Ayala Promotions provides a “Magic” send-off to U.S. Marines

By Bart Barry (ringside).

PHOENIX, AZ – In October of 2005, Tucson hosted the inaugural “Boxing World Cup.” Wednesday night, Ayala Promotions brought Phoenix something of an Arizona-Texas Cup, with four of the card’s six bouts featuring an Arizonan matched against a Texan. Promoter Steve Ayala’s 10th “Duel in the Desert” brought a light but passionate crowd, for a Wednesday, and also brought America’s finest guests of honor.

Members of the U.S. Marines’ Bulk Field and Company C, set to leave for Iraq on Saturday, provided the Celebrity Theatre crowd with its most enthusiastic cheers. And Ayala Promotions will donate $1 of every paid ticket to sending care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Phoenix’s own Eddie “Magic Man” Brooks (7-0, 3 KOs) performed well in his first main-event fight, out-boxing, out-hitting and out-working Texan Marcus Brashears (4-7-1, 2 KOs) and winning by unanimous-decision scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 60-54. From the opening bell to the last, frankly, Eddie Brooks was just too quick for his opponent.

Late in the sixth round, when he was certain he led easily on all cards, Brooks unveiled a tribute to one, or both, of his larger influences, snapping fast right hands and dancing away, à la Roy Jones and Hector Camacho. Asked who his largest influence was, Brooks did not hesitate with his answer.

“Yeah. It’s definitely Roy Jones.”

The night’s co-main event turned out to be a slug fest of fantastic proportion, as cruiserweight Rayford Johnson traveled from Texas to Arizona and brought a wide but potent right hook with him, stopping Arizonan, and former Mexican Olympian, Erik Vega (3-2-1, 2 KOs) – at 2:50 of Round 3.

The evening and perhaps the year’s best round in Arizona began 20 seconds into the second stanza, when Erik Vega snapped a pinpoint left hook at the charging Johnson, hurting him badly. But then Vega expended the whole of his reserves in a wild 90-second exchange in which he was unable to fell Johnson.

One round later it was Vega who was hurt – too seriously to continue. And Referee Ray Scott was forced to stop the fight while Vega was still standing.

Before the main-event but after the evening’s best fight, two Texan super-bantamweights, Jaime Villa (5-1, 2 KOs) and Alex Garcia (5-4, 4 KOs), made an excellent and well-matched scrap. Despite the match’s numerous even exchanges, Villa emerged as the victor with three official scorecards that read: 39-37.

The third bout of the night began well and then became a route, as Phoenix super-flyweight Jaime Gutierrez (3-1) threw straight, crisp punches and dropped Nevada’s Gerardo Garcia (0-2) several times, en route to a three-card decision of 40-33.

For the second Ayala card in a row, the night’s second fight was its best; and for the second Ayala card in a row, Noel Luengas (0-0-2) and Paul Efren Anistro (0-0-2) fought one another to a thoroughly entertaining draw on all three cards. Despite weighing a combined 214 pounds, Anistro and Luengas continue to make such great fights that the two ought to keep opening Arizona cards together till one of them emerges victorious.

The evening’s first match, a fine junior-lightweight scrap between Phoenix’s Jorge Marquez (2-3) and Texas’ Guadalupe Guzman (2-1, 1 KO), had good exchanges and an ample supply of blood. The Phoenix crowd cheered happily as its man Marquez won a unanimous-decision victory with all three judges scoring the fight 40-36.

It was another victory for Ayala Promotions and the city of Phoenix, a combination that is becoming unbeatable.