Back To Winning, Garcia In Phoenix, Martell Retires

Arizona Boxing News & Notes with DON SMITH
Back To Winning, Garcia In Phoenix, Martell Retires

Boxing Fans,

After two consecutive losses, 34 year old Manny Pacquiao returned to winning with a unanimous victory over a game but out manned Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios to capture the vacant WBO International Welterweight Title on Saturday night (11/23) in Macau, China at the Venetian Arena before 13,000 “exuberant” boxing fans. All three ring officials gave the UD verdict to the Filipino boxing icon by a lopsided margin: 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110. Associated Press scored the title bout in favor of Pacquiao, 119-109. The victory ups Pacquiao to 55-5-2 while the 27 year old Rios headed home to Oxnard, California with a 31-2-1 record and questions surrounding his future. Rios was gracious in defeat.

In Glendale, Arizona approximately 50 nervous Filipino Americans gathered at the home of Andy Hill to watch the HBO Pay Per View presentation of the championship bout. The total number of generated Pay Per Views fir was estimated at a near 1,000,000 buys. Considering the hookup pricing was $59.95 for standard and 69.95 for High Definition, it was a good night for Chinese capitalism and the free market system. Only the Alvarez vs. Mayweather battle raked in more boxing cash in 2013.

Majority of the Pacquiao fans, at the Hill residence, were very confident despite their open concern over Rios appearing to be bigger than their hero and former champ. This fear soon dissipated after their warrior dominated the first two frames and was well ahead after 10 rounds. Any chance of a late round miracle victory for the Texas born underdog faded as he ran out of steam while the the superbly conditioned “PAC Man” masterly kept out of harm’s way in adding yet another boxing title to his crowded trophy case.

I asked Lumer Agot, one of the viewing guests, what he thought of the fight and Pacquiao’s performance. Mr. Agot, on a 1-10 scale, graded the contest a 4-5 while the devout boxing fan gave the future Hall of Fame fighter a 9-10 mark because of his quickness and ability to land punches at will. The actual count was 281 thrown by “PAC Man” and 158 thrown by “Bam Bam.” He likened Pacquiao’s performance to Ali in that the newly crowned champ was able to float in and out and sting like a bee. It was near vintage Pacquiao except for the lack of a knockout. Rios did go down in the first round, but it was ruled a slip.

Lumer and his friends applauded when Pacquiao told viewers that his victory is “a symbol of the Filipino people’s comeback from a national disaster and national tragedy.” A reference to the horrific typhoon that struck 6 provinces in the Philippines last month causing the death of thousands of vulnerable residents and leaving more than a million people homeless. Mr. Pacquiao and Top Rank Inc, (promoter of the event) have pledged donations to the relief effort. Boxing fans can help by contacting and contributing to your local Red Cross office. Most of the fans watching the PPV fight at the Hill home knew someone touched by the disaster. Some openly wept when the champ’s hand wasraised in victory.

Pacquiao’s crisp title winning performance beckons another big payday. With whom is the mult-million dollar question? Most boxing fans polled would like to see Mayweather step in the ring with PAC Man, but Bradley,Marquez and Garcia would excite some fans. I would be surprised if Top Rank (Pacquiao’s promoter) doesn’t make an announcement before the end of this year. After all, Manny is 34 years old.

Urbina Update: 23 year old Joseph Jessie Corrales and 22 year old Robert Randy Chavez were arraigned on Monday, November 25 in in Maricopa County Superior Court and entered “Not Guilty” pleas in connection with the savage beating and subsequent death of 17 year old rising boxing star Alexis Urbina in September of 2013. The two men will return to court on January 9 at 8:30 a.m. for a pretrial hearing conference before Judge Robert Kaiser. Suspects (Corrales & Chavez) are charged with first degree murder, trafficking in stolen property and 2nd degree burglary. Maricopa County Superior Court is located at First Avenue & Jefferson in Phoenix, Arizona. According to a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, members of the media and general public can attend the 1/9/13 court
proceedings.

