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Sacramento fight fans reacquainted
themselves with an old friend as the Memorial Auditorium played host to
welterweight sensation Yoshihiro Kamegai’s American television debut, a majority
draw with Jorge Silva.
In a compelling brawl, Kamegai (21-0-1,
18 KOs) made good on his reputation as an action fighter, continuously
exchanging onslaughts with Silva (18-2-2, 14 KOs), who gave an equally
thrilling performance in a very close bout that could have tipped in either
direction.
Kermit Bayless and Bruce Rasmussen
scored the bout 95-95, while Steve Morrow had it 96-94 for Kamegai.
“The scoring is done by the judges,”
Kamegai said. “To me, I just had to do
more to get better scores. I would like
to go back and start from scratch, watch the video, and decide from there [if I
want a rematch].”
Silva was more adamant about garnering
a return bout.
“I thought I won the fight. It was well-fought,” Silva said. “Definitely, I would want a rematch. Either that or something better.”
In the co-feature, former titleholder Jorge
Linares (32-3, 20 KOs) broke a two-bout losing streak with a bruising unanimous
decision over faded but rugged veteran Hector Velazquez (52-18-3, 35 KOs) in
the second half of a twinbill that was televised by Fox Sports.
In his first fight back with trainer
Sendai Tanaka after parting ways with Freddie Roach, Linares captured a classic
battle of boxer versus brawler by using his movement and pinpoint punching to outwork
his foe over 10 rounds.
Kermit Bayless scored the bout 100-89,
Steve Morrow 98-91, and Bruce Rasmussen 97-91 for Linares, who returned to the
win column and is looking to fight again in December before pursuing a title
fight in 2013.
“I’m really happy and it was a good win
for me,” Linares said. “I was happy to
come out with the victory. Out of a
scale from one to 100, I give myself an 80.”
Several local legends were in
attendance, including three-time world champion Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, his
brother Sal Lopez, former 140-pound
titlist Loreto Garza, and state champion Richard “Mr. KO” Savala, who all
fought under the auspices of promoter Don Chargin. The Hall of Famer held the event in
association with Golden Boy, Paco Presents, and Jorge Marron.
Welterweights
Tokyo resident Kamegai, 147, was taken
the distance and ended up with a majority draw against Silva, 147.6, of
Tijuana, Mexico.
Silva started the fight with three
shots inside, including an uppercut that temporarily rearranged Kamegai’s
floppy hairstyle. Kamegai would right
the ship with a straight right, but Silva continued his assault, scoring with
uppercuts and left hooks that caught the Japanese fighter flat-footed. Silva clearly took the first frame and
displayed his confidence throughout, smiling as he darted in and out of
trouble.
The second commenced with another
barrage from Silva, as he winged shots, namely an overhand right. Kamegai responded with a high guard and threw
the left hook to the body in hopes of slowing down his foe. But Silva buzzed Kamegai with a hard right
that caused the Japanese fighter to twist his waist. Kamegai then backed Silva into the corner, tapping
his left jab and trying to explode through an open door. But Silva covered up and gave him nothing to
punch, seemingly taking his second straight round.
The orthodox Silva jumped off his stool
and started the third by throwing the jab downstairs. Kamegai tried to walk his opponent down, but
soon found himself fending off more shots in the pocket from the more active
Silva. Gradually, Kamegai came on,
slugging away to the body with the left hook and then reaching back before
clocking Silva with a right hand that might have won him the stanza.
In the fourth, both men exchanged power
shots with success. Silva caught Kamegai
coming in with a right hand, and Kamegai cracked a left uppercut when Silva
squared up. A second uppercut, this time
from the Japanese fighter’s right hand, followed by two left hooks, might have
marked a change in momentum in the bout.
Silva leapt in and landed two shots upstairs, but his activity had seem
to drop ever-so-slightly as Kamegai appeared to have evened the fight at two
rounds apiece.
