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 Telefutura/Miller Lite Action in
El Paso:
Hernandez v. Lopez Ends in Draw
Rodriguez Downs Another One
text & photos by chris
cozzone
El
Paso is right up there on my list of favorite fight towns—a list
that includes Juarez, San Antonio and the
just-beginning-to-blossom Albuquerque. ‘Paso, like Juarez, its
flipside border town a stone’s throw away, has its share of
prospects, beltholders and ring veterans that make the scene, but
it’s the hardcore fans that make the city one of the best places
to watch live boxing.
El
Paso fight fans are vocal—never afraid to boo or howl
displeasure, never too shy to hurl a cup of beer into the ring
after a B.S. decision (although, thank God, they are not likely to
throw urine bombs as has been known to happen in Juarez.) And like
any fight town, El Paso is supportive of its hometown fighters;
yet, always ready to adopt a bigger name, a Fernando Vargas or a
Cesar Bazan.
Last
night, the El Paso County Coliseum brought only 1,500 fans at
best; good, screaming fans, but a card lacking local talent beyond
heavyweight David Rodriguez and lightweight Freddy Gomez.
Nevermind the Telefutura-televised main and co-main events,
though; it was Rodriguez who brought most of the fans, not Ubaldo
Hernandez or Juan Lopez or even undefeated Kermit Cintron, Another
El Pasoan like Alex Becerra, Cesar Lopez, even a vet like Rene
Herrera or a Juarez fighter like Kirino Garcia might’ve doubled
the attendance.
Still
not a bad little card for a town desperately needing a promoter to
rejuvenate & foster the local scene. If it wasn’t for Miller
Lite, Lester Bedford, and promoting biggies like Main Event and
Top Rank, El Paso would be a boxer’s ghost town.
But
onto the fights . . . .
El Pasoans 1-1
 David
“El Nino” Rodriguez closed the show in a 4-round swing bout
that might as well have been the main event. The main had been
over but no one was leaving when
El Paso’s hope for a heavyweight contender was brought in.
There
were reports of a slimmed down Rodriguez; a sharpened-up
Rodriguez, who, under the tutelage of Jesse Reid, had been
building skills to a foundation established under former
lightweight contender and ESPN champ Louie Burke, who is still a
part of the corner.
In
six fights, Rodriguez had been out of the first round but once, in
a fight against Martin Lopez last year, two fights back. Rodriguez
didn’t look his greatest in that fight (still winning by TKO
when the fight was stopped on injuries) but he found redemption
earlier this year against the porcine Clinton Whitehead. It was a
fight that did not last 20 seconds: a solid right hand dropped
Whitehead, and El Pasoans are still not sure whether it was El Nino’s
right hand landing or Whitehead’s “pleasantly plump” body
hitting the canvas that brought about the mild tremor felt as far
away as Chihuahua, Mexico.
After
two distance fights, the crowd was in the mood for—and they were
expecting—an explosive knockout out of Rodriguez. No one was disappointed.
Trass,
as expected, never had a chance. Although fit, his body showed the
wear and tear of age, and his 220-something build looked sadly
inadequate next to El Nino’s colossal size.
Trass
might’ve thrown one shot; the rest of the time he spent covering
up while Rodriguez pounded away at him with thunderous body shots.
Trass was down twice before he took a knee and the ref stepped in
to call it quits at 2:56.
 Rodriguez
can move, no doubt about it. His 239-pound frame flies in the gym,
and the kid can hit. Hell, this guy’s got all the trappings of
becoming a serious contender—especially with his good looks,
Hispanic last name and Anglo appearance—but it’s
approaching the time where we need to see his team step up the
opposition. At 7-0, with 7 KO’s, it won’t be long before the
ranked contenders will be eying that clean record of his, thinking
it might be worth their time to see about ending that winning
streak.
Rodriguez’s
trainers, his manager, Bob Spagnola, of course, are certainly not
wasting time with him; they can see the potential. And anyone’s
who’s seen him in the gym, sparring guys like Joe Mesi, Lamon
Brewster and Lou Savarese, will also attest. It’s a steady diet
of marshmallow opponents that will eventually bring doubt to
Rodriguez’s huge following in El Paso—despite their
destruction by the young giant. You can’t help but wonder what
will happen when he finds himself up against someone who can take
his bombs, or fire back a few of his own—this is what we need to
see, what we want to see: a war with Rodriguez standing
over his fallen foe.
Building
records, building confidence . . . all has its place in boxing,
but comes a point where fans want to see a war in the ring,
nevermind a minute amateur experience. Bring on the challengers;
fighters with winning records. Need an opponent? Bring down
Francis “the King” Royal from Albuquerque, who’s 6-3; or
even Santa Fe’s Enrique Recendez (5-2) . . . .
In
rough contrast to Rodriguez’s victory was the only other El
Pasoan on the card: lightweight Freddy Gomez. Whereas Rodriguez
was matched up for victory, Gomez was thrown to the dogs, pitted
against Americo Santos who was making his pro debut.
