Aris Ambriz to replace the injured Jose Reynoso on Showtime
June 25, 2011, Aris Ambriz (C) is joined by his support staff for a photo in the Pala Casino dressing room just prior to his bout versus Juan Santiago. Photo: J.Wyatt
Aris Ambriz (16-2-1, 8 KOs) of Azusa, CA, will replace the injured Jose Reynoso and face unbeaten Thomas Dulorme (13-0, 10 KOs), of Carolina, Puerto Rico, for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) welterweight title in the main event on ShoBox: The New Generation next Friday, Feb. 17, live on Showtime.
The co-feature at Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez , CA, remains in tact: power-punching Puerto Rican, Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (14-0, 13 KOs), of San Juan , versus Billy Lyell (24-10-2, 5 KOs), of Youngstown, Ohio, in a 10-round junior middleweight match.
Beaming with confidence, Aris Ambriz lies on the floor while going through his various stretching exercises. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Ambriz, 26, accepted the fight Thursday after Reynoso withdrew with a hip injury. Like Dulorme, Ambriz will be making his ShoBox and 2012 debut in a bout with a contracted weight limit of 143 pounds. Unlike Dulorme, this will be his first scheduled 10-round fight. Ambriz turned professional in June 2007.
A winner in three of his last four starts, Ambriz won a six-round decision over Juan Santiago in his most recent outing last June 25 at the Pala Casino. He lost to undefeated Canadian rising star Pier-Olivier Cote two fights ago, but upset a hot prospect Hector Serrano on a unanimous eight-round decision in his effort before that on Feb. 24, 2011.
Ambriz twice fought the fighter he’s replacing, Reynoso, in exciting scraps in 2010, boxing an eight-round draw in January and coming up on the wrong end of an eight-round majority decision the following June.
Billy Lyell (24-10-2, 5 KOs) of Warren, Ohio
In the co-feature at Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, CA, the power-punching Puerto Rican, Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez (14-0, 13 KOs), of San Juan, will battle Billy Lyell (24-10-2, 5 KOs) of Warren, Ohio in a 10-round junior middleweight match.
Despite having only 13 fights, Dulorme (pronounced Do-Lore-May) is already ranked in the top 10 by both the WBA (No. 3) and WBC (No. 8) at welterweight. Some consider the charismatic youngster a superstar in the making, the hard-hitting sort who can also box.
Since turning pro after a terrific amateur career that included winning a Golden Gloves championship, the 5-foot-9 ½-inch Dulorme, who turns 22 on January 29, has campaigned in three weight classes: welterweight, junior welterweight (140 pounds) and lightweight (135 pounds).
Dulorme won a four-round majority decision in his pro debut on August 13, 2008. His next 10 fights ended by knockout – two in the first round, eight in the second. He’s been victorious in his last two starts via lopsided decision, a 10-round triumph over former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley on June 10, 2011, and a nine-round win over world title challenger Charlie Navarro on October 22nd.
Also on the fight card is Dulorme's power-punching stablemate, Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez from San Juan, Puerto Rico, also a KO artist.
In the co-feature, Gonzalez, who’s ranked by three of the four major boxing organizations, is 14 fights into a career that began in January, 2009. A former amateur standout and a 2008 Olympic representative for Puerto Rico, he’s rated No. 7 in both the WBC and WBO and No. 12 in the WBA.
Jonathan Gonzalez (14-0, 13 KOs) is the whole package.
Thomas Dulorme (13-0, 10 KOs) is from Carolina, Puerto Rico
This will be Gonzalez’ second consecutive start on ShoBox. In his debut and most recent outing last June 11, he recorded an unanimous 10-round decision over Richard Gutierrez. It was the first time the 5-foot-11, 22-year old Gonzalez had gone the distance since he went pro. None of his previous 12 outings lasted more than seven rounds. Eleven of the KO wins came within three sessions.
Lyell is a durable, hard-luck 27-year-old who doesn’t seem to get the benefit of the doubt in tough fights against favored fighters on the road.
In his last bout, the 5-foot-9 Lyell lost a majority 10-round decision to local favorite Dominik Britsch (25-0 going in) on October 22 in Germany. On January 29, 2011, he came up on the wrong end of a close 10-round decision to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1 going in) in Mexico.
One fight that did go his way was when he scored a shocking split decision victory over previously undefeated John Duddy on April 24, 2009.
It is just a matter of time before Thomas Dulorme (13-0, 10 KOs) of Carolina, Puerto Rico, wears his opponent down.
