New champ in Chuco
Becerra wins NABA Superflyweight belt

Ringside report by Chris Cozzone and Ricardo Trujillo
photos by cozzone

It was a night of brawls, falls and bad calls—but it gave the full house crowd at the Speaking Rock Casino in El Paso their money’s worth.

While the Fresquez-promoted card was plagued with opponents falling out and a hometowner  coming in heavy, losing his Texas state belt on the scales, the end result was a night of satisfying action—even if at least one decision was criminal.

In the main event, Alex “El Diablo” Becerra bounced back from his loss to WBC World Youth champ David Martinez last summer to return with enough fire and brimstone to garner the vacant NABA Super Flyweight belt with a hard fought majority decision over  WBC Continental Americas Light Flyweight champion Valentin “Picoco” Leon.

Physically, Leon was a midget next to Becerra, taking the fight on a week’s notice after Benjie Garcia pulled out with an ankle injury. He’d also weighed in at 111 to Becerra’s 115. The short notice and weight disadvantage was made worse by Leon’s battered appearance and black eye—the results of a hard fought fight in Mexico two weeks before. Leon entered the ring looking like he’d already finished going ten rounds—but he sure didn’t fight like he was at a disadvantage.

Showing no fear, Leon went right at Becerra from the opening bell. While Becerra took his time, bobbing and weaving his way inside, keeping his hands up, Leon came at him, easily finding holes in Becerra’s defense to land clean hits.

With a growing confidence, he continued his aggression, bouncing clean shots off Becerra’s head. But ‘Diablo’ had warmed up halfway through the 2nd, and was equally aggressive, throwing harder punches, not necessarily as crisp as Leon’s but with a lot more weight and power behind them. Leon answered back with a disdainful smile when hit.

The fight heated up in the third round, with Leon and Becerra keeping the fight in the pocket. With his cleaner punches, landing with more regularity, Leon edged out Becerra.

Becerra evened the score in the 4th, driving the diminutive Leon back to the ropes with a series of left hooks and straight rights. Becerra’s bigger size began to look like it’d be the determining factor now.

Leon’s best attack opened up the 5th: a solid lead uppercut followed by a flush straight right over the top. Becerra took it well, though, and continued to move forward on the attack, though outboxed by the smaller man.

Becerra came out more determined in the sixth, evening the score yet again, with increased aggression. A solid one-two landed clean—Becerra’s best, thus far—driving Leon back. While showing quicker on the trigger, Leon lost out to Becerra’s heavier hands.

The two stood in the center of the ring in Round Seven, with Becerra winning on power though Leon taking his best shots and firing back with a shake of the head or a grin.

Becerra got what he was looking for in the 8th: a quick left hook lead hammered Leon to one knee. Leon made the count and fell into survival mode until later in the round when he opened fire again, bouncing a right lead off Becerra’s head.

Becerra started to tire in the 9th, though his left hooks continued to drive Leon to the ropes. More damage, though by fewer punches, might’ve given Becerra the round; while the pesky Leon refused to give up his own attacks, getting off first but not as high-powered.

In the final round, Leon let loose with a solid left hook to Becerra’s chin. With ‘Diablo’ falling into defensive mode, Leon landed repeatedly with clean punches—had Leon been a true superflyweight, Becerra might’ve been in trouble.

But due to his small stature, the knockdown in the 8th, and despite his cleaner attacks, Leon lost on points to Becerra.

After ten, Fightnews/NewMexicoBoxing had it 96-93 for Becerra.

The judges were all over the place: 95-95 even, 97-92 Becerra, and a hard-to-believe 100-89 Becerra, giving ‘Diablo’ the win, and belt, by majority decision.

“I rate my performance an eight out of ten,” Becerra said after the fight. “It was a tough fight, and he caught me with a lot of right hands—I was surprised he hit me so much. He hits hard but I stood in there.

“Skillwise, he was one of my toughest opponents. But the key for me came when I knocked him down in the 8th round. I knew I had him right there.”

With his first title, Becerra moves to 16-3, 7 KOs.

“I’m guaranteed the top ten spot in the WBA now. It only gets harder from here, but you have to fight for title belts.”

Leon drops to 14-8, 6 KOs.

“It was too much weight to give up,” he said backstage. “He outweighed me by 10 or 12 pounds.”

