Northern California Notebook

By Mario Ortega Jr.

Cortes-Johnson is Off; Salinas’ Perez in New Semi-Main at Tank

The Fight Night at the Tank card, to be held this Thursday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, will look a little different than originally planned. In the main event, Manuel Quezada (22-4, 15 KOs) of Wasco, California was slated to take a serious step up against Teke Oruh (14-1-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a ten-round heavyweight bout. However, Oruh was a late scratch from the card and has been replaced by former San Francsico 49er John Clark (12-12-1, 7 KOs) of Huntington Beach, California. The new eight-round main event is a rematch of a September 2005 bout which Quezada won via six-round split decision. Interestingly enough, Clark also dropped a majority decision last year to Teke Oruh. The intriguing bout between light middleweight contender Ricardo Cortes (22-2-1, 15 KOs) of San Jose and prospect Antonio Johnson (7-0, 3 KOs) of Oakland, California was called off after Johnson suffered a training injury to one of his shoulders. Promoters were forced to remove Cortes from the card when no suitable opponent could be found on the short notice. The crossroads battle was slated to be the co-main event on Thursday.

In the new co-feature, unbeaten Garcia Boxing protégé Eloy Perez (10-0-2, 2 KOs) of Salinas, California meets hard-punching Mexican Jorge Pimentel (12-6, 10 KOs) of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico in an eight-round super featherweight bout. The five preliminary fights, all scheduled for four rounds and eligible for the “You Be The Judge” contest are set. Debuting Jason Peterson of San Francisco, California will meet Steve Martin (1-1, 1 KO) of Topeka, Kansas in a super middleweight contest. Anthony Chavez (1-0) of Oakland, California, an accomplished former amateur, will meet Carlos Herrera (0-2) of Oxnard, California in a super featherweight bout. Highly touted former amateur star Rico Ramos (2-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California takes on Fresno, California’s Jerry Mondragon (3-0, 2 KOs) in a battle of unbeaten super bantamweights. In another battle of unbeaten professionals, well regarded heavyweight prospect Theron Johnson (1-0) of Chicago, Illinois is matched tough against Keith Spencer (3-0, 2 KOs) of Ventura, California. Johnson was a top amateur on the national level, while Spencer claimed the Armed Forces Heavyweight Championship during his amateur run. Rarely do two prospects with solid amateur credentials meet this early in their career. Another top former amateur, Mike Dallas Jr. (1-0) of Bakersfield, California takes on veteran tough guy Marlo Cortez (2-4-2, 1 KO) of Van Nuys, California in a welterweight contest. Cortez is a late replacement for Dallas’ original opponent, and is coming off a majority draw with Salinas, California prospect Eric Garcia (1-0-1) at the Tank in March. Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Madera’s Gil Takes Leap in Class

Rugged Gabriel Gil (3-0, 1 KO) of Madera, California is set to take on his toughest foe yet as a professional, when he meets touted prospect Derek Hinkey (4-1, 4 KOs) of Reno, Nevada in a six-round super middleweight bout on June 13th at the Reno Ballroom. Gil’s three previous opponents were a combined (1-1, 1 KO) when they met, none of whom have gone on to win a bout since meeting the Madera native. Hinkey was a decorated amateur on the national level and ran his pro record to (4-0, 4 KOs), before suffering a fourth-round knockout to Tony Hirsch (5-1-1, 2 KOs) of Oakland, California in his last bout. Hinkey was slated to meet Anthony Cannon (4-9, 1 KO) in Dorchester, Massachusetts on May 17th, but the bout was scrapped when Cannon was bumped up the card after one of the main event fighters was diagnosed with a heart condition. Gil does not boast the long amateur career or high profile trainer that Hinkey has had, but has the look of a tough out for a prospect coming off a loss. Gil trains alongside his brothers, Danny, Ruben and George, who compete in MMA, in their parents’ backyard. Gil will travel to Hinkey’s backyard in hopes of scoring the upset.

