By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net
VACAVILLE, CA -- The final day of the USA Boxing Northern California Championships saw nine more champions crowned at the Georgie Duke Center.
Among the victors were two Novice fighters and seven more from the Open Division, with the latter moving on to the National Championships in Fort Carson, Colo., which occur at the end of the month.
"We had some good fights today," said Seifudeen Mateen, whose Sacramento-based boxing club hosted the event. "I thought the non-tournament fight (between Brett Venegas and Eros Correa) was great to watch, and we saw some talented kids like Adam Fiel and [Michael] Morales."
After Saturday was devoid of a single standing-eight count, Sunday's scraps yielded two second-round stoppages and a close finish in the lone women's bout that featured a late-round knockdown as well.
A handful of notable fighters were absent from the competition, like S.F.-based Olympic Trials super heavyweight silver medalist LaRon Mitchell, nationally-ranked 201-plus-pounder O'Jayland Brown of Sacramento, and middleweight Mike Fernandez of S.F., who won the Desert Showdown middleweight championship last year.
They decided to bypass this weekend and go straight to Nationals, which allowed others to fight not only for official distinction as NorCal champions, but for coveted travel funds from the Local Boxing Commission (LBC) as well.
Here are your winners and runners-up from Sunday's action, which was put together by tournament director Candelario "Candy" Lopez of San Jose PAL.
RELATED: Click here for Saturday's results
(Championships in Blue, Non-Title Fights in Red)
Novice Division – Men
• Bantamweight Championship (123 lbs.)
Martin Avila (San Jose PAL) def. Conor Saunders (Unattached) by walkover
It's often said that 90 percent of success requires just showing up. Saunders did not, making Avila the winner of Sunday's final by default.
• Welterweight Championship (152 lbs.)
Reyes Manon (Oakland Boxing) dec. Sal Aguilera (Kennel Boxing, San Leandro), 3-0
Aguilera pressed the action early against the taller Manon in an effort to get inside, and a left hook struck gold, momentarily buzzing the Oakland fighter. The second round was a different story, as Manon worked the body, followed by a left hook caused referee Patrick McTiernan to give Aguilera a standing-eight count. The final round was marked by both fighters trading at will, with Manon throwing the one-two and Aguilera landing the left hook inside. Ultimately, Manon's volume would be the margin of victory.
“I just kept throwing those body shots and pressing forward in the last round,” Manon said.
Open Division - Women
• Featherweight Championship (125 lbs.)#
Jasmine Jones (Vacaville PAL) dec. Becky Villagran (Pacific Ring, Oakland), 3-0
Vacaville PAL's Jasmine Jones shook off a late knockdown to win the 125-lbs. crown. (Norcalboxing.net)
Jones seemed to have the fight in hand early on, getting the better of the exchanges as she came forward to press her foe. However, Villagran would make amends in the third, sending Jones to the canvas with a thunderous straight right hand. In the fourth and final round, the bell was accidentally rung with one minute remaining. By this time, Jones had recovered and held off Villagran's final furious push to take the decision on the judges' cards.
"She's a tough fighter," Jones said of her opponent. "She had me down, so I knew I had to go all out in the last round. It was a close fight."
Open Division - Men
• Lightweight Co-Championship (132 lbs.)*
Adam Fiel (Kennel Boxing, San Leandro) RSC-2 Jimmy Pham (Multi-Choices, Alameda)
Adam Fiel, now training with Nonito Donaire Sr. of Kennel Boxing in San Leandro, captured the 132-lbs. co-title. (Norcalboxing.net)
This bout was the first of two lightweight finals that were the result of having only two days to complete the tournament and an odd number of fighters. Fiel, a former member of the Philippine National Team, used his vast experience to stop a game Pham in the second. Putting together his punches in succession and using distance beautifully, Fiel utilized his straight right and left hook in a variety of combinations upstairs to score three standing eight counts to earn the technical knockout. After the win, Fiel was very interested in rekindling a fight with Olympic Trials champ Jose Ramirez of Avenal, who edged him at the Regional Golden Gloves last year.
