Bound Boxing Academy and another crowd-pleaser

Responsible parties for Friday’s entertaining show, (left) Juan Medina Jr. – matchmaker/gym owner/head boxing coach, Abel Guzman (r) the polished ring announcer plus local President of the Greenbay Packers’ fan club and last but not least DJ Louie who knows better than anyone how to mix music.

On Friday evening, the Bound Boxing Academy on Palomar Street in Chula Vista hosted another intriguing line-up of USA Amateur Boxing matches designed to entertain the local boxing fan. It was their 25th show and featured 22 boxers from 16 gyms, 14 U. S. gyms and two from across the border. With a major upset in Bout #1, you had the feeling this Fight Card might have more than a few surprises and it did. In addition, with more than a few of the boxers being recent returnees from the 43rd Annual National PAL Championships in Oxnard, Calif., more than a few were in top form.

Bout#1 featured Kyle Erwin (20-years-old, 141 lbs.) from the Nevarez Boxing & Fitness Gym in Vista, Calif. taking on Bogar “Bull Dog” Padilla (18-years-old, 135 lbs.) from the Aparicio Boxing Club of Baja California, Mexico. Erwin, who usually dominates his opponents by first breaking them down with blows to the body, was not having much success against the younger and six pounds lighter Padilla, who had recently returned from the above mentioned National PAL tournament where he ended up in the finals. Padilla’s rock hard stomach seemed unfazed by Erwin’s relentless body shots.

In round one, Erwin immediately backed Padilla up and pinned his opponent against the ropes to then blast away at the midsection. Unlike other opponents, Padilla didn’t waiver and stood there trading blows. Like Superman, Padilla’s stomach must have been rock hard. Regardless, it’s likely Erwin took round one on the scorecards. It was the way Padilla matched Erwin’s output in round two and then simply outworked him in round three that likely won over the five judges.

At the conclusion of Bout #1, we see referee Hondo Fontane raising the arm of the victorious Bogar Padilla from the Aparicio Boxing Club. Photo: J. Wyatt

In Bout #2, it was Alejandro Leyva Jr. (10-years-old, 84 lbs.) from the Nevarez Boxing & Fitness Gym of Vista going up against Manuel Leivas (11 years-old, 83 lbs.) from Temecula Boxing. After Leyva was the more effective aggressor in both rounds one and two, Leivas resorted to more close-in fighting and clinching to shut down Leyva’s attack in round three. Even though he did manage to slow down Leyva’s attack, there was no way he could catch up in the scoring to overcome Leyva’s early lead.

One boxer appears to be down in the dumps and the other on top of the world. At the conclusion of Bout #2, we see referee Hondo Fontane raising the arm of the victorious Alejandro Leyva Jr. from the Nevarez Boxing & Fitness Gym.

Bout #3 had Anthony Cabral (12-years-old, 70 lbs., red trunks) from Temecula Boxing going up against Diego Saucedo (13-years-old, 74 lbs., blue trunks) from the National City CYAC. This match was almost a repeat of Bout #2 with one twist, the accuracy shown by Cabral, especially in round one and two as he worked his combinations which went straight as an arrow to their target. By the third round, Saucedo had gained his confidence and began to answer back with authority but by that time he would have needed a knockout to earn the win.   

At the conclusion of Bout #3, we see referee Andrew Moreno raising the arm of the victorious Anthony Cabral of Temecula (r) while his opponent Diego Saucedo showed good sportsmanship and clapped for his worthy opponent.

In Bout #4, they had Cesar Hernandez (15-years-old, 112 lbs.) from North County Boxing going up against Oscar Diaz (14-years-old, 113 lbs.) from the Mariscal Boxing Gym in Tijuana, B. C., Mexico. In round one, Hernandez got off to a great start. After clobbering Diaz with some good headshots, the ref was prompted to issue Diaz a standing 8-count. In round two, Diaz made a comeback of sorts by landing multiple combinations. Round three turned out to be one of those wow rounds with the fists flying nonstop. After Hernandez landed the cleaner and harder shots to the head, the decision suddenly became less of a challenge for the five judges who were likely straining to pick a winner.   

