Jolene Blackshear brings another world Title to San Diego
On her way to winning the WIBA Jr. Flyweight World Title, Jolene Blackshear scores her first of two Sindy Amador knockdowns at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA.
Friday, July 27, 2013
Prior to her championship bout with Jolene Blackshear, Sindy Amador of Perris, CA relaxes with her support staff in the dressing area at the Doubletree Hotel. (below) Amador makes her way to the Hotel Ball Room for her championship bout.
Last night, at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, it was history in the making as San Diego’s Jolene Blackshear overcame tremendous odds and partisan scoring to become the new WIBA Women’s International Boxing Association Jr. Flyweight World Champion. With her split decision victory over Sindy Amador, Blackshear reminds us she’s only the second professional boxer born and raised in San Diego to become a world champion. The other native San Diegan to win a world title is Paul “the Ultimate” Vaden who stopped Vincent Pettaway in the 12th round of a world title fight back on August 12, 1995 to become the IBF light middleweight world champion.
The 43 year-old Blackshear, who had already overcome a ton of obstacles, ventured north to face perhaps one of the sweetest, most well-liked ladies in the entire Inland Empire, Sindy Amador from Perris, CA who was virtually fighting in her own backyard.
Jolene Blackshear with her support group which includes her coach Jose Cital, nutritionist Brandy Augustine and assistant trainer James Thomas make their way to the Ball Room for her world title fight against Sindy Amador. All photos: Jim Wyatt
With Blackshear’s victory, which included two knockdowns, one in the seventh round, another in the eighth, she succeeds 27 year-old Ju Hee Kim (17-1-1) of Seoul, South Korea who failed to defend her title since defeating Ploynapa Sakrungrueng back on December 15, 2012 in Seoul, South Korea.
It’s likely Kim, the current WPBF (World Professional Boxing Federation), World Boxing Federation, WIBF (Women’s International Boxing Federation) and GBU (Global Boxing Union) world champion will be extending an invite to Blackshear to re-visit South Korea for a reunification bout. Back on October 15, 2009, almost four years ago, Blackshear visited Incheon, South Korea to fight Dan-Bi Kim for the vacant IFBA minimumweight title. Blackshear lost that fight by a narrow decision.
From the opening bell, Amador was this aggressive lioness who kept pressing forward with her wide right, then wide left punching while Blackshear either held ground to mix it up, or took a step back to set Amador up for a hard counter. From the first round on, it was downhill for the predictable Amador and it must have been painful for her backers to see her taking so many shots to the head. In the final two rounds Blackshear put her stamp on this resounding victory by sending Amador flying backwards twice to land on the canvas. These were the first time ever that Amador had been knocked off her feet.
In the end the veteran judges, Pat Connolly and Marty Denkin were in agreement with their scores of 76-74, 76-74 for Blackshear. Judge Gwen Adair scored the bout 76-74 for Amador. With the split decision victory, Blackshear’s record goes to 8-3 with 3 KOs, while Amador suffers her first career setback and drops to 10-1 with 1 KO.
Prior to this bout I recall looking across at Gwen Adair, the California Boxing Hall of Fame judge. We both sat ringside, her in the center and I was sitting beside Amador’s corner people. As always the 30 year veteran was smartly dressed, her hair neatly cropped, and she had on a blue dress that was exquisite. Across from Adair sat Pat Connolly who began judging in 1979. In the third chair sat Marty Denkin, another Hall of Fame judge of 39 years. After surveying the venerable judges and noticing Ray Corona, a 15 year veteran, was to referee, I felt certain, the ladies would receive a fair shake.
My own, personal round by round assessment: Round #1 – 10-9 Amador, Round #2 – 10-9 Blackshear, Round #3 – 10-9 Amador, Round #4 – 10-9 Blackshear, Round #5 – 10-9 Amador (she may have had a bloody nose, but by all accounts she landed more blows), Round #6 – 10-9 Blackshear, Round #7 – 10-8 Blackshear due to the knockdown. Blackshear did take a hard left, just before the bell, and the 8th and final round, 10-8 Blackshear, once again due to her registering a knockdown. Totals: 77-73 Blackshear
Every one of the many people I polled after this championship bout, which included the sports writers plus Carlos Alberto Avilas and former super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez (the gentlemen who handle the broadcast for Fox Sports Desportes), all were in agreement that Blackshear had won going away with the cleaner punches, the more effective aggression, obviously the better defense and ring generalship.
You can’t have these professional boxers working so long and so hard, for so little money, and then have someone scoring a bout so irresponsibly. The tape of this fight needs to be presented to the California Athletic Commission and individuals need to be reprimanded. In conclusion, Adair can be oh, so very thankful that Friday night’s World Title fight was not covered by more media or aired globally. Her scoring of the fight was horrendous.
