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Arizona Boxing News & Notes With Don Smith By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Wed, 23 Jan 2013 Mayhem In Mesa-War, a boxing show promoted by Crank It Up Promotions and presented by Hennessy V.S drew an estimated 900 people at the Arizona Events Center in Mesa, Arizona on Friday, January 18. Crank It Up had reserved a date in September of last year for a show , but decided to wait for the availability of the Events Center which formerly housed the financially failed Julio Cesar Restaurant. A spokesperson for the recently renovated entertainment complex says a "Grand Opening" date for the facility will be made public in the near future. I watched the event on GFL .TV (PPV) with a roomful of people and I also relied on press stringers who attended the show and filed reports to me at the end of the evening via phone conversations and emails .None of the "Insiders" were compensated or associated with the event or venue. One of my insiders reported meeting Bill Thompson at the fight. For those too young to remember, Thompson was Wallace of Ladmo & Wallace fame. Back in the day, he fought Golden Gloves. Ralph Velez (Formerly with Iron Boy Promotions ) handled the Microphone duties at center ring for "Mayhem" and his evening was shortened with the presentation of 5 bouts and not 8 as advertised on face book, posters and other social media entities. The calculated pre-fight hype was massive and impressive. Kudos to media specialist Michelle Rosado and her talented team of public relations coordinators who successfully lured a somewhat younger crowd to boxing. It will be interesting to see if first time fight goers return for a second take of the sport. It was a festive crowd , perhaps liberated somewhat by the consumption of free Hennessy and Budweiser samples which were handed out near the front entrance to adult patrons who were of age and possibly needed a little antifreeze to combat the chilly weather. 1st bell was penciled in for 7:30 p.m.,but the chime didn't come until much later. Complete Fight Card Results: Brandon "Pretty Boy" Riddell (Hook City Gym) and fellow Phoenix featherweight Eric McNorris opened the show with a scheduled 4 round bout that ended at the expense of McNorris after 2 minutes and 2 seconds into the 1st round. The defeat dropped McNorris's record to 0-2 (2 knockouts) and his performance questions his motive to continue his career. At 27, he should consider another line of work .Eric is a good kid and I hope he makes the right decision. It was a successful debut for Riddell (1-0) who showed some power in victory. Brothers Timothy and Danny, also box and the boxing clan is trained by their Dad and Uncle. Second Bout: Light Heavyweights Bobby Lopez (Tucson)and Victor Arreola (Phoenix) fought to a Controversial draw in their 4 round and Lopez was booed loudly when the decision was announced. Majority of the fans thought Arreola was robbed. Expect a rematch. Good to see light heavyweights throw blows in Arizona even if the majority missed their mark. Bout # 3: Best fight of the night. Jr. Welterweight Arlo "Encino Man" Arguetta upped his record to 5-0 with a unanimous decision over gutsy Marcos Diaz who took the fight on two days notice. Diaz (o-2) trains at an MMA facility and he is a bit raw as a boxer ,but his tenacity and aggressive style speaks volumes for the young man who attends Arizona State University as freshman. If he continues to box, he would be wise to drop down in weight and assemble a team to teach him the ropes, so to speak. He has skills. Arguetta is a well schooled fighter with great potential. People around him say he has become a gym rat since his return to boxing. It will be up to him on how far his talent will take him. The scorecards favored Arguetta: 40-35, 40-35 and 39-36. Arguetta hopes to fight in San Diego next month. He will return to the Event Center for a meet and greet session at the Golden Gloves Tournament scheduled for March 1-3. Go to the Arizona Golden Website for more details. Good all out effort by both fighters. Co-Main Event: Undefeated super featherweight Emilio "Milo Time" Garcia, (fighting out of Phoenix, Arizona) took on Jesus Pacheco (New Mexico) in the Co-Main Event and upped his record to 7-0-1 with a unanimous decision. The loss dropped Pacheco's record to 0-2. It wasn't a sharp performance for Garcia who returned to action after "extending" his ACL last year. His fans agreed. Main Event: Lightweights Jose Marrufo and David Yanez squared off in a six round featherweight contest that was better suited for 4 rounds. Yanez scored early and hurt Maruffo ,but at the end of the night,Yanez (fighting out of Las Vegas) took the loss and his record now stands at 2-5. Apparently, the judges thought Marrufo landed bigger and more punches. All 3 judges scored it 60-54. In reality, it was much closer. Yanez fans weren't happy with the decision.In the long run, Yanez may wind up with a better career. You heard it here. In summation: A good size crowd (Number of complimentary tickets unknown) left feeling good about their experience. There were fans who complained about climbing over people to reach their seats. More strategically placed aisles would have made them happy. Change of Plans: The To Be Determined 