Upset for the popular fighter taken ill before bout
Popular Southland fighter John Molina Jr. made his long-anticipated main event debut last Saturday night on Showtime’s “ShoBox: The New Generation” presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions at the Pechanga Resort and Casino.
The packed audience in Temecula, California was in a jovial mood during this long Thanksgiving 
weekend. It was a fight night boasting six bouts of action with all the trimmings promised, as the excitement built up to the main course–the talented Molina’s chance to showcase his skills once again in front of a hometown crowd and national audience. A large group of the lightweight’s friends and family came out to show their support for their homegrown hero.
Spoiling the feast was one Martin “El Brochas” Honorio (27-4-1, 14 KOs). In boxing, there’s always room for an upset and this time it was Molina who suffered the consequences. Saddled with the onset of that flu bug that’s been going around, his camp said he was not at 100% health. And the night proved to be a tough test for John John. But showing plenty of heart, Molina’s (18-1, 14 KOs) promise and potential still remain; the 26-year-old says he wants a rematch to prove he can get the job done.
Honorio, in somewhat of the underdog role, also had a contingent of his own fans decked out in red headbands cheering him on as he entered the ring in a festive velvet sombrero. Moving up in weight, the Mexico City veteran worked his jab from the first round on, landing effectively throughout the fight. With his “can’t miss” jab landing sorely on Molina’s nose over and over, things didn’t get easier for the previously unbeaten boxer from Covina.
The crowd, not knowing at the time that Molina was under the weather, was surprised by his seemingly lackluster performance and inability to thwart the attacks from his smaller opponent. By round four, Molina’s fans were quieted by Honorio’s offense in the ring. A cut to the left side of John’s face only exacerbated the need for Molina to kick into gear. Unfortunately, as the battle continued, Honorio proved to be consistent and was the one with all the answers. As Molina tried to rally in later rounds and bring it up a notch, “El Brochas” targeted the cut with sharp combinations continuing to silence the rallying cries of the crowd.
After ten rounds with the audience urging “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,” Molina came out trying to finish strong with a final rally, but to no avail. With Jimmy Lennon Jr. announcing scores of 99-1 and 98-92 twice, Molina was handed his very first defeat. With his victory, Honorio earned the NABF/NABO Lightweight Championship at 135 pounds.
We will wait and see who’s next for Team Molina as John will no doubt want to enter the ring again soon.
In the co-main of the evening, Rico “Suavecito” Ramos (14-0, 8 KOs) had quite an impressive outing testing the chin of the scrappy Alejandro “El Alacran” Perez (14-2-1, 9 KOs) time and time again during their eight rounds of action. The persistent Ramos scored as Perez, a WBC USNBC super bantamweight titlist, was knocked down in the second round. Salinas native Perez had a large posse of Team Alarcan supporters, all decked out in a T-shirt touting their hero. He bravely stayed in the fight refusing to clinch as he took the best that Ramos’ had to offer. Scorecards tallied 78-73 and 80-71 twice to give Ramos the win and a NABO Youth Championship.
Young Javier Molina (3-0), a former 2008 Olympian, had the crowd roaring its approval with his stoppage of Miguel Garcia (0-2). The John Glenn High School sensation bloodied his foe’s nose in the first stanza of a scheduled four rounder. The teen welterweight wobbled his opponent with powerful rights, inflicting more damage, more blood with a barrage of punches. The second round felt like a very long three minutes, as Garcia went into retreat. Finally, at 2:42 his corner stepped in to stop the onslaught. Molina gets his third pro victory and third TKO in a row (all in the second round).
In other action, in his first fight in the Goossen Tutor stable, Charles Whitaker (35-12-2) won by TKO over Chad Greenleaf (11-14-1) in a matchup that had Greenleaf down five times–knocked down twice and slips and trips ending with a thud in the scheduled eight-round middleweight contest. Dr. James Jen Kin stepped in to wave it off at 2:28 in the third round after his corner threw in the towel.
Four rounds heavyweight featured Ernest “Zeus” Mayck (7-1, 2 KOs) vs. Ethan Cox (2-6-1). Wearing gold and black high-waisted trunks that made him look like he was over seven feet tall, the 325-pound “Zeuz” challenged the southpaw Cox, who came out in a cowboy hat. As the crowd revved up in hopes of a brawl and a knockout between the brutes, the two combatants threw some punches but locked horns. Winning the crowd but not the judges, Cox was defeated by the Mohawked “Zeus” by a majority decision, 38-38 and 39-37 twice.