"I feel good right now, and I'm ready for Colorado," Fiel said. "I've been working on adding a few things to my game with Nonito Donaire Sr. training me, and I would love a rematch with Jose Ramirez at Nationals."
• Lightweight Co-Championship (132 lbs.)*
Andy Vences (San Jose PAL) dec. William Villa (Mateen Boxing, Sacramento), 3-0
Andy Vences of San Jose PAL took home the 132-pound co-title. (Norcalboxing.net)
In the second 132-pound final, Vences found an opponent in Villa who was willing to trade with him on the inside, and it made for an entertaining scrap. However, Vences, the National PAL bronze medalist at lightweight last year, seemingly had a bit more in his arsenal on Sunday, namely a short, chopping right hand on the inside that scored several times. Villa found a home for the one-two on occasion, but it was not enough to outland Vences on the cards.
"Comparing this with fighting at 141 in the past, I feel stronger," Vences said. "I've really been working on my inside game lately, with the hooks and uppercuts, and I've been getting some good sparring, so I'll be ready this time around for Nationals."
• Welterweight Co-Championship (152 lbs.)*
Michael Morales (Old School, Concord) dec. Joel Siapno (Kennel Boxing, San Leandro), 3-0
Two fighters with pro styles met in the second of two 152-pound finals (William Blake defeated Luis Garcia last night in the other one), as Morales, who was coming off a two-year hiatus from the sport, immediately went to the body on Siapno, who displayed a solid frame and showed no signs of withering after taking a variety of shots to the ribcage and chin. For his part, Siapno waited for openings and pumped the one-two, having his moments when he got his foe on the ropes, but the gap in experience was evident as Morales, despite showing signs of ring rust and fatigue late in the bout, pivoted and feinted his way out of trouble en route to the win.
"It feels good to be back again after being away for a while," Morales said. "I still need to work on my conditioning, but I was able to do the things I wanted to do in there today, especially work the body."
• Middleweight Championship (165 lbs.)
Aaron Coley (SFC Boxing, S.F.) dec. Billye Burke (Unattached), 3-0
Aaron "Heavy Metal" Coley of SFC Boxing and his mother celebrate his 165-pound championship. (Norcalboxing.net)
From the opening bell, Coley's plan was to march forward and make Burke fight off the backfoot, and he achieved that objective. The City-based southpaw threw the right jab to the chest and muscled his way inside on a taller Burke, who resorted to throwing a left jab of his own to keep Coley at bay and sat on his right hand to counter. In the end, Coley's nonstop pressure, handspeed, and solid right hook took control as the bout progressed.
"I knew if I could get him to fight going backward, that he wasn't used to that and I could use that to my advantage," Coley said. "I could definitely feel a difference without Coach Ben [Bautista] in my corner, but we did what we had to do today and get the win."
• Light Heavyweight Championship (178 lbs.)
Cecilio Mills (Pacific Ring, Oakland) RSC-2 Keynoe Fenner (BabyFace, Pacifica)
New 178-pound champ Cecilio Mills (left) celebrates with trainer Robert Garcia and 125-pound runner-up Becky Villagran. All three are part of Oakland's Pacific Ring Gym. (Norcalboxing.net)
The discrepancy in height between the two men was apparent from the opening bell, but Mills, a former center fielder for Sacramento State, neutralized that in a hurry by jabbing his way inside and cutting off the ring. After a spirited first round where both men had their moments, Mills abruptly ended things in the second frame by flicking the left jab and feinting, setting up Fenner for an overhand right that caught him to the temple by surprise. In a delayed reaction, Fenner backed up into the neutral corner and hit the canvas. Despite getting up to beat the count, the referee had seen enough and halted the bout.
"Usually, I like to box and stay on the outside, but with most of my opponents being taller, I have to get inside and catch them there, and that's what happened with the knockout," Mills said. "This is going to be my first time at Nationals, and I'm excited."
• Heavyweight Championship (201 lbs.)
