In front of the many boxing aficionados in the house such as former greats such as Pepino Cuevas and Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora fought to a highly debatable draw in the main event at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Sergio Mora (22-1-1, 6KO’s) made his way to the ring first to a huge applause. Followed shortly after by Sugar Shane Mosley (46-6, 39KO’s) to meet in a 12 round, Jr. middleweight battle.
In round one, The taller Mora danced around the ring as Mosley chased him around trying to land a jab. Mora seemed very cautious as he only threw one maybe two combination’s the entire round. Mosley couldn’t catch him so he didn’t fair much better. In round two, it was more of the same. Mora switched from Orthodox to southpaw many times as he continued to dance and faint his way around the ring. Whenever Shane got too close, Mora would tie him up. There was a small exchange at the bell, which was have been the most action of the fight. In round three, after landing a somewhat meaningful right hand, Sergio got on his horse and ran around the ring as Shane chased him, attempting to land a shot. After he got off of his bike, he seemed to want to trade a bit more but still, no meaningful punches were thrown or landed. Round 4 started with Mosley becoming more aggressive and attacking at the onset. He trapped Mora on the ropes and began to do work. Mora would clinch and and try to get off all at once. The two began to fight in a phone booth…great strategy change by Mosley. He threw more punches and landed more when he forced Mora to fight him. Mora landed a big right that didn’t seem to phase Mosley, but Mora now has a visible cut over his right eye that is leaking blood fro, an inadvertent. Round five saw a much more aggressive Shane as he would not give Mora any breathing room. Mora seemed to want to exchange more, so it made the fight pick up a bit. As slick as a snake, Mora began to play to the crowd, as he stood in front of Shane daring him to punch him. It may have looked good, but he wasn’t letting his hands go. Round six Mora seemed to revert to his running ways in the first half of the round, as he backed up and jabbed. Mosley tried hard to get him on the ropes and do work but Mora was not a willing participant. Once on the ropes, Mosley was unloading when Mora caught him with a clean, counter left hook to the chin. If Mora had any power, it may have affected Shane. The round ended in a clinch with both fighters landing body shots.
A visibly gassed Mosley came out in round seven, which seemed to give Mora a license to fight as he was more apt to stand and trade. This may have been the most punches landed from any round up until this point. It seems as if Mora got the better of Mosley that round as they exchanged combination’s. Round eight looked like a wresting match. there was a ton of holding and clinching. The tired Mosley seemed to want to lean on Mora and pot shot him. Meanwhile, Mora landed some meaningful punches in this round. Perhaps the tide is changing but it may be too late. Mosley seemed to get the edge in round nine as he had a nice flurry against the ropes. may have been his best round yet. A very nice exchange toward the end of round ten that Mora seemed to get the better of. The two guys stood toe to toe and just let their hands fly. Neither fighter would back up or give in.much more energy than Shane. The round, in my opinion, went to Mora. As we delve deeper into the championship rounds, round eleven looked like round ten. Constant body contact with an array of big punches scattered throughout the round. The older Mosley is breathing heavily out of his mouth, you have to wonder how much gas is left in the tank. Yet he keeps pressing forward (by corcelli). Mosley landed four huge shots to end the round that seemed to wobble Mora somewhat. In the twelfth and final round, it started off as somewhat of a brawl. Both boxers where throwing many punches and pushing each other around. Mosley was head hunting attempting to get Mora out of there while Mora seemed to be attempting the same while fighting with his back on the ropes! The bout ended in the corner with both guys throwing big shots trying to end it before the final bell tolled. As we go to the scorecards, 115-113 Mora, 116-112 Mosley, 114-114 for a draw!
Sugar Shane Mosley
“We both fought hard. It was a good fight so it was a good decision.
“He is not a good puncher so we had to box more.
“This was a different fight because he had to come down in weight and I had to go up.
“It would have been different if I was fighting someone my height and weight.
“Mora moved, ran away, rested and held. There were lots of head butts and that effected me.
“He was moving too much so it was hard for me to get my shots in.
“I still want to fight someone more my weight and height like Cotto.”
Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora
“I came to win and I wanted to win, but my respect for Shane Mosley got in the way.
“I got hard headed and should have listened to my corner. They were telling me it was close and I thought I was winning the fight and my respect for Shane got in the way.
