|
 Darkness
Descends!
Carbajal Closes Romero’s Eye & Wins by TKO
text and
photos by chris cozzone
It wasn’t
quite a given, but it was the assumption: Danny Romero was
supposed to take care of Cruz Carbajal and leave the ring last
night a three-time world champion. His path was paved: a
mandatory against Pete Frissina within 90 days, and a
unification showdown against WBA champ Johnny Bredahl early next
year. Hungry again, powerful at 118, and looking sharp as ever,
Romero had his eye on cleaning up the bantamweight division.
Cruz
Carbajal has now destroyed those plans.
Last
night, before an unexpectedly slim crowd of 1,500 at Isleta
Casino and televised on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, the WBO
Bantamweight champ Cruz Carbajal scored a TKO win over former
2-time champ Danny Romero when, after the 4th Round,
Romero could not continue due to a right eye that had swollen
shut.
The fight
went Romero’s way in the 1st. Romero controlled the
action, pressing the champ and pounding away with left hooks and
right hands. Romero showed more power but Carbajal showed the
crowd that he’d come to fight.
In the 2nd,
Romero’s face already showed signs of damage. His nose was
bleeding (Carbajal later said that he’d thought he’d broken
Romero’s nose with his first power shot) and his face was
puffing up. The two went toe-to-toe and although Romero hit
harder, Carbajal was taking the shots and answering back.
By the end
of the round, Romero’s eye was beginning to swell. His nose
appeared to be giving him trouble; during and after the round,
Romero was seen blowing out of his nose. In between the rounds,
the corner worked on Romero’s nose.
Soon into
the 3rd, Romero’s eye started to close. Unable to
see, Romero was controlled by Carbajal who went on the
offensive, pounding Romero with shots and easily winning the
round.
It was
only a matter of time before the fight was stopped. Romero had
to score a knockout—and quick.
Carbajal
went in for the kill, attacking Romero who could not see
anything coming from the champion’s left side. Refusing to lose,
Romero fought back, but the fight was starting to look like
slaughter.
Midway
through the round, ref Russ Mora had the doc check out Romero’s
eye, now completely closed.
 “Can you
see?”
“I see
enough. Let me fight,” Romero begged the doctor who let the
action continue.
Romero
survived the round but in between rounds, with the doctor on his
way over, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad waved the fight over. Romero
wanted to continue but there was no choice.
Romero
said it was a jab in the 2nd Round that started the
swelling. Blowing out of his nose might’ve been the reason for
the quick closure. Before the stoppage, Carbajal was ahead on
two scorecards, 39-37; the other judge had it 38-even.
With his
stock raised, the 22-11-1 (18 KO’s) champion from Juarez retains
his WBO belt. And Romero, ater a strong six-month comeback,
suffers his 5th loss, with any immediate chance of a
title fight shattered.
Carbajal
will now face #1 Contender Pete Frissina in the next 90 days.
Frissina, who said he expected to be facing Carbajal and not
Romero, says that he will give Romero a chance at the title
again should he upset Carbajal.
All in
all, it was a crappy night for boxing in New Mexico. The crowd
at Isleta was but half-full; the lights were horrible, hanging
too low and getting in the fighters’ eyes; and three out of the
four New Mexicans on the card lost. (In fact, three out of three
Juarez fighters were victorious.)
 The
six-bout card started with Albuquerque’s Nazareth Rojas taking
on rugged Juarez veteran Juan Aranday in a six-rounder.
Rojas took
the 1st, fighting Aranday on the outside and landing
the better shots. In the 2nd, Aranday started to
close the distance and eked out the round with inside uppercuts
and left hooks.
Rojas
looked his best in the 3rd round, which he dominated
Aranday in. Several shots had knockout-potential but Aranday
merely shook ‘em off and continued to press forward. Naz,
fighting like Prince Hamed, started to showboat at the end of
the round.
All that
clowning around must’ve taken their toll on Rojas, because he
came out for the 4th slower than he’d been.
