Darchinyan-Rojas KO adds to exciting action at Agua Caliente
The “storm chasers” came out in droves this past weekend to catch their hometown hero Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs) square off against Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KOs) at Agua Caliente Casino, Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, California.
The Palm Springs boxer was the main event in a seven-bout card promoted by Gary Shaw 
Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions. If you were a Bradley fan, you bared witness to one superb performance. After 12 rounds of hot action in this desert duel, final scorecards read 120-107, 119-108 and 118-110 for Team Bradley. Flawless, impressive, dominating, thrilling, and overwhelming are just a few of the adjectives used in the headlines that proclaimed Timmy’s victory. And if you weren’t a Bradley fan before Saturday night, the WBO Junior Welterweight champ’s performance was sure to change the minds of many.
For the reported 2,200 fans in attendance, they certainly got their money’s worth. It was a high-energy fight night that also included the anticipated clash between Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan and Tomas Rojas in the co-main.
These marquee matchups, broadcast on Showtime Championship Boxing, had most of us in the L.A. boxing circles making the two-hour commute (in a rainstorm, to boot) to catch all the action live and in person. Soaking in the nervous excitement and energy of the crowd, listening to the sounds of the fans, and taking in all the sights that the big fights bring out never gets old.
I am hoping that Agua Caliente hosts many more fights in the future since this venue is an incredible place to watch boxing. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house; The Show arena has a very intimate feel to it that’s not found in larger-scale buildings. Fans can hear the grunts and groans as the athletes go toe-to-toe or end up in a clinch, can see up close the angry and frustrated corners when their boxer is not at focus, and watch the sweat flying off a combatants face as he gets blasted by a punch.
Beginning with the very first fight at 3:30 p.m. the ticket holders got plenty of pugilism, all the way up until the 6:00 co-feature of Darchinyan-Rojas and continuing through the headlining Bradley-Peterson battle.
We ran into a lot of our boxing pals before, during and after the fights and also met a lot of new acquaintances as well. While the sport of boxing is often denigrated, it can also be a great community to be part of. If you’re passionate about boxing, you will have no problem meeting others with the same affliction! And a lot of familiar faces and friends were all at Agua Caliente during the weekend show.
Right off the bat, I ran into Bradley’s trainer Joel Diaz. The Coachella Valley coach said there was both a nervousness and excitement that always comes with the territory. But Timothy was resting, calm and taking it easy the few hours leading up to the matchup. Diaz is getting his due respect from the boxing world as his young charges keep racking up victories. His brother Antonio was facing Victor Ortiz on this same night.
Before the fights began, we also caught up with Bradley’s co-promoter Ken Thompson and his wife, Vera. In 2004, Timothy made his pro debut at one of Thompson’s shows. The Orange County-based fight promoter had a stellar 2009 with his stable of fighters including “Desert Storm,” Yonnhy Perez, Mauricio Herrera, Abraham Lopez, Patrick Lopez, Daniel Hernandez (who scored a KO in the first round of his fight against Aaron Dominguez on the undercard), among others. As Timothy Bradley made his ascent to become a world champion, the well-respected couple have also been immersed in the journey. With highlight wins over Kendall Holt and Junior Witter, Team Thompson was hoping to add another great victory to the ledger.
After saying goodbye to the Thompsons, I noticed a commotion as Alfredo “Perro” Angulo entered the room. The popular Mexican brawler greeted his promoter Gary Shaw (also co-promoter of Bradley). Angulo and Shaw have a very close father-son bond that is clearly evident while watching the two together. Gary introduced his junior middleweight to Australian cruiserweight Danny Green. If that name rings a bell, the “Green Machine” is the foe who just needed two minutes and two seconds to wallop Roy Jones Jr. in their December 2 bout. He’s a friendly likable guy, and after his recent TKO victory will now have thousands of new fans watching his every move. The IBO champ tells us he wants to fight Bernard Hopkins next.
We then ran into the “Bronx Bomber” Alex Ramos and Jerry “Schoolboy” Cheatham. Ramos and Jacquie Richardson founded the Retired Boxers Foundation, and Cheatham was a mainstay in the Phoenix boxing scene in the ’70s and all the way through the ’90s. Ramos, whose had his share of health problems along the way, is a great ambassador for the sport. With his irrepressible personality and easy grin, the former middleweight now dedicates his time to helping others.
Former welterweight Mando Muñiz was there waiting to welcome the winners of a raffle the WBHF held as a fundraiser. Tickets to the Bradley-Peterson fight were the grand prize. The former Olympian posed with fans by The Show entrance as the crowd streamed in.
I also saw sluggers Antonio DeMarco, Mauricio Herrera, and Albert Herrera in the mix, as well as trainers Freddie Roach and Henry Ramirez. I asked Henry about his most famous student of the game, Chris Arreola. The team was victorious in Atlantic City on December 5 against Brian Minto. He said his heavyweight will be fighting again around March. Former bantamweight and current boxing promoter Kahren Harutyunyun was also there. He’s brought boxing back to the city of Glendale and told us his next show will be January 8. I teased him a bit, asking if he’s making a comeback. The Art of Boxing impresario laughs, shakes his head and adamantly says no.
Seen in the crowd was local fave, female fighter Kaliesha West, who had been scheduled to fight Kasha Chamblin on the undercard. But Kaliesha explained that, unfortunately, the bout was canceled due to retina problems for Chamblin. Both Kaliesha and her father and trainer Juan West were justifiably disappointed. But look for the pretty and perky “K Wild Wild” West to fight on January 21; her dad said they’ll train for this future bout at San Manuel.
