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Arizona Boxing News & Notes With Don Smith: Iron Boy X11 Recap, Shabazz Calls out Hurricane By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Thu, 01 May 2014 Boxing Fans, 22 year old Mesa Lightweight Tim Riddell scored a quick (34 seconds) first round knockout victory over Miguelito Marti (0-3), Saturday April 26 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.. A very jubilant Riddell (1-0) ambushed his foe with a huge overhand right followed by a series of body shots that almost leveled the staggering Marti. Riddell waited for referee Wes Melton to step in and when he didn?t; Riddell continued his assault until Melton wisely halted the contest. Marti hails from Riverside, California and began his fighting career as a MMMA combatant. Riddell hopes to fight on the Iron Boy X111 card in El Paso Texas on June 6; nothing official. Marti faces possible suspension after his knockout loss to Riddell. Edgar Brito and Jesus Pacheco engaged in a wild and rough 4 round bantamweight bout. Pacheco opened a gash over the left eye of Brito with a punch or butt. Referee Wes Melton ruled the blow a punch was to blame while Brito insists the damage was the result of a head butt. At the end of four rounds, the score cards gave it to Brito by unanimous decision. I sent an email to referee Wes Melton inquiring about the incident and the always professional Melton confirmed his conviction that it was a legitimate punch and not a head butt. The loss drops Pacheco?s record to 1-4 and the win ups Brito?s slate to 2-1-1. Brito fears the controversial 2nd round incident may cost him a suspension and a chance to fight on the Iron Boy X111 June 6 card in El Paso. I talked to Brito after the fight and he was upbeat about his future despite the nasty cut. Iron Boy star fighter Francisco C de Vaca (6-0) wasted little time in dispensing with Rafael ?The Ripper? Rivera (1-7) in a scheduled 6 round bantamweight cont4est. Vaca dominated the first round and caught the 29 year old Arizona State employee with a crippling liver shot that would dictate an end to the contest 15-20 seconds after the lethal blow. Rivera?s only professional win came in 2011 against lightly regarded Jesse Ruiz in Mesa. Rivera faces possible suspension and may, according to friends, retire from the sport. Vaca is expected to fight on the Iron Boy X111 card in El Paso, Texas. Vaca, a promising young fighter, deserves better opposition. Winless Johnny Jackson was a last minute addition to the card. In hindsight, he may regret agreeing to fight super middleweight Sijuola Shaba (4-1) a prot?g? of former world champion Austin ?No Doubt) Trout who was on hand in support of his longtime friend. The champ was acknowledged at intermission as were referee Tony Weeks and Arizona super middleweight Jesus ?El Martillo? Gonzales. Trout was gracious in accommodating fans with pictures and autographs. Edgar Brito was one of many boxers able to go home with a memento. According to my research, Jackson?s only fighting victory was at a ?Bad Boy? tournament held at Fort McDowell Casino, near Fountain Hills Arizona, three years ago. His professional record is 0-3 after Shabazz ended Jackson?s ring adventure, 30 seconds into the first round. In 3 fights, Jackson?s has failed to complete a total of five full rounds and his actual work time in the ring is a few seconds short of 9 minutes. If you do the math, his average work load measures approximately 3 minutes or 180 seconds for each performance. After his victory, the irrepressible Shabazz called out Phoenix favorite Andrew ?Hurricane? Hernandez 6-0-1-1-NC) who fights on the Mayweather/Maidana card against Lanell Bellows (6-1) on May 3 in Las Vegas. According to Team Shabazz, their guy met Hernandez twice as an amateur and won both times. It would be an intriguing challenge, but two things would have to happen. Hernandez would have to get past Bellows and then decide if he would prefer taking on Canadian Steve Franjic or Shabazz. Hernandez met Franjic in 2012 and the men settled for a majority draw. Franjic meets Junior Mora in Canada this summer for a North American belt. His plan is to beat Mora who is 8 years his senior and challenge Hernandez in Canada. Hernandez is popular in Canada and may choose the trip and Franjic over another meeting with Shabazz, his old nemesis. In the meantime, expect the ambitious Shabazz to fight on the June 6, El Paso Texas card. If he keeps winning, he may able to quit his UPS job. In another preliminary bout, Keenan Carbajal and John Herrera battled to a controversial but lively draw. According to an unscientific straw poll, Herrera deserved the not, but the controversy could fuel a demand for a rematch. I?m sure Iron Boy is listening! In what I considered the fight of evening, well-schooled Xavier Montelongo outworked Juan Carlos Benavides in a 4 round featherweight contest that saw both fighters give 110 percent. Benavides has the distinction of going the distance with Iron Boy stalwart Francisco C de Vaca at the Celebrity Theatre in 2013. The 22 year old Montelongo earned a unanimous decision and hopefully his impressive victory might suggest a bout between Vaca and the California fighter. Vaca fought as a bantamweight on the card, but that shouldn?t be a problem. The bout, if agreed upon, will sell tickets. I scored the bout for Montelongo because of his cool ring demeanor and control of the fight tempo. The $64,000.00 question three days before fight night was who would meet Middleweight Joey ?The Boxer? Ruelas in the Main Event. Arturo Crespin, of New Mexico was first announced