SAN ANTONIO – Houston lightweight Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, a former world champion, found across from him in Saturday’s sixth and final off-television match a motivated opponent with a workable gameplan and little respect for Diaz’s resume. It was no matter – Diaz dispatched of him with time anyway.
Diaz (39-4, 19 KOs) whacked and wore-down Mexican Gerardo Robles (18-13, 9 KOs), snatching his will and decisioning him easily if not quite easily as official scores indicated: 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91.
After a spirited first round from Robles, one in which the rambunctious Mexican alternately countered and led Diaz with surprising effect, Diaz came off his stool in the second and reestablished the proper order of things, lashing Robles with signature hooks and activity, and reducing Robles’ activity considerably. Once order was returned Diaz then went to work on Robles like so many once-strong men before him, breaking the Mexican’s spirit with constant activity and relentless violence.
Though Diaz never managed to imperil Robles – and though Diaz found his own legs stiffened in the seventh, in an exchange that sent the Houstonian to the canvas but was ruled a slip by referee Jon Schorle – Diaz closed space, controlled time, and generally took the fight away from his less-experienced opponent.
Diaz is not what he once was, no, and hasn’t been since his first fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, but he is still entertaining, and still acquitting himself honorably every time he steps in a prizefighting ring.
Saturday’s fifth match saw undefeated Mexican featherweight Oscar Valdez (9-0, 8 KOs) score a controversially concluded technical knockout victory over Dallas’ Samuel Sanchez (5-6-1, 1 KO), a limited opponent there for the beating, a beating that was concluded somewhat prematurely at 2:03 of round 3, much to Texas fans’ bemusement.
Local lightweight Ivan “Bam Bam” Najera acannot help himself, for there are two things in a prizefight he loves to do: Devour opponents’ right hands, and make an intense and intensely suspenseful match with every man he faces.
The fourth bout of Saturday’s eight-fight Alamodome card saw Najera (13-0, 9 KOs) win yet another firefight, this time with a fellow Texan, McAllen’s Angel Hernandez (8-2, 4 KOs), a man Najera dropped with a gorgeous counter left hook in round 1 and then got dropped by with a stiff right cross in round 2. And then after that, it was like every other Najera fight, with both men landing repetitively throughout, and Najera remaining undefeated by unanimous scores of 78-72, 77-73 and 77-73.
Tough and entertaining as he is, Najera continues down a path of making caveman-like spectacles that promise no longevity. He is aware of everything in and around a prizefighting ring, it seems – even taking time to blow a kiss to a ringside female journalist during Saturday’s fourth round – everything that is, except the glove an opponent wears on his right fist. Of right hands, Najera is seemingly oblivious, dropping his own left hand through every fight, and getting cracked continually by most every right thrown his way.
So long as he lasts, though, Najera is the stuff of which local attractions are made.
ALEX SAUCEDO VS. GILBERTO VENEGAS
Undefeated Oklahoma welterweight Alex Saucedo has stalled in his development. Once a darling of insiders, Saucedo has been moved perhaps too prudently and now finds himself getting hit far too hard by journeymen types who do not move backwards or go down when first struck.
Saturday’s second match saw Saucedo (13-0, 9 KOs) win most every minute of his six round match with Illinoisan Gilberto Venegas (12-13 4 KOs), and win a lopsided decision judges scored unanimously, 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55. But those scores tell nothing of the two or three flush Venegas left hands that snapped Saucedo’s head leftwards. This match was a step-up affair for Saucedo – and against a .500-fighter, that is something of an indictment.
UNDERCARD
Saturday’s third fight saw undefeated California welterweight Jose Zepeda (19-0, 17 KOs) go directly through overmatched South Carolinian Johnnie Edwards (15-7-1, 8 KOs), stopping him at 2:10 of round 2, in a fight that showed nothing but questionable merit.
The evening began with a competitive if light-hitting scrap between undefeated Houston featherweight Jerren Cochran (11-0, 4 KOs) and Mexican Aduato Gonzalez (11-10, 4 KOs), a match that saw Gonzalez dropped in round 5 and bleeding throughout though game to the end. Judges scored the match unanimously for Cochran: 59-54, 59-54 and 60-53.
Cochran, whose punches are accurate not hard, showed certain class but remained surprisingly susceptible to looping overhand rights thrown blindly by his limited opponent.
Opening bell rang on a cavernous Alamodome at 5:17 PM local time.