Silva hoped to revert to form in the
fifth, but instead of using his movement to confound Kamegai, he was lured into
a trading leather—a style of warfare Kamegai seemed comfortable doing. Kamegai backed out of a clinch and smashed Silva
with a right hand. He followed it up
with a three-punch flurry on Silva, but the Mexican extended his arms to his
sides to taunt him. Nonetheless, despite
Silva’s wry demeanor, he was outworked.
In the sixth, referee Marcos Rosales
warned. After he broke them up again
seconds later, Kamegai caught Silva at the end of a long right hand. Silva landed a left hook to the
beltline. Suddenly, with just seconds
left in the stanza, a short right hand from Silva hit Kamegai leaning in, and
the Japanese fighter was clearly hurt.
Holding on for dear life, Kamegai made it to the bell.
With the momentum leaning Silva’s way,
he took the initiative and pressed forward in the seventh, hurling left hooks
to the body and right hands upstairs.
But Kamegai seemed to get his feet under him and pumped his left jab,
putting a solid right hand behind it.
Silva was not amused, and tapped his chin. Both men then traded in close quarters; the
Mexican scored with a hard left to the body, while Silva replied with a
overhand right of his own. The round
could have gone either way.
Kamegai landed the first shot of
substance in the eighth, a right uppercut that had Silva using his feet to get
out of the way and reload. As Kamegai
closed the distance, Silva scored with a short right that hit Kamegai in the
left temple. Silva found himself
fighting off the ropes for the majority of the round, but the Mexican was
effective, answering Kamegai’s assaults with his own violent attacks, making
the stanza another tough one to score for either man.
In the ninth, both combatants picked up
where they left off, with Kamegai forcing Silva to withstand his avalanche of
shots. But this round was dominated by
Kamegai for the most part. He loaded up
and took his time bombarding Silva with left hooks, uppercuts, and right
crosses in another exciting three minutes.
With the outcome in doubt, the 10th
brought a shade of drama. Both men
traded left hooks and right hands.
Kamegai’s landed with more force.
Silva again laid on the ropes as Kamegai wailed away. Silva clipped Kamegai with a counter left
hook and winged a right hand to the body.
Kamegai answered with a six-punch combination. For the last 10 seconds, the warriors
unloaded with reckless abandon, looking for the knockout blow. While neither achieved their goal, the
entertaining scrap caused Kamegai and Silva to embrace in mutual respect before
an appreciative crowd that cheered them on until the final bell.
JORGE
LINARES UD10 HECTOR VELAZQUEZ
Lightweights
Linares, 135.5, of Barinas, Venezuela,
defeated Velazquez, 134.4, of Tijuana, Mexico, by unanimous decision in a much
more competitive contest than expected.
Velazquez opened up the scoring with a
short right hand with both men in close quarters. Linares then boxed his way out of trouble,
shooting the left jab and a three-punch combination. However, Velazquez would answer with a
stinging left hook to the midsection with Linares’s back on the ropes. To cap a close round, Linares landed a
counter overhand right.
The second began with Linares hitting
Velazquez with a right uppercut as he backpedaled. The Venezuelan followed it up with two hard
shots to the body. Velazquez tried to
turn the tables by bullying his foe into the ropes and throwing a right hand to
the body followed by a heavy right hand upstairs that caught the fans’
attention.
In the third, Linares came out with a
four-punch flurry where at least two shots penetrated Velazquez’s guard. The Mexican then feinted and worked his way
inside, pushing Linares and trying to put him on the backfoot. But Linares’s left hand would keep his
opponent at bay with a jab to the body and head as he circled again to his
left. Linares would take this round by
countering well, especially to the body.
He even displayed his athletic ability ducking two bombs from Velazquez
as he pivoted out of harm’s way before the bell.
Velazquez tried to close the distance
once more in the fourth, slugging away to Linares’s body. Moments later, Linares would catch Velazquez
coming in with a pinpoint straight right hand.
