Hurricane Season
“Hurricane” Hector makes statement with win over Valenzuela; Lovato (barely) survives Hoy, keeps belt ; Success Only hits the scene

Ringside report & photos by Chris Cozzone

Filling a much-needed gap for club level shows and throwing the most entertaining show to hit Albuquerque in some time, debut promotional company Success Only lived up to their moniker last night at Club Fantasia with a card full of the unexpected.

In front of an estimated 1,500 rowdy—maybe too rowdy—hardcore boxing fans, “Hurricane” Hector Munoz came off a 15-month layoff and silenced the naysayers with a decision win over his toughest foe to date.

Other locals were upset—or very nearly so.

In an NABF title defense, Monica Lovato was left barely standing after eight hard-fought rounds with Crystal Hoy. Mike Alderete wasn’t so lucky, for, despite his TKO loss to Jesus Berrelleza, he came out on the winning end with the performance of the year—which took place in the ring after the fight. Starting off the show, Lucas Galle and Alan Sanchez pulled off wins, though not without breaking a sweat.

Hurricane Season

The first time “Hurricane” Hector Munoz stepped up, back in 2004 against Bernardo Guereca, he was spanked in less than a round. But, since then, though his opposition did not show it, Munoz has grown as a fighter and, last night, the once-green fighter showed his true colors by hammering out a close decision over an experienced veteran the majority of local fans did not think he could defeat.

Seventy-nine-fight veteran Roberto “El Viejo” Valenzuela showed New Mexico what he could do nearly two years ago when he upset the late, local favorite Vicente “Picosito” Garcia. 

To honor his late friend and former sparring partner, Munoz pledged a win over Valenzuela—and, though he pulled it off, the fight was closer than the scorecards indicated.

Round one was a feeling-out round, very close and with neither fighter leading, nor having to chase. Valenzuela’s jab might’ve given him the edge, but the busier action in the pocket by Munoz evenend the score.

The action picked up another pace in the second, with the two duking it out in the middle of the ring. The busier Munoz, with his left hook counters, edged out the veteran Valenzuela, but a tendency to rush in with his head had Referee Rocky Burke giving the Mexican a warning.

Round three was also close, but a big right by Valenzuela sealed the round in the final moments. Though the two clinched, Munoz trying to avoid the Mexican’s forehead while creating a fight in the pocket, the bout continued to heat up in the fourth. Trading elbows as often as hooks, the two duked it out toe-to-toe, Valenzuela’s loopy rights and Munoz’s busier in-fighting giving the judges a headache.

Switching the momentum of the fight, from what was turning into a Mexican brawl, to a less-sizzling technical battle, Valenzuela turned boxer in the fifth, taking the round with his jabbing while measuring an occasional overhand right. Munoz forced the issue in the sixth, edging Valenzuela with forced fighting, though, once again, the Mexican was warned for coming in with his head.

Munoz attacked the body in the seventh but Valenzuela’s rights and uppercuts edged the round his way. In the eighth, momentum swung back Munoz’s way, the New Mexican throwing more while forcing the fight.

In the ninth, Ref Burke halted the action to zap Valenzuela with a point off for butting, though he won the round with a newfound aggression after a gash opened up alongside Munoz’s left eyebrow.

The two brawled through the tenth in a pick’em round—Munoz the busier, with Valenzuela’s rights making an impression.

After ten, the scorecards swung unanimously toward Munoz: 96-93, 98-91 and 95-94.

NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews had it 95-94 for Munoz.

“It was a hometown decision,” said Valenzuela, now 42-36-2, 36 KOs. “I did not lose the fight.”

Munoz, now 18-1, 11 KOs, thought the fight was a no-brainer:

“I gave him one round, with one even,” said Munoz. “I thought I beat him easily. He busted my eardrum in the second, and it was buzzing throughout the fight, but he never hurt me.”

Not with punches, that is.

“He’s a dirty fighter,” said Munoz. “He kept coming in with his head. But I was prepared for that.”

