Ramirez Retains Belt, Ruins Return of Marquez
Kirino Garcia Wins Controversial Split Decision over Game Whitley

Ringside report By Ricardo Trujillo with Rocio Resendiz

Before a near-capacity and raucous crowd at the Poliforo Juan Gabriel in Juarez, Mexico, Juan Carlos “Ranchero” Ramirez defended his NABF featherweight title with a unanimous decision win over Hector “Chocolate” Marquez.

Unlike the last time Ramirez fought Marquez—a controversial decision win at the Plaza de Toros in Juarez on June 13—this time was a clear-cut win.

While the first eight rounds were close, Ramirez let loose with a torrid pace in the final four rounds that had Marquez counterpunching and chasing the elusive Ramirez all over the ring. When he did catch him, Ramirez held him effectively to stop any potential damage.

“It was a tough fight, but I won the last half for sure,” a beaming Ramirez said after the fight while the crowd chanted, “RAN-CHER-O! RAN-CHER-O!”

The cards read, 115– 13, 116-113 and 116-112, Fightnews had it 115-113 for Ramirez.

In the first round, Marquez gained the upper hand, double-hooking to body and moving beautifully. Controlling the space and picking his spots, Ramirez had to yank Marquez’s head down to stop him from pulling away early.

By the 3^rd, it was clear that Marquez had come to avenge the loss last June. Undeterred by Ramirez’s fouling tactics and sticking to his game plan, Marquez was clearly outpunching Ramirez.

After the first three rounds, Marquez was 3-0 on my scorecard.

In the 4^th, a flurry in the last 30 seconds by Ramirez was harbinger of things to come—this fight was beginning to change.

During the middle rounds, Marquez was unable to fight Ramirez at a distance because of his shorter arms. He was equally ineffective on the inside; when he got there, Ramirez would hold, which he was never penalized for.

While Marquez was failing to land the patented left that won him the first few rounds and Ramirez was taking “protect yourself at all times” to another level by continuing to push Marquez’s head down every time he got close, Ramirez started to equalize the fight.

In the 7^th and 8^th, Marquez started to slow down and with the tide of the fight beginning to swing his way, Ramirez picked up points circling away from Marquez’s left hand.

The change paid off and Ramirez swept the last four rounds to gain the unanimous decision.

“I’m going to rest and then decide who I will fight, but I will defend my title,” promised Ramirez.

A sluggish Kirino pulls off a split D win

In the nightcap, Kirino Garcia, looking sluggish at a 167 catch weight, was able to sleepwalk to a split decision win over a busier Derrick “Double Impact” Whitley.

Utilizing his superior right jab, Whitley forced Garcia to the ropes and half uppercutted and hooked him repeatedly. Whitley never fazed Garcia as the crowd implored him to let his hands go.

At the end of ten rounds, the cards read 97-94 and 96-94 Kirino, with one courageous judge having it 96-95 Whitley. I saw it 97-94 Whitley, 6-3-1 in rounds.

“I knew coming in I had to KO him to win,” said a disappointed Whitley. “I fought hard, but I was hometowned.”

Earlier in the year, Whitley pulled off an impressive win over Garcia’s rival in Juarez, the WBC lightheavy Mexican champ Arturo Rivera, knocking him out in the 1^st.

Whitley, the bigger man, who has fought his last five fights at light heavy, had to cut seven pounds to make the catch weight.

“I saw this as an opportunity,” said Whitley.

“I forced the fight and he would not have withstood my punches at 160,” said Garcia, the WBC Mexican middleweight champion.

“My fights are for Juarez and I look forward to defending my 160 title soon.”

Whitley—the best .500 “opponent” I’ve ever seen—drops to 21-21-2; Garcia improves to 45-23-2 and will fight next at middleweight.

Jhonny destroys Reyes

Mexican bantamweight Champion Jhonny Gonzalez whacked out a washed-up Jorge Reyes at 2:59 of the 1^st round with a devastating liver shot, to the delight of the crowd.

Reyes didn’t get up for at least 45 seconds and should contemplate retirement.

“I listened to my trainers who told me to go to the body,” said an elated Gonzalez.

This kid is going places, and my bet is he will fight for a world title before it’s all said and done.

Piluyo outclasses Bellavista

In a lightweight bout, former Mexican champ Jose Luis “Piluyo” Juarez boxed beautifully to stop Armando “Bellavista” Bosques at the beginning of the 8^th round.

Bosques never got off his stool and the Ref waved it off.

Outworking the slow-footed Bosques, Juarez had him backpedaling throughout the fight. Juarez did suffer did suffer a nasty vertical gash on the upper part of his nose which the ring physician took a look at in Round Six.

Simply put, Juarez outclassed Bosques—minute by minute, round by round.

Juarez improves to 26-5-1 and Bosques falls to club fighter status.

Nene poleaxes Avandano

In the 4^th bout of the evening, world-class flyweight Gerson “Nene” Guerrero destroyed Oaxaca-born Alejandro Avendano in the 3^rd.

In the first, Guerrero, looking strong at 116, dropped Avendano with a clean right to the jaw, and he fell like a sack of potatoes along the ropes. Somehow able to survive the round, Avandano wobbled to the wrong corner when the bell sounded.

In the 3^rd, stalking Avendano like a panther, Guerrero took him out for good with a left-right. The stoppage came at 1:55.

Guerrero improves to 26-5 (20 KOs) and looks to reinvigorate his career after two losses in his last five. This win, albeit over a nondescript fighter, may help him in that quest.

Undercard

Juarez crowd-pleasers Ernesto Reyna and Jose Juan Mendez mixed it up for an eight rounder.

Mendez started out hard but faded to lose a UD to the undefeated Reyna, who was extended for the first to go the distance.

Staying low and forcing the taller Reyna to punch down, Mendez won the first two rounds with his aggression and clean punching. Mendez cut Reyna’s right eye with a hard punch at the end of Round Two, but once Reyna found his distance in the middle rounds, with effective left hooks, it was the beginning of the end.

“Maromerito” Mendez stood his ground with his right cocked like a gun, but alas he ran out of gas. Huffing and puffing, he took one of the worst beatings I’ve ever seen him take in the many times I’ve seen him fight.

Reyna stays undefeated at 9-0 (8 KOs) while Mendez drops to 9-7-2.

In another all Juarez bout, undefeated Miguel “Micky” Roman defeated Omar “Loko” Soriano in an action packed six-rounder.

Soriano couldn’t pull the trigger but was game in defeat. Sheer bravado kept him in the fight, using a strategy that could be put to words: “I’m gonna hit you in the fist with my face.”

You gotta hand it him, he can take a punch.

Reyna was wide but Soriano could not take advantage although he was able to land a hard right lead in the final round that drove Reyna to the ropes—a case of “too little too late.”

Soriano lost the unanimous decision 60-54, and falls to 8-3-1. Reyna ups his record to 5-0 (4 KOs), going the distance for the first time in his pro career.

In the opening bout of the evening, featherweights Oswaldo Chavirra and Ernesto Rivera locked horns with Rivera ending up the one worse for wear.

Going down four times from body blows, the ref was forced to halt the onslaught and save Rivera at 2:08.

Chavirra goes to 11-3 (9 KOs); Rivera falls to 14-7-1.

All in all, a great night of boxing in Juarez—maybe the best card in the last few years.