Leon admitted that he was hurt in the knockdown in Round Nine, but, overall, felt he’d won the fight:

“I still won the fight because I had more connects. I know I outboxed him. It was a bad decision.”

Leon’s manager, Augie Tapia, said he’d been forced to take the fight despite the weight disadvantage.

“Nobody wants to fight him at his weight of 105,” he said. “We took this because we can’t fights at lower weights. We fought with one week’s notice and still kicked the shit out of him. It was a hometown decision.”

Christmas comes early for Valdez

While it was the worst decision seen in some time (actually, since the night before in Juarez, when Derrick Whitley had been hometowned with a majority draw after soundly beating Kirino Garcia), the drama and brawling between “Fabulous” Bobby Joe Valdez and Durango, Mexico’s Juan Salazar was high entertainment—or low, if you’d been reffing.

Originally, Valdez had been set to defend his Texas trinket, but after weighing in four pounds over the limit of his 154 pound state belt, he’d been forced to give it up.

Coming in pudgy and fighting at his heaviest weight ever, of 160, Valdez was lucky to survive the night without being knocked out—he was divinely fortunate to go one step farther and actually win the fight.

His opponent, Salazar, was the bigger man—and, obviously, the stronger of the two. Plus, he was in shape. What he did not have going for him was his hometown.

Salazar came out like a hurricane in the first, immediately crowding Valdez against the ropes where he unleashed a solid right hand that not only rocked Valdez, but turned him into a human blanket. Trying to survive, Salazar wrestled and pushed and shoved away, letting another flurry go at Valdez, hitting him with tremendous body shots.

The shenanigans began . . . .

Valdez doubled over, claiming a low blow, and, for his efforts, Salazar was sternly warned by the ref not to hit low.

When the fight resumed, Salazar swarmed, and let loose with more body shots while Valdez, with a vacant stare, survived, held on, and, most likely, prayed for the closing bell.

Round 10-9 Salazar, maybe even 10-8.

Salazar resumed his attack in the 2nd, banging away at Valdez to the body and landing left hooks that had Valdez wincing and holding, but also fighting back with his close quarter brawling, not to mention a fair bit of hitting and holding.

The bigger, stronger Salazar went to Valdez’s body again, drawing another warning by the ref. When the fight went on, another hammering blow to the belly put Valdez to his knees. This time, the ref took a point off Salazar, turning what should’ve been a 10-8 round for him into a 9-9.

After resting nearly five minutes, a brawl broke out in the crowds, giving Valdez even more time to regain his senses.

In the third round, Salazar immediately resumed his body attack, but after a stray shot went south of the border (for real this time—what would be one of two low blows in a total of eight such called fouls), the ref took yet another point off the doomed-to-lose Mexican. Valdez took the fight to Salazar when the action continued, forcing Salazar on the defense with his hitting-and-holding, trademark brawling style.

The two went toe-to-toe in the 4th, with Valdez winning this time despite legs that appeared to be stiff and cramping. Once again, Salazar was warned when going to the body.

Incredulously, Salazar lost yet another point in the 5th for what appeared to be flush body shots. With his right leg stiffened to the point of immobility, Valdez limped, held and sloppily brawled with Salazar, who, despite all the warnings, continued to hammer away at Valdez’s marred and marked torso.

In the sixth, it happened again, although this might’ve been low enough to warrant being called a foul (guess two out of eight ain’t bad). Valdez collapsed with a mighty grunt to the canvas, then put on a show as he pounded the canvas with one glove while holding his ‘nads with the other.

The ref ended the fight and, to everyone’s disbelief, disqualified Salazar, making Valdez winner at :22.

If it hadn’t been for the points off, Salazar clearly would’ve won a decision.

If the body blows would’ve been recognized for what they were, even half of them, Salazar would’ve won by knockout.

“We want a rematch,” Salazar’s manager/trainer, Jorge Baron, said afterward. “This guy was looking for a way out. Every time my guy hit him to the body, he doubled up. He couldn’t take it to the body and the ref favored him.”

Salazar was confused about what had happened.

“I don’t know what happened. I only hit him once low that I remember.”

Salazar evens out at 3-3 (2 KOs) while Valdez, in an Oscar-worthy performance, rises to 9-2-1 (4 KOs.)

“I can take body shots,” Valdez said. “But these punches were all low.

