Gomez re-retires Herrera at Sky Ute’s return to boxing
McCarter, Cruz eke out wins over Oliva, Percival

Ringside report by Chris Cozzone

It was a card of happy returns—for famished Four Corners fight fans, anyway, who’ve had to wait nearly a year for the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colo. to resume their boxing program.

The casino’s return to the squared circle, in turn, heralded the returns of two local favorites.

While boxing has been away at Sky Ute a year, it’s been twice that long since local favorite Joe Gomez, of Bloomfield, NM, has fought before a hometown crowd—and three times that length of time since Farmington’s Victor Barela been in the ring, at all.

Last night, both locals returned with impressive wins, on a card that also showcased top-level female fighting, with two world champions, their belts at home, having to dig deep in order to eke out wins.

While the card was far from disappointing, the conclusion of the evening’s action wasn’t exactly a page ripped out of a Rocky movie.

Ending a four-year layoff, grizzled El Paso veteran Rene Herrera was brought in to give the young Joe Gomez a test, in their scheduled eight-rounder at 152 pounds.

For four rounds, Herrera did just that—but then disappointed the fans when he suddenly quit on his stool seconds into the break between rounds four and five.

Gomez won the first by virtue of his jab, while Herrera took his time, in between short bursts of aggression. The weathered southpaw upped his attacks in the second, and was on his way to edging Gomez for the round when the local favorite found a home for his straight right in the last 30 seconds, tilting the balance in his favor.

It was Gomez’s game in the third, controlling the space with jabs and rights and keeping Herrera at bay. But in the fourth, the El Pasoan put the pressure on Gomez, keeping him off-track by plowing him into the ropes with straight lefts and right hooks.

Just when the fight looked like it was heating up, however, no sooner had Herrera sat down on his stool than he threw in the towel, claiming the cut on his right eyebrow prevented him from continuing.

“I couldn’t see and the blood was getting in my eye,” said the veteran, now 26-17, 19 KOs, though nobody had even noticed the cut until he pointed it out.

Herrera’s corner threw in the excuse of not getting enough sparring for this fight, which prevented their fighter from performing at 100 percent.

“I was very surprised when the fight was stopped,” said Gomez, climbing to 11-1, 5 KOs, with the TKO win.

“But it was a good experience for me. Fighting guys with this kind of experience is what I need.”

Gomez says he’d like to clean up the welterweight division at home before moving up to the next level—which, he says, would mean fighting Joaquin Zamora, Hector Munoz and Ray Sanchez III, all from New Mexico.

“They’re all great guys and great fighters,” says Gomez, “but I think it’s important to prove yourself the best at home before moving up.

“To be the best, you have to beat the best.”

McCarter squeaks by Oliva

In the eight-round co-main event, at 132 pounds, WBA lightweight champ Layla McCarter, eclipsing her opponent, Dominga Oliva, with experience—42 bouts to five—barely edged out a win over the New York slugger.

Oliva, with just one weapon in her arsenal, a Ricardo Mayorga-style overhand right, took the fight to the ringwise McCarter, missing as often as connecting, but winning rounds by sheer aggression and determination. Meanwhile, McCarter, not quite as active as usual, waited too long, pocketing her ring savvy and multi-dimensionality to allow Oliva too many opportunities to land her single weapon.

It was McCarter’s ring generalship that won her the first, but, after a minute-and-a-half of jabbing one another, Oliva took the second by brute force, via her big right.

In the third, Oliva’s sloppy rights struck pockets of wind resistance or went wide, exploding on McCarter’s back. McCarter showed total control, but obliged Oliva to slug it out in the fourth, weighing her pinpoint-accurate punches against Oliva’s bombs in a close round.

The fifth was Oliva’s first decisive round while McCarter took the round off. The New Yorker mixed up her rights upstairs with an occasional body attack.

The sixth was another close round, McCarter making Oliva miss—but those that did land, landed hard. It was more of the same in the seventh, but with McCarter doing even less against Oliva’s attacks.

In the final stanza, McCarter picked up the pace and took back control of the fight—but, at least on one card, it wasn’t enough for a win.

Judges were mixed, 76-76 even and 78-75, 77-75, giving McCarter the win by majority decision.

NewMexicoBoxing.com/Fightnews (NMB/FN) scored it four rounds apiece, 76-76, a draw.

McCarter, fighting for the fifth time already this year, improves her record to 25-13-5, 5 KOs; Oliva falls to 4-2.

A rematch is in the works for Las Vegas, Nev.

Cruz control, barely

In a seven-rounder at bantam, a rematch from a 2005 fight, IFBA bantam champion Terri Cruz, of Denver, had to dig deep in the final stanza to pull off a second win against Heather Percival, of Fontana, Calif.

Back and forth went the fight—with Cruz and Percival nearly alternating rounds until the final tie-breaking seventh.

Percival’s long jab scored her the first, though Cruz made the round close with harder-but-fewer shots. The Denver champ outworked Percival’s effective jab in the second, however, with big right hands.

Percival won the third with increased aggression, with both fighters starting to land big lefts. In the fourth, Cruz took momentum back, pressuring Percival, who sought a measured distance.

