Knockouts and drop-outs
Local fighters Sanchez III, Heyman and Garcia save the show with high action but no Tapia triggers low turn-out

Ringside report by Chris Cozzone & Abraham Gallegos
Photos by Chris Cozzone

The only thing missing was the crowd.

Well, and Johnny Tapia, thus, the reason for the less-than-800 fight fans who showed up last night to see the Top Rank card at Tingley Coliseum headlining a Telefutura-televised ‘Battle of Opponents’ and the return of Ray Sanchez III.

Despite the poor turnout, due to Tapia pulling out with a back injury four days prior (which wasn’t helped by the disappearance of Frankie Archuleta, who was supposed to fight the co-main), and, possibly, rumors that the show wasn’t going to happen, the card was all action—saved by the three local featured favorites.

In what would have to be called the main event of the evening, despite the TV’s headliner, and also the walkout bout of the show, Albuquerque’s Ray Sanchez III made his third or fourth comeback following an injury lay-off, in stunning fashion, fighting in front of his smallest gathering ever.

The opponent was game 28-bout veteran Art Medina (now 12-17, 5 KOs) of Denver, who tried to make up for firepower and chin with heart—but in three-plus rounds, it was over.

Sanchez came out firing the jab in the first, landing a right to the body, then clashing heads with Medina. Immediately, a bloody gash opened up on Medina’s forehead and he was visibly shaken. Sanchez played with his jab, as if giving Medina time to recuperate, then went in with a right hook that put the Denverite down for the first time. Medina made the count and weathered the last minute of the round while Sanchez continued to dominate.

In the second, it was a straight left in the first minute that put Medina on the canvas. Again, Medina got up in time and tried to take the fight back to Sanchez but no going: lefts to the body, another up top, Sanchez was continued to dominate.

Medina had a better third round, and was able to score a right or two on Sanchez, who took it well. Sanchez was unrelenting, scoring punishing right hooks and straight lefts, but was unable to put Medina down again.

In the fourth, a straight left rocked Medina, nearly putting him down. Sanchez was all over him, pinning him in the neutral corner and bombing away with a furious assault, until Referee Tony Rosales had seen enough.

At :43, Sanchez III had the TKO win, shaken off the ring rust and ended his year’s forced vacation.

“I was anxious at first, but I calmed down after a while,” Sanchez said in the ring afterward.

“I felt pretty good for being off a year—strong and crisp. The crowd was a let-down but I can understand it was an emotional thing, with Tapia not getting to fight.

“Next time, no mistake: there’ll be a big crowd. I’m back to stay.”

Ray Sanchez, Jr., Sanchez III’s trainer/father, was satisfied with the fight.

“He was rushing it at first, but he calmed down after a while, and let things happen. The opponent was tougher than we wanted for a comeback fight, but, in the end, it turned out right.”

Sanchez, now 14-1, 11 KOs, expects to be back as early as January or February, depending on the next Top Rank card.

Top Rank matchmaker, Bruce Trampler, said after the show that, despite the awful turnout, they are planning a host of cards for New Mexico in 2006.

“We’re going over our schedule for next year right now,” he said. “Right now, it’s looking like we might schedule ten shows—maybe a dozen—in 2006.”

'Picosito' picks up the pieces and takes care of Cantera

The semi-main left vacant by Archuleta was replaced with an eight-rounder between Oxnard hopeful Victor Ortiz and Sean Plessis. But just as soon as the fight was made, it fell out, for Ortiz passed out while trying to trim off a few excess pounds the night before the weigh-in.

Instead, Telefutura and Top Rank replaced the televised eight-round co-main with two sixers that not only made the show but gave two Albuquerque fighters a chance to be seen nationally. Neither fight was a tune-up or ‘gimme’ fight.

In the first one, Vicente “Picosito” Garcia was up against tough Orlando Cantera, of Rosita, Mexico.

Hometown or no hometown, Cantera took the fight to Garcia in the opening rounds, winning both with hard shots and effective aggression.

Left hooks and rights scored cleanly on Garcia, who was unable to do much more than a single counter here and there; he was kept on the defensive.

Body shots pounded Garcia in the second stanza, but ‘Picosito’ was able to sneak in a solid left and an uppercut, one of which bloodied Cantera’s nose. Despite success in spots, Garcia was not looking like he’d win this one.

Cantera continued to pound away in the third, landing a right, then another right, and forcing Garcia to let loose in an exchange if he wanted a chance to punch his way out of a loss. Taking the chance of more punishing shots is how Garcia did it—one big right hand followed by another, then an uppercut, turned the fight around in the second half of the round. For the first time, Cantera was moving back.

