No Roman Holiday
Genaro Garcia spoils homecoming for ‘Mickey’ Roman in Juarez

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

This close to Christmas, miracles can, and do, happen.

Last night at the Poliforo Juan Gabriel in Juarez, Mexico, no less than three miracles occurred.

The fights started on time, maybe, for the first time ever.

The fights ended at a decent hour—two hours before the usual 3 a.m.

And the judges got it right.

From the appearances of last night’s card—which staged the return of, both, promoter Promociones del Pueblo and fighter Miguel “Mickey Mouse” Roman—it looks like a change for the better has been made in Juarez.

It’s been just over one year since former world champ Cesar Soto was robbed of a rightful victory over Roman.  Since then, promoter Oswaldo Kuchle has taken, both, his business and top Juarez fighter, Roman, to Chihuahua.

Now, it looks like they’ve returned—in a positive way.

In the main event of last night’s show, contender and world title challenger Genaro “Poblanito” Garcia, of Puebla, Mexico, might’ve been the butt of a few old ring tricks, but, at the end of 12 thrilling rounds, he left the ring the rightful victor over house fighter Roman.

There was no booing. No downpour of beer, or other unidentifiable liquids. No bombardment of cups and ice cubes and balled-up fight programs.

There was no controversy, at all.

Just a great fight—one of the best seen in years.

Questions were answered, too, concerning Roman who, although surviving near-annihilation in the first round and losing a decision to Garcia, certainly showed his home crowd what he was made of.

Mickey may have the name of a mouse, but his heart is that of a lion.

The disappointing, barely-more-than-half-capacity of the Poliforo should expect to swell once again throughout the border city when word spreads that, despite a loss, Mickey is back.

Roman’s homecoming was no parade, thanks to the rain of fists pouring down from Garcia in round one.

The first punch thrown by Garcia—a left hook—staggered a bone dry Roman before ten seconds had elapsed. Over the next minute, the veteran contender battered a shell-shocked Roman from corner to corner. Trying to tie up and survive worked for a time, but sometime early in the second minute, Roman went down.

Roman was dazed—but not dazed enough to get up at eight, nor to forget to spit out his mouthpiece as Referee Rene Terrazas reached “Ten!” The mouthpiece maneuver, and the subsequent “discussion” between ref and fighter bought Roman another desperately-needed 15-20 seconds. Then, for another minute or so, Roman ran, held, covered up, prayed and waited for the sound of deliverance.

When the second round bell rang, Roman, not quite ready for Garcia yet, was given another hometown postponement when Ref Terrazas called time so that Mickey’s shoe could be tied.

The fight resumed and, by now, Roman’s head was clear of cobwebs. Still, Garcia dominated, Mickey on his bike, giving away this round and the next, in order to ensure a fight, hopefully, in the fourth frame. Double left hooks and punishing right hands from Garcia had Roman in deep, deep water, though, by the end of the second and through parts of the third, he was beginning to flurry back.

With three rounds and a knockdown in the hole, Roman might’ve just given up, but he  came out for the fourth determined to show his hometown that he could mix with a contender. After landing a hard left-hand counter to open up the fourth, Roman went to work, winning his first round by bombing Garcia with body shots and hooks to the head.

Knowing he was now in a fight, Garcia came back even stronger in the next few rounds, establishing a hard and frequent jab. He punished the hometown kid by putting on a clinic, showing angles, outlanding shots four-to-one and boxing circles around Roman, who, by the end of round seven, looked exhausted.

Still, Roman did not quit and, in the eighth he made a close round by forcing Garcia to fight at close quarters. The phone both fistfest continued in the center of the ring in round nine when the two traded hook for hook.

Switching southpaw with slightly more effectiveness, Roman found his second wind in the tenth, and landed several sweat-spraying hooks to Garcia’s face. Added pressure won Roman the round but, in the eleventh, Garcia upped his own aggression and matched Roman shot for shot.

In the final round, Garcia pulled ahead again, showing superior ring savvy over the still-developing Roman. Fighting with desperation, Roman threw everything he had at Garcia—but it still wasn’t enough, neither, for the round, nor for the fight.

At the end of 12, before a nervous crowd ready to let loose their beer and boos and garbage into the ring should they be treated with yet-another-bad-decision, Garcia was announced as winner by unanimous decision, to everyone but Roman’s relief.

Scores ranged from a credible to 116-111 twice, to an imbalanced 120-108.

Fightnews.com/NewMexicoBoxing.com (FN/NMB) had Garcia winning, 116-111.

