House of Boxing hosts another terrific show

At the conclusion of Bout #8, Anthony Franco of The Arena gym posed for a photo with stablemate Jason Meza (r) and his father Raul Meza (l) who worked his corner.

On Saturday, October 24th, the House of Boxing in Paradise Hills surpassed expectations with their blend of lively music, wonderful food, the harmonious crowd and an extremely high percentage of evenly matched bouts.

Without further ado, here are the results:

Bout #1 featured 17-year-old Daniel Andujo (30-4, 107 lbs.) from the Temecula Boxing Club, Murrieta, Calif. facing 18 year-old Robert Tapia from Baja Boxing, Calexico, Calif. (107 lbs.) a polished boxer with a record of 15-2.

Andujo knew all about Tapia’s boxing skills and felt he needed to get to him early and did so in round one by pinning Tapia against the ropes and wailing away. After three straight 8-counts, Andujo had convinced referee Will White to stop the bout. It all happened so fast, Tapia must have been in a quandary, “What just happened?” From the expression on his face, he must have felt like that guy who gets bumped by a pick pocket and then discovers his wallet is missing.

At the conclusion of Bout #1, veteran referee Will White raised the arm of the victorious Daniel Andujo (l) of the Temecula Boxing Club who scored the TKO victory over Baja Boxing’s Robert Tapia (r). Photos: Jim Wyatt

Bout #2 in the Novice 158 pound category, they featured 6’4”, 28 year-old Mike Douglass of Xplicit Fitness on Mission Gorge Place in San Diego and the much shorter 26 year-old Jose Valencia (0-1) from San Marcos, Calif., currently unattached.

For you boxing historians, round one was reminiscent of that strategy used by Gamaliel Diaz when he fought Takahiro Aoh in that world title fight held October 27, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan. Each time Douglass landed a solid blow to Valencia’s head, he would then immediately tie his opponent up in a clinch. As Saturday’s bout continued so did the boxers’ accuracy as both landed more than a few solid blows to the head. Keeping track of these punches must have been difficult and as it turns out the scores of the three judges added up to a draw. When this occurs, the referee is then instructed to go one by one to the judges and ask them to make the difficult choice of selecting a winner. Two of the three judges selected Mr. Douglass.

(bottom, right) At the conclusion of Bout #2, Mike Douglass (l) of the Xplicit Fitness Gym, San Diego, Calif. had his arm raised in victory by referee Will White after defeating the formidable Jose Valencia of San Marcos, Calif.

Bout #3 in the Novice, female super lightweight category, featured 27 year-old, Jessie Ramirez (1-1) a former Navy Master-at-arms, who trains at the host gym, the House of Boxing, Paradise Hills going up against 26 year-old Daniele Arlinton (125 lbs) of Tiger Smalls Boxing in San Diego’s Mission Valley.

While Ramirez went to the midsection, Arlinton concentrated more on being a headhunter and using these combinations from a wide variety of angles. With Arlinton slowing down in the later rounds, the relentless Ramirez overcame an early 8-count to secure the decision victory.

At the conclusion of Bout #3, Jessie Ramirez (l) and Daniele Arlinton (r) await the judges’ decision with veteran referee Alberto “Cookie” Ramos.

(bottom, left) After the announcement of her victory over Daniele Arlinton (r), Jessie Ramirez had her arm raised in victory by referee Ramos. (bottom, right) Ramirez is joined by one of the best super lightweights in the world, Pro boxer Antonio Orozco, currently ranked #3 by the IBF, #7 by the WBC and #15 by the WBA.

Jessie Ramirez gets a congratulatory hug from her opponent Daniele Arlinton.

Bout #4 featured 13 year-olds Jose Vargas (2-0, 95 lbs.) from Hammer Boxing of Phoenix, Arizona and Cesar Hernandez (10-1, 95 lbs.) of North County Boxing, San Marcos, Calif.

