What’s the next best thing to a Juarez card? Easy: a fight card in El Paso. And in three nights, we had two ‘of ‘em.

Originally, it was supposed to be a triple-header—three nights of boxing on the border. Thursday was the Miller Lite Belt Series at the Convention Center in El Paso; Friday was one of Promociones del Pueblo’s cards across the border in Juarez with Kirino Garcia and “Tacubayo” Murillo headlining; and on Saturday was the Vargas-Rivera HBO fight, once again, back in El Paso. But the Juarez card was rescheduled for May 25^th.

That left two El Paso fight cards in three nights, with a weigh-in and a night of hanging out in Juarez sandwiched in between. Can’t beat that . . .

So, what exactly is the “Miller Lite Texas Belt Series?”

Well, the belt itself is pretty cool. It’s black leather and lacks all the fake jewels, and it weighs more than a bag of old cat litter, not that absorbing kind, either, but the old-fashioned heavy clay granules.

But what is this series, know wha’m sayin’?? And do we need—know wha’m sayin’?—another belt and championship out there confusing everyone? Probably not . . . but in this case, I saw screw it, it’s a good thing, know wha’m I’m sayin’? (Sorry for the “Know wha’m sayin’?’s”, I’m sittin’ in a hotel room at the Days Inn and Jerry Springer is interviewing some ghetto boys who’ve cheated on their transvestite gangbanger boyfriend/girlfriends, or somesuch . . . .)

Back to the Miller Lite Texas Belt Series . . . No, we don’t need more titles, more pretty belts . . . but this series is keeping the fighters down here active. Gamez Productions and Miller Lite are putting on 2-3 cards a month and rotating their cards from city to city. So, who cares if they want to create a new title?

Tonight’s rotation found the series in El Paso where two fine individuals would be beatin’ the crap out of each other to be the Texas Bantamweight champ . . . only one guy was from Juarez, the other was from Mexico City. Ah, hell! They sell Miller Lite south of the border so why exclude our Mexican pals?

What a fight it was . . .  Juarez’s Rodrigo Facio and Mexico City’s Julio Cesar Ruiz mixed it up for three solid rounds before the finish in Round Four.

I’ve seen Facio fight several times before and I knew what he was capable of. Sometimes, it just takes him a little time to remember that his most debilitating punches are his shots to the body, especially that left hook of his. Facio is more than willing to trade shots on the inside from start to finish; and he can be outboxed if the opponent can bury his pride and fight the boring hit-and-run fight, keeping Facio at jab’s length; but as soon as he can employ his left hook to the body, the show’s over.

From the opening bell, these two guys went head-to-head and toe-to-toe, trading shots. Facio got the better of Ruiz in Round One but a point was deducted when Facio got a bit overzealous and hit on the break. Round Two and Three were pretty damn close, both fighters scoring about the same number of hits . . . but Ruiz was showing the wear ‘n’ tear. By the end of the 3^rd, Ruiz had an ugly cut near his eye.

Facio remembered to go to the body in Round Four . . . and then it was all over. A left hook deposited Ruiz on the canvas. He got up and another shot put him down for the count. When the ref realized Ruiz wasn’t getting up any time soon, he waved it over.

Juarez fighter Rodrigo Facio picks up his 9^th or 12^th or 16^th win, depending on what record you believe. Next up for Facio: Frankie Archuleta in Las Vegas, NM, on June 9^th. (Frankie, you better keep those elbows tight against your sides . . . .)

The fight after Facio-Ruiz was a battle of two undefeateds: El Paso’s Adan Hernandez and Snyder’s Gabriel Vasquez.

Hernandez is definitely on his way. He’s a great fighter and I’ve seen him outpoint several good opponents . . . but this fight belonged to Gabriel Vasquez. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t see it that way.

Vasquez is a beast. He’s a mean-looking, little sonofabitch and this kid has the juice. I had him winning—no doubt in my mind—the first four rounds. Every punch had power, even the kid’s jabs, and every step was forward.

Granted, many of Vasquez’s punches were blocked on Hernandez’s gloves, he played the effective aggressor and kept his opponent on the run.

While Hernandez kept his composure, he was too cautious in the early rounds and it seemed as if he was somewhat intimidated by Vasquez. By the time he really started fighting, I felt it was too late to win by decision. Round 5 was close enough for Hernandez to win; the final round was all Adan. If Adan had opened up in Round 1 like he did in the 5^th, it would’ve been his easy.

According the judges, it was his, easy: 58-56; 59-55 and 59-55. Y’got me . . . .

Backing up to the beginning of the fight card, we saw a majority draw between Lubbock’s Joe Ray Camacho and Tomas Villa. Both of these guys did just enough not to win . . . or just enough not to lose. Camacho would’ve won if he’d had any sort of defense or kept his hands up; and Villa would’ve won had he not tired out midway.

Afterward, El Paso’s Bernardo Guereca went up against Anthony Wilson from Dallas, TX. Wilson was the fighter with the better skills. Unfortunately, he slept for the first few rounds and by the time he decided to throw his hands, it was too late.

The fight ended with a lop-sided decision for Gurereca.

The night closed out with Juarez’s Adrian Valdez scoring a near-shutout decision over Laredo’s Arturo Davolos. Southpaw Valdez proved the much more polished fighter, fighting a smart fight by pawing at Davolos with his jab and stinging him with one-two’s and solid rights.

The fifth fight finished off the card.

Bottom line, again: these guys are putting on great fight cards. If only other states and beer companies were putting on fight cards . . . how ‘bout the “Corona New Mexican Title Series?” Or the “Moosehead Montana Title Belt Series?” Or the “Pabst Blue Ribbon Wisconsin Title Series?” I could go and on . . . .

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