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Arizona Boxing News & Notes with Don Smith: Castro Stops Diaz & TR PPV & Boxing Notes By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Thu, 08 Sep 2016 Boxing Fans, 22 year old Phoenix featherweight Carlos Castro entered his September 3rd showdown versus Jorge Diaz Jr. with legitimate questions from critics who questioned his power and level of competition while recording a professional boxing resume of 15 victories without a defeat. Castro answered his doubters with a swift and powerful ?jaw breaking? 1st round TKO victory over the New Jersey veteran (18-5-1) in the Makin Event bout on the Iron Boy 35 card at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The stoppage followed a dramatic knee buckling knockdown that led to thunderous applauses from a near capacity crowd. Castro is trained by Andrew Soto (Knockout Boxing). Five time world champion Michael Carbajal and his publicist (Laura Hall) were on hand to watch the action. ABNN was unable to talk to the champ due to the limitation of our restricted access. We explained our dilemma to Ms. Hall via phone and she understood the circumstance with some regret; they?re regular readers of Arizona Boxing News & Notes. We were also unable to speak to Commissioner Joe Pennington and Arizona State Senator Catherine Miranda (in attendance) about efforts to introduce baseline concussion testing legislation. The legislator was seated with the general public while Mr. Pennington and his wife watched the fight from the VIP section. The Arizona State Senator (D-district 27) hasn?t responded to an email delivered inquiry requesting a clarification on her plans to address the issue of baseline concussion testing. The issue has been kicked around for years while Arizona boxers continue to be victims of inaction by the legislature and commission. According to a received communiqu?, Miranda , Senator Yee and other legislators have met with the Commission and Senator Yee is in the first steps of a bill for next session addressing the issue of head trauma injuries in combat sports. The win upped Castro?s record to 16-0 with 7 knockouts and may earn the pugilist consideration for a minor title in his next boxing challenge. As for Diaz, the defeat (5th in his last 10 fights) could spell the end of his career. In his dressing room, after the fight, Diaz told me that he feared his jaw was broken as it was in a fight last year in California. Arizona Boxing News & Notes emailed the Arizona Boxing Commission to confirm the boxer?s self-diagnosis and we are still waiting for a promised announcement from the Public Information arm of the Arizona Gaming Department. Iron Boy 35 featured 9 bouts with 3 of the contests resulting in knockouts while the remainder went the distance and winners represented both corners (Red & Blue), a fact greatly appreciated and duly noted. In the Co-Main event, an aggressive Francisco De Vaca (16-0) from Phoenix, Arizona took on a resilient Jose Estrella (16-11-) and scored a strong and very unanimous decision over a Mexican fighter who wobbled a couple of times but wouldn?t break after 8 non-stop rounds. A very entertaining bout; both men earned the respect of cheering fans It was the best fight of the night. De Vaca, holder of a minor title, continues his path to gain national stature. Luis Espinoza (5-0) was the clearly more aggressive in his 4 round stint with veteran Rafael Rivera (2-10) but Rivera showed heart and kept battling despite a lack of hand speed and power to derail his much younger opponent. Espinoza deserved the unanimous nod; but, Rivera exceeded expectations. Highly regarded Adrian Servin (1-0) made his well promoted debut against a much bigger Adrian Perez (0-1) and started slowly; but picked up the tempo to earn a well-crafted unanimous decision. There was a call for a rematch; but, Team Servin told ABNN that Perez would have to drop a few pounds before the thought could be considered. A low blow from Perez in the 4th round really motivated Servin to step up the pace in the final stanza. Perez gained at least 10 pounds after the weigh-in on Friday, September 2. Pedro Romero dropped to 0-3 after Edgar Ortiz (2-1) stopped the outmanned fighter from Mexico with a series of bombs away combinations. It was perhaps the weakest bout of the evening; Ortiz was very strong and Romero offered little challenge. Daron ?Sweet Tay? Williams (5-0) suffered a first round knockdown; but, recovered to dominate Israel Valdez (2-1) who tired and was saved by the bell after a flurry from Williams in the 4th and final round of their entertaining battle. Williams, a native of Maryland, is planning a move to Arizona, soon. Brothers Adam and Hector Lopez won their bouts as both siblings upped their records to 3-0. Hector Lopez Jr. used a powerful left to find the suspect chin of Otto Sandoval (0-3) and send the New Mexico fighter to the canvas. Lopez continues his assault until the contest was stopped at 1:16 of the first round. Adam Lopez rode his bicycle and used his boxing skills to defeat tough Manuel Manzo who tried but failed to get inside and hammer the body of