After the exciting back and forth opening round, Vargas ended those momentum swings in rounds two and three. What he did for the remainder of the bout was wait until Hernandez threw his first punch and then he’d counter, often landing in quick combinations to secure the win.

At the conclusion of Bout #4, referee Alberto Cookie Ramos is shown presenting the winning trophy to Jose Vargas (l) who ended up defeating the tough Cesar Hernandez.

Bout #5 featured cruiserweights, the big boys, 15-year-old Oscar Amazan (195 lbs.) from the Temecula Boxing Club, Murrieta, Calif. taking on 16 year-old Jesus Chio (10-1, 195 lbs.) from Baja Boxing, Calexico.

Amazan looked terrific in round one and stood tall in the saddle using his jab to set up his combinations. The changing of the guard took place in rounds two and three after Chio found his range and went head hunting.

(left) Bout #5 featured Oscar Amazan (red gloves) from the Temecula Boxing Club, Murrieta and Jesus Chio (blue gloves) from the Baja Boxing Club, Calexico, Calif.

At first when you saw the difference in their size, you had to figure the shorter Jesus Chio was in trouble but then the sport of boxing took over and the giant killer did a remarkable job. Here we see Chio’s opponent Oscar Amazan being issued a standing 8-count after getting pummeled repeatedly. Photo: J. Wyatt

At the conclusion of the bout an exuberant Jesus Chio (r) of Baja Boxing has his arm raised in victory by referee Hondo Fontan after defeating Oscar Amazan of the Temecula Boxing Club.

In Bout #6, 9 year-old Isaiah Bernal (84 lbs.) of Romo’s Boxing, El Centro, Calif. was scheduled to face 10 year-old Rogelio Palacios (84 lbs.) of the Legacy Training Center, Vista, Calif. but as luck would have it, Bernal became ill and had to pull out of the contest, As a result, Palacios of Team Palacios gets the walk-over victory.

A victory is a victory. After his opponent had to pull out of their meeting at the last minute, Rogelio Palacios was awarded the walkover victory.

Bout #7 featured two more young ladies, 14 year-old Sara Segura (104 lbs.) of Baja Boxing going up against 15 year-old Lizzette Corrales (104 lbs) from the ABC Mongoose Gym in San Diego.

As expected this turned out to be a barnburner and neither boxer showed any sign of letting up. After Segura landed a hard shot to Corrales’ head, referee Will White quickly stepped in to issue Corrales a standing 8-count. Then, in round two, Corrales came at Segura with a sense of urgency. Her punches were straighter, harder and in that second round Segura was issued not one, not two but three straight standing 8-counts which led to the early stoppage.

(photo, top, left) Early in round one of Bout #7 we saw Lizzette Corrales standing stationary and being issued a standing 8-count. At that point the referee felt she was being overwhelmed by punches thrown by Sara Segura of Baja Boxing. (photo below) When Corrales came out in round two, she turned the tables and before you knew it, she was the one battering Segura. All photos: Jim Wyatt

At the conclusion of Bout #7, Lizzette Corrales (r) has her arm raised in victory by referee Will White after defeating the always tough Sara Segura (l).

What a great day it was for Lizzette Corrales of the ABC Mongoose Gym. She not only impressed her proud coach, Art Wilson, she had her father gleaming with pride.

Bout #8 in the male Middleweight Novice category, they had 17 year-old Lucio Hirales (156 lbs.) of La Gente Boxing, Brawley, Calif. going up against 20 year-old Anthony Franco from The Arena, Point Loma, San Diego, Calif. This one turned out to be a quickie after an early knockdown was followed by a barrage of punches leading to a standing 8-count. While issuing the standing 8-count, referee Will White decided it was time to call a halt to the bout.

After his early stoppage of Lucio Hirales in Bout #8, Anthony Franco of The Arena had his arm raised in victory by referee Will White.