Munoz leaves his next opponent to be decided by his trainers, Dan Romero, Sr., and son, former two-time world champion, Danny.

“We’ll sit down and decide what to do next. I may be headed down to 140. We’ll see.”

Lovato survives “Real McCoy” Hoy

No one expected much of a fight out of Las Vegas, Nevada’s Crystal Hoy, who, on paper, appeared easy prey for the better-seasoned, top contender Monica Lovato. A near-upset, near-knockout and controversial decision was the last thing anyone expected for the NABF champion from Espanola, who was defending her belt.

No one knew Hoy could punch—but her.

The fight went according to script for the early rounds.

Though displaying a decent, and long-reaching jab, Hoy had little else to threaten Lovato in round one. Lovato made it look like a sparring session, using footwork to dance around Hoy’s jab and stepping into the pocket for several counter-combinations.

It was much of the same in the second and third rounds. Taking her time, Lovato looked for openings, of which there were plenty, while Hoy tried to make a fight out of it, clumsily coming at the crowd favorite and reaching. With her only chance being to sucker Lovato into a brawl, Hoy was simply outclassed and the fight was reaching snoredom when things heated up after the halfway mark.

Hoy had a better round in the fifth, when Lovato, a welter under her right eye, took the round off and allowed her opponent to close the distance. The sixth was an even better one for Hoy, for Lovato not only allowed her the close the gap, but indulged her foe with several brawling exchanges. Lovato quickly lost her edge and looked tired.

Then came round seven.

Boom! From out of the blue, Hoy planted a right hand on Lovato’s jaw, crumpling the champion to the canvas for the first time in her career. Looking dazed and her legs going every which way, Lovato beat the count but Hoy was all over her.

Boom! Lovato hit the canvas again, soon after, this time from a monstrous left hook. Barely able to stand, and with Referee Burke a breath away from calling this fight over, Lovato sucked it up and, somehow, survived the round, but was dead on her feet when the merciful bell rang.

Round eight was all about survival. Hoy was all over Lovato, plastering her with bombs, any one of which could have ended the fight. Somehow, Lovato stayed on her feet for what could have easily been scored 10-8, despite the lack of a knockdown.

The fight went to the cards, and chaos erupted. A Lovato supporter rushed into the ring and a fight broke out. It took several security staff to subdue and manhandle him out the door.

Meanwhile, the scores were announced and, during the heavy booing, at least one more scuffle broke out in the crowd.

The cards read: 75-74 (Bagshaw), 76-74 (Garcia) and 76-74 (Tellez), all for Lovato.

NMB/FN had it five rounds to three, for Lovato . . . However, with round seven scored 10-7, and round eight, 10-8 for Hoy, due to the two knockdowns, the score tallied at 75-74—for Hoy.

“I beat her, I know I beat her,” said Hoy, now 3-1-2, 2 KOs.

“She boxed me real good in the beginning, but I caught up.”

Lovato tried to calm the booing crowd down.

“Everyone underestimated Crystal Hoy,” she said. “Except for me. I knew she could fight. She hits hard . . . She was the toughest opponent I’ve ever fought. I got caught and I went down, but I came back up, because that’s what champions do.

“If she really wants a rematch, I’ll do it, but I don’t think there’s a need. I proved myself—I proved that you have to kill me in there to keep me down.”

Lovato retains her NABF super flyweight belt while rising to 12-1, 4 KOs.

“Mad” Mike loses fight, gains fiancé

You lose some, you win some.

Last night, Albuquerque “Mad” Mike Alderete (6-2, 3 KOs) might have lost it in the ring to Jesus Berrelleza (5-0, 4 KOs), of Fontana, Calif., but he gained big-time, with the ring, when, having recovered from the beating given him in his never-went-down stoppage, he got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend De Anna Tapia.

Pre-engagement, Alderete was never really in the fight. In the first, he spent his time languishing on the ropes and covering up, throwing, maybe, three counter punches, while Berrelleza’s aggression easily racked up the round.