Lopez. It was a solid performance from both fighters; but, Lopez landed more punches by a ratio of at least 3:2. The loss dropped Manzo?s record to 0-2. Hometown favorite Eben Vargas (2-0) captured a victory over Enriquez Randolph (0-1) by keeping his opponent off balance with an array of punches from both hands. Vargas, a good showman, left his self-open often; but he has the making of a good prospect. His handlers thought his posture in the ring needs some work. Vargas, a very confident young man, plans to stay very busy by fighting every month, good luck. In summation, it was a fun evening. Boxing News: 2016 USA Boxing Team Silver Olympic Medalist Shakur Stevenson has signed with Floyd Mayweather Promotions as expected??.several Arizona boxing trainers and managers are planning to attend the next Arizona State Boxing Commission meeting (Thursday, 9/29) for the purpose of complaining about rules and practices they believe are detrimental to the sport of boxing??The Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix needs to do something to relieve (pun intended) reduce long lines of people waiting to use the restroom. One sufferer told me he cut the line during a visit the facility and used the wash basin; can you say Budweiser??. Hands of Stone, Roberto Duran film bio, is now showing in theaters worldwide?.departing Arizona Boxing Commission Executive Director Matthew Valenzuela was bid a fond farewell (Cake and group photo) by his staff at the end of the Iron Boy 35 event; his reign as Commission Director is over and now he is preparing a move to Las Vegas to assume a position the UFC. A search for his successor continues?..Phoenix lightweight Ray Beltran (30-7-1) returns to the ring on Saturday 9/10 versus Tomas Mendez (21-8) at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemore, California?..The Phoenix Police Department confirmed a handgun was used in the shooting of boxer Jose Jr. but the source (PIO) didn?t specify model or caliber. We also asked about the state of mind of the victim when first responders arrived; the reply was ?unknown.? ??belated congratulations to Moises ?Periko? Rosales (Fuentes Boxing) winner of a National title earlier this summer. The 14 year old sensation will box in the F-1 amateur tournament set for Saturday 9/10 at the Scott Libby Elementary school, 18701 W. Thomas Road in Buckeye Arizona. Showtime commences at 12 PM. For more info, call Alfred at 602-690- 1209??Iron Boy MMA 3 is scheduled for October 1 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix?..Irish Canadian boxer Janks Trotter (10-3-1- 10 knockouts) challenged five boxers to step forward and meet him in the ring and of the five, Steven Butler (17-0-1) said yes. The two will vie for the vacant IBF North American Championship in Montreal, Quebec on Saturday October 22 at the Bell Centre. Canadian superstar David Lemieux (35-3-32 knockouts) takes on Cristian Fabian Rios (21-7-3-6 knockouts) in the main event. The city of Tolleson will host two boxing shows; the first arriving on September 17 and the second show is scheduled to happen on October 29. The October offering is a pro show while the first event will feature amateurs. We contacted the Tolleson Parks Department and they promised a press release that never arrived. Both shows are being advertised as fan appreciation salutes?.stay tuned! ?.. Fight Hard Promotions doesn?t have a firm date for their next show?..Phoenix boxer Paul Romero attended Iron Boy 35 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix and he is still recovering from an elbow injury. ? Former boxing champion Michael Carbajal celebrates his 50th birthday on September 17. Top Rank PPV: In a very ambitious move, Top Rank has decided to walk away from a long relationship with HBO, at least for now, and create and control the PPV rights to the November 5 Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is a very shrewd and intelligent businessman; so, there is no reason, from our perspective, to believe the gamble won?t payoff. Arizona Boxing News & Notes will attend the Thursday September 8 noontime press luncheon at the Beverley Hills Hotel to promote the event and we hope to share the experience with our readers in the next column. Some of our readers have submitted questions to be asked of Pac-Man and here is a sample (1) why are you retuning to fighting? (2) Does your return men you are hoping for a return match with Mayweather? (3) Your Philippine President (Duterte) called President Obama; ?a son of a whore??.what is your reaction? (4) Your love for basketball is well known, any regrets about your below average height? (5) You haven?t knocked out an opponent since Miguel Cotto, are you preparing to go the distance with Vargas?(6) You grew up poor, what is a fair price to pay for PPV fights? We hope the event will offer us the space and liberty to come away with info worthy of print. As a veteran journalist who has attended hundreds of pressers, this one could be special and we wish our readers could tag along...?.??Until Next Time Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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