New Mexico Boxing - Fight Results

Univision - Top Rank Sunday Brunch Card
Far West Rodeo - El Paso, TX - June 10, 2001

Ringside Report by "Bad" Andy Rivera
Photographs by Tom "El Pollo" Hernandez

Upset in El Paso!
Cassiani Returns to the Scene
with a KO over Prado!

Quick Results:
Leroy Humfries (2-2-1, 1 KO) DRAW Jesus Veladez (2-1-2, 2 KO's)
Liborio Romero (2-0, 2 KO's) KO 2 Arturo Velasquez (6-8-1, 1 KO)
Roque Cassiani (19-8-1, 15 KO's) KO 2 Juan Prado (15-3, 9 KO's)
Alejandro Moreno (14-7-1, 8 KO's) W 8 Gabriel Munoz (27-7-1, 17 KO's)
David Rodriguez (5-0, 5 KO's) TKO 3 Martin Lopez (12-18, 1 KO)
Danny Flores (8-0-1, 2 KO's) KO 3 Alejandro Rivera (3-6-1, 2

In a minor upset in El Paso, former featherweight title challenger Roque Cassiani knocked out Juan Prado with a spectacular left hook in the 2^nd round in the main event at the Far West Rodeo.

Cassiani, who was helped in his corner by # 2 ranked and future Fernando Vargas opponent Jose Shibata Flores, took the fight to Prado. The first round was action pack as Cassiani and Prado stood mostly toe to toe landing combinations on each other. Prado seemed to gain the slight edge.

In the second, Cassiani boxed more and used his jab to keep Prado at bay. Then with Prado moving in to get inside, Cassiani sidestepped Prado and landed a wicked left uppercut that dropped Prado for the count. The referee didn’t bother to count as the fight was stopped at 2:22 of the 2^nd. Cassiani gains his 19th win against 8 losses and 1 draw. Prado drops to 15-3.

In undercard action:

Mexican Olympian Liborio Romero defeated tougher then expected Arturo Valasquez. Valasquez, who had forgotten his cup protector borrowed Romero’s extra cup minutes before entering the ring.

The first round was fast paced as both went back and forth with Romero gaining a slight edge with his hand speed. In the second, Romero picked up the pace and used his speed and jab to keep Valasquez at bay. Valasquez was the aggressor but couldn’t seem to catch Romero. Romero picked up where he left off in the 3^rd keeping Valasquez at the tip of his jab to set up combinations. As Valasquez charged in Romero caught him with a short left hook to the jaw, sending Valasquez to one knee, where he took the 10 count.

In a featherweight bout Danny Flores of San Antonio, TX remained unbeaten with a 3^rd round knock out of Alejandro Rivera. Flores who is helped being trained by former 2- time world champion Jesse James Lejia, raised his record to 8-0-1 by using his jab and speed to keep Rivera off balance. The first and second had Flores controlling the action with Rivera landing an occasional right. In the 3^rd with Flores in control, Flores landed a right hand over the top of Rivera’s jab that ended matters at 1:46 of round 3.

In a heavyweight bout, El Paso’s David Rodriguez stopped Martin Lopez also of El Paso in the 3^rd round. Rodriguez, who was one our main reason for our trek from Albuquerque to El Paso and back in the same day, didn’t impress.

I have been covering boxing in El Paso and Juarez for the last year and had heard about up and coming heavyweight, Rodriguez. I’ve seen him get introduced at every local fight card like a celebrity. Yet when it came down to business, Rodriquez didn’t show much.

Rodriquez has the looks, body and I must say some skills to be a good heavyweight. He was fighting his 2^nd fight in 8 days, having just come off a 1st ko in Oklahoma City last Saturday. He took on his toughest fighter to date, Martin Lopez.

Lopez a journeyman cruiserweight disguised as a heavyweight, gave Rodriguez fits in the first round using his experience on the ropes and landing right hand leads to Rodriguez’s head, causing swelling under the eyes of Rodriguez.

In the second, with Rodriguez loading up to land the big shot to finish Lopez. Lopez managed to make Rodriguez miss. Rodriquez did mange to close the gap and land a hard right at the end of the round possibly breaking Lopez’s nose. As blood continued to flow in the 3^rd the referee halted the contest to have Lopez’s nose checked by the doctor. The doctor halted the bout with Lopez protesting.

Lopez stated after the bout, "I could have continued, He was the favorite, so, of course they will stop as soon as I get cut. Look, how big he is compared to me? He should have won easy."

Rodriguez, who raised his record to 5-0 with 5 knockouts, needs to figure out if he wants to be a celebrity or a fighter. Being a celebrity doesn’t make you a good fighter. A good fighter can make you a celebrity.

In the best bout of the day, Alejandro Moreno of Juarez, Mexico won a unanimous 8 rd decision over Gabriel Munoz of Mexicali, Mexico. Moreno and Munoz went toe to toe for most of the fight with neither seeming to gain an edge. It was that close. The difference seemed to come to come in the 3^rd with Moreno dropping Munoz with a right hand to the temple. Munoz beat the count and continued, but that seemed to be the deciding punch. As the scorecards read 76-75 twice and a ridiculous 78-74, all for Moreno. Moreno raised his record to 14-7-1 as Munoz fell to 27-7-1.

In the opening bout, heavyweights Leroy Humphries and Jesus Valadez fought to a 4 round draw, although many had ringside had thought Humphries had the edge. Humphries fell to 2-2-1 and Valadez to 2-1-2.