It was back to Percival in the fifth frame, with Cruz getting hit coming in, but one round later, Cruz won her best round by pounding Percival to the body and staying on top of her.

After six, this writer had it even, three rounds apiece, making the final seventh stanza deciding the outcome. Cruz proved hungrier and finished stronger, outworking and outlanding Percival in the seventh, tilting the scorecards in her favor.

The judges ranged from 67-66 for Cruz to 68-65 for Percival, back to 67-66 for Cruz, giving her the win by split verdict.

NMB/FN had it 67-66 for Cruz, who moves to 16-4-2, 7 KOs.

Though losing the bout, Percival showed Sky Ute fans that she’s come a long way from her first fight with Cruz, in which she lost a ten-round unanimous decision.

Barela returns with a jab

The most interesting bout of the night, five rounds at 124, matched up Las Vegas veteran Manuel Saravia (15-19-7, 10 KOs) with Farmington’s Victor Barela (8-0-1, 2 KOs), who, after nearly three years, scored a successful comeback.

Exhibiting a never-seen-before lightning jab, Barela came out fast and furious in the opening round. Sarabia bided his time, weathering the jab and big rights up and downstairs.

Round two was a slugfest, Sarabia showing he was not here to supply a comeback win by landing several big uppercuts and rights on Barela. Despite the clean shots, however, Barela edged the round with a relentless body attack on the taller Sarabia.

Round three looked like it was headed Sarabia’s way—until he lost a point due to a low blow. Big bunches to the torso had a visible effect on a slowing-down Barela, until one strayed an inch too low and Barela was down on knees, clutching his ‘nads. Referee Stephen Blea zapped a point off Sarabia and when the fight resumed, Barela was all over Sarabia.

If the point off Sarabia was a bit harsh, then what happened in the fourth, further doomed a points-win an impossibility for the out-of-towner.

Sarabia had his best round yet, and was well on his way to winning the round, appearing to hurt Barela with a barrage of body shots and clean right hands to the head. Then a stray shot landed south, again . . . and as Barela bent over in pain, Sarabia took advantage of an opportunity and slammed his foe to the temple, putting Barela on his knees.

Referee Blea stepped in again and instantly zapped Sarabia another deduction, though it was unclear why he was doing so because of a low blow, or because he’d hit Barela when he was not-quite-down-but-bentover.

Ref Blea further mystified the crowd by initiating the ten-count on Barela, who barely made it up at nine before being sent to the neutral corner.

When the fight resumed, Barela, still hurt, weathered the 10 or seconds remaining.

In the fifth, Sarabia went right back to banging Barela to the body. Once again, he appeared to be winning the round when, after two, maybe three, warnings by Ref Blea, to keep those body shots up, yet another south-of-the-beltline landed—this time, at :33, the fight was halted and a win-by-DQ awarded to Barela.

“I felt a little rust, but felt good,” said Barela.

“But those low blows didn’t feel so good. He buzzed me a few times with his punches, and had power. But I felt I was ahead.”

Barela’s corner, Danny Martinez and Jose Herrera, said they’d been working hard on Barela’s stamina and jab—both visibly improved in his comeback.

“I want two more fights, then a top-30 guy,” said Barela.

“I’ve had bad luck the last couple years, but I’m back. I want to prove I’m the best super bantamweight in New Mexico.”

Possible match-ups, said Barela, include David Martinez, of Albuquerque, and Cuauhtemoc Vargas, a Mexico City fighter well known in New Mexico.

Midget welter fails in debut

Though it pitted a 145-pounder against a 147-pounder, the four-rounder between debuter Silvanus Morris (0-1), of Blanding, Utah, and Rodrigo Aguiar (2-0, 1 KO), of Las Vegas, looked like a bantamweight against a welter.

Cursed by what has to be dense bones, Morris, with the frame of a bantam, had a rough going with the much bigger, much stronger Aguiar.

Not in round one, however, for Morris proved to be a crowd pleasing banger when he took the opening round by planting his head to Aguiar’s chest and banging non-stop to his body for three straight minutes.

Then, it was over. Morris, suddenly tired, was punished pillar to post by Aguiar, who bloodied Morris’ nose and blasted him with big rights and hooks.

The punishment continued in the third—too much punishment for ref Paul Blea, who, at 2:40, stopped the contest after seeing the diminutive Morris take too much damage.

Amateur fights

A nine-bout amateur card, preceding the pro show, was whittled down to five, with as many intermissions as bouts.

Results: At 106 lbs., Essiel Carrasco of Martinez decisioned Cristian Rodriguez of Impact; Eder Vazquez of Impact decisioned Leonard Martinez of 11th Street; Telu Hogue of Badoni’s decisioned Shamahi Carrasco of Martinez; David Cox of Impact decisioned, in four rounds, Steve Victor of Martinez; and Adam Gentzler of Impact scored a second round RSC over Grant John of Nataanii Nez Club.

Etcetera

The Sky Ute Casino is rebuilding their casino with plans for a 2008 grand opening. The new grounds will include a 2,000-seat event center.

Missing his first at Sky Ute card in some years, official Stan Gallup was forced to stay at home due to health problems. Gallup’s absence was noted by the ring announcer, and get-well wishes sent out.

August 18th has been penciled in for the next Sky Ute card.

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