and then the focus turned to Lauro Alcantar (8-1) whose unexplained disappearance rivals the mystery surrounding Malaysian Aircraft 370. Alcantar signed a contract, but went missing in action on Wednesday, two days before the weigh-in and three days before the fight. Iron Boy quickly sprang into action and asked Fernando Najera (1-1) to pinch hit and he agreed, but Iron Boy knew that devout boxing patrons wouldn?t accept the proposed match as headline quality, so Phoenix native Rollin Williams (23-18) , previously scheduled to fight Sijuola Shabazz was coaxed into fight Ruelas, instead. It was the 48 year old Williams? first fight since 1993. He looked in great shape and moved well even though his posture was a bit rigid. Towards the middle of the first round, the well chiseled southpaw Ruelas began landing his hard jabs at will. By the end the second round, Ruelas was on cruise control and Williams began hanging on and was penalized by Referee Tony Weeks. At the end of the 6 round contest, All three judges scored the fight for Ruelas who now sports a record of 8-0-1. I was unable to contact Williams who left the ring quickly. Fans aware of what the Phoenix boxer was attempting after a 21 year absence from the ring were very appreciative of his effort. In summation, It wasn?t Iron Boy?s best night of boxing, but they managed to overcome some horrific obstacles to present a 7 card show with a few highlights and special appearances from Austin Trout, Tony Weeks and Jesus ?El Martillo? Gonzales. When the card hit the drawing boards, California heavyweight prospect Michael Hunter was considered a lead pipe cinch to fill a spot on the card along with rising prospects Alexis Zazueta and Carlos ?The Chosen One? Castro, but Hunter suffered a cut and suitable opponents couldn?t be found for the two young Arizona boxing prospects. The loss of the trio on the card was huge and explains a drop in attendance for the night. Also, according to one of my price conscious friends; ticket prices were raised ($10.00) for the Iron Boy X11 event. No word on if future tickets prices will remain in the $30-$50.00 range. Iron Boy 13 is scheduled for El Paso Texas on June 6. Boxing Noise: Arizona 125-130 lb. boxing prospect Emmanuel Nieves is expected to turn professional this fall. His father/consultant is tired of what he describes as bum amateur calls. Fighting for money is better than fighting for free?good luck! - Top Rank Light heavyweight contender Trevor McCumby (Top 20 USA) pummeled Rafael Valenzuela until the contest was stopped in the first round on 4/26 in Port Huenene, California. The victory lifted McCumby record to 15-0-12 knockouts. Trevor is starting to make believers out of doubting Thomases.. The loss drops Valenzuela to 8-3. - Popular boxing publicist Emily Pandelakis (Iron Boy & Cameron Dunkin) is recovering from bronchitis at John Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix. She was admitted after working the Iron Boy X11 boxing show at the Celebrity Theater on Saturday night, April 26 in Phoenix. From a grateful boxing community, thank you for your effort and get well soon. What a Trooper! - Two Arizona fighters, who want to remain anonymous, have turned down promotional contract offers from a California based boxing company. When asked why, both representatives said the legal language in the proposed contract favored the promotion company, big time. Both boxers had family attorneys read the fine print. Better safe than sorry. - The Mayweather/ Maidana PPV May 3 fight will not be shown for free at the Phoenix Cinco de Mayo Festival as previously announced. I wasn?t able to ascertain the official reason for the disappointing decision. Hooters and Twin Peaks Restaurant plan to show the event on Saturday for a $10.00 cover charge that comes with amenities. - World Boxing Champion Floyd Mayweather has told ESPN Sports that he is interested in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers from embattled owner Donald Sterling. For the record ?The Money Man? has a criminal record that negates any chance he has to become an NBA franchise owner. - Please support ?Putting on the Gloves Battle? at the Cinco de May Festival in Downtown Phoenix on Saturday, May d3 at 2 p.m. 20 fights and a chance to meet WBO NABF lightweight Champion Raymundo Beltran, a class act and the ?Ray Man? will be working the corner of Eben Vargas (Gene Lewis Boxing) as Mr. Vargas attempts to avenge a previous loss to Christopher Gonzales from Tucson. - Another scrap to take interest in is the scheduled battle between 108 lb. warrior Fernando Martinez (Fuentes Boxing) and Leo Montenegro from Hard Knocks Gym in Phoenix. Martinez lost to Montenegro in their last encounter, but that was before Martinez started gaining rock status in amateur boxing. Special thanks to USA Boxing Arizona for sponsoring the Putting on the Gloves Battle and sure and say hi to their committed volunteers on Saturday. The festival is a two day affair (Saturday May 3 & Sunday May 4). Sunday street parking is free and admission fare is a mer $5.00 until 5 p.m. on both days. If you tarry past 5 p.m. before entering; adults will pay an extra 5 bucks. Children under 12 are admitted free. It is a huge fun filled weekend for the entire family. Concerts, Carnival atmosphere and rides and games for everyone. Be sure and register to vote for the upcoming primary and general election. Please go to the Phoenix Cinco de Mayo for a complete rundown of all Cinco de Mayo events. See you there?. Until Next Time! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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