Velazquez then found himself eating two quick shots from Linares as he
continued to step through without the aid of a left jab. Linares, who displayed a cut over his left
eye, then unleashed a cascade of punches from a variety of angles to finish the
stanza strong.
The Mexican toughman would not relent,
but Linares began to pick him apart in the fifth, mixing up a diet of left jabs
with some hard right hands thrown on a dime as he continued to fluster him with
his constant movement. A left hook from
Linares landed solidly on Velazquez’s chin, causing the Mexican to shrug his
shoulders in order to mitigate the damage perception-wise. However, he was unable to respond with
anything substantial to wrest the round away from Linares.
The sixth began with a pace that more
suited Velazquez, as he commenced the action with a few hard shots to the
body. But Linares bounced on the balls of
his feet, slipping and utilizing the counter left hook over the top of
Velazquez’s right hand. As the round
ended, a well-placed combination from Linares was substantial enough to stop
Velazquez in his tracks.
Velazquez had his moments in the
seventh as his right hand found the target early and often, but Linares’s
flashy flurries continued to score
Halos of sweat momentarily engulfed Velazquez’s head as Linares scored
with a couple of quick volleys upstairs to mark another round that Linares
edged with a late-second surge.
In the eighth, a right hand and left
uppercut from Linares hit Velazquez on the button. However, the Mexican showed no signs of wear
as it only seemed to spur him on. But as
a recurring theme, Velazquez’s durability failed to win him the round, as
Linares continued to dodge shots and take the frame.
The ninth began with Linares throwing a
left hook below the beltline that caused referee Dan Stell to warn the
Venezuelan. Undeterred, Linares hurled a
similar shot, but this one landed legally.
Velazquez caught Linares with some short right hands, but Linares got the
best of their exchanges and edged another stanza on this writer’s scorecard.
With one round to go, Velazquez charged
forward and hit Linares with another right hand, but Linares roared back with a
two-punch salvo that was accurate as it was aesthetically pleasing. But he would not follow it up with another
barrage, leading Velazquez to stop in the middle of the ring and caused the
Mexican to call him, “Chica.” Linares
would eventually engage his foe, but seemed content to win a decision. After Velazquez hit Linares behind the head,
Stell penalized him one point as boos temporarily showered the Memorial
Auditorium air before the final bell.
GUY ROBB UD6 ADOLFO LANDEROS
Featherweights
Sacramento’s Guy Robb (10-1, 4 KOs) pounded
out a six-round shutout over Mexico City’s Adolfo Landeros (22-28-2, 10 KOs).
The veteran Landeros (left), 126.4, attempted
to impose his will in the early going by trying to back Robb, 125.8, into the
ropes. Robb would pivot his way into the
center of the ring and land a straight right.
In a stanza where the fighters were mostly feeling each other out, Robb tagged
Landeros with a body shot before the bell.
Both men swung for the fences and
missed to open the second. Finally,
midway through the round, Robb connected with a left hook that landed flush but
did not hurt Landeros. The Mexican then
caught Robb sleeping with a sharp right hand inside. As Landeros jumped in, Robb hit him with a
right hand and turned over a left hook right after. Robb then cornerned Landeros and scored with
two shots to the body.
The third saw Robb attempting to
establish his left hook. Landeros landed
a looping right, but Robb responded with a one-two that tapped his foe’s head,
followed by a hard right to the body.
Robb was comfortably ahead, but Landeros was making it a challenge for
him.
Landeros snapped Robb’s head back with
a jab as the fourth began. Robb found a
home for his right to the body, and connected as Landeros backed into the
ropes. Robb then took advantage of
Landeros’s aggression, scoring with a four-punch combination to the head that
temporarily buzzed him. Landeros, a
tough journeyman who once took Gary Russell Jr. the distance, refused to wilt
and cracked Robb with a looping right with seconds left in the round.
