Boxing fans were treated to scintillating wars Friday night from Ontario, CA., at the Doubltree Hotel as Thompson Boxing Promotions presented “NEW BLOOD.” The eight round junior welterweight main event saw 30-year-old Californian Mauricio “Maestro” Herrera (17-1, 7KOs) dominate rugged journeyman 31-year-old Cristian “Filoso” Favela (28-33-7, 18KOs) of Los Mochis, Mexico by unanimous decision in a near shut out in which “Filoso” did what he does best making the “Maestro” look less than impressive.
Mauricio was coming off his big upset victory over then unbeaten Ruslan Provodnikov in January on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” but did not capitalize in last night’s mediocre performance with neither fighter willing to take a chance in an eight frame sparring contest. With the victory top prospect Mauricio Herrera moves his record to 17-1 with 7 knockouts as he looks to make a bigger and better impression in his next outing.
The fireworks commenced when Southern California foe’s and featherweights Aaron “El Gavilan” Garcia (10-2-2, 2KOs) of San Diego and undefeated 23-year-old prospect Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez (14-0, 10KOs) of La Puente, entered the proving ground launching a ferocious fusillade over eight hotly contested rounds. When the smoke cleared 23-year-old Thompson Boxing upstart “Chamaco” Lopez won a controversial majority decision in his backyard.
28-year-old Garcia connected with many crushing power punches to the head and both sides of Abe’s body as “Gavilan” dug in getting great extension. Garcia was snapping “Chamaco’s” head back with clubbing rights, lefts and uppercuts throwing Abraham off his game and causing the La Puente fighter to dig deep or be run over.
Right out of the gates Garcia went to work on the torso and connected on a huge counter right that had Abe going backwards and circling the canvas. Lopez did not look comfortable and immediately had to utilize plan B with the aggressive “Gavilan” pushing forward but Lopez won the first frame nonetheless landing clean punches to the body and knocking Garcia off balance and into the ropes with a couple hard rights to the head to close out the opening three minutes.
Abraham landed his fair share of punches and was able to land more strikes in combination as he was a tad busier but Lopez was being hit with Garcia bomb after Garcia bomb. While “Chamaco” threw more punches many of them were slapping arm punches that were catching more leather than skin. Abraham did dig into Aaron’s body though with heavy hands, the body being where Lopez sat down on his strikes experiencing his most success and hardest punches.
The determined Garcia who won the next few rounds continued to press forward as he had Abraham on the move for 70% of the dual. There was plenty of inside fighting as Abe would stand his ground at times as they exchanged in a phone booth but would then get back to moving after “Gavilan” Garcia got the better of the exchanges with bad intention punches in which he threw his entire body into. The best round of the scrap round 3 saw some furious exchanges as the pace heated and “Chamaco” landed two hard left hooks and right-hands up top in succession to which Garcia answered with loud thudding blows to each set of Abe’s ribs. Moments later Garcia countered Lopez with two hard rights to the face and a triple left hook to the liver.
Towards the middle it became a battle of attrition as both pugilist seemed to tire with Garcia huffing and puffing a little more but the San Diegan continued to throw big bombs which continued to whip Lopez’s head and spray the canvas with sweat. Each man began connecting on numerous uppercuts as the fight wore on, the difference being Garcia was landing ambitious uppercuts with both hands. When Garcia tired a little in the later rounds it allowed Abe to land some quick combinations to the head of Garcia but nothing that could gain the respect of “The Hawk” as he walked through everything Abe offered.
The sweat was flying as the boxers continued to bang for the fans buck until the final rounds. Aaron and Abe went to town in the eighth and final period giving everything they had left to the fans in attendance. Aaron Garcia landed devastating clean punches to the head of Abraham all the 27 minutes. Lopez stayed busy and boxed with lateral movement landing combinations and working the body of Garcia well, but when it was all said and done the image that stuck was all the hellacious bombs Garcia pasted on Abe’s face and ribs.
It’s a tricky thing when you go to a fighters home turf trying to win a decision and when the score cards were read Abraham Lopez did enough in the judges eyes to win a suspect majority decision with scores of 76-76, a ridiculous 78-74 Lopez and 77-75 Lopez as he received a gift in a learning experience taking his undefeated record to 14-0, with 10 stoppages.
In prospect Abraham Lopez’s defense he showed mettle not crumbling under the weight of Aaron Garcia’s furious attack. He overcame adversity employing plan B and did what he had to do landing enough combination’s to keep it close enough for the judges to pull a fast one as he continues his rise.