For you pigskin fans, “Are you ready for some football?” was the call as NFL’s Fred Williamson was surrounded by fans wanting to meet “The Hammer.” The steely defensive back (Chiefs, Raiders, Steelers) played in the very first Super Bowl and is also an actor with a long list of film and TV credits including “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “Julia,” and “M*A*S*H.” The brawny Williamson caught up with trainer Jack Mosley (Sugar Shane’s dad).
Also in the sold-out crowd was a burgeoning star of the sweet science. Phoenix teen Jose “Junior” Benavidez was checking out the action with his father, Jose Sr. and Wild Card’s Miguel Salazar. The National Golden Gloves champ is already making a name for himself and getting widespread notice while training at Wild Card. His dad told us the light welter will be making his pro debut very, very soon. Team Wild Card cheered as stablemate Lateef “Power” Kayode got a second-round TKO over Billy Willis.
The theatre seats continued to fill as the undercards continued. One fight in particular provided a poignant blast-from-the past for numerous attendees at the fight. Young Salvador Sanchez II, nephew of the legendary Salvador Sanchez, faced off against Rodrigo Aranda. As Sanchez fought his way to an eventual majority decision win, we had a chance to chat with Freddie Roach. The Hall of Fame trainer, coming off the huge Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao victories, remains easygoing and friendly to all.
As we all commented about Sal II’s old-school trunks, hair and shoes, Freddie told us he used to 
wear those same 80s-style short shorts. “Do you still have them?” we asked, as Roach laughed and said he’ll show us pictures. “That was the style then, that’s what we wore. And they were made out of velour,” he insists. Not satin trunks? “Nope, velour,” he says with another chuckle. Of course I had to ask him about the Pac Man-Mayweather mega-fight. Freddie, like the majority of the fight community, says wants the clash to take place in Vegas and of course, is already prepping for the showdown.
While the bulk of the crowd was made up of a ton of Bradley’s local fans, there was also a huge contingent of Armenian fans lending their support. And since the “Raging Bull” resides in Australia, there were many Aussie counterparts there too. The boys from Sydney proudly wore their “Raging Bull” fight gear and Team Darchinyan shirts and proved to be a fun, spirited group. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!
Darchinyan, their favorite southpaw (33-2-1, 27 KOs), needed just two rounds of a scheduled 12 to flatten his fellow southpaw, the game Tomas Rojas (32-12-1, 22 KOs) from Veracruz, Mexico. Needless to say, the arena erupted into a frenzy. The fans yelled wildly for Darchinyan’s victory, waving red, blue and orange Armenian flags. Their pride in their boxer reigns supreme. I met two young fans of his who told me that Vic and Arthur Abraham are everyone’s favorite boxers in the Armenian culture.
One of the guys, Koko Deranteriassian, tells me that his grandfather Vartan Deranteriassian was a champion in Lebanon and Syria from 1952-1957. The two young men said they’ve been looking forward to the fight for a while and they were hoping it goes at least nine rounds so they can enjoy seeing Vic in the ring. When Vic took off his large gold cross before the bell rang, the boys giggled knowingly and said, “We all wear crosses like that. It’s part of our culture.” Well, even though Vic’s fight was over so fast, they said they were thrilled with the knockout. They glanced around in awe at all the flags from both Armenia and Australia being waved through the stands as Darchinyan keeps his Super Flyweight title.
Then the chants of “Bradley, Bradley, Bradley” begin to rumble in the sold-out arena. As Team Peterson from Memphis stood in their corner, the crowd was on its feet waiting for Timmy to make his entrance. He is a true hometown hero and role model, especially for many of the youthful fans and future fighters that were cheering him on. Wearing bright orange T-shirts, young boys and girls, the littlest “storm chasers” excitedly screamed and cheered during the action-packed 12 rounds of the fight. And it was a great fight from the tough Peterson and the determined Bradley. When Lamont was knocked down in the third round, the “Desert Storm” fans were on their feet applauding. And it was the type of fight that really had you on the edge of your seat with its non-stop action. Bradley’s conditioning and endurance were remarkable; he’s known to run miles and miles a day in the desert heat many locals say.
After all the fights ended, it was wall-to-wall people lining the outside corridors of The Show and throughout the casino floor. While Team Bradley was elated with their victory, Team Peterson was understandably extremely disappointed about their boxer’s first defeat. But the consensus in boxing circles across most Aussie casinos is that Lamont is young, talented and will come back even stronger the next time around. There’s still time for Peterson to be counted among the elite.
Speaking of elite, Team Darchinyan continued to relish his convincing KO win. The “Raging Bull” gave his loyal fans a perfect reason to have a raging good time. I was fortunate to briefly cross paths with the Armenian superstar. We mentioned some mutual friends of ours, Hovo and his father Nazo, who knew Vic while living in Armenia. “Yes!” exclaimed Darchinyan. “He was my trainer. He’s from the same city as me. Nazo knew me when I was a kid, and saw me grow up.” He then gestured with his hand to show how small he was when he first met Nazo.
Nazo’s son Hovo and Vic grew up together and are still good friends. “My dad used to train the Vanadzor Boxing Team. This was with the top ten fighters–and Vic was in that team,” confirms Hovo, whose family has remained close to boxer. “This was back around 1996-1998. After the Olympics, he stayed to train and turn pro in Australia. But he still goes to Armenia every year for t
wo to three months.” Hovo calls Vic by his given name of Vaghtang.
Living in Los Angeles since 2003, the father-son duo founded Nazo Boxing and are one of the area’s premier boxing suppliers with their gloves, bags, T-shirts and more. They were happy to have their friend back in town for a while, and even happier with his triumph in the ring.
“He was a champion back then,” says former trainer Nazo of his fellow countryman, Darchinyan. “And he’s still a champion now!”
Couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Photos by Michele Chong and Steve Harpst