In the fifth, Robb went back to the
jab, either throwing it by itself or in concert with the right cross. Robb, known more as a brawler, showed off
some boxing skills. Eventually, Landeros
played possum and tried to lure Robb into a war. But Robb wasn’t buying it, deciding instead
to work on his opponent’s body to rack up another round.
Well behind on the cards, Landeros
seemed more content to finish the fight upright than go for the win. He reversed course into the ropes while Robb
teed off on his midsection. With about a
minute and a half left, Landeros finally emerged from his shell and stood in
the center of the ring with Robb. While
Robb would stick Landeros with the occasional right hand or left hook, it was
evident that the fight would go the distance.
Scores were 60-54 on all the cards as
Robb reached the double-digit mark in victories.
“There were times where I could hear
the crowd cheering for me to get in a war and I had to hold myself back,” Robb
said. “But I listened to my coach Ray
Woods, stuck to the gameplan, and came away with the win.”
JOHN
ABELLA TKO4 PABLO CUPUL
Junior
Featherweights
In front of his hometown fans, John Abella (3-0, 2 KOs) stopped San Diego's Pablo Cupul
(6-9, 4 KOs) in the fourth round.
After a first frame where both men
bombed away, Abella, 123.6, took control in the second frame, opening up Cupul,
122.8, with a variety of power shots—namely a short right hand—to the head.
Cupul pressed the issue in the third,
but Abella was always just one step ahead, staying out of range and countering
with the left hook. Cupul showed his
durability by taking Abella’s punches well, but could not retaliate with
anything significant to keep Abella occupied.
The fourth and final stanza saw a grand
finale from Abella, who rocked Cupul with a right cross and ended his
opponent’s day with a furious flurry of volleys on the ropes. Referee Marcos Rosales called a halt to the
bout at :30.
“I told you I was bringing Sacramento
boxing back,” Abella said. “The straight
right hand started it all and I knocked him out, but it wasn’t easy. He had a really hard head.”
JONATHAN
CHICAS TKO2 RALPH PRESCOTT
Junior
Welterweights
Local prospect Jonathan Chicas (7-0, 3
KOs) os San Francisco remained undefeated with a second-round stoppage of
Seattle’s Ralph Prescott (2-6).
Chicas, 139.5, put his movement on
display in the first, only setting his feet to hurl left hooks to the
body. The smaller Prescott, 139, had
trouble walking his way inside, and sure enough, a double left hook from Chicas
caught him coming in and sent him to the canvas. Although Prescott would beat referee Marcos
Rosales’s count, he was noticeably dazed as he walked back to his corner.
A more cautious Prescott now approached
Chicas with his hands high in the second round.
But Chicas would still use his fleet feet to dart out of trouble and land
a variety of shots that forced Prescott to return fire. Ultimately, a right uppercut from the Bay
Area fighter rocked his foe and had him ducking in the neutral corner as Chicas
teed off uncontested. Rosales would call
the fight off at 2:19.
“He was hurt and I had to finish the
job,” Chicas said. “The right uppercut
started it and I kept my hands up, went to the body, and finished up top.”
ANDY
VENCES UD4 CARLOS GONZALEZ
Lightweights
San Jose’s Andy Vences (1-0), the 2011
National PAL bronze medalist at lightweight, made a successful early transition
to the pros with a four-round shutout over Los Angeles resident Carlos Gonzalez
(1-2).
In the opening moments, Vences, 130.8,
approached the referee and called for time when his left glove seemed to break
open after a punch. A seven-minute delay
ensued as Gonzalez, 131, sat on a stool in the neutral corner while Vences laced
on a new pair of gloves.
When the action resumed, Gonzalez
landed the first meaningful shot, a counter left hook that landed flush but
didn’t budge Vences. Not to be outdone,
Vences controlled the rest of the first round with some effective bodywork and
a couple right crosses that found the mark.
In the second, Vences scored with a
hard left hook to the midsection but Gonzalez countered with a volley of his
own. Vences then landed a right uppercut
behind a left jab that tapped Gonzalez’s chin, later following it up with a
chopping right hand over the top to take the stanza.