Headlining the June 13th card, Jesse Brinkley (30-5, 21 KOs) of Yerington, Nevada will defend his newly won WBC USNBC Super Middleweight title against current Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion Jason Naugler (18-7-1, 11 KOs) of Halifax, Nova Scotia in a ten-round bout. Brinkley won the title with a decisive eleventh-round kayo victory over Sacramento’s Otis Griffin (19-3-2, 7 KOs) in February. Tyler Hinkey (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Reno will compete in a four-round heavyweight bout. Hinkey, Derek’s brother with his own amateur credentials, is coming off a four-round unanimous decision over Mike Miller (3-11-2, 2 KOs) in May and has shown improvements in conditioning each time out.

In other action, Jose “Chuy” Elizondo of Carson City, Nevada will make his professional debut in a four-round light middleweight fight. Elizondo, currently the fifth-ranked U.S. amateur welterweight, was a Junior Olympic semi-finalist in 2004 and a quarterfinalist at this year’s U.S. Future Stars National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado, dropping a decision to eventual champion Jovante Starks of Maples, Minnesota. Flavio Cardoza (1-2) of Carson City, Nevada will meet unbeaten prospect Mark DeLuca (5-0, 3 KOs) from Boston, Massachusetts in a four-round middleweight bout. Chad Forrester of Sparks, Nevada will make his professional debut in a four-round heavyweight bout against Michael Goins (0-1) out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Otgonchuluun Batkhuu, a former amateur kickboxing champion from Mongolia, will make his professional debut in a four-round bantamweight bout. Batkhuu was a quarterfinalist at the 2002 Asian Games and competed in Bangkok, Thailand at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in 2003. Batkhuu has relocated to San Leandro, California to work with trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. He is currently co-managed by IBF/IBO Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and Cameron Dunkin. 6 foot 8, 300-pound heavyweight Alfredo Happy (5-0, 4 KOs) of Lovelock, Nevada will compete a four-round bout. Tickets for the event, promoted by Let’s Get It On Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-687-8733.

New Opponent for Julaton in Lemoore

WBC #10 ranked super bantamweight Ana Julaton (3-0) of Daly City, California has a new opponent for her bout at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California on Thursday, June 26th. Julaton will take on 36-year old Salina Jordan (2-4, 1 KO) in a six-round super bantamweight contest. The fight with Jordan could be a good indicator of Julaton’s place among the other rising fighters in her weight class. Jordan recently met twice beaten prospect Noriko Kariya (9-2-1, 2 KOs), losing via third-round knockout. Julaton was originally penciled in to meet WIBA #14 ranked light flyweight Mayela Perez (7-6-1, 6 KOs) of Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico. Matchmaker Repo Ric is excited to have her on the card, “She is Filipino, she’s gorgeous, and she is going to have all the people from the military base here coming to see her.” Julaton already has her next bout scheduled, taking on former U.S. Championships finalist Johana Mendez (2-0, 1 KO) on the Ricardo Torres-Kendall Holt undercard at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 5th.

In an attractive match of Tachi favorites, Frank Mondejar (16-4, 15 KOs) of Fresno, California takes on Dewey Cooper (16-1-2, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in an eight-round contest. Former amateur star Aaron Alafa (1-0) of Visalia, California will take on Greg McDowell of Cambria, California. McDowell, normally a mixed martial artist, will be making his professional boxing debut. Improving middleweight Tony Hirsch (5-1-1, 2 KOs) of Oakland, California will meet Raymundo Ortega (1-2) of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico in a six-round rematch. Their first meeting took place at the Tachi Palace in April, with Hirsch winning a close four-round decision. James Ventry (5-4-1, 4 KOs) of Niagara Falls, New York will see action in a six-round light welterweight bout. In the main event, Don Juan Futrell (21-3-1, 10 KOs) of St. Louis, Missouri will put his WBC USNBC Welterweight title on the line against Lowell Brownfield (10-4, 3 KOs) of San Fernando, California in a ten-round bout. Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Tickets.com.