Adopted Champ: Arizona is the home of two former world boxing champs(Carbajal & Espinoza) and now the cactus state can brag about being a training home for WBO Featherweight Champion Orlando Salido who captured his title with a tough 7th round knockout victory over Puerto Rico’s Orlando Cruz. Salido appeared on the popular Republicia Deportiva program recently to talk about his career and upcoming fight with Varyl Lomachenko on March 1. Fight fans can go online to catch the conversation. The
Champ trains at Iron Boy Boxing Gym in Phoenix.

Oh Danny Boy: Undefeated Light welterweight Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0) hosted a playful “Stripper Boxing” event at the Pink Rhino Cabaret in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, November 22. Garcia reportedly stayed for three performances staged , inside a boxing ring, at 12 a.m., 1 a.m and 2 a.m. The well attended event arranged by Jason Robles, Pink Rhino entertainment manager. Jason told me, he is trying to bring Mike Tyson and other boxers to the Pink Rhino Cabaret to host similar events. A cash prize of $250.00 was awarded to the best “fighter” of the night. No word on whether or not Danny chest bumped the winner. Efforts to interview the self described “role model” failed. Boys will be boys. Ladies interested in participating in the next “Stripper Boxing” show should send an email to: jason@pinkrhinocabaret.com or call the Pink Rhino at 602-306-1000. Regular cover charge is $10.00. Garcia is featured on the cover of the latest Ring Magazine as the 2013 fighter of the year; available at most news stands and book stores throughout the country. Sorry, he wasn’t available for interviews. I guess he preferred talking to the well endowed entertainers; what a surprise.

Iron Boy X: Juanito Garcia (19-3) is the newly crowned WBC USNBC welterweight champion after defeating Rashad Ganaway (14-4-1)at the Celebrity Theater on 11/16. It was his second attempt to win a title. In 2008, the Phoenix based fighter met Jose Hernandez for a super featherweight youth title and lost via 5th round TKO. The victorious verdict was unanimous with scores of 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92. Second time was a charm for the 27 year old
Phoenix pugilist. The event wasn’t a sellout, but the crowd number was strong considering competition from Pay Per View boxing events broadcast on the same night. Here is the results from the 9 fight card excluding the main event title fight won by Juanito Garcia. Two of the bouts were amateur contests.

Iron Boy X Under Card Results:Julio Sarinano scored a unanimous decision over Bradley Tsosie in a 4 round lightweight contest with all three judges rendering identical 40-36 scorecards…..lightweight Keenan Bedo Carbajal was a 2nd round TKO victor over Daniel Velez Garcia. Mr. Garcia received a 60 day (KO) and indefinite suspension (Federal ID violation) after the fight……Phoenix lightweight Mario Esparza, 1-0-1 (Fan Base Promotions) settled for a Majority Draw with Jair Quintero. Judge Paul Calderon favored Esparza (39-37) while the other two officials agreed upon a draw. Esparza loyalists told me Mario was slow in taking off extra weight for the fight, and appeared sluggish throughout. And he may have under estimated Quintero who came in with two more professional fights, but lacked the amateur success of the highly touted Esparza…. 116 lb. Alexis Zazueta
(managed by Cameron Dunkin) scored a dramatic 1st round TKO victory over veteran Rafael Rivera. Internationally known referee Wes Melton stopped the contest at the 1:14 mark of the first stanza. It was Zazueta’s debut bout. A source called me to report that she/he overhead Cameron Dunkin warning the young fighter that if he didn’t knock out Rivera, his next fight might be slow in coming. I found no evidence of a verbal threat and it’s something the manager(Dunkin) doesn’t resort to; according to a very close associate……Crowd favorite Francisco C. De Vaca aka “Panchito” ran his record to (4-0-3 knockouts) after scoring a
unanimous verdict over tough Juan Benavidez. The 18 year old Vaca is on a fast track to stardom and will go for victory # 5 in El Paso Texas (sometime in January) or if that date doesn’t come to fruition, the slick boxing Phoenician will have another opportunity on the Iron Boy X1 card in Phoenix , 2/22/14…. Undefeated Lightweight Victor Castro, representing Phoenix Boys Center, ran his record to 11-0- 5 knockouts as a result of his solid unanimous victory (40-36 x 3) over Thomas Valdez….In the two amateur bouts, Emmanuel Nieves and Luis Espinoza were declared winners. A third amateur fight was cancelled as well as the Martell vs. Lopez. Iron Boy X1 is scheduled for 2/22/14 at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. Alexis Santiago will defend his WBC USNBC Super featherweight title in the Main Event. Other potential performers on the card include: Victor Castro, Francisco C. De Vaca, Edgar Brito, Carlos Castro and Chris Lopez. All bouts are subject to change. For tickets and more show information, go online to: www.irolnboypromotions.com.

