Hot pursuit around the "Ring of Fire"
Garcia, Gomez chase down foes for decision wins; both in agreement for a showdown at 154; Delgado stopped by Barber in return

Ringside report & photos by Chris Cozzone

Fighting for the first time on the same card, the two top draws (really, the two only big draws) in the Four Corners area, Joe “Ironman” Gomez, of Farmington, N.M., and Elco “The Animal” Garcia, of Durango, Colo., hunted down decision wins en route to what local fight fans hope will lead to a showdown between the two.

A packed house at the Sky Ute Casino, in Ignacio, Colo., watched the pair try to force a fight with their opponents last night, chasing them in hot pursuit around the billed “Ring of Fire.” The only thing really heating up in the ring, however, between Gomez and Garcia and their crafty foes (others would’ve labeled ‘em “unwilling,” or “smart”), was a mounting frustration for a clean punch or a knockdown (or a knockout.)

There were very few of the former, and none of the latter.

Gomez, fighting the main event on Sky Ute’s first 2008 card, and entering the ring as a welterweight for the last time, took on stylistically-challenging, counterpunching Abel Perry, of Portland, Oregon.

Proving slicker than deer guts on a doorknob, Perry did not make it easy for Gomez, who was forced into the role of straight-on aggressor, this time around.

Round one was a feeling-out round, with neither fighter landing a significant punch. Gomez had the edge in aggression but Perry proved a polished mover.

The second was also close, with Perry landing several left hooks on Gomez rushing in. By mid-round, Gomez was able to even the score with his right hand but the question ringside, was whether Perry was leading a dance, or a chase.

Clean counter left hooks by the faster Perry, and the ability to block and make Gomez continually miss, gave the Portland fighter a slight edge in the third. Still, Gomez poured on what was usually ineffective aggression, landing a few right hands.

Round four was the first clear-cut round for Gomez. Finally able to cut the ring off, and not just chase, enabled the hometown favorite to land left hooks, and more rights.

In the fifth, Perry further downgraded his movement, languishing on the ropes while Gomez went to work on his body. Though much was blocked—enough of it wasn’t, to give Gomez a clear margin. Gomez also suffered a cut over his right eye from a headbutt, early in the round, though it did not become an issue during the fight.

Perry sprung back into action in the final three rounds, though he did not fight as if he wanted to win—not like Gomez did, anyway. While Perry was more precise, he was much less active.

Gomez won the sixth on aggression, and hard body shots. In the seventh, Perry’s crisp counters edged an increasingly frustrated Gomez. And, in the final chapter, Gomez’s aggression eked out another round.

The three judges ranged from a lopsided 79-73 and 78-74, to an even 76-76, giving Gomez the win by majority decision.

NewMexicoBoxing/Fightnews was somewhere in between, though scoring it for Gomez, 77-75.

“I thought it was a close fight, but thought I won it on effective aggression, ring generalship and defense,” said Gomez, now 15-1-1, 7 kayos.

“I don’t agree with the 76-76 score—didn’t that judge count all those body shots? But, it’s alright, I got the win and fighting guys like this, is what I need right now. I don’t want any pushovers.”

When informed of Elco Garcia’s willingness to meet Gomez at 154, the Bloomfield hopeful appeared equally enthusiastic.

“Me and Elco would be a great fight for the fans,” said Gomez. “I’m definitely at 154 now, so it’s a good fight.”

Perry, dropping to 9-3, 3 KOs, did not agree with the scores.

“I don’t want to say ‘hometown decision,’” said Perry, “but those scores were really lopsided. It was 76-76 at best.

“He didn’t start touching me until the middle rounds. I won the first three, and then, down the stretch. I was landing the cleaner punches with my counterpunches. I hope I get a chance for a rematch.”

Garcia settles for dominating decision

Dancing to a somewhat similar tune, Durango’s Garcia, in an eight-round middleweight bout, was also forced to chase down his dance partner, Dan Wallace, of Adrian, Mich.

Wallace might’ve eked out the first round, busily jabbing away at the slow-starting Garcia from a safe distance, but there wasn’t much more to his hopes of winning, than that. The very first right hand thrown by Garcia hurled Wallace halfway across the ring to bounce off the ropes.

In the second, Garcia unleashed his jab as a setup for his long, solid right hand, but Wallace proved crafty, pulling away and tying up, turning what would’ve been damaging punches into glancing blows. Near the end of the second, however, Garcia uncorked a right that had Wallace in a bit of trouble, but he ended the round by shaking his head, “No,” at Garcia.

