Hot Pugs Sunday!
Jackie Chavez defends belt with split decision win over Audrey Vela; Mia St. John wins first legit belt with decision over Liz Drew

Ringside report and photos by Chris Cozzone

Two toe-to-toe title fights, two titanic knockouts and an opening draw satisfied the 800 feisty fight fans that crowded into the Ohkay Casino’s event center Sunday afternoon for the debut card of Fire Inside Promotions.

In the main event, Mia St. John won her first legitimate title by outpointing, outboxing and outshowboating journeywomen Liz Drew of Troy, Missouri.

For the first two rounds, it looked like Drew was brewing an upset.

She came right at St. John, landing big right hands while Mia struggled to get her bearing to avoid a beating. Ignoring St. John’s jabs and successfully cutting off the ring, Drew fought with hunger, easily winning the round.

More big rights for Drew took the 2nd. At one point, St. John staggered back from a right, and she answered with a bit of clowning to show Drew she wasn’t fazed. It was another round for Drew.

That was all she wrote, for Drew, for in the third, and through the 10th, it was Mia, Mia, Mia.

Round Three had St. John establishing her rhythm, landing hard rights almost as often as Drew, but with the jab sealing the round for her. Round Four was close, but St. John’s jab edged a tiring Drew.

Drew wilted more with each round, as St. John picked up pace and power and courage, circling a clumsy Drew and, as the rounds progressed, stepped in to fight in the pocket, where she outhammered the once-hammering Drew with big rights and left hooks of her own.

At the end of ten, all three judges had a lop-sided decision for St. John: 98-92 twice and 99-91.

NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews had it 98-92 for St. John.

St. John earns her first belt and moves her record to 41-5-2 (17 KOs) while Drew falls dangerously close into .500Land with her 9-8 (3 KOs).

Chavez-Vela wows the crowd

While many came to catch a glimpse of the former Playboy cover girl duke it out for her first legit title, the bulk of the crowd came to see Albuquerque’s Jackie Chavez defend her IFBA Super Bantamweight belt for the first time—against an opponent who, to the male spectator’s delight, outdid St. John.

But Audrey Vela was more than just eye candy—the undefeated fighter from Austin came all too close to scoring a major upset. In fact, many seated around the ring thought Vela had been a victim of a hometown decision.

After just 15 seconds of Round One, we had our answer on what sort of fight this was going to be: no fancy dancing, no technical ballet, no unwilling participants, this was going to be a phone booth battle.

Both fighters willingly came together to duke it out, exchanging evenly in the first; Vela landing left hooks and Chavez scoring with her right. With Chavez’s right landing with slightly more frequency, the round went to the champion.

Rounds Two, Three, Four and Five were a different matter.

Vela came off quicker with the exchanges in the 2nd and while both fighters scored with their jabs, Vela also threw in uppercuts at short range to take the round.

Chavez had this fight in the bag—if she stayed on the outside and scored with a straight right, or a one-two, coming in. But she obliged Vela by staying in the pocket where the Austin fighter was more effective, throwing lefts and short rights.

What was already a furious fight became furiouser (or more furiouser for youse grammatical types), with the two women fighting like Furies in a floating phone booth that never once bumped into the ropes. While Chavez started to employ uppercuts on the inside, it was Vela who was beating the champ to the punch, winging lefts and rights and scoring uppercuts while tying up Chavez at the right moments before letting loose and letting go with yet more lefts and rights.

After the first five rounds, it was looking like Vela 4-1.

Chavez had her best round in the 6th, however, staying at a perfect distance for most of the round and hammering Vela with big, clean right hands for which Vela had no answer.

But, for some reason, Chavez threw away the perfect game and stepped inside the phone booth in the 7th. Once again, it was Vela outhustling an all-too-game Chavez.

Round Nine was close: big right hands from Chavez landed early but the challenger came back in the second minute with several rights of her own that had Chavez moving backward.

The 10th was a bombfest, with Chavez coming out strong but with Vela landing the harder, cleaner shots for the duration.

At the end of ten hard-fought rounds, the judges were split.

Two had it for Chavez: Judge Larry Chavez had it 97-94; Judge Jim Bagshaw had it 97-93.

But Judge Levi Martinez had it reversed: 97-93 for Vela, which is also how NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews had it scored.

All three judges were from New Mexico.

Vela was short on words and simply said, “I think I won,” as she exited the ring.