Ditto, round two. Throwing one punch every 30 seconds, landing or not, did little to dissuade Berrelleza, who kept on Alderete, trying to break through his guard. Alderete had success with a couple counter hooks but the aggression, and snappy uppercuts, scored another round for the out-of-towner.

Finally, Alderete started to move forward in the third, with marginal success, but Berrelleza answered every attack with crisper punches, and by mid-round, was driving Alderete back to his home on the ropes, where another round was pocketed.

The fourth saw the best action, all of it in the last 30 seconds. For much of the round, it was a repeat of earlier action, but in the final half-minute, the two went toe-to-toe near the ropes. Alderete, bloody now, came close to stealing the round when he opened up a flurry on Berrelleza, but the Californian fired back, driving Alderete into the ropes where the Albuquerquean came dangerously close to having the fight stopped. Looking helpless and tired, with his back against the ropes, Alderete covered up for what must have been over 20 unanswered punches.

Alderete was finished—bloody and finished—when the fifth round opened up. It was not a difficult finish for Berrelleza, and he pursued Alderete around the ring, hammering away and avoiding clinches until, trapping his man against the ropes, he let loose with another flurry that, this time, had Referee Rocky Burke, stepping in to stop the action, at 1:31.

Frustrated, Alderete twice shoved Berrelleza, as Burke stopped the fight, and as his victor came over to touch gloves, soon after. But, after the winner was announced, he traded his unsportsmanlike conduct to be a gentleman.

First, he apologized to the fans for losing, then he called his girlfriend into the ring, saying “I know have something more important to do, than fighting.”

By the way, De Anna said “Yes.”

And, also, by the way, Berrelleza was ahead on all cards, 40-36, before the stoppage.

“The Ghost” cools “Latin Heat”

In a four-round welterweight fight, Rio Rancho’s Lucas “The Ghost” Galle (4-1) put on another show of science against the big-hearted Daniel “Latin Heat” Gonzales (2-2, 2 KOs), of Albuqeurque.

Round one was all Galle. Though Gonzales did exactly what he need to do—and that was to pour on the pressure against the stiff-jabbing, long-reaching southpaw—Galle showed continuing development by creating space and countering with short left hands.

Just when it looked like the fight was going to be a washout for “The Ghost,” Gonzales turned the fight around in round two. Eating jabs and lefts, Gonzales kept up the pressure, and it paid off when he crashed a big right onto Galle’s jaw. Sensing his opponent was hurt, Gonzales took the round with effective aggression, backing Galle up and putting him on a clinching or moving defense for most of the round.

Galle quickly took back the fight in the third, battering Gonzales bloody and adding a welt outside his right eye. Right hooks and lefts crashed onto Gonzales, who continued to move forward, but looked ready to go near the end of the round.

Round four was survival mode for Gonzales. Refusing to quit, he shook his head “no” at Galle, who popped away throughout the round, but was unable to floor or stop his opponent.

At the end of four, all three judges had it for Galle: 40-36 twice and 39-37.

NMB/FN had it 39-37 for Galle, seeing round two as a no-brainer for Gonzales.

“Speedy” Sanchez debuts

Duke City featherweight and top local amateur Alan Sanchez (1-0, 1 KO) opened the show, and his pro career, with an impressive stoppage over gutsy Las Cruces fighter Derek Lopez (0-2).

Revved up like the Energizer Bunny, Sanchez came out in the first, anxious to make it a short night, jabbing and buzzing around the slower Lopez with lightning combinations. Able to weather the swarming, Lopez waited until the end of the round to fire back.

Sanchez was calmer in the second, controlling the fight with superior boxing while picking his shots. Nose bloodied, Lopez was determined to make a fight of it, giving Sanchez something to think about with his counter right hands.

Just when it looked as if a fight was cooking up, Sanchez put the lid on it, searing Lopez with a big right shortly into round three. Lopez went down, got to all fours, but was counted out at :31 while attempting to rise.

Bonus photos

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