fontana, California’s Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) vying for the interim IBF lightweight title against Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) on the co-main event.

Abdullaev has only fought once before in the USA and was handily defeated by Devin Haney back in 2019. But that was six years ago and since then he has knocked off various contenders.

Muratalla is a slick fighting lightweight who trains at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy now in Moreno Valley, Calif. It’s a virtual boot camp with many of the top fighters on the West Coast available to spar on a daily basis. If you need someone bigger or smaller, stronger or faster someone can match those needs.

When you have that kind of preparation available, it’s tough to beat. Still, you have to fight the fight. You never know what can happen inside the prize ring.

Another fighter to watch is Perla Bazaldua, 19, a young and very talented female fighter out of the Los Angeles area. She is trained by Manny Robles who is building a small army of top female fighters.

Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KO) meets Mona Ward (0-1) in a super flyweight match on the preliminary portion of the Top Rank card. Top Rank does not sign many female fighters so you know that they believe in her talent.

Others on the Top Rank card in San Diego include Giovani Santillan, Andres Cortes, Albert Gonzalez, Sebastian Gonzalez and others.

They all will bring a lot of smoke to San Diego.

Probox TV

A strong card led by Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) facing Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) in a super welterweight clash between southpaws takes place on Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. PROBOX TV will stream the fight card.

Ardreal has rocketed up the standings and now faces veteran Lubin whose only losses came against world titlists Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. It’s a great match to decide who deserves a world title fight next.

Another juicy match pits Argentina’s Nazarena Romero (14-0-2) against Mexico’s Mayelli Flores (12-1-1) in a female super bantamweight contest.

Nottingham, England

Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defends the IBO super featherweight title against Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) in Wood’s hometown on Saturday at Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. DAZN will stream the Queensberry Promotions card.

Ireland’s Cacace seems to have the odds against him. But he is no stranger to dancing in the enemy’s lair or on foreign territory. He formerly defeated Josh Warrington in London and Joe Cordina in Riyadh in IBO title defenses.

Lampley at Wild Card

Boxing telecaster Jim Lampley will be signing his new book It Happened! at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Lampley has been a large part of many of the greatest boxing events in the past 40 years. He and Freddie Roach will be at the signing.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Anthony Cacace (23-1) vs Leigh Wood (28-3).

Sat. PROBOX.tv 3 p.m. Erickson Lubin (26-2) vs Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1) vs Charly Suarez (18-0); Raymond Muratalla (22-0) vs Zaur Abdullaev (20-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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