Bout #9 featured 8 year-old Sammy Vences (75 lbs.) from the Legacy Training Center, Vista taking on 9 year-old Gael Meza (2-0, 75 lbs.) from the Bound Boxing Academy, Chula Vista, Calif. With both boxers being hard charging, swinging for the fences sluggers, deciding this match must have been a nightmare for the judges. The only distinction that could be made was an occasional, hard shot that landed flush to Vences’ head. Otherwise this contest could have been declared a draw.

At the conclusion of Bout #9, we see referee Cookie Ramos raising the arm of the victorious Sammy Vences (l) from the Max Impact Gym, Oceanside, Calif. who managed the close win over the tough Gael Meza of the Bound Boxing Academy.

Bout #10 had lightweight Elijah Garcia (12-years-old, 132 lbs.) from Hammer Boxing, Phoenix, Arizona making his debut against the hard charging Alex Mendoza (13 years-old, 132 lbs.) from the House of Boxing. As in the previous bout the punches were coming nonstop. That is until Garcia took a direct hit in round one which led to referee Alberto Ramos stopping the bout to issue him a standing 8-count.

Again, there was this sense of urgency, of being behind on the scorecards. The development had a major affect on Garcia. After being advised by his coach, Garcia then knew just how to handle the hard charging Mendoza. From that point on he started delivering these left hooks and straight lefts and then quickly pull back and change his direction. With the problem then solved, the points for Garcia started adding up.

A tale to remember, a tale to tell the grandkids: In his debut, 12 year-old Elijah Garcia (l) of Hammer Boxing, accompanied by his father/coach George “The Hammer” Garcia drove from Phoenix to San Diego and then home again (710 miles) in order to win his first USA Amateur boxing bout, a come from behind victory.

Bout #11 featured 15 year-old Rene Martinez (3-1, 132 lbs.) of Romo’s Boxing going up against 16 year-old Kennedy Ruiz (132 lbs.) from City Boxing in San Diego’s downtown.

In his bout with Ruiz, Martinez used good head movement, dominated with punches that had more pop and appeared to come from multiple angles. As a result, Ruiz was issued two standing 8-counts in round one and a third in round two to end the bout. In this contest, it was referee Hondo Fontan calling for the early stoppage.

At the conclusion of Bout #11, it was Rene Martinez of Romo’s Boxing (l) earning the victory over Kennedy Ruiz (r) of City Boxing in San Diego’s downtown.

With the win, Rene Martinez improves his record to 4-1.

Rene Martinez (r) poses for one last photo with his proud coaches, head coach Juan Romo Velasco (c) and coach Lopez.

Bout #12, in the Novice Super Lightweight category, had 21 year-old Angel Ramirez of the House of Boxing taking on 19 year-old, Jerry Hernandez, unattached, from East Los Angeles.

For the better part of round one and the beginning of round two, Hernandez, a southpaw would plant his left foot and tee off on Ramirez, who though he was competitive, was getting hit with these slingshot like blows that had the force of car door slamming into your head. It’s hard to imagine that anyone could withstand such punishment without waving the white flag.

Then halfway through round two, it became Ramirez’s turn. His heavy blows led to three straight standing 8-counts which eventually led to an early stoppage by referee Hondo Fontan. It was an amazing bout between two warriors.

Angel Ramirez of the House of Boxing has his arm raised in victory by referee Hondo Fontan after he defeated Jerry Hernandez (r) of East Los Angeles. To Ramirez’s left is Saul Rios, the CEO of the Borizteca Boxing Management Group who was on hand to present the trophy and medal to the combatants. Photo: Jim Wyatt

Bout #13 featured 14 year-old Angel Garcia from the Riverside Boxing Academy (120 lbs.) going up against 15 year-old Diego DeMara (120 lbs.) from the Baja Boxing Club. This one had a pure boxer, Garcia, going up against the straight ahead brawler, DeMara. After the opening, feeling out round, DeMara began to press the action and in doing so paid the price. The more patient Garcia would wait on each DeMara lead punch and then counter beautifully.

By round three, DeMara’s strategy of wearing Garcia down had begun to pay dividends and Garcia’s early punch stat lead quickly evaporated. In the end, the judges sided with the brawler and DeMara had himself another victory.

