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Arizona Boxing News & Notes With Don Smith: ?Feroz? Team Wins, Urbina Case Update & More By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Thu, 01 Jan 2015 Boxing Fans, On Saturday, December 27, 2014, Victory Outreach Church (McDowell Road in Phoenix) hosed ?Battle for Arizona?, a one day amateur boxing show pitting Arizona Boxers versus members of Feroz Fight Factory out of Las Vegas Nevada. Former World Boxing Champion Fernando ?Feroz? Vargas, founder and owner of the Feroz Fight Factory, traveled with the team and was all smiles when his team won Team Trophy and on a personal note, son Fernando Jr. won his bout over a game Jammel Franklin (Central Boxing in Phoenix) in their 160 lb. Novice Division contest. Trophies were given to first place finishers while medals were handed out for second place The event was co-ordinated by South Mountain Boxing Coach Juan Varela (patron of the church) and his magnificent group of volunteers including Perry Ochoa who saved my bacon when he found an extra bout sheet and filled in the early results while I was hurrying to complete a prior commitment. I did have a sheet, but I was led to believe a fan picked it up from atop my notebook while I was using the restroom. The event started at 2:00 and I arrived at 2:45 PM. Proceeds from the event went to the church and South Mountain Boxing. I was told the attendance was somewhere near 185-200 boxing devotees. 18 year old Fernando Vargas Jr. (Feroz Fight Factory) didn?t start his amateur boxing experience until this year (2014) but his inexperience (4th bout) wasn?t evident Saturday in his strong victorious performance. His goal is to represent the U.S.A. Olympic Team in 2016. FVJ told me, he plans to fight 50 times before the Olympic Trials. A Nevada High School graduate, the young man plans to attend college, fight professionally and never forget the boxing fans and friends to cheer him on to achieve his goals. His dad is his biggest fan. Fernando Sr. and I met briefly a year ago when he made an appearance at a Phoenix Food City Store on West Thomas Road in conjunction with a promotional event sponsored by Tecate Beer, Marco Antonio Barrera was also at the event and involved in the promotion. At that event, Fernando was too preoccupied signing autographs for me to talk to him and his paid chauffeur told me the former two-time champion didn?t speak English well which is a crock. It was Antonio who doesn?t appear to have mastered American English, Fernando was born in California. I did leave with two autographs (Barrera & Vargas)that were donated to a silent auction which benefited Andrew Mendez in his effort to pay medical bills incurred from his extensive cancer treatment. I told Vargas the story and he asked how Mr. Mendez was doing and I replied, fine. The champ said he was glad he could help Mendez and his family and his response seemed genuine. Our conversation at the Battle for Arizona event wasn?t Pulitzer material, but the chat was friendly and I understood that watching his kids perform was more important than jawboning with an old reporter. Vargas was born in Oxnard, California, but moved to Vegas when Fernando Jr. was 12. He said he knew it was time to leave the ring when he did and seemed oblivious to the rumors that he was planning on a comeback as recent as 2-3 years ago. Vargas officially retired in 2007 after compiling a combined record of 26 wins, 5 losses and 22 of those wins came by way of knockout. When I saw him at the Food City appearance, he looked heavy. We didn?t discuss his reported past use of drugs and alcohol, but he looked fit on December 27 as if he could skip rope and spar a few rounds. His demeanor was open and friendly. In preparing for our meeting, I read he was a good friend of Julio Cesar Chavez whom we both agreed fought too long. I covered Julio?s farewell fight in Phoenix and it was a sad sight to behold. The 37 year old Vargas (12/7 B-Day) has appeared in three full length movies and he would like to do more cinema work, but doesn?t have a project in front of him. I asked ?The Aztec Warrior? if he enjoyed working with Bruce Willis (Alpha Dog) and he described the actor as a good dude. Justin Timberlake and Harry Dean Stanton also appeared in the 2007 released crime drama flick that has a cult following. I asked him if he would like to see a movie made about his life and he smiled and said yeah maybe after ?I am dead.? His remark triggered my voiced recollection that WBO Heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Morrison told me that he should write a book about his life story and turn it into a movie, unfortunately Morrison died before he wrote history. Vargas paused after my Morrison story and asked if the fighter/actor died from HIV (Aids)? Trisha, his widow, claims the boxer passed away from Gullian Barre Syndrome not HIV as diagnosed in 1996 before he was scheduled to fight Art Weathers. Vargas thinks Morrison was a ?hell of a fighter? for a white boy. Before Vargas gathered his team and headed back for Vegas, I asked the gym owner and promoter is he ever got restitution from business manager Joe Pecora who was found