Junior Juggernaut!
Chavez, Jr. chops down III in VI; Arce, Alvarado pick up quick wins; Calderon outpoints Esquer in WBO title defense

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

Continuing to carve out his own legacy, while proving himself a chip off the ol’ block, son of Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., last night, showed, both, the deafening crowd of 6,077 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M. and an international pay-per-view audience, what he was made of, by stopping Albuquerque native Ray Sanchez III in six rounds.

The arena was proving ground for both fighters. Neither Chavez nor Sanchez, both signed with promoter Top Rank, had ever faced a sterner test.

But after five back-and-forth brawling rounds, that had Sanchez far ahead on two of the three scorecards, Chavez’s patience and pressure won out when, trapping Sanchez against the ropes, he let loose with a barrage that sent the hometown hopeful to his knees for the count.

Both fighters tried to establish a rhythm in round one, Chavez slowly moving forward with Sanchez showing no fear by taking the fight to the legend’s son while maintaining range with an outside attack. Solid left crosses by the hard-hitting, local southpaw, while sealing the round for Sanchez, also answered any questions about Chavez’s chin.

Slapping at the much larger Chavez with jabs, and measuring his usually-deadly left, all from the outside, Sanchez won almost all of round two—until, with just ten seconds left, Chavez cracked Sanchez with an uppercut, then drove his foe into the ropes where his knees buckled. When the bell rang, Sanchez shuffled the remaining feet to his corner, appearing dazed and with his nose bleeding.

No one expected too much out of Sanchez when the third bell rang, but the local kid not only rose to the occasion, having shaken out some of the cobwebs, but took the fight to Chavez in a way none of Junior’s previous 33 opponents had been able to do.

Sanchez continued to outbox Chavez, keeping away from the ropes where left hooks to the body reddened his ribs. With mounting pressure and increasing aggression, Chavez stalked his prey, but Sanchez continued to throw leather, refusing to back off. In yet another round seen by Sanchez’s greater output, Chavez made it close by landing just the right shots. This time, a right hand had Sanchez in trouble in the last minute. But just when it appeared as if Chavez would close the show, Sanchez showed a mighty heart, flurrying with jabs and desperate lefts to pick up another tenuous round.

With blood flowing from mouth and nose, Sanchez showed his resolve in the fourth, dipping within Chavez’s range and engaging the Mexican with punches that, still outnumbering Chavez, now lacked the steam of earlier rounds. Chavez, meanwhile, methodically pressured, throwing left hooks and breaking down his opponent.

It was much of the same in the fifth, though Sanchez, still throwing more, became increasingly tired as the calm, composed Chavez stalked him, ringpost to ringpost. Driving Sanchez back and trapping him against the ropes, Chavez’s methodical and unceasing strategy to break down his foe was finally paying off.

Finally, in the sixth, Chavez dropped his hands to lure Sanchez in, then let loose with his best attack yet, trapping Sanchez against the ropes. A barrage of lefts and rights had Sanchez slumping toward the canvas in a series of stages, until, on all fours, he was counted out at 1:33.

The scorecards prior to round six read: 49-46 Sanchez (Margaret Garcia/Albuquerque); 49-46 Sanchez (Bill Gant/Albuquerque); and 48-47 Chavez (Chuck Giampa/Las Vegas, Nev.)

Both Cozzone and Trujillo of Fightnews & NewMexicoBoxing (NMB/FN) had Sanchez ahead 48-47.

“I knew it would take more than one punch,” said Chavez, still undefeated at 34-0-1, 27 KOs.

“But you can see the combos finally put him down. He hits very hard and will continue in his career.”

Chavez, No. 8 in the WBC’s welterweight division, said he feels a title shot looms near.

“I think I’m almost ready for a title fight,” said Chavez. “Maybe two or three more meaningful fights. I’m ranked so, God willing, it will happen soon.”

Bob Arum, Chavez’s promoter, however, says, “Realistically, it will probably be 2009.

“He answered a lot of questions tonight,” said Arum. “He showed he can take a punch. He threw a variety of punches and his composure was great.”

Despite the loss suffered by Sanchez, who falls to 20-2, 15 KOs, both the young fighter and his hometown will benefit in defeat.

“I’m bringing a show back to Albuquerque,” promised Arum. “You know the governor [Richardson] is one of my good friends. So, we’ll be back.”

Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels also confirmed a return to the Duke City—in addition to continued support of Sanchez.

“He showed a lot of heart and we’re going to keep him going in 2008,” said Samuels of Sanchez. “We’ll put him back in a big fight.”