Martell Retires: Joe Martell, 2-9-1, was scheduled to fight Wilbert Lopez, 1-2, in a 4 round lightweight contest on the Iron Boy X card at the Celebrity Theater on 11/16 but was placed on a 9 month suspension for not showing up on fight night. Mr. Martell rationale behind his no show was very simple.According to Joe, he was dropped from the card by Iron Boy Promotions just hours before the fight; therefore, he had no reason to show up. Iron Boy categorically denies that claim. Furthermore, in an email sent to Arizona Boxing News & Notes, the promotional company acknowledges attempts to contact the boxer, but he never responded. His “No Show” prompted the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission to suspend the 36 year old boxer for 9 months. Upon hearing of the suspension, Martell called me and announced his retirement.

Joe took up boxing 3-4 years ago to prove he wasn’t a quitter. All of his life, according to Joe, he never finished what he started. In my opinion, his abrupt retirement from the sport signals a betrayal of his objective. What he should have done was go to the commission and told his side of the story and let the commission investigate and render a verdict. Instead, he walked away. Too bad, Joe is a nice guy. He was at the weigh-in on 11/15 ready to fight and then the controversy. Joe told me he would call the commission and try to lift the suspension, bu, according to Matthew Valenzuela, Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission Program & Projects Specialist 1, the fighter hasn’t registered a complaint or asked for an appeal. Officially, the suspension stands!

Moment of Silence: UFC Heavyweight fighter Shane Rosario was rushed to a Southern California Hospital on Tuesday, November 26 after collapsing as a result of heart complications. A room mate made the 911 call. The 30 year old athlete was placed on life support and remained on the system until his family requested removal. Mr. Rosario’s death was officially announced on Friday Morning by a family member. Our prayers are with the family. Cause of death will be determined and released to the public in a few days. Our prayers are with the family. Shane, rest in peace!

Boxing Briefs: 142 lb Abel Ramos signed a 2 year limited contract, 6 months ago, with Iron Boy Promotions that gives the Arizona Promotional company control of Abel’s fights inside the state of Arizona. Iron Boy has a similar contract with several local fighters and it makes good business. Boxer Brandon Riddell and other pugilists have balked at inking exclusive promotional contracts because they feel it may limits their options and lower the amount of their purse. It isn’t a writer’s call. When in doubt, consult an attorney when it comes to contract negotiations.

Former IBF/NABF Super Middleweight Champion Jesus “El Martillo” Gonzales has hopes of making a return to boxing at the Casino Del Sol in Tucson on the rumored Hector Camacho Jr. card, sometime in March if all goes as planned. Two prior dates were mentioned, but John Frias, a heavyweight in the the entertainment world, wants to make sure everything is in order before he raises the curtain, so to speak. Mr. Frias envisions a series of prime time boxing vents at Casino Del Sol and he plans to capitalize on his long term working relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, Joel Lopez of Ringside Promotions,Fox Sports and several prominent sponsors. Sounds like he has some muscle behind him and Arizona boxing would benefit immensely if his entertainment company is able to promote and produce quality boxing shows.

Gonzales is back in the Gym (Hard Knocks) sparring with Middleweight Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards who is preparing to meet Undefeated Russian middleweight Matt Korobov in Atlantic City on December 7 for a scheduled 8 rounder. Gonzales was brought in because he is a southpaw, ditto Korobov. How much the 29 year old “El Martillo” has left in the tank is unknown, but the Phoenix native is a survivor, so don’t bury him yet even though Adonis “Superman”Stevenson almost ended the former champ’s career with a single punch in Montreal, Quebec in 2012. It was brutal.

