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Arizona Boxing News & Notes with Don Smith: Oh, Canada, What A Night, Boxing Noise & More By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Fri, 11 Jul 2014 Boxing Fans, Fan Base Promotions, out of Calgary Canada, invited me to cover their Sunday July 6 ?Redemption Under Tent? boxing show held in Calgary, Alberta at the spacious (10,000 Sq. feet) Roadhouse Night club. The urbane rowdy but comfortable establishment is shaped more like a dome than a tent but marketing boxing has never been an exact science. The event could have been dubbed ?War under the Dome.? More importantly, the beer was cold, the hired hands were hospitable, attractive (some of the females were stunning in their daisy dukes) and the ambiance was captivating. It was an event that ended extremely well despite a major card change, a couple of medical hiccups, competition from the annual Calgary Stampede Festival and Canadian media?s nonchalant approach to covering the sport of boxing. Most of my esteemed journalist colleagues in Canada agree with the latter sentiment. The Calgary Sun was the only major Canadian media entity to cover the event. Sun sports editor (Todd Saelhof) wisely sent reporter Gordon Anderson to cover an event that deserves media space like any other significant public sporting offering. Media balance is always important. I was honored by the invite and felt treated like minor royalty (5 free Molson and Budweiser beers) by everyone including Fan Base volunteers, too many to mention, and Roadhouse Owner Chris Dobson, boxing fan and former owner of Desperado, a nightclub in Calgary that used to host boxing events. Chris bade adios to his former abode when the rent was jacked sky high, according to the veteran club owner who started as a waiter in the club business many moons and spilled drinks ago. Roadhouse is a major player in Calgary entertainment circles. A red carpet welcome for me was a bit of a surprise because of the unfortunate antics of popular local welterweight Steve Claggett (19-2-1) who took some vicious shots at yours truly over the internet and although it is assumed that everything is fair in love and war; there are boundaries. Several people in Calgary, who recognized me, came up to me and apologized for the young man?s behavior. To be honest, I wasn?t offended; his spontaneous material wasn?t very clever, in my opinion. Steve Claggett?s father was at the fight and we saw each other, but didn?t speak. The father is a friend of Fan Base and a fight fan. He did apologize for his son?s behavior over the net to the fight promoter. Claggett was supposed to headline the card, but due to a ?dog bite? cancelled his appearance. Claggett was invited to the press conference and weigh-in, but didn?t show. Welterweight Samuel Vargas (18-1-1) replaced Claggett in the main event against Juan Jesus Rivera (26-11)and he told me after the contest that he wasn?t crisp even though the Toronto based fighter scored a unanimous victory over the scrappy and taller Mexican fighter. I thought the work of Joel Scobie (referee) was a bit loose and I approached him about the issue and he agreed to answer my questions off the record, so I can?t reveal what he said which was limited to say the least. In his defense, he did work all matches with one 30 minute intermission. According to an inside source, Canada doesn?t have a plethora of available rand qualified referees; Americans, instinctively know how to stir up a hornet?s nest. In my opinion, Vargas won the bout, but not by the wide margin, 79-73,78-74 x 2 he received from the ringside judges who were scrambling to get out of the rain when I reached them as they were departing the club and heading home. The steady down pour deterred me from asking questions, so I tried another method. I sent an email to the commission asking about low blows and multiple rabbit punches during the headline bout. The answer(s) haven?t arrived! I don?t think any points were taken away (by referee Scobie) and Mr. Vargas was the main culprit. Here is a little inside dope to some of the Colombian born fighters problems during his weekend stay in Calgary. I don?t think he is a bad guy just frustrated over circumstances and he took the fight on short notice. Remember, Samuel resides in Toronto, a city considered more sophisticated, allegedly, than Calgary, home of the annual Calgary Stampede. Samuel Vargas came to the official weigh-in on Saturday, overweight and as customary; 25 % of his paycheck was given to Rivera who, with his brother, took the check to the bank on the next day after the fight and had trouble cashing it because of a language barrier. Rivera was eventually issued a debit card as a means to his funds. Furthermore, Vargas decided to stay at a more ?comfortable? Hotel near the Calgary International Airport instead of lodging at the promoter provided Shamrock Hotel in Calgary. When asked about the move, a Vargas team member replied ?we are not Mexicans?. Rivera is of Mexican descent and thought the room and food