FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA – Welterweight prospect Alan Sanchez survived some tense moments but kept his impressive recent run rolling with a tenth-round stoppage of fading Manuel Leyva in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event at the Fairfield Sports Center on Saturday night.
Sanchez (11-2-1, 5 KOs) of Fairfield gave Leyva (21-8, 12 KOs) of Downey, California by way of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico more respect than was likely necessary in the fight’s opening rounds. With all the glove-touching at the start, during and conclusion of each round, one would think these were two old amigos engaging in a friendly sparring session.
Finally when Leyva, 147, got the gumption to press the action midway through the fight, the usually freer-swinging Sanchez, 146, turned up his aggression to match. When Sanchez eventually pressed Leyva back the Fairfield resident left an opening for a counter to his midsection. At one minute of the sixth round, the more natural 140-pound Leyva landed perhaps the hardest shot he could to Sanchez’ body which nearly folded the fan favorite in half. The left hand came from long distance, but hit its target just right.
Sanchez protected his body as much as possible as Leyva swung away, hoping to catch that same sweet spot he had found moments earlier. Once he could figured he could not find Sanchez’ body again, Leyva landed some clean head shots that if he had any power at welterweight could have posed a more serious problem for his opponent.
With Sanchez still nursing a sore body, the Fairfield resident managed to come back and turn the tables, catching Leyva with some stiff head shots while pressing him around the ring. Leyva had obviously missed his one opportunity at turning the fight in his favor, and just like that Sanchez took over.
With the battle-weary Leyva quickly losing steam, Sanchez was no longer struggling to figure out his opponent’s southpaw style and began bringing the type of fight that has made him such a gate attraction in his adopted hometown. By the end of the seventh, Leyva was cut on the forehead and finding it hard to stay on his feet.
After wearing down Leyva to a nub of the fighter that entered the bout, Sanchez landed a clean right counter over the top that forced the Mexican import to a knee against the ropes. Referee Dan Stell, who had kept close watch during the preceding flurry, leaped in immediately and stopped the bout. Time of the stoppage was 1:46 of the tenth and final round.
In the televised co-feature, super bantamweight prospect Manuel Avila (9-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield gave one of the better performances of his career with a third-round stoppage of previously once-beaten Vicente Alfaro (5-2, 1 KO) of Northfield, Minnesota.
Avila, 122, still seems to neglect his defense in spots, but looked like a much more complete offensive force as he scored two official knockdowns of Alfaro, 120.5, en route to the technical knockout. In the second round, Alfaro’s glove grazed the canvas after an Avila power shot. In the fourth, Avila forced one of Alfaro’s knees to touch the mat, according to referee Edward Collantes anyhow. From a distance Alfaro looked clear-headed, but Avila rushed in and went for the kayo with a flurry, prompting Collantes to leap in and save the Minnesotan from any further punishment. Time of the stoppage was 2:04 of the third.
Avila, who had just fought on the July 28th undercard of Robert Guerrero-Selcuk Aydin in San Jose, California, will return to the ring on September 22nd as the main event of a Telefutura Solo Boxeo emanating from the Woodland Community Center in Woodland, California.
In a wholly unnecessary rematch, Paul Mendez (9-2-1, 3 KOs) of Delano, California scored a second victory over the always game journeyman Loren Myers (8-17-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California – this time via corner stoppage.
Mendez, 168.5, had just fought the last weekend of July and thus was much sharper than the first time he and Myers, 170, met back last October. Mendez was also six pounds lighter than in their first meeting and much closer to his long planned weight division. Myers, who has a reputation for having a strong chin, seemed to handle Mendez’ power but at no point was he in the fight. After three one-sided rounds, Myers’ manager Andy Nance informed referee Dan Stell he had seen enough and the fight was stopped.
Mendez, pegged for Telefutura date on September 22nd in Woodland, California, had won every round on every card of his initial six-round encounter with longtime friend and fellow Central California resident Myers last year in Salinas, California.
Jonathan Chicas (6-0, 3 KOs) of San Francisco, California worked his way through a wide four-round unanimous decision over Mexican import Jose Mendoza (7-6, 3 KOs) just before Telefutura went on the air.
There was some good back-and-forth throughout the four rounds, but Chicas, 139.5, was clearly the winner of each. In the second it looked as though Chicas may have scored a knockdown, but referee Edward Collantes decided that Mendoza, 139, had slipped. Scores read 40-36 three times for the undefeated Chicas. For Jamay, Jalisco’s Mendoza it was his sixth consecutive defeat, but his first in the stretch to not come by way of a stoppage.
Knockout artist Joe Gumina (3-1, 2 KOs) of San Bruno, California was taken the distance but took a clear four-round decision over Sacramento, California’s Payton Boyea (0-2) in the opening bout of the night.
Gumina, 188.5, rushed out and pounded Boyea, 191.5, in the early going. The Sacramento native managed to weather the early storm and settled in as Gumina slowly calmed down his attack in the latter moments of the round.
The two exchanged strong hooks midway through the second, but it was clear Boyea’s shot did not bother Gumina, while the opposite was not so true. Gumina stunned Boyea again with a hard jab late in the third round that started off and offensive rally which resulted in a cut left eye. The cut was ruled to be from a headbutt, but the end result was unchanged by the ruling.
A one-two from Gumina early in the fourth seemed to stun Boyea again, but the San Francisco favorite failed to follow up on the moment. Boyea mounted a short burst of offense, but Gumina shrugged it off and swung back. After a brief respite, Gumina fired away at the ten second warning as the fight came to a close. Scores read 39-37 and 40-36 twice.
Photos by Stephanie Trapp
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