The fourth was all Garcia, who’d found a happy home for his left hooks now. In the final moments, a left hook staggered Cantera, who turned away in distress as the bell rang.

‘Picosito’ widened the point spread in the fifth and sixth rounds, pounding Cantera with more hooks, both up and downstairs, with a spicy uppercut thrown in for variation.

The two fighters went at each other in the final round, Cantera trying to pound his way back but unable to match the ferocity of Garcia, who scored regularly with uppercuts and left hooks.

At the end of six, all three judges scored it for Garcia: 59-55 and 58-56 twice.

Fightnews/NewMexicoBoxing had it 58-56 Garcia, who is now 9-3, 6 KOs. Cantera is 8-4, 3 KOs.

'Mad' Max back for another crack

In the second co-main, light heavyweight “Mad” Max Heyman of Albuquerque, written off by most local fight fans for poor showings in the last year, showed us all that he’s not yet ‘max’d’ out.

Matched up against tough hitter Paulino Avitia (now 12-6, 9 KOs) of Culiacan, Mexico, in a last-chance comeback, Heyman pulled it off with an impressive knockout win.

Some fighters telegraph their punches—but ‘Mad’ Max announces them:

“Whaach! Whaach! Whaach!” he screamed as he let loose at Tingley last night, waking up the 11,000 ghosts who sat in the back of the empty arena.

With each “Whaach!”, however, came the whap! of Heyman’s leather hitting Avitia.

In the first round, it was jab after jab after jab, with an occasional well-timed right, all thrown from the outside, while Avitia sought entrance into the pocket. The Mexican was not able to do more than one solid left, which Heyman took well.

In the second round—what would be the final round—Heyman unleashed his right to match his numerous jabs, then uncorked his left at Avitia, who staggered into the ropes from the punch. Heyman jumped on the hurt foe, landing a right which put him down. Avitia made it up but Heyman smelled blood and rushed in for the kill, downing him again with a right, this time for the count.

“I’m back, Albuquerque! I’m back!” Heyman yelled at the crowd.

Heyman, intent on staying at light heavyweight, ups his record with his first solid win in some time, to 21-7-4, 13 KOs.

“I was close to giving it up,” Heyman admitted later. “I was getting winded in my fights and at first I thought it was because I was trying to force my body down to middleweight. Then, I though it was mental . . . .”

Heyman said he’d been suffering from a low-grade infection—a pneumonia virus of some sort—that was sapping his stamina.

'Bronco' bucks but Plessis prevails

In a six-round lightweight bout, Sean Plessis (16-2, 4 KOs), who lost his TV time when Victor Ortiz fell out, was matched up against Mexican brawler Manuel “Bronco” Bocanegra (8-7-2, 5 KOs).

The late sub was tougher than expected for Plessis, who had to keep away from Bronco’s bucking bombs while trying to outpoint the brawler from a relatively safe distance.

The first three rounds were safe enough, Plessis pecking away at the slowly-advancing Bocanegra, with jabs and rights, while swapping styles, southpaw to rightie, and back again—anything to confuse Bocanegra, who was light on activity, but heavy on the left hook when finally thrown.

In the fourth round, however, Bocanegra closed the gap and gained confidence by landing his left hooks. More bombs followed in the fifth, sending Plessis, staggered on at least two occasions, on a backwards run.

Plessis came back in the last round, weathering more left hooks but outpointing the slower Mexican with jabs-on-the-move.

Judges were varied: 60-54 (Martinez) for Plessis; 59-55 (Bagshaw) for Plessis; and 57-57 (Aragon.)

Hamsho handles Olmedo

In the opening bout of the night, Swedish lightweight Shadi Hamsho (6-0, 1 KO) pitched a shutout decision to small-but-game Salt Lake City fighter Cesar Olmedo (3-2, 1 KO.)

Looking, and somewhat fighting, like an elongated version of Prince Hamed, Hamsho had little difficulty walloping Olmedo from a safe distance—like, clear across the ring, with his exaggerated reach advantage.

Olmedo was game, but could not keep Hamsho in one spot, and ate a variety of shots throughout their six rounds. Countless jabs, with only an occasional flurry, kept Hamsho at a safe lead, all the while Olmedo repeated his mistake of walking, running, or leaping into rights and lefts.

Hamsho employed a body attack from the third round on, which had Hamsho vocally wincing nearly as loud as Max Heyman’s cries of ‘Waaach!’ Still, he plodded forward, trying to throw overhands but needing a stepladder to connect anywhere near Hamsho’s chin.

Bonus photos

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