LIGHTWEIGHT LIGHTNING STRIKES TEXAS
By Dr. Allan Recto
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 06 Apr 2009
Austin, Texas (April 4, 2009) ? It seemed like lightning struck Texas when fighters in the Lightweight division hit each other with thunderous shots, that could almost be heard across the state capital, during this unparalleled four-bout ?Lightweight Lightning? battle supported by Golden Boy Promotions at the Frank Erwin Center, in front of 6,324 crowd in attendance and many more watching Live thru pay-per-view (PPV). Top Rank?s chief Bob Arum and his posse were present in support of their star, Venezuelan Edwin Valero, newly crowned WBC Lightweight World Champion, who came hungry for recognition as an elite fighter in that division.
Main Event: Edwin Valero (2nd Rd TKO) win over Antonio Pitalua.
The 1st round started slow as both Valero and Pitalua were feeling each other out. Valero would throw lead right jabs as if to measure the Mexican boxer Pitalua. In the 2nd round, Edwin Valero showed he was the superior fighter throwing bombs quickly. Valero, a strong southpaw, knocked Pitalua down with a short right hook to the chin. The 2nd knockdown came as rapidly as the 1st yet both knock downs were survived by Pitalua. Wasting no time, Valero pummeled him again with body and headshots. Pitalua had no answer to them and down he went for the 3rd time, forcing the referee Laurence Cole to halt the contest. Valero scored a 2nd Rd TKO at the 49th second. A star was born in Texas winning the WBC lightweight belt relinquished by Manny Pacquiao recently.
Referee Laurence Cole stops the fight as the Mexican Pitalua hits the canvas for the 3rd time.
The author (L) with new WBC Lightweight Champ Edwin Valero (c) and his trainer Robert Alcazar during post-fight conference in Austin, Texas.
?I want Pacquiao to win (against Hatton) and I want to fight him,? Valero managed to tell this writer when asked after his victory tonight.
Undercard 1: Michael Katsidis (7th Rd TKO) win vs. Jesus Chavez
The first3 rounds were unimpressive. In the 4th round, Jesus Chavez got cut in the scalp due to an accidental head butt; however, in the 5th Rd, Chavez caught Katsidis with straight rights, making the crowd cheer for the hometown favorite -?Chavez, Chavez.? But each time Chavez got hit in the face, blood would splatter to the canvas. In Rd 6, Katsidis? style of fighting by charging forward then throwing short punches posed a problem to Chavez. After Rd 7, his corner, upon recommendation by the ringside physician, decided not to continue the fight. The referee then stopped the bout.
Michael Katsidis (L) pressuring Jesus Chavez (R) during their ?Lightweight Lightning? battle in Texas.
?I felt like I was not winning, I was receiving more punches than the ones I was throwing,? stated Chavez at the press conference after the fight.
?I?ve been there, I knew I could get hurt if I continued in the fight, that?s why I decided not to go on,? Chavez finalized.
Undercard 2: Vicente Escobedo wins Unanimous Decision vs. Carlos Hernandez.
In one of the most exciting action-packed bouts tonight, Vicente Escobedo from Woodland, CA defeated Carlos ?Famoso? Hernandez of San Antonio, Texas via a unanimous decision.
Vicente Escobido wins over Carlos Hernandez.
Although the loser of this fight, Hernandez, won the crowd after going toe to toe all the way thru the end of Rd 10. Vicente Escobedo scored 2 knockdowns (1st and 2nd Rd), while Hernandez scored a body punch in the 6th Rd to score his own knockdown.
Hernandez sustained a cut under his left eye and his face looked grotesque with both eyes swollen. After 10 rounds, judges? scores were: Perry Hillin 96-91, Levi Martinez 94-93 and Chet Robins 95-91, all in favor of Escobedo.
Rolando Reyes via TKO 5th Rd over Julio Diaz
Highlight was the 5th Rd; Julio Diaz got tagged with a right straight and left hook sending him down to the canvas for 1st time in the fight. Rolando Reyes, sensing his opponent Diaz in trouble after the referee counted, went for the kill instantly. Reyes threw a flurry of shots that caught Diaz with an uppercut then a left hook to the chin, sending Diaz to the canvas for the 2nd time, taking a dive.
The referee Julio Alvarez had seen enough and stopped the contest at 2 min.17 sec. of Round 5.
Post-fight conference Notes: Bob Arum stated he wanted Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Edwin Valero in any city in Mexico. Golden Boy VP Richard Schaefer responded that Marquez would like to fight the winner of Pacquiao vs. Hatton on May 2nd before facing Edwin Valero.
This writer asked each lightweight fighter about their opinion as to the outcome of Pacquiao vs. Hatton mega-fight on May 2 including Juan Diaz and Urbano Antillon who came to this event. All picked Manny Pacquiao to win (over Ricky Hatton) except Julio Diaz whom I couldn?t locate. Only Michael Katsidis who would not commit stating, ?I will just be watching at the sidelines for this one.?
Photos by Reiver Rodriguez.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dr. Allan Recto.
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