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 Sanchez Passes First Test
Zamora, Montoya, Valdez Crush Foes in 1
Holm Punishes Mann; Cauthen & Ogentho Punish Fight Fans With
Dull NABF Title Fight
text and
photos by chris cozzone
On the day
of the weigh-in, Luis Alonzo-Gauna was picked up from the
airport by Blackie Sandoval. On the way to the Santa Ana Star
Casino, Sandoval took a minor sidetrip, going east on I-40.
“See
that?” Blackie pointed out a billboard near the Carlisle exit.
Alonzo-Gauna
looked up at the gigantic-size version of Ray Sanchez III,
peering over an equally gigantic pair of boxing gloves.
“That’s
who you’re fighting . . . .”
If that
didn’t unnerve the poor guy, the deafening reception and the
uncanny adoration the crowd of 2,500 had for the new “Pride of
Albuquerque” should’ve transformed Alonzo-Gauna into a nervous
wreck.
But it
didn’t. Armed with nothing but a pair of iron cohones,
the non-impressive looking, shorter 3-1-1 Mexican with the soft
midsection was able to achieve what six others could not do—and
that was go the distance with the young powerhouse prospect from
the South Valley. Alonzo-Gauna took everything Sanchez III threw
at him—and he answered back.
The first
round was a shocker.
We
expected to see the obvious: Sanchez III moving within range,
loading up on his first or second combination, and flooring his
foe with his devastating straight left hand—somewhere between 30
seconds and 1:30.
That
knockdown came very close to happening—but not to Alonzo-Gauna.
As Sanchez
III moved in for the kill, Alonzo-Gauna saw his opening and
clipped Ray with a short right hand. Sanchez III reeled back,
looking like he was headed to the canvas. Ray’s instincts were
right on: he flailed his arms about as Alonzo-Gauna rushed in,
grabbing hold around the Mexican's midsection, and
he held on for dear life.
Unable to
pry Sanchez loose, Alonzo-Gauna hurled Sanchez III to the canvas
with a wrestling move. What could’ve been a knockdown (had
Alonzo-Gauna allowed the ref to break them up, and if the
Mexican was able to land another bomb) turned into a point
deduction for fouling.
It also
allowed Sanchez a few more precious moments of recovery. It was
survival mode for the rest of the round, Ray’s jab and fast
footwork keeping him out of range of his foe. It was also an
even round: 9-9, due to the lost point.
When the
bell rang, those of us ringside started breathing again. But the
question residing in our minds, after that first round, was
this: Flaw or Fluke? Had Alonzo-Gauna exposed a flaw in the
seemingly invincibility of Sanchez? Or had he just been caught
off-guard—one of those “so-called” lucky punches?
Time will
tell . . . but while that smidgen of doubt crept into our heads,
Little Ray has shown us that he can adapt and take care of
business. He did all the right things as a professional, when hurt: tie up,
stay away, jab and move, recover. Test passed.
The next
five rounds further eased our worries. Sure, Sanchez III got hit
again; and no, he wasn’t able to knock this granite-chinned
Mexican out; but he fought intelligently, he fought cautiously,
and he pressed the action, winning all five rounds and going the
distance for the first time as a pro.
Vigilance
was the name of the game in the 2nd. Sanchez used the
round to clear the cobwebs and jab at Alonzo-Gauna, who spent
the time going backward, unable to fire back effectively in an
exchange with Sanchez III more than once.
Ray upped
his pace in the 3rd, double-jabbing and backing
Alonzo-Gauna up against the ropes where, at one point, he bashed
the Mexican’s nose in, audibly breaking it, with a damaging
right hand.
Alonzo-Gauna’s
nose was a bloody mess, but he kept on fighting through the 4th
and 5th. With loopy rights, he was able to connect a
few times with Sanchez, who would occasionally drop his gloves--but it was Sanchez’s fight now. He was using angles, pounding
away at Alonzo-Gauna and giving him all he could handle.
The best
action came at the end of the 6th and final round,
during a daring exchange when both fighters threw down, and both
fighters got clobbered. The action continued a moment or two
after the bell, but both warriors ended the fight on their feet.
At the end
of six, I had it 59-55 for Sanchez, with the point deducted off
of Alonzo-Gauna in the 1st. Sanchez improves to 7-0,
6 KO’s; Alonzo-Gauna falls to 3-2-1.
 Pope Can’t
Cope with Zamora
The card
opened up at 7:15 with the long-awaited pro debut of
Luna/Socorro amateur star Joaquin Zamora. After four years of
fighting on the Navy’s boxing team, Zamora finished up an
impressive amateur career with a record of 78-8 and a national
rating by USA Boxing of #7.
One-fifty-four-pounders beware! This guy can move.
Just ask
Dwayne Pope.
Pope has
had the misfortune, or mismanagement, of taking on impossible
tasks. He’s been up against powerhouse fighters—Eddie Salas,
Kelson Pinto, and now, Joaquin Zamora—which accounts for his
awful 0-4 record.
He never
had a chance against Zamora, who swarmed him early on and hit
him with blinding combinations. Pope was on his way to oblivion
when the ref stepped in and started counting. The fight resumed
and after the next combo, Pope was cooked. At :50, the knockout
win went to Zamora.
 Montoya
Mashes Gurule
After
weeks of training in Las Vegas, NV with Johnny Tapia, Lee
Montoya returned to the ring after a two-year layoff with an
impressive win over Pueblo’s Phil Gurule. Sportin’ Tapia-like
tattoos, with MI VIDA LOCA inked across his chest, Montoya had
the crowd behind him when he climbed through the ropes.