provided was better than adequate. Ironically, I wound up staying in the Vargas designated room (310) and used his food chits; thank you Sam. I have a bone to pick with both main event fighters. Rivera was seen running approximately five miles on the day of the fight. No wonder, he seemed to tire in the middle rounds of the 8 round contests. And Vargas was caught spitting in the back of a F150 cab over vehicle on his way to the weigh-in. He was desperate to lose weight at the expense of his image which had already taken a hit from the ?Mexican? comment even though the racist remark was made by a member of his team. He was there and should have scolded the coarse speaking offender. Best Fight of the Night: The best fight of the evening was between Alex Torres fighting out of the red corner and representing Calgary, Alberta and Kyle Oliveira fighting out of the blue corner and representing Winnipeg, Ontario. Torres 4 time Canadian Champion, was the more polished of the two pugilists and threw harder and more punches than Oliveira whose amateur experience is scant compare to Torres who is 4 years older. Torres won by unanimous decision and deservedly so. He was more active and his up and down movement was very effective in the early rounds of the 4 round 130 lb. bout. I sent emails to both young men congratulating them on their performances. Alex has all the tools to be a winner: Speed, heart, poise, agility and more power than I had been told. His only flaw against Oliveira was his occasional tendency to drop his hands, especially his left which opened him for a hit or two. I am sure Darren Orubor and Mike (his trainers) will tighten his defense before his next fight. He would like to fight in Los Angeles and Mexico City within the next six months, but nothing is set in stone. Alex is managed by Fan Base. He was born in Vera Cruz Mexico which is a stone?s throw from Mexico City. Alex hopes to become a world champion in 2017; confidence is something he has. The win putsches his record to 1-0. Alex scored 2 knockdowns. Kyle Oliveira is a very strong athletic kid who has a future in boxing. After the two knockdowns, Kyle recovered quickly and told me later that they were partial slips. He does need to work on his foot work, but the knockdowns were legitimate. Coach Kent Brown told me Kyle will be back in action, soon. The defeat puts Oliveira?s record at 0-1.Coah Brown also told me his fighter would concentrate on boxing, not MMA his first fighting adventure where he has established a 2-1 record. Best Performance of the Night: 7 days shy of 30 months, Janks Trotter returned to the boxing ring to face dangerous Phil Rose to see if the desire and hunger to continue to fight was still there. Jank?s last appearance was a losing effort (1st Round TKO) to Adam Trupish from Edmonton, Alberta. Trotter despises Trupish and the defeat sent Trotter into a seclusion from boxing. Some suggested that the Irish Canadian undergo analysis. His best friends shied away from him to allow him space to think things out. What wasn?t known by the general public was the fact that Janks, for years, was suffering from Strabismus, better known as Cross Eyed Syndrome. I knew, but I was sworn to secrecy by his management team. I was at the Trupish fight in Calgary at the Desperado which lasted all of 72 gut wrenching seconds for Trotter and his myriad of friends and supporters. It was 22 degrees Fahrenheit outside and eerily quiet as if the traffic on the QE2 had come to a standstill out of disbelief over the defeat of its? favorite son, Janks Trotter. Months later after the Trupish defeat, he had corrective surgery which was ineffective. A second operation was performed with better results. Trotter could see again without the blur that dogged him throughout most of his boxing career. When Fan Base asked him to fight Rose; there was uncertainty and skepticism. He said yes with one stipulation, he would have to fight at 158 lbs., heavier than he had ever fought before. Trotter said yes. The thought of fighting someone who had knocked out Adam Trupish could be a slice of redemption. Trotter didn?t show up for the press conference on Friday July 4. Fan Base wasn?t surprised, because the Canadian based promotional company knew Trotter wouldn?t show . Fan Base was lucky Trotter did a call-in with Calgary Sun beat writer Scott Mitchell who incorrectly identified the quiet fighter as a former two-time Canadian Olympian. Janks was never on the Canadian Olympic team. The often repeated mistake scared some potential opponents away and may have hindered his career. Trotter showed up for the official weigh-in on Saturday July 5. He looked small compared to Phil Rose who looked like a poster child for physical fitness. Even Janks commented how large and strong Phil ?The Assassin? Rose looked. Janks made the weight and then quietly disappeared. I said hi to him and that was about the extent of our conversation. We became acquainted almost 5 years ago and the words between us could fit in 3 newspaper paragraphs and I think we respect each other. It was Sunday night, 6 pm. His corner man, Ken Mont, was there, but no Janks. 