Lazcano Drops Bout to Hatton and Referee

Long contending light welterweight Juan Lazcano (37-5-1, 27 KOs) of Sacramento, California went in to the lion’s den of the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24th to take on beloved son Ricky Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs) for The Ring Light Welterweight title. Lazcano surprised many ringside observers by giving Hatton all he could handle for several of the twelve rounds, but dropped the unanimous decision. While the scorecards ended up very one-sided, with scores of 120-110, 120-108 and 118-110, Lazcano was in the fight and had Hatton in trouble in a couple rounds. The actions of referee Howard Foster in the tenth may lead Lazcano and his followers to ask what might have been. Inexplicably in the tenth round, with Hatton wobbled by a left hook, Foster stopped the action to warn Lazcano for an infraction that never happened. Then later, even more incredibly, he called a timeout to tie the dazed Hatton’s shoe. In several other moments during the bout, the referee seemed to be following Hatton instructions as to when to break the fighters or warn Lazcano. The referee aside, Hatton did clearly win the majority of the rounds to retain his title. Lazcano’s boxing future remains unclear. He had not fought in over a year, not wanting to take smaller fights and their smaller purses. The bout with Hatton was also the last on his contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Lazcano, who went on vacation with his wife Lourdes in Paris, has a stake in a gym and a restaurant in Sacramento.

Escobedo to Face Veteran Favela in Sacramento

2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (17-1, 11 KOs) of Woodland, California has his opponent set for his June 18th date. Escobedo will take on durable veteran Cristian Favela (15-15-4, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in the ten-round co-feature on ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights emanating from the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. Favela has been in with a who’s who from featherweight to lightweight over the last five years, springing the occasional upset, but usually coming up just short against top fighters. In the ESPN main event, Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez (27-1, 18 KOs) of Chino, California meets Cornelius Lock (17-3-1, 10 KOs) of Detroit, Michigan in the ten-round featherweight main event.

Hall of Famer Don Chargin and matchmaker Jorge Marron have put together an excellent undercard featuring several local fighters. Golden Boy Promotions’ heavyweight prospect Ashanti Jordan (3-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield, California will see action in a four-round swing bout. Four-time California Golden Gloves Champion Michael Ortega, fighting out of the Mateen Boxing Club in Sacramento, will make his professional debut in a four-round welterweight contest. Rugged Sacramento favorite Ernesto Castaneda (10-7-1, 4 KOs) will take on former amateur standout James Parison (10-0, 3 KOs) of San Diego, California in a six-round super middleweight rematch. Parison defeated Castaneda in April of 2006 with a disputable six-round majority decision. Super bantamweight prospect Christopher Martin (10-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Diego, California will take on Manuel Sarabia (16-25-9, 10 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in a six-rounder. Filipino super featherweight prospect Mercito Gesta (13-0-1, 5 KOs) of Chula Vista, California will also see action in a six-round bout. Tickets for the event, promoted by Maloof Sports & Entertainment, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Amateur Boxing Event at Candlestick

Ben Bautista’s Straight Forward Club boxing gym will host the Third Annual San Francisco Boxing Festival Saturday, June 21st at Monster Park at Candlestick Point. The boxing event coincides with the “Keep It Movin” Fitness Fair and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Stadium to Stadium 10K Challenge on the same day. The featured match will pit two of Northern California’s top amateurs in a rematch of previous heated contests, Eric Altamirano of the Concord Youth Center in Concord, California and Luis Villagomez of Aleman Boxing in Fresno, California. Fourteen other amateur bouts featuring local fighters will round out the card. The goal of the free event is to give exposure to local amateur fighters and raise funds for the Straight Forward Club to take boxers on field trips. Bautista plans on bringing a group of fighters to the National Junior Golden Gloves in Las Vegas, the Ringside Tournament in Kansas City, the National PAL Championship in Oxnard, California and to Peru for a cultural enrichment trip and to train with the Peru Boxing Federation for two weeks in October. Star local fighters IBF Featherweight Champion Robert Guerrero, IBF Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire Jr., Karim Mayfield, Ashanti Jordan and WBC Female Fighter of the Year Carina Moreno will be on hand for the event. Bautista founded the Straight Forward Club in 1999 to give at-risk youth and young adults in the San Francisco area an outlet to fight drug use, gang violence and other criminal activity, while using boxing as a metaphor for life. For more information about the festival or the gym, visit www.straightforwardclub.org.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com