Aaron “El Gavilan” Garcia has no reason to hold his head low and should keep it raised high on his shoulders. He came to fight and put on a helluva show winning the fight on this writers score card 77-75 though he falls to 10-2-2 with 2 knockouts. Garcia has put on two fantastic performances against two hot prospects in his first two fights back in his continuing comeback. I spoke with Garcia after the brawl and he relayed to me that he knows he won and he’ll be back. More to come on my conversation with “The Hawk” soon.
In a hostile eight round welterweight affair Aron “Asesino” Martinez (14-1-1, 3KOs) of East LA won a hard fought split decision over Riverside’s Albert “Baby Dynamite” Herrera (7-3-1, 5KOs), in a brutal all action battle that had the spectators in a stir.
Herrera came out aggressive from the opening bell charging forward like a bull while unloading H-bombs but landing few clean blows. Not to be out done Martinez fought fire with fire doing more damage with his cleaner strikes which he landed at a much higher rate. The crowd favorite Albert Herrera kept lunging forward while unleashing his strikes too late when he was much too close to Martinez. Herrera was essentially smothering himself not allowing himself enough room to get extension on his punches.
Martinez was circling about the ring and boxing well while going backwards keeping good distance between himself and his nemesis when striking. Both men went to work on the body and fought toe-to-toe for eight rounds. There was lots of inside fighting and rough house tactics as the warriors let it all hang out. Herrera wasn’t able to get out of the way of Martinez’s left hook to the body and head nor the counter-right up top as Herrera bullied his way in getting clipped while doing so by the more accurate Martinez.
Herrera was having trouble landing up top but found success to the body with both fist as he pressed the issue and fought like a man possessed with the crowd chanting, “Albert.” By the middle of World War III Albert looked worse for the wear with a bloody puffy eye. Aron Martinez countered beautifully for the duration of the bout with mostly power shots getting the better of most every exchange of which there were plenty for the fans to feast on.
The gritty Herrera landed some telling uppercuts, right hands and left hooks to the head but not enough of them and was widely and wildly winging most. Herrera though gets an A for effort as he went for the gusto. Martinez best strike was his left hook as he doubled and tripled up on it landing in succession from body to head adding countless counter rights to the dome. When the dust settled and the score cards were read by the Classy Jimmy Lennon Jr., the officials got it right and awarded Aron “Asesino” Martinez a split decision victory with tallies of 77-75 and 77-74 for Martinez, while one judge scored it 77-75 for Herrera. With the win Martinez improves to 14-1-1 with three kayos in a hard fought deserved victory.
In a six round bantamweight contest Ontario’s own Jonathan “Lil’Thund’r” Arellano (8-0-1, KO) was methodical in his break down of southpaw Shawn “Bones” Nichol (5-4, 5KOs), easily winning by unanimous decision.
The punches of choice for Arellano were the left hook as he punished Nichol with it time and time again to the head and body, many over hand rights upstairs and ambitious uppercuts. Arellano didn’t waste much making his punches count and every time he hit Nichol you could see the blows were affecting the thinner frame of “Bones.”
Nichol threw an abundance of punches landing numerous uppercuts and combinations as he was the busier fighter in the early goings but he couldn’t hurt Arellano who was connecting with monstrous strikes that took a toll on Nichol and “Lil’Thund’r” closed the bout strong battering his outmatched but game opponent.
Nichol represented a good test for Arellano as he never quit, hit Jonathan with many punches [giving “Lil’Thund’r” something to think about going forward] and presented adversity causing Arellano to take it to the next level and earn his purse. Arellano’s record now reads 8-0-1 with a knockout as he continues his ascent.
The only knockout of the evening came when Venezuela’s Jhon Ortega (4-0, 4KOs) floored Texas southpaw Hector Garza (3-2, 2KOs), with a crushing right hand to the body at 2:35 of the opening stanza. Garza foolishly gambled with referee David Mendoza waiting until the 9 count to rise which was too late as far as Mendoza was concerned waving off the action and proving s#*& happens when you procrastinate. With the victory Ortega takes his perfect resume to 4-0, all four ending early.
In a heart warming tale Jhon Ortega’s real knockout highlight came the day before the fight when he saved the life of a 9-year-old boy. In the quiet before the storm Ortega was resting by the pool when he noticed the child had been under the water too long and in a selfless act dove in while clothed collecting the young-in and his life. Props to Ortega for thinking fast and caring without hesitation.