The victorious Cesar Hernandez has his arm raised in victory by referee Andrew Moreno after he defeated the game Oscar Diaz from Mariscal Boxing.

Bout#5 featured Fernando Lopez (12-years-old, 90 lbs.) from the Nevarez Boxing & Fitness Gym, Vista, Calif. going up against Isiah Bernal (11-years-old, 90 lbs.) from Romo’s Boxing Training Center, El Centro, Calif.

This is that one bout where you have two observers turn and look at each other while shaking their heads. One will end up saying, “Huh? That decision doesn’t make any sense.” In round one, Lopez went on the attack but almost every time, he was getting caught by these hard counters to the head. In round two, Lopez switched things up and added more right crosses and showed better movement but still, he was getting caught by the harder, straighter shots to the head. And, in the final round, you could clearly see that two of every three exchanges went Bernal’s way.   

It looks like someone might want a redo. The “Are you kidding me?” look on Isiah Bernal’s face, says it all. He was not happy with the unfavorable decision and might be having his coach Juan Romo Velasco check the contract for this fight to see if there is any clause in it, where he can get a rematch.

In boxing, when you put on the coveted Championship belt you become a target and the challengers become many. They all want what you have – that Title.

Bout #6 featured Andrea Medina (18-years-old, 135 lbs.) from the host gym, the Bound Boxing Academy of Chula Vista, Calif. being challenged by the southpaw Roxana Ortiz (17-years-old, 131 lbs.) from the Calexico Boxing Academy, Calexico, Calif. With Medina’s pedigree of being the former National Champion and now ranked #3, a challenger has to have a lot of guts to get in there and mix it up. Even the guys in her gym who spar Medina are advised to make certain both their medical and dental insurance premiums are paid up. The best thing we can say about this bout: “Ortiz rarely if ever took a step back and survived without getting hurt.” Did she land her trademark straight left on Medina’s chin? No. Ortiz did take several hard shots to her head and appeared unfazed. As expected, all five judges had Medina winning this contest.

Taking aim! Southpaw Roxana Ortiz versus righty Andrea “The Boss” Medina.

Before the verdict was announced the young ladies received a well-deserved round of applause.

In the end, it was Andrea Medina of the host gym having her arm raised.

It’s a long haul from Calexico, Calif. to Chula Vista, Calif. but these two boxers plus their coach, family and friends made the trek to Friday evening’s show.

Bout #7 had David Gates (21-years-old, 164 lbs., red gloves) from The Alliance Training Center, San Diego taking on Bryan Bermudez (21-years-old, 160 lbs., blue gloves) from the Aparicio Boxing Club of Tijuana, B. C., Mexico.

There were no soft punches in this contest, nothing but power shots that kept you focused from start to finish. To his credit, Bermudez, with his wider, looping punches, kept banging right up until the final bell.

In the end, it was David Gates of The Alliance Training Center having his arm raised in victory by referee Hondo Fontane after earning a unanimous decision victory over the tough Bryan Bermudez from Aparicio Boxing.

Star power on hand to present the winning belt was the nationally ranked Jessica “Kika” Juarez sporting the Golovkin vs. Canelo souvenir apparel.

In Bout #8, it was Alejandro Bastidas (12-years-old, 80 lbs.) from the Bound Boxing Academy, another finalist at the National PAL Tournament, going up against Danny Hernandez (11 years-old, 77 lbs.) from the San Diego Athletic Association. Early on, Hernandez employed this darting in and out a strategy to score points. This strategy didn’t work for long as the taller and more experienced Bastidas planted his left jab to stonewall Hernandez and at times had Hernandez’s head snapping back.

