City of Angels rivals Sin City for exciting bouts!
Early fireworks took place during Saturday night’s fight between Victor Ortiz and Marcos Maidana. The instant classic upset gave the crowd six rounds of dramatic action that had the audience on their feet. No one knew what to expect, and when the brawl was over those in the arena were left shocked and stunned.
While Vegas is the undisputed “Mecca” of boxing, the City of Angels has already had two huge battles this year at the Staples Center in downtown L.A. People will continue to talk about the weekend’s Ortiz-Maidana war and the earlier Mosley-Margarito match that took place in January for a long time.
As a native Angeleno, I can’t really say that I choose to roam around the downtown streets of L.A. very often. Panhandlers aplenty seem to own the area, and I’m reminded of that ’80s tune by the Missing Persons, the one with the lyrics, “Walkin’ in L.A., nobody walks in L.A.!”
After a snail-paced trek to downtown L.A., what normally takes 20 minutes took almost two hours in the traffic on the way to the fight. Maybe nobody walks in L.A. but apparently everybody drives in L.A.! The snarl on the freeway was just a small price to pay for the promise of an exciting matchup that lay ahead.
With the new L.A. LIVE entertainment complex right across the street from the Staples Center, the area does come alive–especially on fight nights. As everyone spills out into the restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs near the venue, the place to be is in the heart of this city. Make that a 
“championship” city, as the arena is the home of the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Their festive purple and gold banners are on display all around the perimeter…just in case you forget who the reigning NBA champs are!
Los Angeles has its own historic landmarks of boxing, with the famed Olympic and Forum housing many legendary fights in the city’s golden era of the sport. The Southland has always had sold-out club fights dotting the landscape, and with Golden Boy’s new Club Nokia fights (across from Staples Center) adding even more opportunities for SoCal fight fans, we are lucky to have a lot of boxing to pick from in our own backyard.
This past Saturday, walking into the Staples Center, the attendees were greeted by the Tecate Girls. This is always a welcome signal that a thrilling evening awaits the fans.
We have a strong boxing community in L.A. and the high-profile fights always draw out many familiar faces. Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Vicente Escobedo were seen posing with fans. Local actor Mario Lopez received strong applause from the stands, and “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas was also a crowd favorite as he caused a stir on the floor.
Before the main event, I had a chance to chat a little with boxing manager Jackie Kallen, trainer and cutman Tony Rivera (who worked an undercard earlier in the night), female prospect Kaliesha West, and super bantamweight Walter Sarnoi. Young boxers West and Sarnoi will both be fighting in August, possibly on the same card.
During the Craig McEwan-Darnell Boone undercard, I caught up with HBO’s unofficial ringside scorer Harold Lederman. The jovial unofficial judge had a break before his HBO Boxing After Dark broadcast. While we watched the remaining round of the bout, Harold told me, “I have McEwan winning all seven rounds.” Heads swiveled around when those seated nearby heard that familiar voice as Lederman proceeded to oblige them with greetings and handshakes. The eighth and final round was a tough test for the southpaw, but McEwan did win by a split decision.
During the intermission, Harold and I caught up some more and I congratulated him on his newest award from The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP) for the Media Award in Ringside Safety. He’ll be receiving this honor in October in Connecticut. The expert commentator also told me that his daughter Julie was in Atlantic City to judge the all-star lineup of Juan Manuel Lopez, Jorge Arce, Vanes Martirosyan, Andrey Tsurkan, Matt Korobov, Cornelius 
Brundrage and others. He and I were both curious about how the East Coast fights turned out. Then the anticipation of the main event on the West Coast enveloped the audience and Harold went off to his ringside post.
With a reported figure of nearly 9,000 in attendance, it was a good crowd. As the main event got underway, it became a great, roaring crowd. The majority of the ticket holders were rooting for Oxnard’s Ortiz. But his South American opponent also had his share of support. Flags from the challenger’s country of Argentina were waved with as much passion as were the colorful flags from Ortiz’s homestate of Kansas, held high by the southpaw’s supporters.