In the opening bout, Malcolm “Fast Hands” Franklin (2-0) won a close unanimous decision 38-37 over Ludwin Mondragon (0-3), who won the crowd over after he scored a knockdown in the opening round of their four round flyweight battle. But Franklin slugged it out in the third and fourth round to get the nod. Mondragon looks to get his first win in his next outing.
All in all, it was an entertaining night of boxing that was a perfect break in the middle of a long weekend. With the current recession, family obligations and the snarl of holiday traffic, there was no guarantee of a sold-out crowd. But fighting off the effects of all the turkey dinners, the Southland fight community came out in droves to catch the action.
Getting into the spirit early, it was also a great chance to catch up with everyone after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Showtime’s Al Bernstein hosted the broadcast, alongside Steve Farhood. The veteran announcer was just inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and is always a professional. While chatting with Bernstein before the fights began, the analyst told us he was looking forward to seeing how Honorio would fare moving up in weight. As it turned out, on this night the former featherweight proved to fare very well indeed.
I also greeted Edison Miranda and trainer Ricky Funez by one of the Christmas trees outfitted at the front entrance of the Grand Ballroom. The Colombian “Pantera” will be facing Robert Stieglitz in a bid for the WBO Super Middleweight title. The best part of this upcoming fight on January 9? Team Miranda is heading to Germany. “We’ll be there for six days,” Funez tells me. “It’s going to be great.”
Also had a chance to get to know Goossen Tutor’s Larry Rosoff who sat next to me. The San Diego resident, by way of Boston, has been a part of the fight game for decades. Goossen Tutor Promotions lineup of fighters keeps the media man busy. Heavyweights Chris Arreola and James Toney (both in attendance at the fight), “Fast” Eddie Chambers, Showtime’s Super Six star Andre Ward, and Paul Williams are just a few of the names on their talent-laden roster.
During a break between bouts, Rosoff reminisced about being “Terrible” Terry Norris’ publicist during his fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1991. Norris pulled off an upset for the WBC belt but Larry told me he was one of the few not surprised by the stunning outcome. “Terry was bench pressing 250 pounds while training for the fight,” he remembered. “He was doing hundred of abs and crunches; he was ready and I knew he would win!”
Other notables in attendance included British heavyweight Michael Bentt. The jovial boxer had a steady stream of photo requests from the fans and cheerfully greeted all the well-wishers that came his way. The Jamaican slugger-turned-actor won the role of Sonny Liston in the critically-acclaimed “Ali” starring Will Smith.
Watching the fights was a local trainer, the well-regarded Bennie Georgino. The Riverside coach has been in the corner of many champions and contenders including Albert Davila, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Ernie “Indian Red” Lopez, Jaime Garza, and John Montes. He was with his wife and fight fan, Ruth, and their friend Vic Holloway. Anyone remember roller derby at the Forum in L.A. back in the day? Well, if you were a loyal rink fan, it was Holloway’s voice you heard as he was the official announcer during the matches.
At the end of the fight night, also had an opportunity to say hi to another Riverside standout, Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola and his trainer Henry Ramirez. Just like John Molina, the headliner of last Saturday’s card, Arreola was recently defeated for the very first time. After suffering this first loss (against Vitali Klitschko in September), Chris came out to lend support to his Goossen Tutor stablemate, Molina. The friendly heavyweight was surrounded by fans as he prepares to take on Brian Minto this Saturday on the Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez undercard in Atlantic City. Leaving the SoCal sunshine, Team Arreola was packing up and preparing to hit the road to get to the East Coast. “The Nightmare” says he’s ready and hungry to get back in the ring.
With Molina coping with his first loss, expect him to be just as hungry to climb back up those steps soon.
Catching up with Team Molina a couple of days after the defeat, his cornerman Javier Adame tells me, “It was rough watching my friend not being able to pull the trigger. He did the best he could, under the condition he was in. But John Molina Jr. hung in there and showed the world what he is made of: Heart of a champion, and the will of a warrior!
“I told John, ‘All you did was put the lightweight division on check. And if this is the will you show when you are sick, they need to watch out when you’re at 100%!'”
And his camp says they are already looking to the future with talk of a “comeback” not necessary.
“It’s also unfair to say John will be ‘back’,” Adame adds with emphasis. “He’s never left–so look out 2010!”
All Photos by Raymond Rodriguez at Ringside