Aggressive as ever, Aranday took the round, as he did the 5th.
While Rojas came out strong for the 5th, his energy
faded after the first minute. Aranday continued to come at him.
Rojas gave
it his all in the 6th, making it a close round that
could’ve gone either way.
Judges
were mixed: One had it somehow for Rojas: 59-55; while the other
two had it for Aranday, 59-56 and 58-56. I had it 58-56 for
Aranday.
The
veteran fighter scores his second win this year, rising to
9-32-2 (3 KO’s) while Rojas is 1-1 in ’02, falling to 4-5-1 (2
KO’s).
 Conan the
Destroyer
Racking up
his second win over a New Mexican this year, Miguel “Conan”
Torrecillas managed to do what 11 fighters have not been able to
do—knock out the brutal Tommy Aragon.
What
could’ve been the best fight of the night, between two powerful
sluggers, turned out to be a quick one.
Aragon
stayed away from Torresillas, letting the El Paso/Juarez fighter
come to him, then throwing his famous, loopy, overhand punches.
Most of ‘em missed while “Conan” was able to land cleaner shots.
In the 2nd,
threw a long right hand that started in Juarez and landed in
Albuquerque—right on Tommy’s chin. Aragon went down hard and
after attempting to get up, fell again, prompting the ref to
call it quits at 2:30.
Torrecillas is a monster to be reckoned with. Mid-summer, he
scored an upset win over previously-unbeaten Shawn Gallegos.
Now, with a stunning knockout of Tommy Aragon, he’s the man to
beat in the 130-135 pound division in the Southwest.
Mena
Retires Perez
 The
co-main between 1996 Puerto Rican Olympian Luis Perez and the
hard-hitting Fernando Mena was next, in a 10-round welterweight
bout.
Round One
was a bore, with both fighters playing cautious. A 10-10 round
if there ever was one.
Perez went
to work in the 2nd taking control of the fight and
outboxing Mena for the next three rounds. With his superior jab
and footwork, Perez let Mena pursue him, then popped him with
short combinations. Mena tried to sucker Perez into a brawl and
it wasn’t until the 5th that he started to succeed.
Perez,
slowing down, let Mena come in and the two traded blows. Mena
landed the better shots and over the next couple rounds, started
to dominate Perez. The second half of the 7th saw
Mena plaster shots against Perez, who was trapped on the ropes.
Perez
returned to his corner after the 7th but did not come
back out for the 8th, giving the TKO win to Mena.
Backstage, Perez complained of headaches and was taken to a
nearby hospital for check-ups.
Post
Romero-Carbajal
 After the
Romero loss, the casino emptied out until it started to look
like a Sky City Casino crowd.
David
Martinez came out for a six-rounder against Floyd Patterson
lookalike Orlando Gonzalez
While
Gonzalez might’ve looked like Patterson, he sure did not fight
like him. Hell, I don’t think Gonzalez fought at all during the
2:40 the fight lasted.
Martinez
came out and bombed away at Gonzalez who covered up and drifted
from one side of the ring to the other. Martinez banged away
until referee Rocky Burke called it quits. In his 5th
fight in four months, Martinez rises to 5-0 with 2 KO’s.
As he’s
used to doing, Gonzalez drops; he is now 4-15-2 (1 KO).
 The final
fight of the night was a six-rounder between Marco Antonio
Barrera’s first cousin Alejandro, and Denver’s Heriberto
Velasquez.
Got to
admit, I thought Velasquez would be disposed of in a round or
two (unlike Boxing Commissioner Josef Mason who bet me a Dr.
Pepper that he was durable enough to go the distance.) He might
not have won a single round, but he chased Barrera around the
ring and landed some great shots against the undefeated fighter
from Mexico City.
Fighting
on the outside, Barrera showed skill and versatility, hitting
Velasquez with hooks and straight hands while moving away from
the ever-pressuring fighter. In the 2nd, Barrera
downed Velasquz with a left hook but could not repeat the act
and had to settle for a shutout win: 60-53 on all three
scorecards.