 Santos
may have been making his pro debut but his mile-long amateur
experience—something like 90 fights including multiple Texas
Golden Gloves titles and a couple National PAL wins—had Gomez a
hopeless underdog.
Gomez
showed oodles of heart but his attacks were easily batted aside by
Santos. Gomez had no workable defense against Santos, who, after
the first big exchange about 45 seconds into the 1st,
established domination. After that first right hand landed, you
already knew the ending, and while Gomez never gave up trying, his
expression told all: ‘Damn, this kid’s good . . . .’
Gomez
was down near the end of the first and in the 2nd, a
nasty gash opened up over Gomez’s eye after a brutal exchange.
The cut looked to be a merciful way out for Gomez but the fight
was OK’d to continue, at least for five or ten more seconds,
until Santos swarmed Gomez and ref Rocky Burke halted the fight at
:44.
Swing Bout Steals Show
After
the hometowners, El Pasoans were most lookin’ forward to getting
a glimpse at Kermit “Killer” Cintron, who was up against the
experienced-but-beatable Patrick Thorns, from Detroit.
 I
don’t know, maybe it’s the name . . . the mixing of
“Kermit” with “Killer” that seems unnatural, and makes me
envision something close to a furry, floppy green thing with sharp
teeth . . . or maybe it was Kermit’s opponent, who did not bring
out Cintron’s arsenal. Hell, there was no need . . . .
Cintron
took his time in the 1st, backing Thorns up and letting
his hands go in warm-up one’s and one-two’s. In the 2nd
through 4th, Cintron stepped up the pace, making the
fight one-sided as Thorns kept his gloves up and backpedaled. At
1:09 of the 4th, body shots put Thorns down, and that
was that.
 While
it was no fun to watch Thorns try to survive, it was more amusing
to stare at Cintron’s Puerto-Rican flag-like head. Must’ve
daydreamed during part of the fight, for I started to wonder if
the dyed hair was temporary or permanent; and if the maids at the
hotel where he was staying at in El Paso would scratch their heads
in the morning when they came in to strip down the bed and
discovered the red and blue stained pillowcases; and whether
bleach would remedy things; and if not, would a furious hotel
manager tack on the price of a new pillowcase to Cintron’s (or
Main Event’s) bill?
Too
many trivial thoughts during those four rounds, I guess, but that
should give you some idea as to the competition . . . .
Speaking
of competition, the junior welterweight swing bout between
Cintron’s win and the main event, was the best fight of the
night.
 Mexico’s
Carlos Ramirez and Austin’s Manuel Rodriguez battled back and
forth for eight solid rounds in what ended up as a very close
split decision win for Ramirez—a fight I had goin’ to
Rodriguez, although you could flip a coin for a couple of those
rounds.
Ramirez
started out strong, using height and reach to outpoint Rodriguez,
who did not snap to until the 3rd or so round. Then,
the fight was even tempo until Rodriguez figured out how to press
Ramirez and land on the inside. He peaked out in the 7th
by knocking Ramirez down but got tired in the final round. A point
was also deducted from Ramirez for low blows (after several
warnings), which I figured would’ve given Rodriguez the edge.
But, only one judge saw it that way: 76-74 for Rodriguez. The
other two had it for Ramirez, 77-73 and 76-74.
While
the main event between Ubaldo Hernandez and Juan Lopez was equally
as competitive, it lacked the drama of Ramirez vs. Rodriguez. The
flow was similar, Hernandez taking the early rounds, Lopez the
later, with Ubaldo surviving a 7th Round knockdown to
come back hard in the last two rounds.
At
the end of 10, it was 95-93 apiece with one judge scoring it
95-95, making it a draw.
Ubaldo
Hernandez, is known in El Paso for his excellent performance
against Juan Diaz last year, when he knocked down the poor kid for
the first time in his career, and very nearly scored the upset
(and then did score an upset over previously undefeated Ebo
Elder later on in the year.) Ubaldo is a bad animal, but appeared
sluggish against Lopez; and not as sharp as we’ve seen him.
El Paso Needs Action
If
El Paso fight fans want to see more boxing, they can cross the
border on Friday for the Promociones del Pueblo card in
Juarez (headlined by the usual suspects, sans Kirino
Garcia: Tacubayo and Ranchero Ramirez); or journey up to
Albuquerque for the June 1st card at the Isleta Casino
featuring the return of Danny Romero. On the same card, El
Paso’s Alex Becerra and Cesar Lopez continue their winning
streaks.
More
fights in El Paso? Not until the Miller Lite Texas Belt Series
returns in September, although there’s talk of New Mexican
promoter Lenny Fresquez doing something in Sunland Park, NM. Stay
tuned . . . .
#
# #
The
Blow-by-Blow
by Ricardo Trujillo
Kermit Cintron vs. Patrick
Thomas – 10 rounds welterweights
Rd.
