Unforgettable Fire!
Soto-Karass draws with Venegas in 12-round battle; Madrid robbed of draw with Rios in six-rounder; Opponents bring it on at Isleta

Ringside report & photos by Chris Cozzone

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED should have been the billing for last night’s surprisingly good—make that great—fight card at Isleta Resort & Casino, south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

What should have been a routine show, comfortably engineered to produce impressive wins for those fighting out of the blue corner, turned out to be a card of unforgettable wars, with unforgettable opponents.

From the main go to all but two of the prelim bouts, the Telefutura-televised card, promoted by Top Rank with Prime Time Productions, left the sold-out crowd of 2,800 with an evening not soon forgotten.

In the main event, welterweight contender Jesus Soto-Karass, of Los Mochis, Mexico, managed to keep his WBC Continental Americas belt with a hard-fought, high-action split draw against Gilbert “Gordo” Venegas, of East Moline, Ill.

It was, without a shade of doubt, the best fight New Mexico has seen in, at least, a couple years—and a definite “Fight of the Year” candidate for Telefutura.

Soto-Karass picked up the first two rounds by jabbing, but midway through the second, Venegas gave the champion, and crowd, a taste of the war to come when, swiping away the jabs, he exploded into action, landing a clean, hard left hook and, later, a right hand.

That Venegas had not only come to fight, but to win, was evident in the third when, after letting Soto-Karass work the one-two from a measured distance in the first minute, he bit through his leash and launched himself at his foe like a pittbull. Venegas’ aggression, big left hooks, and apparently superior punching power, earned him the round.

Venegas’ punches landed harder, and more often, in the fourth, and we were looking at an even fight unless Soto-Karass could establish something more than his strong jab.

In the fifth, Venegas pulled ahead. Letting Soto-Karass come to him, Venegas countered smart and hard, with more than just one punch at a time now. Soto-Karass, however, blasted back with big rights of his own.

Loading up on power shots, Soto-Karass fought his way back into the fight in the sixth and seventh, loading up on power shots behind his jab. Heated exchanges fought in the center of the ring had both fighters landing hard, both trying to land a knockout punch.

That there was a classic in the making was clear from the eighth round on. Frequent brutal slugging at close quarters marked the rounds—and both fighters, who did not have to look for one another in the ring.

With momentum swinging back and forth, Venegas had his best round in the ninth, in part, thanks to referee Rocky Burke who zapped Soto-Karass with a point for low blows, though at least two warnings had previously been given the champion.

Soto-Karass’ one-two combinations won him the tenth, but the challenger nearly stole the round back in the final moments when he landed his best shot—a straight right that had Soto-Karass reeling back. Surprisingly, the punch was not only absorbed well, but Soto-Karass immediately fired back with a right hand just as the bell rang.

There wasn’t a free moment to blink in the championship rounds and the two continued to wage war, neither gaining, nor giving ground. While Soto-Karass won the punch of numbers, Venegas’ loaded bombs left spectators gasping with the impact.

The fight went to the scorecards, with “Tex” Bagshaw scoring it 115-112 for Soto-Karass, Tony Rosales giving it to Venegas, 115-113 and Esther Lopez calling it a draw, at 114-114.

NewMMexicoBoxing.com/Fightnews.com had it even in rounds, but, with the point deduction, seeing Venegas as victor, 114-113.

“I really thought I won the fight,” said Soto-Karass, who, at 16-3-3 (13 KOs), was able to retain his belt. “I threw more punches but felt a little tight. I know I can do better.

“But he was tough. Strong. And we both deserve a rematch.”

“Rematch? No doubt about it,” Venegas, 10-4-3 (7 KOs), was in agreement.

“I’ll do it tomorrow if they can set it up.”

Venegas, too, thought he’d done enough to win.

“It was a great fight, but I thought I won,” he said. “But I’m happy with the outcome. I thought I was successful and, definitely, my best performance yet.

“I think I showed the fight fans that there’s a lot more to come, from me.”