“I was hit low six or seven times. The first time he hit me low, it punched one of my nuts—maybe I didn’t have my cup on right. It was squeezing me real hard and I couldn’t walk with one of my legs.”

Valdez said he would fight Salazar again, but needs more time to train better and get in better shape.

“No more games for me.”

UNDERCARD:
‘Conan’ continues return

In the last undercard bout, Miguel “Conan” Torrecillas (15-4, 6 KOs) battered away at solid-chinned Francisco Maldonado (6-18) of El Cajon, California over the course of six rounds to earn a no-brainer near-shutout decision.

Maldonado actually pressed the action in the first, but his flimsy jabs and power shots were no match for Torrecillas’ walloping left hooks and straight rights. One left buckled Maldonado’s legs, another right sent him back into the ropes.

After one round, it looked like it was just a matter of time before ‘Conan’ scored his inevitable knockout—but it was not so.

Showing an iron chin, Maldonado continued to eat, and stomach, Torrecillas’ leather. Lefts and rights in the second left him shaky, but Maldonado kept in the game.

In the third frame, Maldonado tied up and tried to weather Conan’s storm. Big lefts and rights from Torrecillas continued to rain down on Maldonado in the fourth, leaving Maldonado to wobble back to his corner at the round’s end.

But Maldonado took the fight to Torrecillas, possibly winning the round with his busyness, but most likely not due to Conan’s leg-buckling bombs.

In the final round, the two duked it out and Maldonado took a beating for a knockout-hungry Torrecillas. Still, he hung in there and brawled back to the bitter end.

All three judges had it for Torrecillas after six: 60-54 twice and 59-55.

“I’m satisfied, even though the KO didn’t come,” Torrecillas said. “He took everything I gave him. He has a hard head.”

Gomez and Primero battle to a draw

In a battle of Juarez rivals, Evaristo Primero (14-7-1, 7 KOs) and Roberto “Famosito” Gomez (14-15-1, 11 KOs) gave the audience what they wanted in a six-round slugfest resulting in a majority draw.

Neither fighter wasted much time and went right to work. Gomez set a torrid pace, pressuring Primero into a slugfest. Primero, however, had a different game plan and after weathering Gomez’s storm, kept to the outside in order to time his uppercuts and jabs.

Gomez kept on Primero in the second round, trapping his man against the ropes and throwing hooks and short rights. Primero spent his time covering up, then coming back with uppercuts, making it a close round.

Primero took over in the 3rd and 4th, coming out just as aggressive as Gomez. Keeping the fight in the center of the ring, Primero let loose with uppercuts and, beating Gomez at his own game, outpunched the puncher.

Primero retained control in the fourth, but Gomez kept the fight in the center of the ring where the two traded shots. The brawl continued after the bell rang.

Primero’s refined skills made the difference in the fourth round. Rendering Gomez’s brawling ineffective, Primero outhustled his man, hitting Gomez with solid uppercuts and rights.

Gomez mauled Primero in the fifth round, pounding away at him against the ropes and having his way. Fending off most of Primero’s uppercuts, Gomez’s short hooks inside gave him the round.

Primero was back to outhustling in the closing round, hitting and moving a slowed-down Gomez. In the final minute, Gomez woke up and pressured Primero but it wasn’t enough to steal the round.

After six, judges had it 59-55 for Gomez; 58-56 for Primero; and 57-57, making it a majority draw.

The writers were also split: Cozzone had it 57-57 while Trujillo saw it for Primero, 58-56.

Madrid decisions Pedroza

Carlos Madrid (2-0) started the action, winning a four-round unanimous win over Juarez’s Edgar Pedroza (2-12).

Double left-hooking and straight jabs earned Madrid the first round. Pedroza woke up a little in the 2nd, but not enough to sweat Madrid. But in the 3rd, Pedroza forced Madrid to the ropes, winning his first round. Pedroza tried to repeat his success in the final round but Madrid’s left hooks gave him back the fight.

Scorecards read 40-36 twice and 39-37.

Etc.

• Johnny and Teresa Tapia were special guests at the show. The former five-time world champ revealed his plans to fight in January, hopefully, in Texas if negotiations were successful. The Tapias now reside in Las Cruces.
• El Paso’s Antonio Escalante (5-1, 4 KOs) fight was nixed after Ricardo Medina (28-30, 17 KOs) of Mazatlan, Mexico pulled out. A suitable short-notice replacement could not be secured in time

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