“He threw really good punches. He hit me with some hard shots.
“Going 12 rounds with Shane Mosley says something in and of itself. Honestly, I thought I won the fight.”
Making his way to the ring first Carlos “Tata” Baldomir, looking to pin the first loss on Saul Alvarez’s record. This is a scheduled 10 rounder in the super welter division. Alvarez, out of Mexico, was easily the crowd favorite as they roared as he made his way to the ring in the co-main event of the evening. There was really no hesitating in the fight. Both fighters threw many punches and came at each other, not many landed. There were a few exchanges in the second round. It seemed when one fighter would land, the other would jump right back as to say, I’m not going anywhere! The third saw more action and more exchanges but it seems to be an even match or Baldomir is slightly ahead. No huge action or huge shots to speak of as of yet. Baldomir looked like a grizzled old veteran as he landed a sneaky right in between the gloves of Canelo many times. Alvarez, however has a left hook/uppercut that seems to land whenever he fires it. Baldomir seemed to take one of Canelo’s biggest punches and urged him to bring more!
Alvarez landed big shot after big shot in the fifth round, but Baldomir would not budge. He stayed on the inside and loaded up his right hand, waiting to fire it. Canelo is clearly the faster fighter though which is to be expected given that he’s 19 years Baldomir’s junior. Towards the end of the round, Alvarez landed a series or huge power shots! Baldomir tried his best but the onslaught was way too much for him to handle! The youngster has power in both hands and he proved it as he dropped Tata with a left hook. Baldomir fell down face first and as he tried to recover, he was counted out at 2:58 of the fifth round. Alvarez is still undefeated as he improves to 34-0-1 with 26 knockouts. Baldomir fades into the darkness with a record of 45-13-6.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
“I told you guys I was going to come with experience. I didn’t talk very much. I just showed you.
“I came to give it my all. This is for Mexico and all of my fans.
“I was prepared for the distance. Sometimes the knockout comes when you prepare for it, and it did tonight.
“He wasn’t very fast and I used that to my advantage.
“I want to fight at welterweight and be a welterweight champion. I am going to do my best to be the best in the world.”
Carlos “Tata” Baldomir
“It is true that he hits hard. I was surprised by his power.
“I am going to go home and think about what I am going to do next.
“He is the real deal. He is oing to be a real champion.
“No one has hit me like he did. No one has knocked me down like he did. He is definitely the real deal.”
The next bout was to determine who was more “Vicious”….Vicious Victor Ortiz or Vicious Vivian Harris. East Coast vs West Coast! Victor fighting out of Ventura, CA while Vivian is representing Brooklyn. The bout was scheduled for 10 in the 147 pound division. Not much action to speak of in the first. Both guys looked somewhat timid, while Harris was looking to counter. Early in the second round, Ortiz dropped Harris with what seemed to be more so a result of Harris being off balance. But moments later, Ortiz landed another right and floored Harris for a second and a long left that dropped him a third time! Harris did not seem hurt, but he was visibly confused. In the third round, Mr. Ortiz landed a mini Mike Tyson-esque combo…a short right to the body and even shorter right to the head, dropping Harris for the fourth and final time at :45 seconds in the third round. Ortiz is now 28-2-1 with 22 knockouts while Harris drops to 29-5-1
“Vicious” Victor Ortiz
“The fans either love me or they hate me, but hopefully they love me now.
“I sensed his bluff at the weigh in and I called him out on it.
“I have progressed and learned a lot since the fight with Maidana. I still want him wherever he is.
“I want a shot at a world championship. I am not dodging anyone. I am ready for anyone.
“I listened to what my coaches said and I got the victory.”
“Vicious” Vivian Harris
“He caught me with some great punches. He looked very different. He was very sharp and accurate.”
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Antonio Escalante (23-2, 15KO’s) met Daniel Ponce De Leon (39-2, 32KO’s), in the WBO Featherweight Eliminator. The first round was the typical feeling out routine. Both fighters kind of measured the other to see where they were. Escalante landed a few big shots in the second round and did a semi-good job of avoiding the return fire of De Leon. De Leon is very aggressive and relentless and throws punches from many different angles. The third round saw both guys throwing many combonation’s that would drop many men. Nearing the end of the third, De Leon landed a mean left upstairs immediately followed by a right hook to the face that floored Escalante. The referee didn’t waste a second in waving the fight off, declaring De Leon the victor at 2:40 of round 3.
