No quarter on the Border with sweltering welters
Rosales beats Venegas, wants Soto-Karass . . . . Soto-Karass crushes Ojeda, wants big name

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

If there was one thing hotter than the temperature in El Paso, Texas, last night, it was the action in the ring at the County Coliseum, just a stone’s throw from the border.

On a card promoted by Top Rank and celebrating the fifth anniversary of Telefutura’s weekly “Solo Boxeo” show,  four welters did not disappoint, fighting a blistering pace under the not-so-bright lights. What was disappointing, however, was that the advertised “$5 Fight Night” could only interest an estimated 3,000 locals who chose to take advantage of a night at the fights for less money than it takes to purchase a foo-foo Frappuccino drink at Starbucks.

In the headlined bouts, two welters—Gilbert “Gordo” Venegas and Michele Rosales—were fighting for a chance to rematch headliner Jesus Soto-Karass, but the Los Mochis hopeful, after scoring a striking three-round  over Jose Antonio Ojeda, of Santa Maria, Cal., is now setting his sights on bigger name obstacles as he works his way toward a world title shot.

Last night, Ojeda was the obstacle—and a short-lived one, at that.

The lanky Soto-Karass established his jab early, and was on his way to winning the initial round when Ojeda, incensed over a low blow by Soto-Karass, fought back in the final minute. Ojeda picked up the pace in the second, but his one-punch bombs could not stop the forward aggression and continual barrages by Soto-Karass.

In the third, Soto-Karass threw a short right lead and left hook that dropped Ojeda on his bottom in the center of the ring. Ojeda barely beat the count and when the fight resumed, Soto-Karass poured on the punishment. Ojeda attempted to rally, but the Los Mochis welter threw more than enough to prompt Referee Rocky Burke to stop the one-sided slaughter at 1:30.

“It was a left hook I didn’t see in that last round,” said Ojeda, dropping to 14-6-3, 8 KOs.

“It just did it. He’s powerful. And busy. I’m ok with the stoppage.”

Defending his WBC Continental Americas 147-pound belt, Soto-Karass ups his record to 17-3-3, 13 KOs.

A hoped-for rematch with Venegas—from a thrilling 12-round draw many deem the best Telefutura fight yet this year—now appears out of the question, as does a rematch with Rosales, who beat Venegas in the co-main.

“”Why would I fight Rosales?” Soto-Karass said after his fight. “I don’t need him. I already defeated him.

“I want a world title. I’m on my path.”

Rosales too busy for Venegas

The co-main event was a battle between former opponents of headliner Soto-Karass—Gilberto “Gordo” Venegas, of East Moline, Ill., who drew with Soto Karass earlier in the year, and Michelle Rosales, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, whose sole loss was to Soto-Karass last year in Cicero, Ill.

The winner, at least, hoped for a rematch.

Venegas-Rosales was a crowd-pleaser from the start.

In the first, Rosales went on the offensive with Venegas, counterpunching effectively, stealing the round in the final minute.

In round two, however, the momentum of the fight swung back toward Rosales—and stayed there for the next four rounds. Giving up his height and reach, Rosales gave Venegas every option to duke it out close quarters, and he pursued ‘Gordo’ around the ring, throwing punches and impressing the crowd with his ability to dish out the punishment, while Venegas impressed everyone with his ability to soak it up. Venegas, however, fought back in spots, with hard shots that kept him alive in the fight.

After several rounds of watching Rosales come off first, and Venegas, not at all, the Moline-based pit-bull unleashed his aggression in the sixth after what-was-called-a-low-blow put Rosales down. Invigorated, Venegas started to turn things around and, through the seventh, the two went back-and-forth, taking turns leading.

In the final round, the two went mano-a-mano and, after Rosales resumed command of the bout, Venegas came on strong in the final minute—but not enough to steal back the fight.

Scorecards read 77-75 (Rocky Burke), 78-74 (Jerry Wright) and a questionable 76-76 (Raul Valencia), giving Rosales the win by majority decision.

Fightnews/NewMexicoBoxing.com scored it 77-75, Rosales.

Venegas, most likely losing an opportunity for another shot at Soto-Karass, srops to 10-5-3, 7 KOs, but, once again, proves himself a crowd-pleaser.

“I’m glad the fight went the distance,” said Rosales, now 17-1, 15 KOs. “I knew my opponent was gonna be strong, but I won convincingly.