Rios edges Madrid, who loses to referee

In the co-main event, unbeaten Oxnard lightweight Brandon Rios managed to keep his record unblemished—with the help of the referee—in a high-action six-rounder against El Paso’s Carlos Madrid.

Having escalated from a local club fighter to a thrilling TV battler, Madrid has improved remarkably with the A & R team on the border, more than enough to warrant a draw with the highly-touted Rios. Unfortunately, an unwarranted point deduction in the final round altered, and marred, the outcome of the fight.

Madrid took the fight to Rios in the first, closing the distance and making it difficult for the taller, rangier Rios to establish his jab and straight right.

In the second, Rios started to land a carefully measured, and hard, right hand, although Madrid made a close round difficult to score by closing the gap and blasting Rios to the body.

Clearly winning the inside fight, Madrid sought to stay on top of Rios, landing body hooks while Rios, the harder puncher, might’ve stolen the round in the last 20 seconds with big right hands. By the end of the round, Madrid was bleeding from a cut near his right eye.

Round four was all Rios, who kept Madrid at bay with a perfect measured right. Madrid was able to work his way in toward the end of the stanza, but with less success than the third.

In the fifth, Madrid turned Rios’ technical fight into a brawl, crowding him at the ropes and blasting away to the body. Rios’ bigger punches—left hooks and his right—had Madrid’s eyes going from puffy to nearly closed by the time the last round began.

Round six was all Madrid, taking the fight to the unbeaten Rios, with big lefts—until, halfway through the round, with no prior warning, Referee Tony Rosales spoiled the fight by deducting a point off Madrid for holding. Though still in the fight, Madrid lost his zip and Rios finished strong in the final minute.

The point deduction made an obvious difference on the scorecards:

Judge Esther Lopez scored it for Rios, 59-54.

Judge Tony Zaino had it for Madrid, 57-55.

And Judge Anita Sanchez had it 57-56 for Rios, which would’ve been a draw without the foul. NMB/FN had it likewise.

“I didn’t lose that fight,” said Madrid, now 8-3-2 (2 KOs).

“That was f--- bull---. I’m mad as hell. I didn’t lose man, I didn’t lose . . . .”

To his credit and good sportsmanship, Rios, approaching Madrid backstage, was in agreement.

“I can’t take that point back,” he told him. “It was a bad judgment.”

Rios told NMB/FN that he had the fight “pretty even.”

“It could’ve been a draw.”

III goes 8 with oddball fighter

Careful what you ask for—you just might get it.

Experience, rounds and a win were last night’s goal for Duke City welterweight Ray Sanchez III, who was ending a nine-month layoff due to an injured hand. Although they got all three, in the eight-rounder against bizarre Ohio fighter Chris Overbey, it wasn’t exactly what they expected.

Overbey certainly came to fight—though just not in the ways you’d expect to see in something termed a “boxing match.”

Overbey ran and wrestled.

He head-butted and pawed and slapped.

He slapped some more.

He also hit the canvas, more than once, but, to the annoyance of, both, foe and crowd, he proved to be a veteran survivor.

It would be beyond the scope of this writer’s ability to fully describe Sanchez’s tussle with Overbey. And just as words could not explain this ordeal, nor could Sanchez’s arsenal of boxing skills fully cope, or deal, with Overbey’s overly unorthodox and circular maneuvers in the ring.

Unable to find a comfortable rhythm, let alone establish a boxing stance for longer than ten seconds at a time, Sanchez, through eight rounds, spent most of the time trying to protect himself from colliding into the forehead of a human battering ram. Sure, he won nearly all the rounds—but not the way in which he’s accustomed.

Sanchez did find a few moments to land his trademark straight left bomb.

In the third, Overbey went down, once from tripping, the other from what was most likely, a left hand from Sanchez, thought it wasn’t ruled as such. 

In the fourth, Sanchez got his chance to land a cleaner-seen left, putting the man known as “Freight Train” on his caboose. Overbey was down again one round later—another left—but proved to be a master survivor, tying up Sanchez while landing fouls galore. In the eighth, he was deducted a point by Referee Rocky Burke for hitting and holding.