Dark Times
Ahead?
Hopefully,
Romero’s loss will not signal the start of a dark era for New
Mexico Boxing.
There is
no action in October but in November, Johnny Tapia kicks off the
month with his November 2nd showdown against Marco
Antonio Barrera. If Tapia can upset the Featherweight King, it
should secure his place in the Hall of Fame. He is presently a
4-to-1 underdog.
For local
action: Fresquez Productions, Inc. and Isleta Casino plans a
mid-November card with Joseph Brady and Frankie Archuleta; while
Santa Ana Star Casino has been talking about a November card,
too. Ray Sanchez III is also scheduled to fight in Vegas on the
Ayala/Morales card.
The
Blow-by-Blow
by Ricardo Trujillo
Bout # 1 –
Aranday vs. Rojas
Rd. 1 –
Rojas jabs trying to find the range. First punches by Aranday
connect, a left hook and straight right. The crafty but
perennial opponent Aranday keeps Rojas at bay with lefts and
rights and wins the round on my card.
Rd. 2 –
Better round for Rojas, looping punches by Aranday are still
connecting though. Rojas is pressing the action, catching
Aranday with good rights. Round to Rojas.
Rd 3 –
Best punch of the fight for Rojas, a short hard left hook to the
head has Aranday back peddling, but Aranday motions Rojas to the
center of the ring. Rojas does not oblige, and decides to clown
instead. Round to Rojas.
Rd. 4 –
Standing closer to Rojas is more to Aranday’s liking. Rojas is
content to be flatfooted but losses the round to the more
aggressive Aranday.
Rd. 5 –
Rojas finds his second wind and is circling to his right.
Aranday is slowing down but ever the aggressor. An even round on
my card.
Rd. 6 –
Rojas is getting beat to the punch. Aranday switches momentarily
and confuses Rojas. Aranday is a tough customer who won’t go
away. A very even fight with the Juarez veteran pulling away.
Aranday by decision on my card 58-57.
Bout # 2 –
Torresillas vs. Aragon
Rd. 1 –
The southpaw Aragon comes out cautiously. A looping right by
Torresillas backs up Aragon. Both combatants are looking for
their openings but Torresillas is landing the harder cleaner
shots. Round to Torresillas.
Rd. 2 –
“Conan” is closing the distance and lands a hard right to the
ear, it moves Aragon back momentarily. The ring generalship of
Torresillas is winning the round. Little flicking jabs by Aragon
are not cutting it. He runs into a huge lead right cross by
Torresillas and down he goes in a heap, he attempts to rise but
falls again and ref Burke calls a halt to the action at 2:30.
Bout # 3 –
Mena vs. Perez
Rd. 1 –
Mena cautiously moves to his left, no serious action in the
first half of the round. This takes feeling out to another
level, the crowd boos their displeasure. An even round.
Rd. 2 –
Mena is closing the distance and lands a left hook but Perez has
the quicker jab that wins him the round on my card.
Rd. 3 –
The Puerto Rican Olympian is out boxing Mena and is not giving
him openings. Perez is content to keep Mena on the end of his
jab. Round to Perez.
Rd. 4 –
The fight is heating up now. Mena is closer and sitting down on
his punches. A low blow by Mena sends Perez to the canvas and
draws a warning from ref Burke. Perez seems unfazed and
continues to out box his Mexican opponent. Mena is cut over his
left eye, the Dr. is called in and lets the fight continue.
Another round to Perez.
Rd. 5 –
Mena is trying hard and landing more this round. Perez has good
footwork and better ring generalship but they are not serving
him. Mena is now landing the harder cleaner shots despite his
bleeding eye. Round to Mena.
Rd. 6 –
Mena comes out more determined double hooking to the body.
Mena’s corner has stemmed the flow of blood. Mena steps up his
energy level and is getting off first. Round to Mena.