“I’m glad they had the decency not to hometown me,” said Garcia, rising to 36-6, 20 KOs.

“I’m going back to Puebla with a belt.”

At stake was the vacant (and mysterious) WBC Fecombox super bantamweight title—some small consolation for Garcia, who fought for the vacant IBF world bantamweight title in July.

“My experience and talent won me the fight,” said Garcia. “But Roman was a very valiant and brave warrior.”

Though dropping his second pro bout, the stock of Roman, now 23-2, 16 KOs, at least in Juarez, should rise.

The return of Zorro

In the co-main event, a 12-round bout for the vacant WBC Fecarbox lightweight title, Juarez’s No. 1 knockout artist, Javier “Zorro” Castro found his mark on shopworn opponent Jorge Luis “Diablo” Lopez, of Mexico City in the seventh round.

What the WBC is doing, approving a fighter with a 12-22 record and two straight losses, to fight for one of their pretty green belts is a question that, no doubt, answers itself when you look at the sheer volume of available titles offered by the many vending-machine organizations.

Belt or no belt, Castro’s belting power was evident from the opening round—as was Lopez’s power to prolong the punishment. What kept Lopez’s feet under him was a mystery.

Big left hooks to the body punished Lopez in the first. Untold left-and-right barrages battered the older veteran in the second, sometimes staggering him backwards.

Still, he stood.

Still, Castro went at him.

Lopez was smart enough to smother Castro in the third and fourth, gluing himself to the Juarez fighter’s body. Castro answered by less-effective chops thrown close quarter. Befuddled, Castro tried to create distance, landing enough big rights to occasionally stagger Lopez while opening up a cut over the veteran’s right eye in the fourth.

As the blood began to flow, Castro’s punishment continued through the fifth and sixth until, in the seventh, Lopez spent the first ten seconds on his stool where he was counted out by Referee Rene Tarrazas at :10.

“Oh, my God, what a chin,” said Castro. “I hit him with everything—my hands actually hurt. I finally wore him down. My heart and my heavy hands kept me in this fight.

“I’m glad to be a champ.”

With the win, and belt, Castro rises to 14-1, 12 KOs while Lopez falls to 12-23, 10 KOs.

'Comelonches' fed punches by 'Dorado'

What many thought could be fight of the night, wasn’t.

Always game, always charismatic Miguel “Comelonches” Zamarippa (3-2-2, 1 KO), slimmed down to 158, became a welcome mat for Chihuahuan prospect Marco “Dorado” Reyes (4-0, 4 KOs), who made a strong impression in his debut Juarez showing.

Ironically, Zamarippa, down from light-heavy where he fought Arturo Rivera to two draws, was up against his biggest opponent yet in Reyes. The size—and power—differential proved too much.

Zamarippa was forced into turtle mode for the first three rounds, with Reyes coming straight at him, punching with authority. While much was blocked, double left hooks to Zamarippa’s body showed their effects in the third though, at the end of the round, ‘Comelonches’ started to counter back, to his fans’ relief.

Zamarippa started to move forward, throwing more often but unable to land anything to dissuade Reyes. In the last minute of the fourth, Zamarippa forced the fight for the first time, but, one round later, he was back to covering up for the majority of the time.

In the sixth, Reyes continued to rain down rights from the outside while Zamarippa covered up—until an inside right uppercut broke the guard and flattened the Juarez scrapper.

Zamarippa looked dazed until, at the sound of the referee’s “Nine!”, he scurried to his feet, only to have the referee, after assessing a red light condition for Zamarippa, wave off the contest at 2:20.

“I have all the respect for Zamarippa,” said Reyes.

“He hurt with me with his right hand and had me bleeding inside in my lip. I kept up the pace and was surprised when he popped up from the canvas, though not in time.”

'Vibora' bites 'Ciclon'

In the highest-action undercard bout, an eight-rounder between Juarez junior middleweights, Bladimir “Vibora” Hernandez (11-0, 10 KOs) knocked out Jorge “Ciclon” Reyna (4-5, 1 KO) in the seventh—but not without a fight.

With all the advantages, ranging from power to size, Hernandez dominated early, landing four or five-to-one against Reyna who took several shots trying to figure out a way past Vibora’s guard. By the third, Reyna, punished time and again by big, hard rights, battled his way into the pocket, winning cheers of the crowd.

Jabbing and double-hooking by Hernandez, however, had Reyna bleeding from the nose and from a cut, by the end of the fourth. The end was near.

No one told ‘Ciclon’ Reyna, however, and from the fifth on, he came out like a whirlwind, nearly turning the fight around until the fateful seventh.

