Returning Romero's weighty win
In 4th, 11th hour sub sinks to canvas under heavy barrage of body blows; 2nd Romero Promotions card a success at Sky City’s outdoor set-up

Ringside report and photos by Chris Cozzone

On a card nearly capsized by last-minute fallouts and a torrential downpour of rain that delayed the show nearly 40 minutes, two-time world champion Danny Romero made his return to the ring last night by stopping late sub Edgar Pedraza in the fourth round with a barrage of trademark-Romero body shots.

Weighing his career heaviest—he was 135 wearing sweats on the scales—the former flyweight and superflyweight world champion might’ve looked a little soft in the body, but his punches were hard enough to put the 156-pound (142 on the scales the day before) rugged Mexican fighter on the canvas twice before the stoppage.

The main event capped an action-packed card that not only saw Romero Promotions make a vast improvement over their debut show earlier this year, but, despite the initial deluge of rain, puts Sky City Casino in the running for top venue, with its new outdoor set-up. Casino personnel estimated a crowd of 2,000, although, admittingly, with an unknown number of unpaid V.I.P. passes.

In six bouts, three ended by KO/TKO, two by decision and one, by draw.

Romero returns

Opponent Edgar Pedraza was a 48-hour replacement for San Diego’s Priest “Tiger” Smalls (17-11-1, 6 KOs) who pulled out due to a contractual dispute over weight. Signed for 126 pounds, Smalls had no interest in renegotiating a fight at 130 against Romero and opted to fight in Miami Thursday night for a minor belt (he lost every round to 24-3 Francisco Lorenzo) at that same weight.

Promoter Juan Romero, brother to the champ, secured Pedraza, who bailed out on Thursday from an oral commitment to fight Friday night in El Paso.

Nobody expected the Juarez opponent, 1-9 in his last nine bouts, to have a chance against the former champ, but many speculated that his larger size and durability could extend Romero close to the eight scheduled rounds. Romero’s punching power—devastating during his 112-115 days—was also a big question mark, moving up so much in weight, as was the possibility of ring rust.

But, from the opening bell, Romero showed little rust and went right to work on Pedraza, cutting him down to size with blasts to the body. Pedraza, always game and in decent shape for a 35-year-old who typically goes the distance, took Romero’s shots with little effect, although the former champ nearly put him through the ropes in the last minute. Referee Russ Mora’s quick hands pulled him back into the ring.

Pedraza started to fire back in the second, but Romero showed good defense as he increased his work rate, doubling up punches to the midsection. Then, pinning Pedraza against the ropes, a big right hand dropped the Mexican to the canvas for the first knockdown of the fight. Pedraza made the count and Romero resumed his body assault.

Pedraza remained game but it was all Romero in the third, blasting away to the body. By the fourth round, Pedraza was showing the effects of those big left hooks and, at two minutes into the round, he took a knee to buy some time. He was up at nine and Romero was all over him until, at 2:16, Ref Mora stepped in to wave the fight over.

“This is the first step on the road back to a world championship,” Romero told the crowd after he was declared winner.

“I’m going to bring New Mexico back another title.”

Romero ends his absence by increasing his numbers to 45-5-2, 38 KOs.

Pedraza strikes his sixth straight loss, falling to 3-20-2, 1 KO.

Zamora zips and rips through Romero

Now fighting at welterweight, Socorro’s Joaquin Zamora had little difficulty with perennial opponent Julian Romero, of Juarez.

What figured to be a sparring session turned out even more one-sided when, in the first round, Zamora popped away at Romero’s easily-accessible head and body. Romero was somewhat game but not nearly as enthusiastic as he’s been, as was evident when he hit the canvas in the first.

Big body shots in the second had Romero staggering around the ring until Ref Mora halted the butchering at 2:04.

Zamora ups his stats to 12-2-1, 10 KOs.

Losing his the 12th fight in a row, Romero, continually approved by Southwest commissions, scratches another ‘L’ on his 7-49-2 (2 KOs) record.

Chavez draws with Marquez in close match

A solidly-matched jr. welter bout between Julio Chavez (6-1-1, 2 KOs) of Albuquerque and David Marquez (3-1-1) of Fort Morgan, Colo., ended in a majority draw after six tactical rounds.

Round One was a close round, but a big left hook thrown at the sound of the bell might’ve given Marquez the edge. The Colorado fighter outsized the smaller Chavez, who tried to establish a slick, stick-and-move style over the heavier-hitting but less-active Marquez.

Marquez was less successful trying to walk Chavez down in the second, and the Cuban-born Duke City fighter proved too fast and glossy for him.

Chavez continued to harass—though not really hurt, let alone score cleanly—Marquez from the outside in the third round. It looked like another round for him until the last 40 seconds when Marquez unloaded with Chavez on the ropes. A big 1-2 exploded on the Cuban, and a bomb of an uppercut snapped his head back and had him in trouble. Following Chavez along the ropes, Marquez had his best moments in the fight before the bell rang.