After eight, the cards read 77-73, 77-72 and 79-70, all for Sanchez, who climbs to 19-1, 14 KOs, while Overbey falls to 8-6, 2 KOs.

NMB/FN had it 79-70.

“What happened in there?” Sanchez was asked.

“You tell me,” was the answer.

“He was a rough, tough fighter and it would’ve been a frustrating fight for anybody.”

What was Overbey’s best shot?

“His head,” said Sanchez. “He butted the heck out of me—that was definitely his best shot.”

Although unable to land as often as he wanted to, Sanchez said his hand held up—but next time, hopefully in June or July, he’d like to fight someone who take on someone within the realm of his chosen sport—y’know, a boxer.

“I want Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.,” says Sanchez.

“I don’t care if it’s one, two or three fights away—I want him.”

Trout goes six on the heavy bag

A six-round junior middleweight bout between Las Cruces’ Austin Trout (10-0, 8 KOs) and Austin’s Abdias Castillo (10-21-1, 7 KOs) was less than a tune-up, something closer to a mismatch, for all the punishment absorbed by the Texas fighter.

For six rounds, Trout made Castillo a human punching bag. Castillo, who always comes to fight, was clearly outmatched by the former U.S. National amateur champ and Olympic alternate.

While he was able to land a punch every so often—countered by Trout shaking his head as if to say, “That all you got?”—Castillo’s greatest asset (or drawback) was his ability to absorb punishment.

Las Cruces jr. middle Austin “No Doubt” Trout (10-0, 8 KOs) punished Abdias Castillo (10-21-1, 7 KOs), of  Austin, TX, through six rounds for a unanimous verdict of 60-54 x 3.

Vialpando outpoints

In a four-rounder, Santa Fe super bantamweight Anthony Vialpando (2-0) outhustled blown-up flyweight Richard Flores (1-5), of Houston.

Flores was clearly outsized, but not in heart. He stood toe-to-toe with Vialpando for much of the fight, landing clean overhand rights and uppercuts that, due to his diminutive size, did not have much impact.

Vialpando, meanwhile, threw more, landed more and worked his way through each round for the unanimous win scores of 40-36 twice and 40-37.

Acosta accosted by McGee

In a four-round super bantamweight bout, Albuquerque’s Marcos Acosta (2-0) was lucky—very lucky—to walk away with a win against the awkward sprint artist Anthony McGee (1-2), of McKinney Texas.

The first two rounds had McGee running and Acosta chasing. Although the aggressor, Acosta was unable to cut the ring off and spent the time in hot pursuit, his punches cutting a path through the air.

Meanwhile, McGee, on the run, managed to occasionally peck at his pursuer, scoring pesky points, but points, nevertheless.

In the third, Acosta finally closed the dizzying gap and, with a solid right hand, floored McGee. McGee was hurt, but survived the round.

Shocking Acosta, and the crowd, McGee stopped not only stopped running in the final frame, but stood his ground and battered Acosta with big straight lefts. More than once, Acosta draped himself over McGee to survive the round.

Somehow, the scorecards told a different tale, for all three judges, all from New Mexico, gave the fight to Acosta: 39-36 twice and, remarkably, 40-37 (Judge/Ref Tony Rosales’ second massive error of the night.)

NMB/FN gave Acosta the third but McGee the rest, scoring it 38-37.

Garcia has easy time of it

In the opening bout of the night, four rounds at feather, Miguel Angel Garcia (8-0, 6 KOs), of Ventura, CA TKO’d Carlos Zambrano (8-16-1, 1 KO), of Kimball, NE, at 2:45 of round two.

Round one was a sparring session for Garcia, who clearly outsized and outclassed the game-but-diminutive Zambrano, who came forward continually, but was fed a steady of diet of jabs. In the second, it was more of the same—times ten—until Garcia was driving Zambrano back with a variety of shots. When Zambrano, face halfway through the proverbial meat-grinder, stumbled, referee Tony Zaino stopped the bout.

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