Fast finishes sees foes floored and fans flustered
It’s veterans-2, young bucks-2 in trial-by-fire card; Roman, Castro take out foes in :30; Soto gets gift win and Avila is dealt a surprise by still-spirited Lucero

Ringside report by Chris Cozzone and Ricardo Trujillo
Photos by Chris Cozzone

A three hour card in Juarez? A show ending before the break of dawn?

¡Imposible!

Last night’s Promociones del Pueblo show at the Poliforo might’ve set a city record, thanks to Miguel “Mickey Mouse” Roman and Javier “Zorro” Castro, who downed their adversaries with half-minute knockouts, leaving foes on the floor and 4,000 fans frazzled, half past midnight.

Roman needed 38 seconds, Castro just 30. Both of them landed left hands in the first power punch thrown in their respective bouts.

It might’ve been dramatic, but it was too rapid a comedown for fans waiting for a climax on the 58-round, four-ten-rounder show that also featured Juarez hopefuls against Mexican veteranos, in four of the seven scheduled bouts.

Themewise, the final tally read “Old Guys-2, Young Bucks-2,” but 2-1 might’ve been a more accurate score for the youngsters, one of the bouts being debatable.

The only thing debatable about the main event, however, was why a solid veteran like Raul “Baby” Juarez, would want to fight two divisions heavier, then not even try to beat the count . . . .

'Mouse' Bites 'Baby'

Last night’s main event, between Juarez’s No. 1 draw, Miguel “Mickey Mouse” Roman and 15-year veteran Raul “Baby” Juarez of Mexico City, was a mismatch in size but not experience. For Roman, it was no worse a match than his two previous bouts against Cuauhtemoc “Famosito” Gomez—but at least Gomez proved durable and game.

Thirty-two-year-old “Baby,” fighting ten pounds and ten years north of his prime, came in as soft as a . . . well, as a baby’s bottom, and that’s, pretty much, where he ended up—on his butt.

When the bell rang, Juarez threw a half-hearted jab. Roman easily avoided it and stepped in to deliver his one and only punch—a big left hand that sat Juarez down against the ropes.

There, while Referee Javier Caballero counted his fingers, Juarez stared at the canvas, let his mouthpiece drop out, and, after “Ten!”--:38 into the fight—he got up and lurched toward his corner.

Meanwhile, Roman shrugged apologetically to the unforgiving-as-usual crowd that was already pelting the fighters and ring with dozens of cups of Tecate.

“This is what happens in boxing,” Roman said in the ring.

“Que Pasa. I was prepared to go ten rounds and the fighter came into the ring with a good reputation—but I hit him flush on the chin.”

With the win, Roman ups his record to 18-0 with 14 going the short route. Juarez drops to 32-11, 15 KOs.

“I want to fight the good fighters,” says Roman. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me, but my next fight has to be more difficult.”

Earlier in the year, WBO Superbantam champ Daniel Ponce de Leon was being called out, but, lately, the name on everyone’s tongue is Antonio Escalante, Juarez-born El Paso fighter who recently captured the NABO Superbantam belt on Telefutura.

Both Escalante and Roman are 20 years-old, and come from the same neighborhood in Juarez where they grew up, just two or three blocks away from each other.

“He has nothing over me,” says Roman.

Promoter Oswaldo Kuchle is hoping to talk Escalante’s promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, into a match-up in the early fall. He says he will have no problem crossing the border to fight in El Paso.

Zorro leaves mark on Lechuga

The ten-rounder preceding the main event saw lightweight Javier “Zorro” Castro land a heavy hand—just one—on Marcelino Lechuga, and it was good-night for “Garras.”

Outdoing Roman by eight seconds, Castro leapt in with a left hook at :20 that dropped “Garras” like a bag of wet rags. Ten seconds later, he was counted out.

“I took him out with a left hook to the jaw, but I didn’t think I hit him that hard,” Castro explained.

“Down he went. But that’s the fight game. He went down and . . . no more fight. I’m hoping for bigger and better things, though. I’m just getting warmed up.”

Castro improves to 8-1, 7 KOs, while Lechuga falls for the fourth time in a row, to 7-6-1, 4 KOs.

Avila meets Lucero’s ‘Punos de Oro’

Mauro “Punos de Oro” Lucero might’ve been ten years older than Martin “Azteca” Avila—34 to 24—and fighting one division up from his norm, but last night, he proved he’s a long way from over the hill.

Avila learned the hard way.

The grizzled vet Lucero came out for round one the aggressive fighter. Jabbing his way in, he sought to pound Avila to the body while the youngster kept away as if studying his soon-to-be teacher, before opening up in the final seconds with a hard left hook of his own.

Lucero continued to show ‘Azteca’ who was boss, taking the fight to him while Avila couldn’t, or wouldn’t, get off more than one crack at a time. Right at the bell, again, Avila figured it was safe to open up again.

Avila went to work in the third and fourth rounds, evening the score with big left hooks and overhand rights thrown at range. By the end of the fourth, the much larger Avila had Lucero’s face red and bleeding from a small cut, and was winning a war of left hooks.

