Two exciting boxing shows just minutes from the border
After his dominant performance Jorge Paez Jr. celebrates his victory with his adoring fans.
Saturday, July 21, 2012, Tijuana, B. C., Mexico
In the first of two major clashes, Bryan Vasquez (29-0, 15 KOs), the interim WBA super featherweight champ, defended his title with a ninth round TKO victory over veteran Jorge Lacierva (41-9-6, 27 KOs) of Mexico City at the Auditorio Muncipal in Tijuana.
Being from Costa Rica and an outsider, Vasquez knew full well to come away with this victory he would have to win decisively and at the same time be wary of the slight of hand from a veteran like Lacierva who is known for using every dirty trick in the book.
The first round began with Lacierva using the inside of his boxing glove to rub Vasquez’s face. From that point on it was, ‘what else do you suppose I can get away with?’ Round after round the bout had to be stopped and a warning issued for excess holding, punches behind the neck, low blows and even a knee to the stomach by Lacierva. Like the boxers, the female referee, Romina Arroyo, was under duress as the crowd and fellow officials kept an eye on the shenanigans and how she handled it. Meanwhile, Vasquez’s ability to slip punches and counter, kept him in the match.
Meanwhile, Lacierva’s plan involved lobbying the patrons and judges by repeatedly landing these insignificant combinations that were more for show than doing any real damage. With this strategy working for him, it appeared the rounds were quite even.
As the fight progressed, so did the momentum as Vasquez began to attack more. In Round nine, he landed a shot to the midsection that sent Lacierva to the canvas. After getting back on his feet, Vasquez pounced on him again and landed an almost identical shot to the ribs. This time Lacierva could not beat the count and the referee stepped in to call a halt to the bout at 1:45 of the ninth round.
(left photo) Bryan Vasquez (R), the interim WBA super featherweight champ, is photographed with the challenger, Jorge Lacierva (L) at the weigh-ins on Friday, July 20, 2012. (right photo) After successfully defending his title with a ninth round TKO, Bryan Vasquez has his arm raised in victory at Auditorio Muncipal in downtown Tijuana.
Walking in front of his son, Jorge Paez, Jr., was quite an honor for Jorge Paez as the two gentlemen have worked hard to rebuild their father/son relationship.
Lasting memories for Jorge Paez Jr. and his dad
Above photos from the Jorge Paez Jr. versus Omar Chavez fight show Paez’s dominance in the fight with his quick hands and elusive defense. (bottom right photo) 18 year-old Joselyn “Princesa Tapatia” Arroyo (R) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, won her 9th straight by using her stiff jab to setup the two punch combinations against Jazmin Meza of Tijuana.
The Co-feature involved a rematch between the sons of Mexican legends, Jorge “Matamoro” Paez, The Clown Prince of Boxing and Julio Cesar Chavez, the six-time world champion in three weight divisions.
The 24 year-old, Jorge “El Maromerito” Paez Jr. (32-4-1, 19 KOs), gave the 22 year-old Omar “El Businessman” Chavez (28-2-1, 21 KOs) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, his first loss, a mixed decision loss (99-93, 99-93, 95-95) in Chiapas, Mexico last December.
On Saturday night, the two were fighting for the vacant WBC International Silver light middleweight title. While Chavez seemed content to work the body, do a lot of arm punching, Paez was the one applying the pressure and being more accurate. In the end, all three judges scored the bout 96-94 for Paez Jr.
For a guy who has 21 knockouts, Chavez’s punches lacked power and leverage against the more elusive Paez Jr. who at this stage in his career seems to be mimicking his father’s flashy style as it pertains to the head movement, footwork, elusiveness and showmanship. However, I didn’t see any backflips.
On the undercard:
Light flyweight, 18 year-old Joselyn “Princesa Tapatia” Arroyo Ruiz (9-0-0, 2 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, won her ninth straight victory without a defeat by using her stiff jab to setup the two punch combinations against the shorter Jazmin Meza of Tijuana who was making her pro debut.
Throughout their bout, Arroyo remained extremely calm and rarely if ever took a punch or missed her target.
Before the bell sounded for round #3, Meza’s side of the aisle threw in the towel. Meza, still sitting on her stool, remained seated while the referee counted her out.
Results from the undercard:
Aaron Herrera 8 round unanimous decision over Fernando Garcia
Francisco Lopez TKO of Omar Rosales in round six
César Sánchez TKO of Ortega Sergio in round three
Filiberto Ramirez round two TKO of Daniel Andrade
Saturday, July 21, 2012, Rosarito, B. C., Mexico
In an adjoining Baja California municipality, Rosarito, at Auditorio Ernesto Rufo in downtown, there was another boxing show that featured three, exciting early knockouts.
Light welterweight Antonio “Kañas” Lozada Jr. (27-1-0, 23 KOs) of Tijuana has become a force to be reckoned with.
First, in the Main Event, light welterweight Antonio “Kañas” Lozada Jr. (27-1-0, 23 KOs) of Tijuana scored a first round TKO victory over Carlos Urias (45-24-1, 34 KOs). Urias, who was knocked down three times in the first round, is now 2-6-1 in his last nine fights.
Light flyweight Juan Hernandez (20-2-0, 14 KOs) followed suit with a second round TKO victory over Lorenzo Trejo now (30-25-1, 13 KOs).
Also, welterweight, Jhonny Navarrete (25-6-1, 12 KOs) won a TKO victory over Joel Juarez (34-22-2, 29 KOs) at 0:39 of the fourth round.
The show’s promoter was Promociones de Pueblo. That was a lot of action, especially with both venues within 30 minutes of San Diego’s downtown.
