By Ryan Maquiñana
Maqdown.com
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- In the latest installment of the Boxing Union’s Tuesday Night Fights series last night, scheduled headliner Michael Fernandez (415 Boxing Club, San Francisco) found himself in street clothes, unable to compete when opponent Alex Anderson (Fairfield PAL, Fairfield) pulled out.
“It’s disappointing, because I had worked so hard to prepare for this,” Fernandez said. “But I have a couple other fights lined up this month, and the goal is to win the National PAL.”
Instead, the amateur middleweight who knocked Fernandez out in the last Boxing Union show, Terry Fernandez of Oakland’s Phight Club (no relation), met Ricardo Pinell (B Street Boxing, San Mateo) in the main event, with the latter earning the decision victory due to his precision punching and overall boxing skills.
Last night’s show was noticeably different, and it was in no small part due to the Giants-Padres major league baseball game, which occurred minutes away at AT&T Park.
“It definitely took away from our crowd having the Giants game on the same night,” Boxing Union founder Arturo Gastelum said.
Still, you wouldn’t be able to tell when the opening bell kicked off the night, as the spectators in attendance picked up the slack for their absent compatriots and added to another raucous, energetic atmosphere all night long.
“It was another exciting card filled with great fights, especially the one between Andrew Moy and Alan Vasquez,” Gastelum said. “We’ll be back with a great show from the Longshoremen’s Hall in Fisherman’s Wharf on December 2nd.”
RICARDO PINELL W3 TERRY FERNANDEZ
Middleweights
In the main event, Ricardo Pinell (B Street Boxing, San Mateo) took the decision over Terry Fernandez (Phight Club, Oakland). After a lively first round where the southpaw Pinell and the orthodox Fernandez exchanged leather at a blistering pace, the second was more tactical. Pinell and his accurate left hand matched wits with Fernandez and his overhand right. Moments into the frame, Pinell landed the one-two, but Fernandez answered with a looping right to the jaw.
However, it seemed that every time Pinell would attempt to take control of the second round by finding a home for his counter left hook, Fernandez would sling that vaunted right hand and push Pinell on the ropes. However, in amateur boxing, scoring comes from cumulative punches landed, and while Fernandez hit Pinell with some solid shots, the judges rewarded the San Mateo fighter for his pinpoint punching and his workrate.
“I wanted to stay away from that right hand of his, because he’s really strong,” Pinell said. “But I used my jab and was able to counter him accurately to win.”
ALAN VASQUEZ W3 ANDREW MOY
Bantamweights
Alan Vasquez (Phight Club, Oakland) edged out Andrew Moy (445 Boxing Club, San Francisco) over three spirited rounds. Moy, a southpaw, worked off the back foot, while the orthodox Vasquez whirled forward with a barrage of volleys. In the first frame, Moy scored a standing eight on Vasquez when a straight right sent the Oaklander into the ropes.
The second saw Vasquez subsequently rattle off combinations to close the stanza. Depending on what the viewer valued, the bout could have pointed either way heading into the final round. In the end, Vasquez’s quicker hands when the two traded power shots would win distinguish him among the judges.
“I had to get revenge after that first round,” Vasquez said. “The standing eight didn’t really affect me, but I had to show my heart in there and come right back at him.”
EDUARDO ALVARADO W3 JORDAN ORYALL
Junior Welterweights
Eduardo Alvarado (Third Street Gym, San Francisco) outhustled Jordan Oryall (Elite Boxing Club, Pleasanton) to the decision win. As both fighters went toe-to-toe for nine minutes of action, Alvarado landed just enough shots, namely the left hook to the body and head, to take the bout.
“Usually I’m able to use my distance, but I didn’t wait for him to make it an inside fight,” Alvarado said. “I did what I had to do in there based on my opponent’s style.”
SURAY MAHMUTOVIC W3 ULISES SERRANO
Junior Welterweights
In an intriguing matchup of teenage prospects, 13-year-old Suray Mahmutovic (415 Boxing Club, San Francisco) earned the judges’ nod over 14-year-old Ulises Serrano (B Street Boxing, San Mateo). Mahmutovic took the first by keeping Serrano at bay at the end of his long left jab. However, the second round began with a resolved Serrano tucking in his chin and scoring with left hooks on the inside. Ultimately, Serrano had a hard time getting around Mahmutovic’s left jab, which he doubled and even tripled to victory.
“My coach just told me to keep sticking the jab,” Mahmutovic said.
EDGAR NAVARRO W3 BRANDON ADAMS
Welterweights
Edgar Navarro (Club X Boxing, Santa Rosa) took a clear decision over a game Brandon Adams (Third St. Gym, San Francisco). Navarro started off strong, effectively landing his lead right hand against his shorter southpaw opponent. However, the second round was marked by Adams’s propensity to come forward and press the issue. With the fight on the line in the third, Navarro punctuated the victory by landing two jousting jabs followed by a clean one-two that promoted the referee to give Adams a standing eight count.
“I was waiting on his left hand,” Navarro said. “My corner prepared me well, and when I hit him with the one-two for the standing eight, I thought I had it.”
MARIO AYALA W3 JESSIE LOPEZ
Bantamweights
On the strength of a stinging left hook, Jessie Lopez (B Street Boxing, San Mateo) seemingly won a war of attrition against Mario Ayala (Don Conley Boxing Club, Sacramento), but the judges saw it the other way in a close battle. The shorter Lopez had his moments, but Ayala scored with frequency, namely off the left hook when the pair would trade in close quarters.
“I was able to jab, step back, and throw my overhand rights and hooks off the counter,” Ayala said. “That was the key.”
HUMBERTO OTOYA W3 JOEL LOPEZ
Junior Welterweights
In the opening bout of the evening, Humberto Otoya (US Kickboxing, Hayward) utilized steady pressure and a body attack to outwork late replacement Joel Lopez (Third St. Gym, San Francisco) en route to the decision victory.
“I just went to the body,” Otoya said. “I got him to put his hands down and I was able to go to work up top."
Ryan Maquiñana is a boxing correspondent at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and BoxingScene.com. He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring’s Ratings Advisory Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at www.maqdown.com or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
Left: CNN's Soledad O'Brien followed Olympic hopeful Marlen Esparza (pictured) for months
Credit O’Brien, who has become enamored with Esparza’s story enough to place it front and center as the subject of her latest foray into the ever-evolving identity of the Latino demographic in this country.