“I’m looking to be more forceful in the welterweight. I want Soto Karass—next.”

Curtain-raiser

In the non-televised curtain raiser of the night, jr. welter Raul Tovar (3-0, 1 KO) outpointed Juarez’s Orlando Soto (7-17-2, 1 KO) for a shutout unanimous decision, in a four-rounder.

Soto, optimally a featherweight, and the brother of former champ Cesar Soto, was as pudgy as Tovar was quick. The fight went the distance, with Soto on the receiving end of Tovar’s longer-reaching, faster punches.

In the fourth, Tovar tried for a kayo, but Soto was crafty enough to weather the storm.

All three scorecards read 40-36.

Vasquez vanquished in rematch by Escamilla

Making air-time was a four-round super bantamweight rematch between Las Cruces’ Ricky Vasquez (2-1-1, 1 KO) and Gino Escamilla (3-0-1, 1 KO), of Laredo, Texas.

Last month, the two had fought a draw in Albuquerque, New Mexico—this time it was far from close.

Beating Escamilla to the punch, landing straight shots to the Texan’s wide throws, Vasquez might’ve edged the first round, but he could do little to staunch the relentless attacks of his shorter foe in the remaining three rounds.

In the second, Vasquez went down for the first time in his career, when a delayed-reaction left hook to the body had him sinking to the canvas. The Las Crucen looked over to his corner and slowly stood at seven. Showing a big heart, he weathered Escamilla’s attempts to finish him off until, after getting his legs back, traded blow for blow at the end of the round.

Vasquez continued to show plenty of heart in the third and fourth, but his Swiss cheese defense had him on the receiving end of Escamilla’s whirlwind attacks. The cleaner punches, harder shots and effective aggression all went to Escamilla—as did the fight.

Two judges scored it 39-36 while the third saw a clean sweep of 40-35, all for Escamilla.

Agreeing with the scorecards, Vasquez had nothing but respect for his opponent. “It was the first time in 150 fights I was ever put on my ass,” he said, shaking his head in dismay and wonder.

“I worked on my lateral movement and that helped me get close to him,” said Escamilla. “I’m very happy with the win.”

“The judges got it right this time,” said Arturo Davalos, Escamilla’s trainer.

While the judges might’ve gotten it right, the Texas Athletic Commission dropped the ball when they assigned Rocky Burke the role of referee in this four-rounder. It was the talk at ringside, and was commented on by the Telefutura broadcast crew, live on the air, that Burke—who, to his credit, has always been a fair, stand-up official—is the brother to one of Vasquez’s trainers, Louie Burke, who was in his fighter’s corner.

Half-dozen rounds of ham-and-eggs

A sixer between two ham-and-eggers pitted Texan Carlos De La Cruz (10-9, 10 KOs), earning his ham-and-eggs rep by virtue of his record, against local Juarez battler Bernardo Guereca (15-7-1, 3 KOs), who, chunky at 153, just might’ve eaten too many ham and eggs.

It was Guereca’s fight all the way . . . but for the first round, that is.

In the opening round, Guereca was floored with a left hook and right to the head. Shaking his head, Guereca got back up, weathered the 10-8 round, and woke up in the next round.

With each round, Guereca stepped up the pace, winning each round in a more impressive fashion despite an apparent lack of conditioning—just as De La Cruz faded with each ensuing round. Outclassing De La Cruz, Guereca bombed the taller man with borderline body shots and overhand rights. He was most impressive in the last 30 seconds, however, when a non-stop flurry agasint the ropes had De La Cruz on the brink of a knockout.

Scores favored Guereca, 58-55 twice and 58-54.

Not much of a fight for Juarez

In the walkout bout, Fort Worth’s Vanessa Juarez (7-0, 2 KOs) made very short work of overmatched Selena Jordan (2-2, 1 KO), stopping the unskilled Denverite in the first round of a scheduled super bantamweight sixer.

Sometimes, an opponent’s trunks are a telltale sign of how long the fight will last. By the many wrinkles of Jordan’s Walmart-brand trunks, these writers estimated a fight clocked at 1:30, tops.

We were wrong, of course, for Referee Robert Velez stopped the “contest” at :42.

Rather than describe the very few motions of the fight, a quote from Ref Velez is more appropriate here:

“That woman had no business in the ring.”

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