“My timing was off, but once I loosened up and got in my groove it was over”, Said De Leon
“I didnt feel his punches at all and I am gonna be a world champion again.”
“De Leon was very poweful and strong and he deserved to win the fight”, said Escalante
So what did we learn today?? Nothing! I think everything that we expected came to fruition. Daniel Ponce De Leon is a stud and is a top contender in the featherweight division. Victor Ortiz and Saul Alvarez are the future of Golden Boy boxing. Alvarez made a huge impression and will be a force in the 154 division. An old, and tired Mosley still has enough in the tank to draw a powerless Sergio Mora.
The next big thing to come out of the Golden Boy stable put on a show for the fans in Los Angeles. Frankie Gomez of East Los, improved his record to 6-0 all by knockout as he pushed around and bullied Ricardo Calzada of Las Vegas. The first round, Gomez felt the power of Calzada and once he knew he couldn’t be harmed, he seeked and destroyed! Calzada did his best to hold on and made it out of the second round, but the third round was a different story. Gomez came out head hunting and got right in Ricardo’s kitchen. He landed a few tough shots on the inside, to the head, that put Calzada on his butt. He rose only to meet an onslaught of punches from all different angles that bloodied his nose and once again saw him on the canvas. The ringside doc stood on the edge of the canvas before the ref even started his count, and at 1:06 of round three, the fight was over. Calzada heads back to Vegas with a record of 2 up and 3 down.
Our next fight was a scheduled six rounder in the lightweight division. David Rodela of nearby Oxnard met Juan Manuel Montiel of Mexico City. This was one of the first bouts of the night where it seemed as if both fighters were using their boxing skills and not a flat out brawl. There were many jab-led combination’s from both fighters. This also made for a boring fight and left the crowd jeering and booing, begging for more action. It seemed like a sparring session and that both guys were going through the motions. The final round did see somewhat of a spike in action which somewhat energized the restless crowd but still, no one really stood out. The fight went the distance, and according to the scorecards which were 59-55 Rodela and the others had it 57-57 resulting in a majority draw, basically indicative of what both fighters displayed. Rodela is now 15-3-4 while Montiel is 6-3-2.
For the only female bout of the night, local lady Kaliesha “Wild Wild” West met Angel Gladney of South Carolina in a scheduled 10 rounder. The first round was a feel out round but West ladned a few meaningful punches as she pressed the action. The next few rounds were all uneventful, not much action, but a lot of faints and jabs. It seemed as if neither fighter wanted to take a chance. In the fourth round, West opened up a bit and started throwing, and landing, meaningful combination’s. Near the beginning of round seven, Wild West landed a huge left that floored Gladney. Gladney rose but the ref waved the fight at :59 seconds in round 7. West, now 13-1-2 with 4 KO’s, is the new bantamweight champion while Gladney drops to 6-3-1.
The third bout was in the junior middleweight division. Undefeated Keith Thurman walked across the ring in the opening seconds and was dropped by a humongous right to the head by Quandray Robertson. Thurman returned the favor at the end of the round as he dropped Robertson with a flurry of punches. Robertson survived the round. This bout was an all out brawl, both boxers swinging wildly when Thurman landed a sneaky body shot that dropped Robertson for the second time midway through round two. In a somewhat uneventful third round, out of nowhere, Thurman landed a left hook inside and up top floored Robertson. The ref immediately waved the fight off and at 2:40 of the third round, Thurman maintained his undefeated record improving to 14-0 with 13KO’s. Robertson drops to 15-10.
Undefeated Sharif Bogere from Nevada made an impressive entrance into the ring as he was donning the fur and head of a lion. Got the few people that are actually in attendance excited. He is facing Julian Rodriguez in a six round, junior welterweight battle. All the action was pressed by Bogere as he landed a thunderous left hook up top at 1:42 of the second round to win by KO and improve his record to 17-0 with 11 KO’s. Rodriguez drops to 17-20-4.
In our first bout, Eric Areola of Mexico met Missael Nunez, also of Mexico, in a four round, featherweight battle. In what was a lopsided fight, Areola improved to 1-1 with a majority decision as the judges called it 38-38 on one card and 40-36 on the other two. Nunez drops to 4-9-2.