The Staples Center was also the location of Michael Jackson’s very last rehearsal on Wednesday night, right before the icon’s untimely passing. The “King of Pop” was honored by the fighters’ entrance songs with “Beat It” and “Thriller” blaring from the speakers as the rows of fans cheered in tribute.
Like most people, I figured Victor Ortiz would knockout his foe in one or two quick rounds. Through each of the six rounds of Ortiz vs. Maidana, the crowd jumped to their feet as they witnessed a great battle, a brave battle. Five knockdowns between the two–no one could believe what they were seeing. But everyone knew they were seeing something special. I didn’t want to blink–I didn’t want to miss out on one second of this non-stop clash on the canvas.
In the sixth and final round, when the ringside doctor checked Ortiz’s cut and referee Raul Caiz Sr. was forced to wave off the contest, an enormous reaction sprung from the depths of the Staples Center. There was everything from shock, disbelief and disappointment from the red corner, to shock, jubilation and tears of happiness from the blue corner.
Members of Maidana’s camp stormed through the aisles to join the celebration in center ring with their fighter. The sixth round TKO by the tough-as-nails Argentinean earned him the interim WBA junior-welterweight title and sent shock waves through the stands.
Miguel Diaz, Maidana’s trainer and fellow native son of Argentina, was victorious as he came down the steps and was quickly embraced on his way to the dressing room. Several people met him in his path, hugging the veteran trainer and cutman in emotional moments after their fighter’s colossal win.
Regarding the defeat of the likable young Victor Ortiz, everyone loves a comeback and everybody loves an underdog. He showed a vulnerability but will no doubt have his loyal watchers rooting him on the next time he steps in the ring. Just like Maidana, you can never underestimate any fighter, so don’t count out “Vicious” Ortiz just yet, especially at only 22 years old.
After the fight, while exiting the stadium, we were surprised to still see the broad of daylight. The fights ended early and at just after eight o’clock, the L.A. summer night was a welcome sight to our group. We decided to get a bite to eat at the nearby Pantry restaurant. The Original Pantry Cafe has been a revered Los Angeles landmark since the 1920s.
On our stroll to the historic diner, we ran into the well-regarded cutman Joe Chavez, his wife Virgie, and son Jesse. The veteran was in the corner with Craig McEwan in the event’s co-main. Joe is one of boxing’s best–while you’ll often see him in the corner with glamorous superstars of the sport, I also see him at local, gritty amateur shows in L.A. helping out the kids. He’s got to be one of the most down-to-earth guys you’ll ever meet. We talk with the Chavez family for a while, inquiring about the Miguel Cotto fight. It was the first time Joe worked in the Puerto Rican star’s corner and had his work cut out for him with that huge gash over Cotto’s eye to tend to. Like always, the professional Chavez did a bang-up job in trying to staunch the blood flow during the bout which Cotto eventually won.
Also crossed paths with the main event’s referee Raul Caiz Sr., who had changed into a sporty track suit. We get accustomed to seeing the referees in their crisp blue shirts so it took me a second to recognize the respected ring official. The always-classy referee said that Ortiz’s cut was bad–and was opening up–so the doctor had no choice but to stop the action.
And just before our dinner, at an intersection while waiting to cross the street, we also meet the Craig McEwan camp who are happy with the Scottish boxer’s win. The lanky southpaw admitted it was a tough fight and looked forward to celebrating with his friends and family. A member of his group was wearing the traditional garb of McEwan’s homeland–the Scottish kilt. I complimented the gentleman on his fashionable plaid “skirt” and said I appreciated his spirit and support for his pal.
It is a known practice that a “true Scotsman” does not wear anything under his kilt. Nada, nothing. So as I capture a quick photo of the boxer and his kilt-wearing buddy, I jokingly implore to everyone around us, “Please don’t lift his kilt up while I take the picture!”
And just like that other great boxing town Vegas, I can only say, “What happens in L.A. stays in L.A.!”
Photos by Michele Chong: Outside of the Staples Center; Harold Lederman and Fernando Vargas; Trainer and cutman Tony Rivera; Kaliesha and Walter; Maidana’s trainer Miguel Diaz post-victory; With the Chavez family; Craig McEwan celebrates!