The blood-and-guts Juarez pug took the fight to Hernandez, driving the bigger man back in the fifth. Sneaky counters and sheer aggression from Reyna won him the sixth.

Then, in the seventh, spurred on by his corner, and trainer Felipe de la Torre, Hernandez dropped Reyna with a lead right. On al fours, Reyna was counted out at 2:10.

“I trained very hard for this,” said Hernandez, still undefeated. “He is very tough but he never hurt me. I finally got to him.

“I don’t know what my promoter has for me, but I hope, big things.”

Zaleta beats up old man

In an eight-round super flyweight bout, Chihuahua’s Victor Zaleta (4-0, 3 KOs), coming off an extraordinary win over contender Eric Ortiz in September, beat up someone who looked like his grandpa, scoring a second round TKO.

Opponent Jose A. Gonzalez, of Durango, Mexico, was announced as 13-6, 9 KOs—but it's really a shocking 1-29 (Viva, Mexico!).

Despite his age, however, Gonzalez must’ve taken his Geritol, for he came out aggressive against the stylish Zaleta, giving him more trouble than the rated Ortiz did back in Chihuahua. But Zaleta, showing composure and skill eons beyond his minute record, merely weathered abuelo’s storm, then hooked off a jab and, following up with a right cross, floored Gonzales at the end of the round. A dazed Gonzales was up and reaching for the ropes for support when the bell rang.

Zaleta powered his way inside in the second, bombing away at Gonzales who dropped and flopped to the canvas where he was counted out at 1:30.

“I was fighting on pure emotion,” said Zaleta, considered by many to be the No. 1 prospect in Chihuahua. “I had butterflies in my stomach, fighting in Juarez for the first time.

“My career is going to move fast—I only want to fight the best.”

Ibarra finishes Murillo

In an eight-round rematch between local featherweights, Oscar “Ceviche” Ibarra (13-1, 6 KOs) dominated game-but-shopworn Arturo “Sombra” Murillo (4-9-1, 2 KOs).

Though always game, it could be that Murillo is now past his prime in his chosen profession as an opponent. But losing nine straight bouts can do that to you.

Against Ibarra, Murillo did not have a prayer.

The taller, younger, faster and just-plain-better Ibarra jabbed away at Murillo, then threw in left hooks to win the first. In the second, outboxed Murillo in the pocket, outboxing and outbanging ‘Sombra,’ then, with ten seconds to go, floored Murillo for a four-count.

Murillo showed the most gusto in round three, and with Ibarra obliging his foe with a slugfest, the action went back and forth, spilling over five seconds past the bell.

Reyna still undefeated

In the first six-rounder on the card, Juarez featherweight Angel “Acertijo” Reyna (7-0-1, 4 KOs) remained undefeated with yet another win over an unskilled fighter.

This time, the one geared to lose was Erick Malagon (1-1).

Reyna, showing marginal improvement in his Juarez exile in Chihuahua, drove the much shorter Malagon back through the first round, then landed at will in the second until, at 2:40, the ref stopped the contest.

Chavira barely wins in debut

In the only distance fight on the undercard, pro debuting lightweight Juan Carlos “Cuervo” Chavira (1-0) came close to a bad start with a split decision win over Juarez veteran Ernesto “Chatito” Rivera (17-18-1, 10 KOs).

Round one was a free-swinging affair, with Chavira getting the better of it with Rivera, eyes closed, swinging wide on the inside. A right hand hurt Rivera in the second, but the game foe stepped it up in the final 30 seconds, possibly stealing the round.

In the third, with both fighters swinging wide, neither showing much skill, the momentum shifted slightly to Rivera but in the final round, Chavira countered well against Rivera’s inside body attacks.

At the end of four, two judges had it for Chavira, 39-37, while the third had the same score, but for Rivera, who appeared perplexed when the scores were announced.

Pineda breezes through Barraza

In the opening bout of the night, welter Filemon Pineda (1-0, 1 KO) breezed through his pro debut with a first round TKO of Edgar Barraza (0-1).

It’s never a good sign when a cornerman appears to be instructing their fighter on how to throw a combination, just minutes before the first bell rings. Whatever Barraza retained from his Dummy’s Guide lesson to the squared circle did not take him very far against Pineda—who did not show too much more pedigree than his overmatched foe.

Barraza showed his heart, but was a sitting duck for Pineda, who floored his foe early with mechanical left hooks, then finished him with awkward rights just before the end of the round.

Official time of the stoppage was 2:56.

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