In the Sport of Boxing, they say the more accurate, straighter puncher always has an advantage over the boxer with the wider looping punches and this axiom was never so true than on Friday night when we saw Danny Hernandez walking right into Alejandro Bastidas’ powerful left jabs.

At the conclusion of Bout #8, Alejandro Bastidas (r) was presented the winning belt and had his arm raised in victory by referee Andrew Moreno.

Bout #9 featured Kemuel Sanchez (24-years-old, 135 lbs.) from North County Boxing going up against Joseph Fonseca (17-years-old, 135 lbs.) from The House of Boxing, Paradise Hills, San Diego, Calif. Interesting to note: this was Mr. Fonseca’s Amateur debut. On more than a few occasions, he had prepared for his debut but no opponent could be found or an opponent would end up backing out of the contest. Like a soldier who had never been battle-tested, Fonseca had been dreaming of this day for a long time.

In round #1, Kemuel Sanchez came out with a lot of razzle-dazzle and fancy footwork, moves that reminded you of the flashy boxers of old, people like Naseem Hamed or Jorge “El Maromero” Paez, the Clown Prince of Boxing. 

The razzle-dazzle soon slowed to a manageable pace after Sanchez took a hard punch to the face which required an 8-count from referee Andrew Moreno.

In awe of his opponent’s outstanding performance, Kemuel Sanchez stepped in front of referee Andrew Moreno to raise Joseph Fonseca’s arm.

Bout #10 had Sergio Diaz Martinez (26-years-old, 143 lbs.) from the Undisputed City Heights Gym, San Diego, Calif. going up against Ahmad Zobir Noori (29-years-old, 138 lbs.) who had just returned to the sport after a four-year sabbatical. He had been training on and off over the last six years with well-known trainer Chris Getz. As a matter of fact, both men were returning to the rigors of boxing after a considerable layoff and both had these glorious memories to woo them back. With Martinez being three years younger, an in-your-face brawler and weighing five pounds more than Noori, he went after Noori like a hungry lion. Cut to the chase, the stoppage came in round two after Noori was first issued an 8-count late in round one and then was on the receiving end of two additional blows to the head early in round two.

After the stoppage, Sergio Diaz Martinez had the Championship belt draped over his shoulder and had his arm raised in victory by referee Hondo Fontane.

After his win, everyone wanted a photo with the victorious Sergio Diaz Martinez which included trainer Frank Barajas who assisted in his corner.

In the final photo, we have Martinez’s wife, two children plus his trainer from the Undisputed City Heights Gym in San Diego, Calif.

Bout #11 featured a match-up of two gents who had been on their own personal winning streaks and showing a lot of promise. Aerance Velasquez (28-years-old, 166 lbs.) is from City Boxing in San Diego’s Downtown. He last fought on June 24th at a Charity Event in La Jolla where he outboxed WCK Muay Thai champion Roman Lychenko from Russia. His opponent, Earl Henry Jr., (also 28- years-old, 160 lbs.) trains at the ABC Youth Foundation Mongoose Boxing Gym in San Diego. Henry had just finished competing in the finals of the 2017 National PAL Tournament. With these sterling credentials, much was expected.

As far as the expected boxing thriller, Bout #11 turned out to be a boxing snoozer as the holding and clinching comprised much of this three-round bout.

At the conclusion of Bout #11, both boxers received some much-needed advice from the veteran referee and LBC 44 CAL Border President Hondo Fontane.

After adding up the scorecards, the bout was awarded to Earl Henry Jr.

For whatever reason, the knives had become dull, and the expected boxing classic turned into a wrestling match with no rhythm being established. Leading in the punch count after three rounds, Henry was awarded the decision.

The next USA Amateur LBC 44 Boxing Show, Champions of Tomorrow, is being hosted by the Calexico Boxing Academy and it is scheduled for October 21, 2017, at Crummett Park in Calexico, Calif. For more information, you can contact Leo Ortiz at 1-760-540-3108 or by email at LEOORTIZBOXING@GMAIL.COM