Jose Benavidez Jr. is back after his 2nd round TKO victory over Abraham Alvarez Osuna in Laughlin Nevada on 11/16. The impressive win ups the 21 year old fighter’s record to 18-0 with 14 knockouts. Benavidez entered the bout with questions about the health of his surgically repaired right hand. Next question! In my opinion, three more consecutive wins should get him a shot at an NABF title. His bout with Osuna was scheduled for six rounds and Benavidez fought at 145, slightly heavier than previous bouts Fellow Arizona fighters Andrew “Hurricane” Hernandez and Cesar Valenzuela performed on the card with Hernandez topping
Joe Alvarez with 3 identical scores of 40-36. Ringside sources agreed the “Hurricane” showed signs of ring rust from his Nevada Athletic Commission mandated suspension. Valenzuela was no match for Saul Rodriguez as the budding boxing star upped his record to 10-0 when referee Russell Mora (New Mexico) stopped the contest in the 3rd round. Cesar Valenzuela should have never taken the fight. Money is a powerful magnate.

Parting Shots: 2013 was a bad year for featherweight Paul Romero who was dropped by his promotional company (Fan Base) after the young boxer bitterly contesting a majority draw decision with Jensen Ramirez of Tucson, Arizona in 2012. Fan Base thought he was too immature and lacked the discipline to develop into a serious pugilist plus his punch lacked power. Then he was stung in the face by a swarm of bees while he was working with his father. It was enough to become discouraged and lose confidence.

The young man has a lot of natural talent, I hope he sorts everything out. I heard he was back in a gym trying to resurrect his career. His record stands at 1-0-1 instead of the 10-0 it could have been if he followed the right blue print and dedicated himself to the sport….Hansel Martinez 20-1-16 knockouts (Antonio Margarito brother in law) will meet Phoenix’s Alexis Santiago (15-3-1 -7 knockouts) in the 10 round main event on the 2/22/14 Iron Boy X1 card at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. Santiago’s WBC USNBC super featherweight belt is at stake. Should be a war….Light Heavy Trevor McCumby was scheduled to fight in Oklahoma on Pearl Harbor Day (December 7) but the bout was canceled.

132 lb. prospect Luis Olivares (SMS Promotions) is still scheduled to fight in the Big Apple on December 20….Former NFL football player Shane Olivea could be making his professional boxing debut in February or March of 2015. Shane is skipping the amateur route because he is a man on a mission with little time to tarry. According to observers, the former Ohio State football standout has awesome power. Shane stands 6′ 4″ and weighs 300 lbs. Watch out! Shane played with the Chargers & Giants.
…..Venerable boxing coach and trainer Tom Garcia has taken over the managerial reins at United Central Gym in Phoenix……Still no official word on the rumored Fan Base show in the Spring……..Middleweight Joey Ruelas and Lightweight Julio Saranana stopped patronizing the United Central Gym and picked up new memberships at the Pro Edge Gym on Indian School Road in Phoenix; the same facility frequented by Iron Boy fighters Carlos Castro and Francisco C. De Vaca for conditioning purposes, according to s spokesperson for Pro Edge.

……Heavyweight Rico Hoye was hoping to be on a December 20 boxing card in Detroit, but now the date has been pushed forward to January 10….. Middleweight Derek “The Black Lion” left Phoenix for Atlantic City to see if he can solve the defense
of Russian southpaw Matt Korobov when the two meet on December 7. Derek (26-2) trains at Hard Knocks Gym in Phoenix where he spent hours trying to add new punching angles to his boxing repertoire. Korobov. a Top Rank fighter, is 21-0 with 12
knockouts…..David Benavidez was scheduled to fight in Mexacali, Mexico on 12/14, but the card was moved back to 12/4….result mentioned in next column. Two upcoming USA Boxing Arizona shows worth mentioning: December 7 at Greenfield Elementary School in Phoenix and the Silver Gloves Tournament held at the Iron Boy Gym on December 14, 15 and possibly 16th. Go to USA Boxing AZ for more details including volunteer information…… Also, get ready for a road trip. USA Boxing National Championships in Spokane Washington, January 18-25, 2014. Call 1-877-871-6772 for reservations. Until Next Time!



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