20-30 minutes, Trotter showed up wearing a well-worn green sweat shirt. I didn?t talk him out of respect for his time and mission at hand. Years ago, I approached actor Robert ? The Music Man? Preston and he told me to hold off on my questions because he was studying lines. I gave Trotter the same amount of respect and space, knowing what he was facing. It took him 4 minutes and 29 seconds to finish his night?s work against Rose and I thought Referee Joel Scobie stopped the contest too early. I asked Team Rose and the manager said he didn?t have a problem with the decision to end the fight because Rose wasn?t doing much even though he appeared to be alright. The manager went on to say? it was just a matter of time.? Rose praised Trotter and said he was a very good fighter. In the makeshift dressing room, Trotter told me he felt good, but he felt that he took two or three shots that could have been avoided. He would like to fight in two months and his manager spoke up and named Brandon Cook as the most desired next foe. Cook is the reigning NABA Canadian Middleweight Champion having defeated Phil Rose in a very controversial split decision. Cook is 13-0 and perhaps hesitant to face Trotter after his impressive and short victory over Rose. Under Card: Justin Suchinski, Trinity Boxing in Calgary, was a last minute substitute for Bill Arnott and didn?t have the proper time to prepare for the Polish Juggernaut, Lukasz Wierzbicki whose record now stands at 4-0. Justin was making his debut and felt confident going in the bout, but the power and experience of Wierzbicki was too much for the father of an small daughter. Justin?s record now stands at 0-1 and Wierzbicki hopes to fight two more times in 2014 and predicts a world title shot in 2016. The Polish youngster is a former National and European Kick Boxing Champion. Both fighters reside in Calgary and Lukasz spars with Fan Base prot?g? Alex Torres. 1st Bout: Todd Molineaux, Edmonton, Alberta, and Keegan Oliver, Calgary, Alberta opened the boxing event with a rousing 4 round bout that looked more like a tough guy contest than a sanctioned professional boxing match, but the fans loved the four rounds of nonstop action. In the end, it was a split draw. The two men fought in an MMA contest last year with the same conclusion. According to their own comments, Todd & Keegan despise each other. What started the continuing feud is unknown. Todd lobbied for a reversal, but never got it. Summation: The show had a few warts such as falling one fight short as promised, starting time was at least 35 minutes late which gave guys more time to ogle the many flat bottomed girls wearing Daisy Dukes , so maybe the tardiness was a plus. I was impressed with how quickly the Fan Base crew (with help from Trinity Brown) erected a new sturdy boxing ring and the lighting was centered correctly. I would be remiss if I didn?t mention the work of announcer Brigham Avery who traveled from Los Angeles to handle ring chores. Avery, originally from Calgary, was a little partisan at times, but overall; his positive approach to the task was refreshing. I never thought corny humor could be so appreciated. A special heehaw thank you to cowboy ?Lucky Sone? who sang Oh, Canada. It was a good and friendly night of boxing with more than a lasting memory or two. Special thanks to Ahmed at the Shamrock Hotel and Chris Dobson and his staff at the Roadhouse in Calgary.. It was a great weekend and a special thanks to the Keg Restaurant for dealing with my funky taste buds. Boxing Noise: The Stone Hard Gym was picketed for several day last week. According to USA Boxing Arizona, it is officially closed?. Phoenix super middleweight/ light heavyweight Andrew ?The Hurricane? Hernandez broke his right hand and that is the official reason why he can?t fight on the Iron Boy 14 card against Joey ?The Boxer? Ruelas. Hernandez was crucified over the net and now no one is stepping forward to apologize?. Joey will fight Izaak Cardona (8-0) instead, Should be a good test for Ruelas?Phoenix amateur favorite Daniel Garcia (147 lbs.) is turning professional and hopes to debut in September??Mark your calendar t attend July 19 boxing smoker at te Madison boxing club at Greenfield Elementary School located at 7009 S. 10th St. in Phoenix, Arizona. Doors open at noon and 1st show starts at 2 pm??Fighter Meet and Greet appearances at The Central Gym (Managed by Tom Garcia) located at 1755 W. Van Buren Street in Phoenix. Expected to attend are : Jose Benavidez Jr. , Trevor McCumby, Joey Ruelas, Alex Zazueta, Francisco De Vaca, Keenan Carbajal and Emmanuel Nieves. These same talented Arizona fighters will make an appearance at Sonny?s Boxing Gym in Goodyear at 13765 W. Auto Drive?.Tickets for the Iron Boy 14 show at the Celebrity Theater are available at the box office. www.fanbasepromotions.com..... Until NextTime! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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