Sanchez had few words in the ring following his loss, but later on, backstage, he had plenty to say to the press in his dressing room.

“I was four rounds away from a win,” said Sanchez. “But I lost my composure, and that wore me out. He hit me with a barrage of punches and the punches put me down.

“But I thought I was outboxing him and winning the fight. I thought I rocked him a few times, but he showed a true Mexican chin. He had better defense than I thought he’d have . . . I was never seriously hurt, nothing major. I’d love a rematch.”

Sanchez says there is no reason not to continue fighting.

“I think we both proved ourselves tonight. I think I proved it tonight that I have a chin and I have heart. We hushed a lot of critics.”

Though Chavez answered many questions on the bigger scale, locally, New Mexico fight fans, after several years of waiting for a significant fight, finally got to see what Sanchez was made of.

Sanchez might not have had the complete support of all 6,000 fans before he walked into the ring last night to meet Chavez, but after last night’s performance, knockout loss or not, very few of those who left the arena left without being a Sanchez fan.

Arce conquers former Pacquiao-conqueror Singsurat

In the co-main event of the four-fight PPV card, Mexican star and former champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce scored a much-needed impressive performance in his brief annihilation of former Manny Pacquiao-conqueror Medgoen Singsurat, of Thailand.

Arce’s trademark cowboy hat and lollipop had barely been removed, and the bell clanged, when the fight was over.

After a brief exchange against the ropes, Singsurat scoring one clean punch on the side of the head, Arce let loose with a side-splitting, left hook liver shot that deposited the Thailander on the canvas. Singsurat tried to rise at seven, but the gravitational pull was too great, and he slumped, once again, to the mat as the ref counted to ten.

The official times was :48.

“I knew I could connect with the left,” said Arce, now 48-4-1, 37 KOs. “We worked on it in the gym and it was a perfect shot.”

Arce, who weighed in at 116.5 to Singsurat’s 118, says he prefers bantamweight:

“I feel great at 118. I’m staying here for a while, then dropping down to 115 for one more fight.”

That fight at 115, says Arce, is slated for Feb. 18 at the MGM in Las Vegas against Martin Castillo.

“It should be a great fight,” promises Arce.

Calderon wins fight, loses fans, to Esquer

In the only world title fight on the card—a WBO mini-flyweight defense—Puerto Rico’s Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon put on an utterly masterful boxing performance over gutsy Juan Esquer, of Mexico.

However, while winning the fight on all three cards, Calderon lost the popularity contest with the 6,000 “MEX-I-CO! MEX-I-CO!”-cheering fans who, like Esquer, were in the mood for anything but the hit-and-run, fancy dancing, mosquito-biting tactics of Calderon.

Esquer poured on the pressure in round one—and didn’t stop until the bell for round 12 clanged.

Until Calderon found his perfect rhythm—sometime around the fourth frame—Esquer picked up an early lead by chasing down, swinging at and stalking the Puerto Rican, fleet-footed hobbit.

By the fourth, Calderon had Esquer’s number. Dipping, dodging, ducking, always moving, moving moving, “Iron Boy” popped away with pitter-patter punches while Esquer, swinging for the lights, missing more than making it, showed his frustration.

In the fifth round, Calderon decided to oblige the Mexican brawler to stand well within range. Unfortunately for Esquer, Calderon, parrying, blocking, slipping and dipping, made an even more frustrating target.

Calderon was back in the race in the sixth, forcing Esquer to lace up his track shoes and sprint. While Esquer occasionally landing something, “Iron Boy” showed an iron chin—though his fists, while continually landing clean, proved a much softer metal than iron.

The fight wore on, the rounds blending into one another, Esquer chasing, Calderon racing, Esquer swinging, Calderon pinging the Mexican with minute bombs.

With his superior movement and ring generalship—Calderon a true Napoleon of the hempen square-the champion continued his clinic through the eleventh round.

In the final stanza, Esquer, assisted by the crowd who rained down boos upon Calderon, had a few brief moments to connect, desperate now in his attack. Calderon, calm as ever, however, kept to plan and coasted his way to victory though, in the final few seconds, Calderon went down from what was probably a slip.

The scores ranged wildly, from a lop-sided 118-112 (B. Gant) to 116-112 (L. Martinez) to 115-113 (C. Giampa), all for Calderon.

NMB/FN writers ranged, as well: 116-112 (Cozzone) to 115-112 (Trujillo), also for Calderon.

Retaining his title and remaining undefeated, Calderon improves to 30-0, 6 KOs, while Esquer drops to 20-2-1, 15 KOs.