For some reason, Marquez held back in the fourth, while Chavez regained his composure and continued to pester his opponent. Halfway through the round, Marquez woke up and started to time counter right hands and big left hooks to Chavez’s body, to take the round back.

In the fifth and sixth, Marquez wilted while Chavez continued to jab and peck away at the bigger Coloradoan. Two or three punches from Marquez might’ve made the difference in these final rounds, but he held back, and waited too long while Chavez remained busy. In the last round, Chavez landed his best punches—big rights that finally landed clean.

After six, the scorecards read 57-57 (Lopez), 57-57 (Bagshaw) and 59-55 Chavez (Gant). Fightnews/NewMexicoBoxing had it 57-57.

After the fight, Chavez told the crowd that he was really a lightweight and Marquez, a welter. Although Marquez was the bigger man in the ring; and the difference in poundage the day before at the weigh-in had been eight pounds (144 to 136), the contract had been set for 140, +/- 2. Marquez had come in two pounds under but rather than force him to sweat off the excess, Chavez (four pounds under) had opted for a $450 payoff.

'Problem-Solver' Abner tries to solve the problem of Lopez

For a pro fighter with one bout under his belt, a fighter like the wily El Pasoan Martin Lopez was a risky move—even if your alias is ‘The Problem-Solver.”

And Felix “The Problem-Solver” Abner certainly had problems to solve in his four-rounds against the pot-bellied but crafty Lopez, who was coming out of a four-year retirement.

While the hard-hitting Abner put Lopez down at the end of the first round, he spent most of the time trying to figure out how to close the distance between him and the veteran pug. With the knockdown, it looked as if it was one problem solved—but in the second, Lopez found new ways to frustrate Abner.

Breathing hard and throwing an occasional punch or two to irritate Abner, Lopez tied up whenever close. He also used head movement and was almost always just a foot or two out of the bigger man’s range. Abner plodded forward, trying to fight a home for his big right, easily winning the fight but not in the manner he preferred.

It was more of the same in the third and most of the fourth, until Abner closed the gap and landed bombs on Lopez that had him clinging to Abner like a wet shirt. Clearly hurt and tired, Lopez survived the round.

Two judges scored it 40-35; the other, 40-36.

Abner, 2-0 (1 KO), earns his second pro win, while Lopez resumes his career as an opponent, now 3-22.

Bazan dukes it out with Cano in pro debut

Taking the fight on a couple days notice, jr. welterweight and solid amateur Leroy Bazan (1-0) jumped at the chance to make a pro debut—even if it was 20 pounds north at 164 pounds. But, then again, Artesia’s Tony Cano (0-2) wasn’t exactly rock-hard at the weight, either.

It made for a great fight—a slug-out over four rounds that had the crowd cheering.

Round one was a bell-to-bell slugging match, with Bazan edging Cano on accuracy but Cano’s haymakers finding their mark on a defense-poor Bazan. It was more of the same in the second, but Bazan started to utilize his footwork and pick his shots.

The action slowed down in the third round, with both fighters starting to tire. The Artesian fighter, however, a southpaw, started to use his jab, and it enabled him to load up on the more significant punches in the round.

The last round was close, with Bazan the busier fighter and Cano, the more accurate with his counterpunching.

All three judges had it for Bazan: 40-36 and 39-37 twice. NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews was in agreement, 39-37, for Bazan.

'Latin Heat' stops Burgos cold

Everyone who’s anyone in the Southwest has scored an early-career win over Jose Luis Burgos (0-10), the usually-durable, beat-up guy from Juarez.

Now, Daniel “Latin Heat” Gonzalez can add his name to a list that includes Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (twice), Antonio Escalante and Jose Diaz.

Gonzalez, brother-in-law to Danny Romero, loaded up on body punches that, halfway through the round, put Burgos down. When the fight resumed, ‘Latin Heat’ was all over Burgos, until Ref Mora waved the fight over at 1:44.

While it turned out to be a ridiculously easy fight, Gonzalez does get the credit, however, of being just one of two fighters to stop Burgos—and beats out Chavez, Jr. in the length of time it took to do it, 2:15 to Gonzalez’ 1:44.

Vela shoots down shot Vela

While it poured rain outside the ring, Fort Morgan, Colorado’s Stevie Marquez (7-7-1, 6 KOs) poured power shots on El Paso’s Sergio Vela (14-11-3, 9 KOs), who moved like he was underwater.

It was target practice for Marquez, who took his time throwing bombs he could’ve landed on the mark any time he wanted to. Showing absolutely no defense, Vela was incapable of fending off the punches thrown at half-speed.

While spectators were chased away by the rain (a 40-minute delay followed), and the canvas got soaked, Vela got socked until, in the third, Marquez sank Vela to the matt with a right. Vela got up on shaky-enough legs for Ref Tony Zaino to halt the bout at 1:37.

Marquez, who is usually in for a war when he fights in New Mexico, looked disbelievingly around the ring like he couldn’t believe his luck.

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