Mike Marshall (West Side Boxing, San Mateo) dec. Raul Alcaraz (Kennel Boxing, San Leandro), 3-0
Mike Marshall of San Mateo's West Side Boxing reflects on his triumph in the 201-pound division. (Norcalboxing.net)
What Alcaraz lacked in experience, he compensated for with activity. The East Bay fighter refused to give in one inch to Marshall and landed a few bombs in the earlygoing. However, Marshall's superior footwork once they fought in close quarters was evident. Midway through the second, Marshall began to unleash short uppercuts inside that eventually took their toll on Alcaraz, and by the third, the Peninsula pugilist grew more and more accurate by the final bell to take the title.
"Last night against Jasper [McCargo], it was a little different situation because he was the taller guy at 6'3'', 6'4'', and it was a hard style to look good against," Marshall said. "This time, [Alcaraz] was tough but I was able to use my feet to get better position on the inside and make it a prettier fight to watch."
• Flyweight Non-Tournament Bout (114 lbs.)
Brett Venegas III (Golden State Bloodhounds, Sacramento) dec. Eros Correa (San Jose PAL), 2-1
Sacramento's Brett Venegas (114 lbs.) and San Jose's Eros Correa (108 lbs.) pose after their exhibition bout. Both advanced to Nationals unopposed. (Norcalboxing.net)
In the biggest upset of the day, albeit in an exhibition, Venegas, a 16-year-old who was fighting in his first Open bout according to Golden State Bloodhounds head Ray Woods, took a decision over Correa, who fought six pounds above his regular weight class to meet his foe at 114 pounds.
Both fighters had already won their respective tournaments by walkover (Venegas at flyweight and Correa at junior flyweight).
Correa, a 19-year-old from the South Bay, was seeing his first action since the AIBA World Championships last September after becoming the first Bay Area fighter since Andre Ward to win the U.S. Olympic Trials. Venegas showed some veteran poise, coming forward and reeling off combinations in the pocket that brought the local crowd to its feet. In contrast, in addition to his vaunted right hand, which he often uses off the counter, Correa displayed a new left hook to the body, which stung Venegas several times in return. Depending on what one valued, the fight could have gone either way. Today, it was the younger fighter's time to shine by split decision.
"[Venegas] threw some good combinations, but I felt like I pulled it out with some cleaner shots, but oh well," Correa said. "He fought pretty good. I'm going to keep getting in shape, go back down to 108 pounds, and act like I'm still the underdog going into Nationals."
"Hustle hard," Venegas said. "That's all I got to say."
*Winner will be co-champion for the weight class
#This women's bout had four two-minute rounds. The men's bouts had three three-minute rounds.
* * *
OFFICIAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TEAM FOR U.S. NATIONALS
(FEB. 27-MAR. 3 IN FORT CARSON, COLO.)
MEN
Junior flyweight (108 lbs.) – Eros Correa (San Jose PAL)
Flyweight (114 lbs.) – Brett Venegas III (Golden State Bloodhounds, Sacramento)
Bantamweight (123 lbs.) – Mario Ayala (Dogg Pound, Sacramento)
Lightweight (132 lbs.) – Adam Fiel (Kennel Boxing, San Leandro), Andy Vences (San Jose PAL)*
Junior Welterweight (141 lbs.) – Ali Ahmed (Dreamland, San Jose)
Welterweight (152 lbs.) – William Blake (Newcastle Ringside), Michael Morales (Old School, Concord)*
Middleweight (165 lbs.) – Aaron Coley (SFC Boxing, S.F.)
Light Heavyweight (178 lbs.) – Cecilio Mills (Pacific Ring, Oakland)
Heavyweight (201 lbs.) –Mike Marshall (West Side Boxing, San Mateo)
Super Heavyweight (201+ lbs.) – Andrew Tinae (Unattached)
WOMEN
Junior Flyweight (106 lbs.) – Marina Ramirez (Prime Time, Sacramento)
Featherweight (125 lbs.) – Jasmine Jones (Vacaville PAL)
*co-champions
Check out CSNBayArea.com/fightsports this Friday for a preview of National Championships along with profiles of some of our top local fighters!
Boxing correspondent Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Advisory Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
