SOLO BOXEO BIDS FAREWELL TO THE BOXING WORLD
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 14 Dec 2008
Maywood, CA:- Last night at the heavy industrial section of Los Angeles located a few miles southeast of downtown LA, Solo Boxeo on Telefutura held its final fight card in Southern California. The fight card is a promotion of Bob Arum?s Top Rank Promotions and was held at the grounds of the Alameda Swap Meet.
Headlining the fight card was Urbano Antillon, an undefeated slugger who is from around this hood. Antillon is best known to Filipinos via his first round demolition of Bobby Pacquiao.
Antillon did not disappoint his neighbors and friends. Almost immediately after the first bell, Antillon dropped his opponent with a short right hand.
The knockdown set the pace of the fight with Antillon chasing his opponent, Juan Roman Cruz of Miami, Florida all around the ring. Antillon dropped Cruz again in round three with a left to the liver. Then at about 1:35 of round four, he dropped him again with a barrage of punches for the final time.
With the win Antillon kept his dual belts, the NABF and the Interim WBO NABO super featherweight diadems and improved his record to 25-0-0 (18KO). Cruz dropped to 15-6-1, 11KO.
In the supporting main event, Brian ?The Hawaiian Punch? Viloria showed the crowd that he is well on the way back to stardom. Viloria (24-2-0) scored a 2nd round KO of Benjie Garcia (13-11-3). Referee Jack Reiss counted Garcia out at 1:17 of the second round.
Viloria got below the radar screen after a series of losses that led him to lose his WBC World Flyweight title. But from then on, he steadily built his career back to respectability.
Since losing to Edgar Sosa of Mexico in April of 2007 for the interim WBC light flyweight title in a bid to regain his belt, Viloria with the help of Robert Garcia at the La Colonia Gym in Oxnard, California started climbing up the ladder again. He scored a series of victories over Jose Bernal (UD- 8rds), Cesar Lopez (UD-8rds), Fred Valdez (KO 3), and Javier Lagos (UD-8rds).
Last night Viloria showed his new mettle. There was fire in his eyes and the looks of a hungry fighter out to blow away his opponents. He no longer exhibited the tentative style that led him to lose his title. He was patient and he waited for the right openings before he threw his power shots. And, in stark contrast to the Viloria in the Nino and Sosa fight, tonight, when he hurt his opponent, he went all out to finally put him down for the count.
Viloria took all of 4 minutes and 17 seconds to finish off Garcia.
Top photo: Viloria (L) tags Garcia with a straight.
Antillon puts Cruz on the defensive.
Gonzales (R) scores with a right to the head of De Leon.
Photos by Dr Ed de la Vega.
Yesterday?s fight card started at about 4:30 PM between Glenn Gonzales, a fighter from Vice Governor Manny Pinol?s Braveheart Boxing Club in North Cotabato and a Mexican pug, Guadalupe de Leon.
Gonzales hammered out a six round unanimous decision. The win was not that pretty but a win is a win and Gonzales deserves the credit for giving his best.
Pundits around the ringside however indicated that Gonzales at this point and time is still an unpolished diamond. ?He showed a great potential but he still has a long way to go?, one said. Well said for a young man who is just barely up there.
Gonzales who only has a total of 8 fights is indeed a champion in the making. Given enough fights and nurtured correctly, Gonzales will in a short period of time be amongst top Filipino boxers. With a manager like Vice Gov. Pinol, that would not be too far off.
The other Braveheart boxer scheduled on the fight card, Jundy Maraon unfortunately did not have a chance to show his talents. His Mexican opponent was a no show at the weight in. But as a consolation, he will still be paid his purse by the classy Top Rank people.
Solo Boxeo on Telefutura is a weekly (Friday) show sponsored by Tecate Beer. However, the program for some reason or another will no longer be continued next year.
The lost of Solo Boxeo is a tremendous blow to the rising stars in this country. Hopefully, some other sponsor will pick it up so that boxing fans continue to see the weekly fights they all got used too watching for many many years.
Farewell Solo Boxeo and Muchas Gracias. We will miss your program and the trio who made it so interesting week in and week out, commentators Celis and Osuna and announcer, Lupe Contreras.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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