A minute,
25 is all it took. Montoya quickly went to work, bombing Gurule
with left hooks to the body and a straight right hand thrown at
just the right distance. Gurule covered up, tried to counter,
but couldn’t. The shorter, softer opponent got blasted with body
shots that put him down. When he took his time getting up, the
ref called it over, giving the knockout win to Montoya.
Ray
Sanchez III isn’t the only bad-ass at 140 . . . looks
like Albuquerque’s got another big prospect now that Montoya has
returned to the ring. In fact, a Romero/Tapia-like rivalry is in
the making here between Montoya and Sanchez III.
 Holm
Punishes Mann
Bonnie
Mann knew just what to do to beat Holly Holm. She knew she had
to keep away from Holly’s straight left hand; she knew she had
to crowd Holly; keep her from fighting within range. Mann also
knew she had the weight advantage; and that Holm was fighting
nine pounds overweight.
She knew
what to do—but she just didn’t do any of it. After
Holly landed her first straight left hand, the fight drained out
of Mann.
Like a
crazed Valkyrie, Holly Holm blasted away at a retreating Mann
for four rounds, slamming her with left hand after left hand,
uppercuts and hooks. She worked angles; she threw combinations;
she used range. She fought better than she has ever fought
. . . which,
I guess, is easy to do when your opponent is playing the role of
a heavy bag.
 Mann did
everything she shouldn’t have done: not fire back, keep her
gloves low, pull straight back, and let Holm dictate the pace.
As a result, she was tarred and feathered. Down she went—twice
in the 2nd and twice in the 3rd. The fight
was on the verge of being stopped during the last couple
rounds—but somehow, Mann managed to survive and go the distance.
Scorecards
told the story: 40-32 twice and 40-30.
Holm rises
to 4-0 (2 KO’s) and Mann falls to 0-2.
NABF
SuperSleeper
Except for
a large portion from Espanola who were here to see Tony Valdez
fight the last bout, the crowd disappeared during the card’s
main event fight—an NABF superlightweight interim title match
between Terrance “Heat” Cauthen and Franco “Black Scorpion”
Ogentho.
 Here’s a
typical round: Ogentho trudging forward, Cauthen keeping out of
range, then popping Ogentho with singles and doubles; Ogentho
getting popped, trying to close the distance, and Cauthen tying
up . . . multiply that times 12.
The
warning signs were there. This fight was a rematch in which
Cauthen won a dull, lop-sided decision over Ogentho in a
ten-rounder. This fight was worse—by two rounds.
“I fought
smart! I fought smart!” Cauthen yelled after being awarded the
NABF belt. “I outboxed him and I fought smart!”
No doubt
there. Cauthen did what he had to do. He fought smart.
But I
doubt anyone in New Mexico will want to see him fight again.
The new
NABF interim superlightweight champ is now 22-1 (7 KO’s).
Ogentho drops to 15-3 (9 KO’s).
 Valdez
Devastates Valenzuela
Espanola
warrior Tony Valdez closed the show with a dramatic knockout
over pro debuter (and late sub) Alex Valenzuela from Juarez.
The first
left-right had the very green Valenzuela canvas-bound. Someone
should’ve given this poor kid a boxing lesson or two before
sending him into the ring.
The
flyweight prospect from Espanola remains undefeated at 3-0, with
3 KO’s.
# # #
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Notes from the Rock .
. . .
By Rocky
Stapleton
Cauthen vs.
Ogentho
Styles make fights, and this wasn’t much of a fight. Their
styles didn’t match up. Would've been more exciting if the
kid from Uganda (Ogentho) had forced it instead of drifting
into the action. Ineffective aggression.
Sanchez vs.
Alonzo-Guana
Ray, be careful! Don’t ever get sloppy. Great hype, great
presentation, and great ring presence (after the
near-knockdown.) When Alonzo-Guana rocked Ray, with that
clubbing right hand, Ray’s hand was down. It was a little
mistake but the kid jumped on it . . . it was also a mistake
Ray repeated, 2-3 times during the fight, although he did
not allow the kid to get close to him again.
Ray was using
a double jab to set up the straight left, but seemed to be
hesitating on that straight left. He was also stepping to
the side and working angles beautifully. When he exploded
the Mexican kid's nose at end of the 3rd round, I was
surprised the kid did not go down. I could heard bone crack
at ringside.
Does Ray got
it? Yeah, he’s got it, but he needs to tighten it up some.
Needs a different level sparring partner in the gym.
Holm vs.
Mann
Holly worked a
beautiful jab and left hand --keep doing the good work. She
was a little too square and did not work angles enough, but
she put Mann on the ropes, backed her up well and mixed up
her shots. A wicked straight left hand.
Mann is a
typical female fighter (no basics); Holly fights like a guy,
at the level she's at. Another point on the weight issue:
Holly, we love you, go to 135 and stay there.
Zamora vs.
Pope
Didn’t see enough. Loved his 1-2, his straight right and
jab, plus the way he rolled his shoulder to throw the
straight right after the hook. Keep it up and keep going.
In the future
would like to see: Zamora vs. Valdez? Zamora vs. Torres?
Zamora vs. Wade?
Montoya vs.
Gurule
Gurule folded in 1st. Montoya stepped to side and left
hooked him. Great distance. Montoya controlled the gaps,
changed the angle as well. Great leverage. And the way
Montoya drops right shoulder and rolls it forward, then
snaps his whole upper body into a left hook to the body,
it's like Roy Jones, Jr.
Gurule was too
soft, too slow, too short.
Valdez vs.
Valenzuela
Valenzuela looked like a pre-teen. First solid jab and
straight right hand and down he went. Valdez has the skills,
but need to see more. |
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