USA Amateur Boxing results from Legacy Training Center
These are just some of the hard working coaches that make the USA Amateur Boxing program work for our local youth. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Saturday, July 7, 2012, was another great day for USA Amateur boxing at the Legacy Training Center in Vista, CA. Delicious food, great match ups, great effort and lots of young people displaying their potential.
In Bout #1, Delila Ortega (L) of the Coachella Boxing Club, Coachella, CA has her arm raised in victory by referee Hondo Fontan after getting the victory over Mina Giles (R) of the local Rhino’s Boxing Club in Vista, CA. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #1 featured two young ladies in the 105 pound weight class, Delila Ortega of the Coachella Boxing Club, Coachella, CA going up against Mina Giles of Rhino’s Boxing Club, Vista, Ca.
Even though Giles was the aggressor throughout, this strategy went no where against Ortega who sat back and waited on Giles to throw and then countered. After a short time, Ortega had her distance and timing down to perfection and back went Giles’ head from the stiff jabs and short right hands.
In Bout #2, Juan Padilla (L) gets the win over Julius Ballo (R). What makes the win so significant is the fact Ballo had been undefeated with three straight wins and Padilla was making his Amateur Boxing debut. Photo: Jim Wyatt
After his victory, Bout #2 winner, Juan Padilla (C) of the Real Deal Boxing Club in Hemet, CA poses for a photo with his father (L) and coach (R). Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #2 featured boxers in the 70 pound weight class, nine year-old Julius Ballo (3-0) of Undisputed Fitness & Training Center, El Cajon, CA going up against 10 year-old Juan Padilla of Real Deal Boxing, Hemet, CA making his amateur boxing debut.
After only a short time in the gym, Padilla must be a fast learner. His combinations were not only accurate, he showed good footwork as he moved away from the punching power of the formidable Mr. Ballo, a relentless inside brawler. After a while it was Ballo who was doing the backing up and getting caught on the chin. I’m sure Ballo was humbled by the experience and we’ll see much improvement in his next outing.
In Bout #3 it was Edward Lam (R) of Pasadena getting the victory over Gilbert Roybal of Chula Vista. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #3, in the 85 pound weight class, had Edward Lam out of Pasadena, CA taking on Gilbert “Dinamita” Roybal of Oceans Boxing in Chula Vista, CA. In this slugfest, Lam proved to be the busier and more accurate puncher.
In Bout #4 it was Brian Fox (L) of Rhino’s Boxing getting the win over David Reroz (R) unattached. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #4, in the 155 pound middleweight class, had Brian Fox of the Rhino’s Boxing Club, Vista, CA going up against David Reroz, Unattached.
Fox, the taller of the two, held the upper hand from the outset, using all his skill sets, the stiffest of jabs, the overhand right, and quick combinations to keep Reroz on the defensive.
By the third round, with Reroz getting the worst of it and bleeding from the nose, referee Will White stepped in to call a halt to the match.
In Bout #5 it was Jose Chollet (L) getting the victory over Joseph Tracy (R). Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #5, in the 75 pound weight class, featured Joseph Tracy from Boxing for Christ, San Jacinto, CA, going up against Jose Chollet of Barrio Station in the San Diego neighborhood of Barrio Logan.
With Tracy being a newcomer to boxing and only having six months of training, you could see Chollet recognized the difference in their skill levels and went easy on his opponent.
In Bout #6, it was Rodolfo Ortigoza of the Penacho Boxing Club (L) getting the victory over Ivan Ortiz (R) of the ABC Mongoose Gym. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #6, in the 85 pound weight class, featured Rodolfo Ortigoza from the Penacho Boxing Club, San Jacinto, CA, going up against Ivan Ortiz of the ABC Mongoose Boxing Club, San Diego, CA.
Even though he’s still very young, Ortigoza is another youngster who has been competing since an early age and it was easy to recognized the difference in the skill levels between himself and Ortiz. Ortigoza was able to double up on punches and like a pro skillfully move away from Ortiz’s power. At this stage, Ortigoza appears to be more at ease and knows how to remain calm and conserve energy. At times this nonchalance made him appear overconvident.
Bout #7 saw Cesar Lopez get the razor thin victory over Carlos Gerardo. Photo: Jim Wyatt
At the conclusion of Bout #7, Carlos Gerardo posed for a photo with his long time coach Carlos Barragan (L) and pro boxer David Barragan (R). Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #7, in the 120 pound Super bantamweight class, featured two veterans Carlos Gerardo of the House of Boxing, San Diego, CA going up against Cesar Lopez of Real Deal Boxing, Hemet, Calif.
For this one, everyone pulled their chairs in a little closer.
It was like watching a professional bout, where you drop your hands just once, and it’s disaster. Because of their skill level, the officials allowed the pro-style 3-three minute rounds.
If you scored the bout by the USA rules, the bout was too close to call. If you scored the bout as they do in the pro ranks, then I believe Gerardo won this one. Even though the punch stats were close, the more telling blows, especially the repeated left hooks, were landed by Gerardo. In Round #2, Gerardo scored three head snappers and appeared to be the more aggressive of the two. The coaches did a good job of evaluating the boxers for us when Gerardo’s corner yelled out, “Carlos, don’t let him rest! Move in for the kill!”