1 – Undefeated, hard-hitting Puerto Rican sensation Kermit
“Killer” Cintron starts
with a good jab to the face of Thomas. Cintron is already showing
his dominance in the first minute. A hard right to the body in the
middle of the round has Thomas wincing. By the end of the round,
Cintron has Thomas seeking cover; his bobbing and weaving,
however, is ineffective.
Rd.
2 – In the center of ring, Cintron is keeping his distance by
out jabbing his confused opponent. Down goes Thomas from a
thunderous left hook to the cheek!—he spends the rest of the
round trying to keep the hot prospect from totally dominating him,
but to no avail.
Rd.
3 – Constant pressure from Cintron keeps Thomas at bay. A wicked
uppercut by Cintron in the middle of the round makes the crowd go
“Ohhh!” and “Ahhh!”. This doesn’t look like it’s going
to last much longer. Cintron up three rounds to zip.
Rd.
4 – Cintron has a very good, compact aggressive style. A hard
right to the body crumbles Thomas to the canvas in the center of
the ring. Ref Rocky
Burke gets to the count of two and decides to halt the contest at
1:09.
Cintron
was impressive and raises his record to 15-0 with 14 KO’s.
Ubaldo Hernandez vs. Juan
Lopez – 10 rounds junior welterweights
Rd. 1 – Hernandez backs up to
ropes to lure his opponent in. Circling to his left, he pushes his
jab out as a range finder. Lopez shows patience and is not fooled.
Lopez lands good left hooks in close. This is looking like a
distance fight. Hernandez needs to be more busy. Round to Lopez.
Rd. 2 – Lopez continues to be
patient, not taking the bait. Hernandez, unlike his previous stop
in El Paso when he showed so much power, against Juan Diaz, is
having trouble with Lopez’s style. Round to Lopez.
Rd. 3 – Two crisp uppercuts by
Hernandez starts out a better round for him. Lopez retreats for
the first time. Hernandez is slowly taking command. Best round for
Hernandez.
Rd. 4 – Hernandez is cautioned
by ref for low blow. Now, Lopez Takes the play away from Hernandez
by keeping the fight in the center of the ring. Both fighters came
to give their all. Once again, Hernandez attempts to lure Lopez to
the ropes, but it is not working. Lopez’s round.
Rd. 5 – The baby-faced Lopez
catches an uppercut from the outside, but he is not fazed. Again,
Hernandez is warned for low blows. A hard right by Lopez halfway
through the round has Hernandez hanging on. The surprising Lopez
is pulling away.
Rd. 6 – Hernandez, with gloves
high now, circles to his left looking for an opening. Lopez gives
him no target and they fight evenly in the center of the ring.
Lead rights by Hernandez are now connecting.
Towards the of the round, Lopez pushes Hernandez to the
ropes and lands to the body. Even round.
Rd. 7 – Hernandez is implored
by his corner to be more busy,
Lopez backs him to him to the ropes and punishes him with a
right that drops Hernandez for an 8 count.
Rd. 8 – Hernandez needs to do
something dramatic to win this bout. Lopez, with more confidence
now, is the aggressor and taking the fight to Hernandez. Lopez is
out-punching Hernandez and lands a hard crisp right to punctuate
the round.
Rd. 9 – The next to the last
round and both fighters look a bit winded. Hernandez is looking to
tie up, but Lopez will have none of it, pressuring Hernandez by
simply out-gutting him. Bleeding from the nose, Hernandez needs a
KO to win. Lopez goes down from a slip but appears dazed.
Gathering himself, the round ends with a flurry by both fighters.
Rd. 10 – The fighters touch
gloves and show respect. A inside right uppercut by Lopez showers
the ref with sweat. Hernandez needs to apply pressure but can’t.
A great fight ends with both fighters going toe to toe at the end
of the round.
Tough fight to score. Draw: 95-93
for Hernandez and 95-93 for Lopez and Rocky Burke had it 94 to 94
a draw. I had the fight 95-93 for Lopez.
David Rodriguez vs. Arthur
Trass – 4 Rounds Heavyweight
Rd.
1 – Rodriguez comes out jabbing and lands a good counter left
hook. Lefts and rights to the body sends Trass down. Bleeding from
the nose and mouth, Trass is a hurting puppy. Down again from body
punches! Ref calls a halt at 2:56.
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Quick Results
Ubaldo
Hernandez (18-8-2, 9 KO’s)
DRAW 10 Juan Lopez (18-2-1, 13 KO’s
Kermit
“Killer” Cintron (15-0, 14 KO’s)
TKO 4 Patrick Thorns (23-10-1, 15 KO’s
David
Rodriguez (7-0, 7 KO’s) KO 1 Arthur Trass (2-3)
Americo
Santos (1-0, 1 KO) TKO 2 Freddy Gomez (1-2)
Carlos
Ramirez (19-5, 14 KO’s)
SPLIT DEC 8 Manuel Rodriguez (13-3, 10 KO’s)
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