The common excuse for a judge is to say, “What can I say, my view was obstructed.”
For Adair, it was as if the whole fight had been staged solely for her benefit as the majority of the action, especially the hard blows to Amador’s face were landed directly in front of her and of course nothing obstructed her view from seeing Amador land twice on the canvas.
The rest of the results:
Artemio “King” Reyes of Colton, CA (19-2, 15 KOs) had no problem dispensing of the 38-year-old Sergio “El Sirenito” Perez (28-14, 19 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico in their welterweight clash. The 26 year-old needed just three rounds to finish Perez off with a body shot to score the knockout. It was the second of two knockdowns from body shots as referee Raul Caiz Jr. reached his ten count at 1:39.
Reyes now improves to 20-2, 16 KOs, while the veteran Perez falls to 28-15, 19 KOs.
Artemio “King” Reyes (top left) versus Sergio Perez (below photos).
Middleweight standout Alex “El Principe” Theran from Barranquilla, Colombia (13-0, 8 KOs) and Juan Carlos Rojas from Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico (5-5, 4 KOs) went the distance in their scheduled six rounder.
Even with Theran, a southpaw, using his height and reach advantage, his amazing hand speed to stop Rojas’ in his tracks, Rojas never stopped coming forward. He never gave up hope of landing that one, big knockout blow.
Rojas’ best round, the fourth, had him forcing Theran to get on his bicycle and move counter clockwise around the ring. Other than that, Rojas spent the majority of his time flinging these haymakers at a nonexistent target. All three judges had Theran winning every round. With the win, Theran goes to 14-0 with 8 KOs. Rojas falls to 5-6 with 4 KOs.
(top) Pre-fight, while being taped up, Alex Theran receives final instructions from the California Athletic Commission official. (below) he faces off with Friday’s opponent, the very tough Juan Carlos Rojas, then after victory waves the flag of his country, Columbia.
(top) German Valdez poses for a photo in his dressing room before facing Ralph Lopez. (below, right) German Valdez goes down after being clobbered by Ralph Lopez.
Ralph Lopez (l) scores a second round knockout of German Valdez.
Ralph Lopez, the younger brother of welterweight Josesito Lopez improved his record to 7-1, 6 KOs with a second round knockout of German Valdez who now drops to 2-2-1, 1 KO.
In this classic righty versus lefty confrontation, it was the righty, Lopez, controlling the power alley. Early in round two, after Lopez dropped Valdez with a short right and he quickly got back to his feet, another a huge right followed accompanied by a barrage of punches to force referee Raul Caiz Jr. to stop the contest at just 29 seconds of the second round.
Prior to their four round super bantamweight bout, Jorge “Tito” Ruiz Jr. (top) and Alex “Rooster” Reyes pose for a few photos in their dressing room.
(photo at bottom) Jorge Ruiz has his arm raised in victory by referee Ray Corona after he defeated Alex Reyes. All photos: Jim Wyatt
The other San Diego representative on the Thompson Boxing Card was super bantamweight Jorge “Tito” Ruiz (2-0, 1 KO) who trains at the Alliance Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. Simple truth, Ruiz was there to audition his talents to Alex Camponovo of Thompson Boxing Promotions while facing the spirited 17 year-old Alex Reyes (0-2) who hails from Houston, Texas.
The impassioned Reyes came out swinging from the outset as the more relaxed Ruiz tried to settle in by shooting out his stiff jab and countering off each Reyes miss. Before long, the two were trading heavy blows in the center of the ring and as if tracking his own punch stats, Ruiz always managed to land one or two more blows.
By the third round Reyes’ attack began to fade and Ruiz, the pure boxer, became even more effective, especially while countering of each Reyes miss. In the end, Ruiz came away with a majority decision win as one judge had it an even 38-38, while the other judges scored the bout 39-37 and 40-36 respectively in favor of Ruiz.
With the win, Ruiz insured his pending contract with Thompson and we learned later he’ll be signed next week on the same day as the Arellano brothers, light welterweights Israel (6-1-0, 5 KOs) and Antonio (6-1-1, 2 KOs) who also hail from San Diego.
Among the boxing notables at the Doubletree for this Thompson Boxing “Locked and Loaded” series were current IBF super bantamweight champion Jonathan Romero, former world champion Bobby Chacon, former champion Israel Vasquez doing the commentary, welterweight Josesito Lopez on hand to support his brother, junior welterweight Mauricio Herrera and from San Diego super bantamweight Christopher Martin, flyweight Amaris Quintana, and welterweights, the Arellano brothers, Israel and Antonio.
For their next show, Thompson Boxing Promotions returns Friday, August 23 to the Omega International Products facility in Corona, California.