Alvarado scores TKO in PPV opener

What was supposed to be a step-up fight for undefeated Denverite Mike Alvarado, turned into a step-down fight for “Contender” Mike Clark, who, after injuring his right hand in the first round, had to back out of the fight.

After his first right hand, Clark was shaking his hand. While Alvarado pursued, landing cleanly in an eager pursuit. But then Clark backed away to the ropes and indicated to the referee that things were amiss with his hand.

Once the ringside doc check out the hand, the fight was called off at 1:27 and the TKO win was awarded to Alvarado, now 19-0, 13 KOs.

“I bent my wrist when I threw a right,” said Clark, now 36-5, 17 KOs.

“It hit the top of his head and it hurt very much.”

'Papitas' pounds Armenta

In the third and final undercard bout, bumped from four to six rounds at the last minute, Albuquerque featherweight Matthew “Papitas” Esquibel (7-0, 4 KOs) put a beating on veteran Martin Armenta (11-16-3, 7 KOs), of Los Mochis, Mexico, scoring a sixth-round TKO.

Despite Armenta’s superior experience, the younger, faster Esquibel outboxed his way to a first round win, popping Armenta with his jab and setting up the right. When the Mexican opened up in the last minute, Esquibel stood toe-to-toe and opened up a cut over Armenta’s eye.

Forward aggression by Esquibel had Armenta on his bike, in round two. After an uppercut by Esquibel dropped the Mexican, Armenta was on retreat until a counter right landed on the local favorite. Unaffected, Esquibel traded, pressing Armenta on the ropes and landing enough shots for the ref to stay close enough to jump in, if need be.

Armenta hung in there, though, in the third and fourth, occasionally rushing Esquibel, who continued to load up with increasingly harder shots, trying for a kayo.

Esquibel took a breather in the fifth, until mugging by Armenta egged “Papitas” to begin anew his beating.

Finally, in the final round, after a severe barrage by Esquibel, Armenta stepped back, recusing himself from combat.

At the time of stoppage, 1:17, Esquibel was well ahead with scores of 50-44 twice, and 50-43.

“My boxing won this fight,” said Esquibel. “And not getting rattled by his rushes. I stayed on the outside to keep him away.”

Vialpondo upset by Garcia

In the sole upset of the night, Santa Fe bantamweight Anthony Vialpondo (2-1) lost his first pro fight at the hands of Dallas opponent Jose Garcia (2-2).

Though losing by unanimous decision, the fight was very close—and not indicative by the scores by which Garcia won.

All four rounds saw both fighters going toe-to-toe.

In the first, Vialpondo had the edge, shoving his right jab in Garcia’s face and stepping in with close quarter right hands in the pocket. Revving up the crowd with his willingness to fight, Vialpondo, however, left himself wide open for Garcia’s cleaner shots.

Switching left to right confused Vialpondo in the second, but refusing to leave the pocket, the Santa Fean threw down, taking as many, if not more, shots than he landed on the game Dallas foe.

Garcia tired in the third and Vialpondo pressed the action, though big counter rights by the Dallas foe, again, made a round hard to score.

A consistent attack by Vialpondo was equalized only by his consistent lack of defense—again, giving Garcia plenty of time to win back points and eke out the round.

The judges ranged from 40-36 (L. Martinez) to 39-37 twice (M. Garcia & B. Gant), all for Garcia.

NMB/FN writers agreed on the score, but not the rounds, both Cozzone & Trujillo scoring it 39-37 for Garcia.

Marquez powerful in debut

In his pro debut, top Duke City amateur, jr. lightweight Archie Ray Marquez (1-0, 1 KO) made short work of cross-town rival Scott Furney (1-3, 1 KO).

Fight fans expected better of Furney, who put on a masterful performance in Ignacio, Colo. last month when he upset Four Corners’ favorite Joe Barela (5-2).

But, either Furney was not in the right frame of mind . . . or Marquez is just that much better, stronger and bigger—which certainly appeared to be the case last night.

After a tentative start, both combatants circling one another, Marquez stepped into the pocket and let loose with a left hook that put Furney on his knees for an eight-count. When the fight resumed, a right hand over the top rolled Furney to the canvas like a dropped bowling ball.

This time, Referee Russ Mora waved it off, at 2:17, after Furney got up on wobbly legs.

“It feels good to be a pro,” said Marquez. “Especially, fighting without headgear.

“I expected more out of Scott, thought I’d take him in the second or third. I guess my power was too much for him.”

Marquez says he hopes to stay busy, fighting six to eight times if he can get the fights.

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