Antonio Orozco scores first round knockout in his return

Here we see Antonio Orozco (right) helping out with the awards ceremony at last year’s National City CYAC boxing event. USA Amateur Boxing official Will White is shown holding up the arms of Ryan Soliven of the ABC Mongoose Gym and Antonio Moreno of the host gym after their bout. Photo: Jim Wyatt

After Friday night’s fight, people wondered if the Barragans, either Carlos Sr. or Carlos Jr., Antonio Orozco’s coaches, had made a special request to their fighter before the bout. “Tony, it’s been a long day. Can you wrap this thing up early?” Because that’s just what he did.

At the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, CA., Antonio Orozco of San Diego, the latest prodigy of the National City CYAC (Community Youth Athletic Center) was making his much anticipated return to the ring, Friday, after sustaining an injury in early December of last year.

How did he look? Tremendous! From the opening bell, Orozco (9-0-0, 6 KOs) went full bore working over his opponent’s midsection. Manuel Aguilar (now 6-2-0, 4 KOs) from Aqua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico had no answer for such an onslaught. The end came early in round one after Orozco doubled up on two powerful left hooks to Aguilar’s right side, and then landed a straight left followed by an overhand right. Grimacing from the excruciating pain, Aguilar went down on one knee and never made an attempt to get back up.

Other matches of note on the same fight card:

Luis Ramos Jr. (center) is surrounded by his coach, corner and manager.

Light-welterweight, 22 year-old Luis Ramos Jr. (18-0-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, CA. defeated Jose “El Loco” Hernandez (10-5-1) of Fort Worth, Texas by a majority decision. In his previous four fights, Hernandez, who is four inches taller and four pounds lighter than Ramos, had a record of 0 wins, 3 losses and one draw. This match was supposed to be an easy win. It was far from easy as Hernandez almost pulled off the upset.

Jose “El Loco” Hernandez gave Luis Ramos Jr. more than he was bargaining for in a very close match-up, Friday, March 18, 2011 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Ca.

While Ramos took rounds three, four, five and seven, Hernandez dominated rounds one, six and eight, leaving that pivotal round two up to the judges’ discretion.

Scheduled to go eight rounds, super middleweight sensation James Kirkland (26-0-0, 24 KOs) of Austin, Texas, wasted little time knocking out journeyman Jhon Berrio (15-8-0, 11 KOs) of Monteira, Colombia at just 1:05 of the second round. Berrio now has just four wins in his last 13 bouts.

Lightweight Francisco Contreras (16-0-0, 13 KOs) won a six round unanimous decision over Adolfo Landeros who at (20-18-1), is fast approaching the 50-50 mark with his wins and losses. Since September 20, 2004, Landeros’ record is 5 wins and 15 losses.

Francisco Contreras (16-0-0, with 13 KOs)

Nationally and internationally

At the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida

Brad Solomon (17-0-0, 7 KOs) of Lafayette, Louisiana won a 10 round unanimous decision over Demetrius Hopkins (30-2-1, 11 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA. to win the WBA International welterweight title.

Guys like Cedric Boswell scare away the competition.

Also on the fight card, 41 year-old heavyweight Cedric Boswell (34-1-0, 26 KOs) of Atlanta, GA. won an unanimous decision over 45 year-old Oliver McCall (55-11-0, 37 KOs) of Martinsville, Virginia, after going 10 tough rounds for the NABA heavyweight championship.

Boswell’s one loss came on October 3, 2003, to Jameel McCline who at the time outweighed him by 41 pounds. In that fight, Boswell was doing well early and outboxed the former WBO title challenger until McCline suddenly turned the fight around after landing a solid right uppercut to the chin in the ninth round.

Boswell never seemed to recover from that one hard shot. The rejuvenated McCline came out quickly in the tenth and decked Boswell with a vicious four-punch combination. After going down, Boswell attempted to stay away, threw no punches, and clinched incessantly until the referee called off the fight at 2:07.  At the time of stoppage two of the three scorecards had Boswell up by three rounds.

On Friday night, Oliver McCall proved he’s still a force.

To McCall’s credit, he took the fight on just three-days notice after the 45 year-old Bert Cooper (38-22-0, 31 KOs) of Sharon Hill, Pa., who substituted for Boswell’s original opponent 31 year-old Alonzo Butler (28-1-1, 21 KOs) of Chattanooga, Tenn., dropped out of the fight. Butler’s one of those guys who’s had his stats padded by fighting only the weakest opponents.

Back on September 24, 1994, McCall created a major uproar when he upset the WBC heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, in London. He later lost his title to Frank Bruno on September 2, 1995.

At Maison des Sports, Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France

Super middleweight Hugo Kasperski (16-1-0, 12 KOs) won the WBC and WBO Youth super middleweight title by knocking out Militon Nunez (22-3-1) in the first round of a scheduled 10 rounder.

At the Jose Cuervo Salon, Polanco, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Dante Jardon (16-1-0, 14 KOs) of Mexico City ko’ed Humberto Martinez (20-6-1, 14 KOs) of Monteira, Colombia in the first round of a scheduled 12 rounder to win the vacant WBO and WBC super featherweight title.

She has a lovely smile, but don’t be fooled. Yesica Patricia Marcos (17-0-1, 5 KOs) packs quite a punch.

At the Anfiteatro Municipal, San Martin, Mendoza, Argentina

Yesica Patricia Marcos (17-0-1, 5 KOs) successfully defended her WBA female super bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Maria Andrea Miranda (13-5-0, 8 KOs). Marcos, as accurate as they come, used her punishing jab to set up the three and four punch combinations.