Gonzalez called on his most reliable
weapon, the lead right hand, and clipped Vences with it to open the third. The Angeleno then hammered his rival with two
left hooks moments apart that punctuated what appeared to be his round.
Vences’s left hand won the fourth and
final round. Refraining from using his
right hand for the vast majority of the three minutes, the one-pawed Vences
jabbed and hooked with his left while slipping Gonzalez’s final advances en
route to the win.
Scores were 40-36 for Vences, who captured
his first triumph as a pro.
“I hurt my right hand, but we’ve been
working on the left hand in the gym,” Vences said. “It came in handy in that last round.”
HUGO CENTENO UD6 JUSTIN WILLIAMS
Junior
Middleweights
Hugo Centeno (16-0, 8 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., continued his winning ways with a
six-round unanimous nod over Justin Williams (4-6-2, 2 KOs) of New Orleans.
Centeno, 153, opened the scoring with a
three-punch combination to the body but Williams, 154.4, fired back with a
one-two that struck paydirt. But Centeno
would take over in the closing seconds by returning to the body and backing
Williams into a defensive shell.
The second round saw Centeno resume his
relentless work to the body, then finishing upstairs with heavy right hands and
left hooks. The third featured more of
the same, but Williams decided to trade and scored with two quick shots to the
temples that had Centeno shaking his head in defiance.
Down three stanzas, resolved Williams
charged at Centeno to open the fourth and took an early lead on the strength of
the one-two upstairs. Centeno closed the
round with a torrent of shots; most of them were blocked in this instance.
Williams snuck a right hand through
Centeno’s high guard to start the fifth.
Centeno then went to work, landing a lead left up top followed by a left
hook to the body that resonated throughout the venue.
The final round was a microcosm of the
fight, as Williams started with a brief flourish, but Centeno finished the
final half of the frame with flurries highlighted by a stiff left jab and body
work that halted his foe’s activity to a standstill.
Scores were 60-54 on all three
scorecards as Centeno remained unbeaten.
“He’s a tough dude and gave me some
good rounds, but I pulled it out and on to the next one,” Centeno said.
PRESTON
FREEMAN UD4 JOSE MENDOZA
Welterweights
Making his professional debut, former
National Golden Gloves bronze medalist Preston “Presto” Freeman (1-0) of St.
Louis, Mo., dominated Jose “Polvora” Mendoza (7-8, 3 KOs) in a four-round
unanimous decision.
Now training in Salinas, Calif.,
Freeman, 142.5, clobbered Mendoza, 143, in the opening round, flooring him with
a counter right hand. Mendoza would beat
the count administered by referee Ray Balewicz.
The second round saw a more confident
Freeman open up with lead left hooks and a lead right hand that had Mendoza
wobbling into the red corner. Mendoza
then switched tactics, going to a southpaw stance and pressing forward but
still losing the frame.
The third was fought at a more measured
pace, but Freeman remained in control throughout, even knocking Mendoza’s
mouthpiece out into the neutral corner.
A bloodied Mendoza attempted to cross
the finish line in the fourth, landing the occasional left hook, but Freeman
continuously found openings through the guard with his solid handspeed until
the final bell.
Scores were 40-35 across the board for
Freeman, who earned his first victory in the pro ranks.
“It felt good to be out there for the
first time,” Freeman said. “It was a
good experience, and I’m still learning, but it was good to get the win.”
CHRIS
PEARSON NC FRANK GEDEON
Chris Pearson (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Frank Gedeon (4-0, 3 KOs) was cancelled when Gedeon did not get medical clearance in time.
PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE TRAPP
Ryan Maquiñana
writes a weekly boxing column for CSNBayArea.com. He is a full member of the
Boxing Writers Association of America and the Ratings Panel for Ring Magazine.
E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com,
check out his blog at Norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
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