But just when Avila appeared to be pulling ahead, the wily Lucero bore down on his pupil with big left hooks to the body. Halfway through the round, a huge left to the body dropped Avila to one knee. Clutching his side and wincing, Avila made the count but when the fight resumed, Lucero bombed away until Avila dipped back down to safe haven on the canvas. Again, he made the count but his grimace and gestures of ‘no mas,’ despite the ranting and raving of his corner to get back in there and fight, had the ref calling it off at 2:20.

At the time of stoppage, two judges had it for Lucero 39-37; the other, for Avila, 39-37. Fightnews/NewMexicoBoxing had it even, 38-38.

“I knew my experience would wear him down,” said Lucero, who increases his record to 42-11-1, 28 KOs. “I was waiting for the right opening and knew my left would get in there. When I saw him crumble to the canvas, I knew it was over. I took the young kid to school.”

After his big win over Saul Duran in March, Avila drops to 5-2, 1 KO.

Judges surprise Soto with win over Olivas

Coming off his first win in six years appeared to have an effect on former WBC Featherweight champ Cesar “Cobrita” Soto.

For the first time in years, he made the featherweight limit; he actually looked to be in shape; and he had an expression of confidence, for once—a one-fight winning streak could have that effect on you in Juarez, if your last name is “Soto.”

And for the first two rounds in his bout against the younger Oscar “Zurdo de Oro” Olivas, he actually fought like he wanted to win.

Forcing the action, he had the southpaw Olivas backpedaling—‘Zurdo’s’ usual modus operandi—while he set up a clinic to school the insolent pup. Big rights over the top landed, as did body shots.

Alas, for Soto, Referee Javier Caballero, with nada warning, saw fit to penalize Juarez’s only (former) world champion with a point off for a low blow that landed safely on the hip bone. Soto shrugged off the deduction but had to settle for a 9-9 round.

Olivas woke up in the third round, finding his range but also fighting in the pocket more—and winning. Instead of mixing it up with Olivas, Soto showed the crowd why it took so long for him to win a fight by slowing down—all the while Olivas sped up.

Soto had a better round in the fifth, showing superior footwork and generalship but slowed back down in the sixth when Olivas, no longer on his bike, piled up points in the pocket, landing right hooks and utilizing his jab. This continued on to the finish, “Cobrita” not striking and Olivas, pitter-patting his way to what should have been a no-brainer win.

Unfortunately for Olivas, the judges, at least two of three, were watching a different fight and had the former champ winning 96-93 twice while the third judge scored it with his eyes open, at 95-94 Olivas.

Fightnews had it 96-93 for Olivas, who falls to 17-2, 2 KOs.

Despite the gift, Soto was full of complaints:

“The promoter made me lose five pounds in four days,” he said. “I didn’t think this was at 126 and that weakened me. I didn’t have much left for the fight.

“If this was the old days, I would’ve taken him out in six or seven.”

Soto wins for the second time in a row, increasing his record to 56-17-3, 40 KOs.

Zamarripa beats up former crowd pleaser Alarcon

In an eight-round cruiser battle, again, Fighter of Olde vs. Young Buck, the “idolo del cholos,” Miguel “Come Lonches” Zamarripa hammered out a TKO win over former crowd pleaser and former cop Miguel “Poli” Alarcon, who made his return to the ring for the first time in five years.

The showboating Alarcon won the first round on busy-ness. While Zamarripa held back, and waited too long, Alarcon went to work, smothering the heftier youngster with harmless punches that would soon show that he’d already emptied his gas tank.

Zamarripa forced the action in the second while Alarcon, biding his time, fought in spurts.

“Come Lonches” started to dominate in the third while Alarcon, not quite the fighter he was half a decade ago, tired and strived to survive.

In the final moments of the round, Zamarripa let loose a big left to the body that put Alarcon down in a heap. The ref continued counting after the bell but Alarcon wasn’t getting up.

Despite the loss by KO, the crowd gave the former fave a big cheer.

Zamarripa improves to 2-0-2, 1 KO.

Alarcon drops to 1-3.

Reyna  has better showing in rematch with Camacho

Stellar amateur fighter Angel “Acertijo” Reyna did not look so stellar in his pro debut against Omar Camacho. But in the rematch last night, he had a better showing, winning by majority decision in a six-round super featherweight bout.

The southpaw Reyna jabbed and counterpunched in the first, but Camacho’s aggression and body attack gave him the round. Reyna had a better second, keeping Camacho away with a steady jab and avoiding the shorter man’s wild chopping lefts and rights.

Camacho had his best round in the third, pushing the action on Reyna, who returned fire in the fourth with a big right cross. In the fifth and sixth, Camacho sagged while Reyna got stronger with big overhand lefts that sealed his win.

Judges had it 58-57 twice and 57-57 even. Fightnews had it four rounds to two, 58-56, for Reyna, who improves to 2-0.

Camacho evens out at 4-4, 4 KOs

Jaramillo bombs out Garcia in debut

In the curtain raiser, a four-round super bantamweight bout, local amateur Javier Jaramillo won his pro debut with a quick knockout over Jorge Garcia.

A precursor to Castro’s and Roman’s wins, Jaramillo, too, downed his foe with a left hook—and first big shot—flooring Garcia for the count at :40.

Bonus photos

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