Rd. 7 –
Perez is backing up now. Mena is more aggressive and controlling
the action and pins Perez against the ropes in the neutral
corner above press row. Only the ropes are keeping Perez up as
Mena pummels him into submission. Perez’s corner stops the fight
at the end of the round and won’t permit him to come out for the
8th round. I had it 67-67 at the time of the
stoppage.
Bout # 4 –
Carbajal vs. Romero
Rd. 1 –
Romero comes out tight as a spring, hands high shooting his jab.
Carbajal takes a left hook to the body and right cross to the
face in his corner. A very hard right to the body by Romero has
Carbajal wincing, but Carbajal came to fight. Very good
exchanges by both fighters in a round won by Romero.
Rd. 2 –
Carbajal dips into the pocket and does not use his height to his
advantage. Romero pounds to the body effectively. Romero is
hitting hard but Carbajal takes them well. An exciting fight in
the center of the ring. A swelling appears over Romero’s right
eye. He blows his nose. A left hook by Romero lands low as the
bell sounds. Another round to Romero.
Rd. 3 –
Carbajal comes out with more fire this round, but Danny is
taking them well. Carbajal’s sheer volume of punches is winning
the round. Romero’s right eye is nearly swollen shut. Round to
Carbajal.
Rd. 4 –
Romero is busted up bad. Bleeding from the nose and his right
eye is now completely shut. He cannot see the left hooks by
Carbajal. Carbajal is now stalking Romero. Ref Mora asks the Dr.
to take a look at the eye, the fight continues. Romero is now
running and being outpunched by Carbajal. Another round to
Carbajal. Round ends and the Dr. visits the corner. Eddie
Mustafa asks his fighter if he can see, Danny says yes, but
Mustafa stops the fight between rounds. Carbajal retains title.
Bout # 5
Martinez vs. Gonzalez
Rd. 1 –
Martinez comes out on fire. Gonzalez is a punching bag. Martinez
lands a crunching left hook in the center of the ring that
staggers Gonzalez to the ropes, where ref Burke waves it off at
2:40.
Bout # 6 –
Barrera vs. Velasquez
Rd. 1 –
Barrera is jabbing and moving to his left content to box and
show his pedigree (cousin to Marco Antonio Barrera).
Rd. 2 –
Velasquez goes down from a left hook. He is visibly outclassed
by Barrera, but he is hanging in there.
Rd. 3 –
Barrera is reaching with his punches but Velasquez can’t take
advantage. Velasquez is game but unable to mount any attack at
all. He is bleeding from his nose.
Rd. 4 –
Barrera continues to dominate his outgunned opponent. Velasquez
simply cannot get close enough to do any damage.
Rd. 5 – A
good right by Barrera has Velasquez falling back, but Velasquez
lands his best punch of the fight, a short left on the inside.
Barrera is on the defensive now as Velasquez wildly chases
Barrera around the ring, but Barrera’s jab wins yet another
round.
Rd. 6 –
Velasquez comes out determined but Barrera is circling to his
left waiting out the round. Barrera is sucking air and knows he
will not KO Velasquez. UD Barrera times three 60-53.
# # #
Quick Results
MAIN EVENT WBO
BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
Cruz Carbajal
(22-11-1, 18 KO’s)TKO 4
Danny Romero (43-5-1, 37 KO’s)
Juan Aranday (8-32-4, 2 KO’s)
SPLIT DECISION 6
Nazareth Rojas (4-5-1, 2 Ko’s)
Miguel “Conan”
Torresillas (11-3, 5 KO’s)
KO 2
Tommy Aragon (7-4-1, 4 KO’s)
Alejandro Barrera UD 6
Heriberto Velasquez (4-11-2, 2 KO’s)
Fernando Mena (16-3-2, 14 KO’s)
TKO 7
Luis Perez (18-4-1, 14 Ko’s)
David
Martinez
(5-0, 2 KO's)
KO 1
Orlando Gonzalez
(4-15-2, 1 KO) |
