Smarter McCarter bucks Pennybaker!
Two-time champ Layla McCarter tames Shadina Pennybaker in five on Sky Ute summer card

Ringside report and photos by Chris Cozzone

“Omigod, that girl is so small compared to the other one! She’s gonna get killed in there!”

So said a ringside spectator last night at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colo., when the diminutive Layla McCarter stood face-to-face with hulking Shadina Pennybaker before their six-round welterweight main event.

The comment brought forth a chuckle from those familiar with the former featherweight champion, who takes on all comers from 130 to 147—usually, with success.

Last night was no exception.

Making her fifth appearance at Sky Ute, McCarter showed the packed Pavilion crowd that size be damned, speed and skills are what counts, for after the five heated rounds that capped the “Boiling Point” summer card, Pennybaker could no longer stand the heat in the kitchen and retired on her stool.

The card, second this year for Sky Ute, also held a four-bout undercard that, on paper, might’ve looked less than lukewarm, but packed plenty of steam and had matchmaker Ben Fernandez looking like a magician, once again.

‘Firestarter’ McCarter cooks Pennybaker

School was not in session at the sound of the bell. It took McCarter exactly a round to figure out where Pennybaker was coming from—straight forward and throwing haymakers with intentions.

Round one was all Pennybaker, coming at McCarter and punctuating the round with two clobbering right hands that were taken well. McCarter tied up when necessary, and toyed with her jab while moving, until the final few moments when she unleashed her first big combination.

From the second round on, McCarter fought to win, and she did so in an increasingly successful manner.

In the second, McCarter counterpunched Pennybaker’s haymakers with hooks and loopy rights. In the third, she picked her spots, refusing to brawl while timing her overhand rights and ducking or slipping Pennybaker’s big punches.

The head butts started in the third, at least three of ‘em, and continued in the fourth and fifth, interrupting the fight on at least two occasions when Referee Russ Mora broke up the action to caution both fighters.

The headbanging threw Pennybaker off her game, and enabled McCarter to pick up the pace until she was not only outclassing her foe, but driving her back with big flurries of her own. By the end of the fourth, McCarter was no longer cautious about brawling with the bigger woman, and she bombed away inside as well as out, frustrating and, possibly, hurting Pennybaker enough to quit after round five.

“I busted something in my mouth,” was Pennybaker’s reason for throwing in her own towel. “She caught me with some good shots, but it was because of all the head butts. I think I damaged my bridge.”

Pennybaker, now 9-6-1, 2 KOs, was coming off a loss to Holly Holm in Albuquerque in February—a seventh round TKO she also attributed to frequent clashing-of-heads.

“We were clashing heads a lot,” McCarter admitted. “But I think my punches and my experience was getting to her.”

McCarter, now 20-12-4, 3 KOs, says she is slated to fight for a title in Las Vegas in September.

“I plan on winning and bringing the title back here to defend it,” she said.

‘El Coyote’ snaps at grizzled road dog

In the co-main event, local favorite jr. welter Miguel “El Coyote” Gallegos (4-0-1, 1 KO), of Durango, pecked away at perennial opponent Edgar Pedraza (3-19-2, 1 KO), of Juarez, for a shutout unanimous decision.

At times, Pedraza, losing his fifth in a row, was a human punching bag, but, overall, the grizzled road dog was game and gave Gallegos plenty to think about.

Gallegos employed his jab in the first, while Pedraza came forward, throwing cushioned punches that usually bounced off shoulders, arms or gloves. In the second, the Mexican had better success, bringing the fight to Gallegos, who might’ve edged the round with sparse counterpunching.

Pedraza had his best moments in the third when he cornered Gallegos and let loose with punches that probably wouldn’t have made a dent in a stick of butter. Gallegos spent most of the round backpedaling, but flurried in a couple instances enough to make the round close.

Gallegos let Pedraza play aggressor in the fourth, but took control of the fight in the last half, bombing the Mexican with echoing shots to the midsection.

At the end of four, all three judges were in agreement, 40-36, for Gallegos.

Barela fires away at Jett in dogfight

In a four-round jr. lightweight bout, Farmington’s Joseph Barela (4-1, 1 KO) ended a two-year ring absence in a bout against Las Vegas’ Terrence Jett (1-5). On paper, it looked like a mismatch, but Jett was set to fight and gave the local kid enough trouble to warrant a split decision.

Jett pressed the action in the first, landing a solid right and pinning Barela in the corner for a good chunk of the round. But Barela spun out of the corner and pecked away at Jett from the outside, his busy-ness and occasional body attack making scoring close.

The first part of the second was all Jett, who controlled the pace and kept Barelas on the move. Once again, a flurried attack on Barela in the corner looked like the hometowner was in trouble, but Barela was not only able to turn it around with a left hook, but outscore Jett in the second half of the round.

Barela, his nose bloody, turned aggressor in the third while Jett took a breather.  In the fourth, Jett came out swinging but was penalized a point for hitting Barela in the kidneys. The brief break in the action changed the momentum. Barela flurried in the last minute, stealing the round and taking the fight by split verdict.

Scorecards were 39-36 twice (judges Garcia and Sanchez) for Barela; and 38-37 for Jett (Martinez). NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews had it for Barela 39-36.

“It feels great to be back,” Barela said after the fight.

“I knew I had the fight but he kept throwing kidney punches.”

Nijhoff adds red to ‘Pink Panther’

Also ending a two-year disappearance was Bloomfield jr. bantamweight female Elizabeth “The Pink Panther” Monge (0-3), who had the misfortune of being matched up with national amateur star Stella Nijhof (1-0) in her comeback fight.

While Monge proved to be a real crowd pleaser, her heart and haymakers could not outdo the straight-punching southpaw from New York.

Nijhoff weathered an early storm from Monge in the first with her jab. Big, loopy counter left hooks from the pressuring Monge made the round close but Nijhoff’s crisper straight lefts and consistent jab gave her the edge.

Nijhoff continued to control the pace and distance, throwing straight shots behind a jab that landed on the side of Monge’s turning head. Monge threw back wildly, sometimes landing, but by the third round, her bright pink-dyed hair clashed with the steady stream of blood coming out of her nose. 

Monge went for broke in the fourth, and nearly won the round with big shots that had Nijhoff backing up. Keeping a safe distance, Nijhoff got her bearings and took back the round in the final minute.

All three judges had it for Nijhoff, 40-36.

Strike Three for Ignacio debuters

The last card in Ignacio featured two local debuters who not only lost their first fights, but looked lousy in doing so. Martin Barcia, the third Ignacio pro debuter, followed suit, losing by TKO to Denver jr. welter Cliff Walker (2-4-1, 1 KO).

Barcia ran around in the first round, avoiding contact while Walker tried to make it a fight. Two good lefts by Walker landed—which only inspired Barcia to increase his backpedaling ways.

In the second, a straight left from the southpaw Walker floored Barcia. He made the count, continued to run, was almost knocked down by a jab, then was nearly floored by another left, at which point, Referee Mora waved off the fight, at 2:23.

Amateur fights

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