(bottom, left) At the conclusion of Bout #13, we see Angel Garcia (l) looking over at Diego DeMara (r) who is having his arm raised in victory by referee Will White.

Bout #14 featured 8 year-olds, Danny Hernandez (80 lbs.) of the House of Boxing, Paradise Hills going up against Sergio Lopez (80 lbs.) from Romo’s Boxing, El Centro, Calif. The slightly taller Hernandez got himself off to an early punch stat lead and never relinquished that lead.

In Bout #14 it was Danny Hernandez (left) securing the victory over Sergio Lopez. (bottom, right) The look on Sergio Lopez’s face tells the tale.

Bout #15 in the Novice 120 pound Division had 26 year-old Nico Marchan of the House of Boxing facing 19 year-old Ivan Garcia of the Riverside Boxing Club, Riverside, Calif. Knowing full well how to pace himself and stay on top in regards to the punch stats, it appeared that Marchan was in charge from the opening bell. For instance, near the end of round one Marchan landed five straight unanswered blows.

Garcia gave a good account of himself in the final round. That’s when he had Marchan backing up and he was throwing these scary, all or nothing blows to the head.   

Carlos Barragan, Marchan’s coach is extremely proud of Marchan’s development: “Nico left Naga City, Philippines and came to America in pursuit of a dream. Today he is one step closer. We thank Nico for allowing us to be a part of that journey.”

In Bout #15 it was Ivan Garcia (l) of the Riverside Boxing Club going up against the popular Nico Marchan of the home gym, the House of Boxing.

It’s called home field advantage and as you might expect, Nico Marchan did not want to disappoint the many local supporters who showed up to cheer him on. In the end, he rewarded them with the victory over Ivan Garcia. Photos: J. Wyatt

Bout #16, the Main Event of “Road to Reo” had Brandon Cruz from The Pride of San Diego boxing gym, Bonita, Calif. going up against the wily veteran Jason Meza from The Arena. Even though the young men are good friends this match-up was necessary to decide which of the two featherweights would fill the remaining spot on the USA Amateur Boxing LBC 44 Travel Team which will be competing in the 2015 Bi-National Tournament with Mexico on October 30 to November 2nd at their Olympic Training Center in Tijuana.

As you can imagine, the introductory music for the boxers’ walk to the ring, featured two Mexican songs and had considerable significance. Carlos Barragan Jr. explained, “The use of each song and the fact both are Mexican songs means only one thing, there’s going to be a war.”

Final bout of the show, Bout 16, was the Main Event featuring two buddies Jason Meza in the red corner and Brandon Cruz in the blue corner. Photos: Jim Wyatt

(bottom, right) At the conclusion of the final bout, it was Brandon Cruz having his arm raised in victory by referee Will White. With the win, Cruz became one of the 14 members of the brand new USA Amateur Boxing LBC 44 Travel Team.

As it turns out, the busier boxer, Cruz, came away with the victory in this hotly contested match. There were no knockdowns or low blows to report and most everyone agreed with the decision that involved much cunning.

One of the fun things at Saturday’s show was the raffle. (left photo) With his reputation for incorruptibility, the Barragans chose Sayri Cruz, the younger brother of boxer Brandon Cruz, to pick the winning raffle tickets. (right photo) One of the invited guests, boxer Fabian Zarco, on the mends since his accident while out jogging, is seen having his photo taken with Hondo Fontan, the President of the local LBC 44.

The next USA Amateur Boxing LBC 44 show is the District Silver Gloves Tournament to be held Saturday, November 7, 2015 at the Brawley Lions Center, 225 “A” Street, Brawley, Calif. 92227.  In addition to the Silver Gloves, there will be several off tournament matches scheduled. Your contact person is: USA Amateur Boxing LBC 44’s Head of Officials Willie Kuhn (619) 659-9450

Weigh-ins begin promptly at 9 a.m. sharp with the first bout starting at 1:00 p.m.