01/25/13 show in Calgary Alberta is now scheduled for March 2 after Light Welterweight Steve Clagggett(15-1-1) had a change of heart and has backed out of his headline bout with Eddie Brooks; the Phoenix, Arizona boxer who promised his Arizona fans a win over the popular Canadian. The bitter cold weather was also a factor in changing the date. Century Casino,in Calgary, remains the venue for the show. Claggett's withdrawal comes after rumors of his jumping ship and climbing aboard another Promoter's vessel. KO Promotions in Edmonton, allegedly, has secured his presence on a March card. If true, the once close working relationship between Fan Base and Claggett might be a thing of the past. Loyalty in boxing is hard to find. To counteract the absence of Claggett,Fan Base Promotions has signed 2 time Central American Light Middleweight Champion Mauro Lucero (46-17- w/32 knockouts) to challenge Calgary based Janks Trotter in what will now be billed as the Main Event. Lucero has fought the likes of Frankie Randall and Luis Ramon Campas and could present Trotter (7-1-1) with his biggest career challenge to date. According to Fan Base, at least 7 "quality" boxers turned down an opportunity to face the 28 year old Canadian on the To Be Determined Show. As for Brooks (9-3), he will fight as part of the co-main and fan Base is expected to announce his opponent sometime next week. Other participants on the card include Middleweight Dustin Sutley and Heavyweights Ed Jackson and Taso Tzavaras. In addition to the Calgary show, Fan Base is tinkering with the idea of joining forces with ESPN to present a show in Phoenix. Two possible venues are being mentioned and the calendar date could be in April. Everything about this potential show is in the preliminary stages. Ailing Trainer: Former World Champion Boxer and well respected trainer Roger Mayweather is battling health issues that have him on the ropes and the condition has forced him to step away from his rigorous schedule so he can focus on his health. Iron Boy Promotions has engaged famed trainer Roberto Alcazar to work with prized protege Francisco C De Vaca, a role previously handled by Mayweather and his able asisstant, Bobby Ware. Alcazar gained worlwide recognition while working with Oscar de La Hoya during the Golden Boy's Olympic days. One of his current pupils is undefeated Jessie Vargas (21-0). Roberto will work De Vaca's corner at the Celebrity Theatre. Hopefully, Roger can regain his health and return to the business of teaching boxing.Best wishes! Iron Boy 6: Iron Boy Promotions should be floating in boxing heaven after securing former American Olympian Michael Hunter for their Iron Boy 6 card at the Celebrity Theatre on March 9 in Phoenix, Arizona. Three of Arizona's most heralded professional prospects: Carlos Castro, Victor Castro(no relation) and Francisco C De Vaca are expected to join the 24 year old heavyweight on an Iron Boy produced show that could be memorable. The event will mark the professional for Hunter and Iron Boy protege Francisco C De Vaca. Hunter, 6' 2" at 200 + lbs, won the American National Super Heavyweight Championships in 2007 and 2009. After failing to qualify for the 2008 Olympics as a Super Heavyweight, he dropped a few pounds and qualified for the 2012 Olympics by defeating Julio Castillo and Yamil Petralta in qualifier bouts. In 2011, Hunter sparred with World Heavyweight Champion Wladmir Klitschko in the Russians' preparation for his fight against David Haye. The young man reportedly held his won with the Champ. In his 1st bout at the London Olympics, the son of Michael "The Bounty" Hunter drew Russian Arthur Beterbiev; a strong favorite to win medal. At the end of their battle, the score was knotted at 10-10. In case of a tie; both the high and low scores are eliminated and totaled again. After the tabulation, the Russian was declared the winner. After his disappointing loss, Hunter admitted suffering a severe head cold which brought on fatigue (in his legs) after the first round which, according to the scorecard, he won handily. In a subsequent interview, the talented heavyweight never used the excuse card. Tickets for the March 9 Iron Boy 6 Show can be purchased through the Celebrity Theatre Box Office. Check Iron Boy Promotions website for additional fight information. Rumor Squashed: Several people dared me to call Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and find out the true status of the Roach/Jose Benavidez Sr. relationship. Rob Peters, Manager of the gym, said Sr. was welcome any time and he hopes his statement will put the malicious gossip to rest. He went to state that he or Freddie has thrown Sr. out of the gym, contrary to rumors. Personally, I have never had any problems with the Benavidez family. Of course, I've never stepped in the ring with Jose Jr. or David. News Update: Lightweight Juan Garcia , once trained by Walt Hoskins, won his first 14 professional and then hit a roadblock and lost the next three before righting the ship with two consecutive wins. Garcia (16-3) has been added to the Iron Boy 6 and a lot of folks will be rooting for him. The 26 year old was always a class act. No gangester in him. UNTIL NEXT TIME! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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