guilty of stealing around $400,000.00 from the boxer over a span of several years. The two men were friends and business partners for years, but until Vargas realized Pecora had emptied one of his bank accounts, the popular ex-boxer had no idea 57 year old Pecora was forging checks and taking the champ for a very expensive ride. Pecora claimed he was using some of the money to treat cancer. In reality, he had a mild form of treatable skin cancer. His answer was very simple: ?yeah, he is in jail?. Pecora is currently serving 9 years and 8 months for grand theft, forgery and tax evasion. I asked the champ when he was coming back to Arizona and he didn?t know, but he said finding fights for kids wasn?t easy in Vegas, so returning to Arizona might be entirely possible. Rest of the Card: Here is more results from the ?Battle for Arizona? show in Phoenix. Overall, it was a good show and I am very pleased at the length and pace of the show. Ralph Velez was the ring announcer and he did a credible job, but I regret that he gave a plug to his newest employer, Bout Maker Boxing Promotions. It seemed a bit tacky; otherwise his performance was okay. In the first bout, Jesus Montano (Feroz Fight Factory) won over Efrain Valenzuela Ramos Boxing). In bout 2, Jaciel Carbajal (Fuentes Boxing) defeated Jesus Ramos (Ramos Boxing). Both kids know how to scrap. In a bout of 10 year olds, Zues Pinder (Siege Boxing) got the nod over Emilio Vargas (Feroz Fight Factory). In bout 4, Jesus Ibarra defeated James Browning (Guadalupe Boxing). Bout 6 featured Angel Quintana besting Angel Rosario (Feroz Fright Factory). Jesus Ramos is headed for a Silver Gloves tournament after two consecutive losses to bigger and older opponents. I will try to obtain a list of Arizona fighters headed out for regional and national tournaments. Short Jabs: Undefeated welterweight Abel Ramos (10-0-2) won?t be fighting January 9 on CBS as previously announced. It seems the television coverage disappeared and the purse dropped; so Team Ramos is looking for another fight in January February. The 23 year old Casa Grande, Arizona resident is trained by Jesus Ramos, a mailman when he isn?t working with his brother. Shihan Nico sent an email inviting everyone to catch ?Redemption IX, a kickboxing show presented by 2 Knuckle Sports on Saturday, January 10th, 2015. It is a fundraiser benefitting two local entities: Valley Vista High School and Willow Canyon High School. Proceeds will, in part, fund college scholarships and other worthy educational needs. The event will take place at the Valley Vista Performing Arts Center, 1550 N. Parkview Place, Surprise, Arizona 85374. Doors open at 5 PM and first fight commences at 6:30 PM. Call 623-282-1140 for more details or go online to the 2 Knuckle Sports website. It sounds like a good cause and we always take pleasure in announcing charitable and noble causes. Kevin Conroy sent an email thanking the Arizona boxing community for spreading the word about the 3rd annual Dental Mission of Mercy which was held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, December 12-13. The program is free to the public and will be held at the same venue (Coliseum next year (2015) on December 11-12. Here are the reordered numbers submitted by Executive Director Conroy: 1,665 patient?s seen-1.8 Million Dollars in services provided-Number of volunteers remained the same as 2013 which was undisclosed. This column takes pride in playing a small part in the marvelous event. Please mark your calendar to participate in the 2015 presentation on December 11-12. Boxing News: Boxing Inc.(Tucson) is sending Emmanuel Guajardo (155 lbs.), Jesse Acosta (123 lbs.) and 141 lb. Christopher Gonzales to the USA Boxing National Championships in Spokane Washington, January 17-24. Gonzales, a former State and Regional champion, was victorious at the Battle for Arizona event with a hard fought victory over rugged Raul Anaya (Broadway Boxing), Mesa Arizona. Gonzales is a very familiar face in Arizona Boxing circles and the 21 year old boxer has won numerous local, state and regional titles. His handlers promised to send me a list of his boxing accolades, but the list (surprise) never came: good luck in the regionals! Bout of the event honors went to Fernando Martinez (Fuentes Boxing) and Rolando Enriquez (Tucson Southwest) for their spirited all-out war. Martinez got the nod with a non- stop third flurry that swayed the judges to raise Fernando?s hand in victory. Fernando could have been motivated by the loss of fellow teammate Edward Ceballos in the fifth bout to Noah Contreras from Mohave Boxing Club. Pete Quezada, dedicated coach at Tucson Southwest, thought his fighter won, but he was very proud of his prot?g?. Pete went on to say that his team wouldn?t be represented at the Nationals in Spokane (1/17-24) and the main reason is expenses. USA Boxing Arizona needs to come up with a sound mechanism on how to fund tournament trips for Arizona?s amateur boxers. It is a recurring problem that needs to be addressed, now! Azteca Boxing Club is taking 8 boxers and two coaches to the Nationals and so far, the club has raised $1,600.00 as a result of a two day (12/27-28) fundraiser held at a Walgreen?s store on 83rd Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix. Their next fundraiser is scheduled for January 17 at the Wal-Mart store located on 7th Avenue south of Thomas and the fun begins at 11 AM and the group hopes to raise the balance by selling hot dogs and other snack treats donated by Restaurant Depot, on 27th Avenue in Phoenix. Jose Lopez, boxing coach at Azteca, thanked me for mentioning the recent passing of teenage boxer Lilly Marine?s mother from stomach cancer. She is undergoing counseling and fortunately she has the protective support of her father and brothers; what a tragic loss for the 14 year old Lilly and her family. She remains in our heart. Jose told me the club was able to raise $800.00 for burial expenses. Urbina Case Update: There has been movement in the 2013 Alexis Urbina Murder Case. Alexis (2016 Olympic boxing hopeful) was beaten to death in his South Phoenix home in the early days of September, last year. Months later, Robert Chavez and Joseph Jessie Corrales were arrested for suspicion of burglary and murder after the Phoenix Police Department received call(s) from citizen(s) who were approached by a young Hispanic male trying to sell a digital camera that contained images of the 17 year old boxer. At the time of the incident (before noon) Urbina was home preparing to switch to online high school classes. According to submitted reports provided by media and police authorities, the camera (one of the stolen items) was handed to the prospective buyer and he (name withheld) upon seeing the pictures of slain fighter called authorities after the suspect left with the camera. Within days, one of the suspects was arrested and his comments led to the arrest of the second suspect. Corrales had a hearing scheduled for Monday, December 29th, but it was vacated and reset for Monday, January 5th at 8:30 AM as a ?status conference/possible change of plea.? Robert Chavez is scheduled to have a conference hearing on January 12 and a tentative trial date of January 27 is listed. According to Kelly Vail/Multi Media Journalist and public information officer (Maricopa County Superior Court), officially, no change of plea has been entered by either defendant as of January 29. The hearing is open to the public. This information is contrary to what two area boxing fans reported after allegedly hearing a ?breaking? report on channel 3 news. When in doubt, it is always best to check with knowledgeable sources. This column will follow and investigate whatever confirmed news comes across our desk. I saw Sulem Urbina Soto (sister of Alexis) at a recent Silver Gloves Tournament and she told me, she wasn?t sure she would attend the trial, if conducted, of either suspect. Sulem is trying to go ahead with her life, but it will take time. She is getting out more; I saw her at the Victory Outreach boxing show posing for a picture with former world boxing champion Fernando Vargas but she was gone before I could say hi. The community has been very supportive and they wish her well in her quest to represent Mexico in the 2016 Olympic Games; hubby Andrew Soto is her head coach. Martha Vargas, via telephone, suggested that pop singer Justin Bevier could perhaps spar with one of their younger sons, but not 18 year old Fernando Jr. who sports a 4-0 amateur record and hopes to represent U.S.A. in the 2016 Olympic Games. For the record, Justin is much smaller than Fernando Jr. and his boxing IQ needs more nurturing. The suggestion of a showdown came from wagging tongues and made its? way to online blogs. Some people have very little to do with their time including a large number of mindless bloggers. Sr. is on record as saying his son would kick the crap out of Bevier if the two young men ever met in the ring. The back and forth comments were probably inspired by gloved pictures of Bevier and boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and subsequent statements carried by the press hinting that the millionaire singer was a serious student of the sport. That claim could have irritated Mr. Vargas and produced a word tossing feud among the two verbal combatants. Mayweather, according to the modest one, is mentoring Bevier and the singer feels he is ready to show his stuff. No wise cracks, please! I asked Mrs. Vargas if the two recorded burglaries committed at the family owned gym resulted in recovery of stolen goods and a conviction and she replied no, but the couple thinks the crime was engineered by a former employee who has since been dismissed; items taken included trophies and boxing gear. According to my sources, Mrs. Vargas is an incredible woman. Felipe Corral, local Univision Sports Anchor, praised the couple for their more than 20 years of marital bliss. Felipe said it was rare and remarkable when an Athlete can sustain one marriage and co-parent 4 children (3 boys-one girls) with the same woman. I can think of several athletes who have accomplished the same admirable feat, but not Shawn Kemp. Happy New Year and enjoy breaking your resolutions. Until Next Time! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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