Garcia dominated the third. And the fourth. And the fifth—and every round, thereafter. While Wallace proved master at evading most of Garcia’s shots, or downgrading them with his awkward movement, he was not especially keen on duking it out with the bigger man.

And that made a dull fight.

Garcia chased. Garcia threw many long, right hands. Garcia missed most long, right hands. Occasionally, Garcia landed long, right hands—but Wallace took ‘em, or rolled away from the shots, reducing impact.

In the final round, Garcia went for the knockout, throwing everything at his survival strategist, but Wallace coasted, tied up, moved and made it to the final bell.

After eight, two judges scored it a shutout for Garcia, 80-72, while one gave Wallace a round, 79-73.

“It was boring,” said Garcia, moving his record to 20-7, 9 KOs. “He’s a strong kid but I had to chase him too much.”

Garcia hopes he doesn’t have to do much chasing to get rival Joe Gomez into the ring with him.

“Like I said before, win or lose tonight, I’d like to fight Joe,” said Garcia.

“It’s time to see if Joe’s ready for someone like me—to see if he’s going to get to that next level. Face it, if he can’t get past me, he’s not going to go much higher.”

Wallace drops to 9-4, 3 KOs.

Furney repeats dominance over Barela

Repeating an upset win last year over local favorite, Farmington junior lightweight Joe Barela, Albuquerque’s Scott Furney showed his foe, and the fans, that it’s only an upset if you ain’t expected to win.

Furney fully expected to win again—just as much, however, as Barela expected to even the score.

For the first minute-and-a-half it looked as if that was going to happen, too. Barela tore into his adversary with big rights, forcing the less-pudgy-than-his-last-fight Furney to cover up and move. In the neutral corner, Furney went down, with what appeared to be a right hand but was, more likely, a slip.

That was the first 1:30. The rest of the round—and the remainder of the bout—was all Scott Furney.

Forcing Barela to keep his gloves up, Furney turned aggressor, making round one a toss-up, but the remaining four, a no-brainer.

In the second, Barela was already breathing hard, while Furney, barely breathing, drove his foe to the ropes with a variety of punches. In the third, Furney sent Barela’s mouthpiece flying into the rows of seats, and an uppercut had the Farmington fighter holding on for his life. Holding became Barela’s action plan, though, in the fourth, he lost a point for doing so, excessively. Still, that did not stop him from draping himself over Furney in the fifth.

Pummeling Barela rounds two through five—with hooks, uppers, you name it—the unmarked and calm Furney marked up his opponent with a bloody nose and purple welts, easily winning with scores of 50-45 and 49-45 twice.

“He was the better man tonight,” said a respectful Barela, now 5-3, 2 KOs. “I’m not ashamed to admit it.”

Furney, evening his record at 3-3-1, 1 KO, said the fight went the way he envisioned it.

“He was holding a lot,” said Furney. “I would’ve gotten him out of there, otherwise.”

Barber gives Delgado a trimming

Jennifer “Razor” Barber, of Northridge, Calif., not only put former IFBA titleholder, Adriana Delgado’s comeback on ice, but she sliced and diced the former champion so badly, Delgado’s corner had no choice but to throw in the towel early in round three.

It wasn’t so much a case of ring rust, for Delgado, ending a five-year absence, had been looking sharp at the Hideout Gym in Albuquerque, under the tight scrutiny of the Romeros.  It was more about Barber’s ability to wield her double-edged mitts and live up to her nickname, “Razor.”

Delgado was forced on the defensive from the opening bell. Barber’s straight-on aggression, backed by a steady cuffing of jabs and super-sharp right hands, had the former champ seeking refuge all over the ring, to no avail.

After regrouping in her corner between rounds, Delgado came out trying to turn the fight around, but Barber turned the one-sided affair from a trimming, to a scalping. The very few counters thrown by Delgado had no effect on Barber, who, not even blinking at Delgado’s close shave counters, was relentless with pressure, and unremitting with her rights and lefts.

Delgado came out in the third, her face a bruised and bloody mess, and the punishment continued until, closing in on the first minute, the towel was thrown into the ring.

Actually, it wasn’t a towel at all, but an Adriana Delgado T-shirt, and it came not from her corner, but from a very concerned relative, several rows back, who was screaming, “Stop the fight! Stop the fight!”

Time was called by Referee Rocky Stapleton, who consulted with Delgado’s chief cornerman, Danny Romero, who spared his fighter further punishment by calling it quits. This time, it was for real.