Even Chavez did not think she’d won the fight:

“I had it a draw,” she said.

“I was thrown off with her style. She kept landing her left hand while pushing and moving me forward. My corner was telling me to take a step back and throw my right, but it’s one thing to know what to do and another to actually do it while fighting.”

Chavez keeps her belt and record clean, climbing to 9-0 (3 KOs) while Vela, who certainly deserves a rematch, suffers her first pro loss at 5-1 (1 KO).

Garcia cools Jeremiah’s jets

Albuquerque’s Vicente “El Picosito” Garcia bounced off his loss last month by bouncing Jeremiah “Jet” Torres off the canvas in the closing moments of Round Two with a devastating left hook.

It was a bit of a grudge match, following an incident in the gym when Garcia floored Torres for the count during a sparring session. Torres had reportedly not remembered the incident the next day—but when reminded, was incensed enough to want a rematch, sans headgear and 16-ounce gloves.

Torres might want to forget this one, too.

Round One actually went to Torres.

After the typically tentative opening moments, Torres moved into Garcia’s space and hammered him with a straight right hand that rocked ‘Picosito’ back. Garcia shook it off and patiently waited Torres to come back at him. It was all up to Torres, for Garcia was not going to be the aggressor in this fight. To spectators, it might’ve appeared as if Garcia was uninterested, or too cautious, but his plan paid off with lightning-quick left hooks that countered Torres’ initiating jab and right hands. Despite one left hook that staggered Torres midway through the round, Torres paid Garcia back by unloading on him against the ropes in the last minute. Round to Torres.

Round Two—at least the first two minutes and 45 seconds—was close. Torres fired his way in behind a jab, trying to find a home for a hard right hand while Garcia was content to fight one-handed—counter left hook after counter left hook. With just seconds left in the round, Garcia’s patience and planning paid off, for he popped Torres with a left hook that had the Jet making an emergency landing on the canvas at an excruciating slow-motion speed.

After one look at Torres sitting on the canvas, his eyes more glazed than a Krispy Kreme donut, the ref waved it off at 2:58.

Torres was checked out by physicians and, after a few minutes, assisted to the stool in his corner where he asked his trainer Steve Garcia, “Did I go down?”

Garcia rises to 7-2 (5 KOs) while Torres loses his .500 status, falling to 7-8 (1 KO).

The Knockout sequence:

Lovato clouts Bonilla’s snout in bout

Espanola’s Monica Lovato didn’t have to break a sweat with Puerto Rican Nancy Bonilla.

With her first power punch—a crisp, clean straight left landing right on the button—Bonilla made a quick acquaintance with the canvas while she was counted out at :48.

Lovato, recently rated #5 by the WBC at super flyweight, continues her climb of contention at 4-1, 2 KOs.

Bonilla continues to fall, to 2-4, 1 KO.

\

Connolly and Ponce draw in opener

In the opening bout of the afternoon, Albuquerque’s Mike “the Tyke” Connolly and Las Cruce’ Ric Ponce fought a four-round draw.

Connolly outhustled Ponce for most of the first frame from the outside, but Ponce came back with thunderous left hooks in the second minute. More jabs from Connolly gave him a slight edge in the closing minute.

In Round Two, Ponce’s body attack kept the ‘Tyke’ on his bike, but Connolly came back halfway through by jabbing and moving. Round to Ponce.

Round Three was a toss-up. When he stood and traded with Ponce, Connolly lost; when he hit and moved, he won.

The final round, however, was clearly Connolly’s. Fighting like he should’ve in the first three rounds, Connolly outhustled Ponce both, in the pocket and using distance.

After four, two judges (Chavez & Martinez) had it 38-38; Judge Bagshaw had it 39-37 for Connolly, making it a majority draw.

NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews had it 38-38.

Connolly moves to 2-1-1 (1 KO); Ponce, to 2-2-1 (1 KO).

----------

Pro boxing continues in New Mexico on April 24 at Isleta when Holly Holm defends her Women’s IBA belt against Layla McCarter. Unbeaten David Martinez, Hector Munoz, Alex Becerra and Max Heyman are also on the card.

Fighters in attendance yesterday include Holly Holm, Lee Montoya, Ray Sanchez III, David Martinez, Hector Munoz, Shawn Gallegos and soon-to-be pro Jody Esquibel.

Bonus Pics

	Above: unbeaten David Martinez with ring girls

  # # #