Battle Royale at Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs Desert

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.-Desert fighting was the theme of this fight card that saw a battle royale between various parts of the arid municipalities on Saturday.

Antonio Rodriguez (12-20-1) pounded out a win over San Diego’s Danny Andujo (5-3) in a six round bantamweight fight before more than 800 fans at the Celebrity Theater at Agua Caliente Casino. The World Fighting Championships card was not televised.

Rodriguez, 30, fights out of Durango, Mexico and had a height and reach advantage over Andujo. The two battered each other from the opening bell. In the second round Andujar ran into a counter right cross and touched the floor with his knee. It wasn’t a big shot but enough to score a knockdown.

Andujo tried to rally but never could find the recipe for success against Rodriguez. Two judges scored it in favor of Rodriguez.

A featherweight clash saw L.A. fighter Adan Ochoa (4-1) win a close majority decision against San Bernardino’s always tough Juan Sandoval (7-20-1). The back and forth battle was difficult to score as Sandoval finished strong to close the scores in the four round bout.

Another featherweight bout saw a sizzler as Adam Rothweiler (1-0) and Jacob Lerma (1-1) traded knockdowns in the first round. An overhand right from Rothweiler nearly felled Lerma again but he remained standing in the opening round.

“I didn’t know what to expect but he hit me with a right hand and wobbled me,” said Rothweiler. “But I just came back harder.”

The second round found Lerma eager to engage Rothweiler but during an exchange that saw both visibly stunned, Lerma emerged visibly pained from something with his left shoulder, apparently a dislocation. He actually out-boxed Rothweiler who coolly stalked him around the ring. In the third round Lerma tried to box and move but the pain was visible on his face and his corner wisely motioned to the referee to stop the fight at 2:15 of the third round. Rothweiler was declared the winner by knockout in his pro debut.

In a super welterweight fight Pomona’s Luis Lopez (1-0) won his pro debut by knockout over Wasco, California’s Josuhe Aispuro (1-1) in the second round. Lopez was pounding Aispuro into a corner when the referee David Mendoza stepped into halt the fight at 2:47 of the second round. Lopez was the pro debut winner by knockout.

Indio’s Luis Cervantes (9-9-3) used a relentless body attack against the speedy Alec McGee (3-2) of Reno, Nevada to win by unanimous decision after four lightweight rounds. No knockdowns were scored but McGee’s fast hands couldn’t keep Cervantes from pounding the body.

Riverside’s 19-year-old Jonah Flores (pictured) out-boxed Mefi Monterroso (0-3) over four rounds in a bantamweight fight. Flores (3-0) is trained by Henry Ramirez who also trains heavyweight Chris Arreola. The teenager was facing an MMA/boxer who was intent on making it into a roughhouse affair. Flores simply used his slick movements to dart in and out of trouble. Quick combinations and pinpoint counters kept Monterroso from fighting inside. All three judges saw Flores the easy winner by unanimous decision.

“He really was awkward,” said Flores about his opponent. “I thought I completely out-boxed him.”

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