Official time was 1:02, of round three.

“I thought I’d win, but not like that,” said Barber, now 7-0, with four kayos. “Seeing that she’s a former world champ, I didn’t think I’d dominate that easily.

“But it’s exactly what I needed. I want three more fights, then a shot at a world title.”

Her future a question mark, Delgado falls to 10-3-1, 4 KOs, in her return to the  ring.

“Li’l Man” the bigger man in debut win

In the opening bout of the pro show, Albuquerque jr. welter Vincent “Li’l Man” Mirabal (1-0) entered the pros with a unanimous decision win over game Silvanus Morris (0-3), of Blanding, Utah.

Morris, cursed with his unwillingness, or inability, to drop down to a weight that matches his tiny frame, was too much the little man against “Li’l Man” Mirabal—who was much too big for his nickname, at least,  against Morris.

Morris fought smart for much of the fight. In the first, he kept to the outside, counterpunching a stalking, slow-starting Mirabal. Though he was able to catch Mirabal coming in, the Duke City fighter’s aggression and heavier punches gave him a narrow margin.

Morris continued to land a few crisp-‘n’-clean left hooks, but they served only to irritate the increasingly aggressive Mirabal, who swatted away at the Utah fighter with straight left hands. One round later, Mirabal effectively closed the gap and bombed Morris with body shot hooks and straight lefts.

Behind on points, Morris, nose-a-bleeding, surprised Mirabal with his gameness, by not only exchanging punches, but, at least twice during the round, driving Mirabal back with desperate slugging. It made an exciting finish, but wasn’t enough to take the fight back from Mirabal, whose heavier punches and steady aggression sealed the deal for a decision win.  

Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 twice. NMB/FN had it 39-37.

“This is where I’m supposed to be,” said the new pro. “It feels good to be a pro. I wasn’t nearly as nervous about fighting as in the amateurs.

“I’m ready for the next fight.”

Amateur show

George’s Independent Boxing Club hosted nine amateur bouts, including one in the open division.

Earning ‘Fighter of the Night’ on the amateur show, Espanola 141-pounder Antonio Martinez (Espanola Boxing) put on an impressive performance, stopping Arnold Yazzi (11^th Street), of Farmington.

In the opening minute, Martinez floored Yazzi with a bomb-of-a-left, then sealed off a strong round throwing a variety of punches—stiff left jabs, rights and lead uppers—and prompting the referee to issue Yazzi a second eight-count.

Yazzi proved game to the end, but Martinez, cornered by NABF champion Monica Lovato, bloodied his nose with more lefts and uppers. In between rounds, the referee stopped the bout.

Other results:

** In a four-round, open division bout, Andre Harrison (Martinez) decisioned Aaron Fernandez (unattached). Fernandez tried to pick his shots, and was game, but Harrison was a much busier aggressor.

** In a heavyweight bout, Sylvester “Sly” Tracy (14^th Street) stopped Darius Wells (GIBC). Tracy’s monstrous left hand shook Wells down to his feet every time they landed. Though fighting back, Tracy’s size and power proved too much, causing the ref to issue Wells two standing-eights in the first, one in the second, and, to stop the fight, in round three.

** In a 132-pound, 14-year-old bout, Angelique Brown (Martinez) decisioned Brittany Hadley (Badoni). Brown’s precision and right hand made the difference.

** In a 146-pound, 14-year-old bout, Matias Root (GIBC) won by RSC over Carl Cuthair (GIBC). Cuthair appeared ahead in the fight, but a bloody nose prompted the ref to stop it the third, for Root.

** In an 85-pound, 12-year-old bout, Malachi Jolley (TUFF) won by a second round RSC over Aaron Tea (Martinez). Jolley was too aggressive for Tea, pursuing him all over the round for several standing-eights before the ref stopped it at the end of the second.

** In a 106-pound, 11-year-old bout, Torlando Morris (Morris) defeated Lane Badoni (Badoni). Morris was too strong and determined for Badoni, who suffered two standing-eights en route to a referee stoppage.

** In a 75-pound, 10-year-old bout, Zach Jacquez decisioned Ilan Serrano. Though Jacquez was aggressive, Serrano was far busier and aggressive, losing a curious decision.

** In the opening bout, 8-year-olds duking it out at 95 lbs., Marco Martinez (unattached) beat Zaphania White (Badoni) in mini slugfest. Martinez’s relentless pressure and thunderous right hands gave him a clear margin over a very game White.

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