Bout #8 was cancelled.
In Bout #9, Mulapi Estani of the Tiger Smalls Boxing Team, joined here by Prince Tiger Smalls working his corner, got the victory over Gerardo Fernandez. Photo: J. Wyatt
Bout #9, in the 135-pound weight class, featured Gerardo Fernandez of House of Boxing, San Diego, CA going up against Mulapi Estani from the San Diego Combat Academy, Mission Valley, San Diego, CA.
The much shorter Estani did exactly what he needed to do. He kept up the pressure and stayed in Fernandez’s face to land the short but powerful straight shots to the head and body. In contrast, Fernandez’s punches were wide, flailing punches, and as such missed their target.
At the conclusion of Bout #9, boxers Mulapi Estani (l), the eventual winner, and Gerardo Fernandez (r) await the judges’ decision with referee Rick Ley.
At the conclusion of Bout #10, Christian Jimenez, the winner poses for a photo with his coaches Rich Power (r) and Ernesto Martinez (l) from.
After his all-out battle against Christian Jimenez, Charlie Gomez (l) poses for a photo with his mentor. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #10, featured two light-heavyweights in the 170 pound weight class, Charlie Gomez, Unattached who trains at the San Diego State University gym in the College area of San Diego, going up against Christian Jimenez who is trained by pro boxer Rich Power at The Arena MMA Gym in Point Loma, San Diego, CA.
Being first-timers, both boxers were winding up and looking to land that one punch knockout. The ferocity of the fight soon had Gomez trying to clinch more and eventually referee Hondo Fontan penalized him a point. A short time later, he got the point back when Jimenez was issued an eight-count. In the end, it was Jimenez amassing the most points to secure the win.
Bout #11 was cancelled.
In Bout #12, it was Oscar Iturio (l) getting the best of Christian Vazquez (r). Referee Hondo Fontan is shown raising the arm of the victorious Iturio. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #12, in the 155-pound weight class, featured Oscar Iturio of the Rhino’s Boxing Gym, Vista, Calif. going up against Christian Vazquez of Oceans Boxing, Chula Vista, Calif.
This was what you’d call an endurance bout. Each boxer punished his opponent with devastating blows using every last ounce of energy. After Vazquez took Round #1, Iturio evened things up in Round #2. In the third and final round, Iturio got the best of Vazquez and was aided even more when Vazquez was penalized a point for holding.
In Bout #13, it was Xavion Douglas of the Rhino’s Boxing Club (l) going down to defeat at the hands of Danny Cuin (r) of the Temecula Boxing Club. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #13, in the 65-pound weight class, featured Xavion “The X-Man” Douglas of the Rhino’s Boxing Club, Vista, Calif. going up against Danny Cuin of the Temecula Boxing Club, Temecula, Calif.
With Douglas being the same weight but always shorter than his opponent, he’s always been at a disadvantage. This was his best performance thus far as he continually had his hands up with the head and feet moving. Still, the taller guy, Cuin, had that option of staying on the outside and peppering Douglas with the long distance blows, enough blows to secure the victory.
In Bout #14, Alfredo Vargas (l) gets the win over Jorge Agiss (r). Photo: J. Wyatt
Bout #14, in the 70-pound weight class, featured Alfredo Vargas of the National City CYAC going up against Jorge Agiss of San Jacinto, Calif. In Round #1, the feeling out process had the majority of the punches landing on the opponent’s gloves. As the boxers settled in, Vargas became the busier of the two and in the end accumulated the most points for the victory.
Bout #15 was cancelled.
In Bout #16, it was Manu Taa (l) of Ocean’s Boxing getting the win over Juan Mendez of Boxing for Christ. Photo: Jim Wyatt
After battling it out with Juan Mendez in Bout #16, Manu Taa takes a moment to pose for a photo with his coaches, Luis Lorenzo and Luis Gamez. Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #16 in the 145-pound weight class, featured Juan Mendez of Boxing for Christ, San Jacinto, Calif. going up against Manu Taa of Mexican/Samoan ancestry trained at the Oceans Boxing Club, Chula Vista, Calif.
This was another case of the less skilled boxer, Mendez, throwing the wide, looping, off the mark punches at a boxer, Taa, who was patient enough to wait and counter. Most times, Taa landed at a two for one ratio and catch his opponent walking right into a punch.
Bout #17 was cancelled.
Bout #18 between Adrian Ramirez (l) and Rey Gamez (r), the eventual winner, was certainly up for consideration for “The Bout of the Show.” Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #18 in the 105-pound weight class, featured Adrian Ramirez of Rhino’s Boxing Gym, Vista, Calif. going up against Rey Gamez of the Oceans Boxing Gym, Chula Vista, Calif.
Even though Ramirez was a head taller and had better leverage on his punches, Gamez won by being the slicker of the two, both on offense and defense. At one point he dodged a six punch combo just by moving his head up, down and all around. To beat the taller, smothering brawler, Gamez had to pick his spots and when he did, he made the most of them.
As the decision for Bout #19 was announced, you could see the contrasting expressions on the boxer’s faces, delight, on the face of Jose Ponce (r) and disappointment on the face of Emiliano Lopez (l). Photo: Jim Wyatt
Bout #19, in the 170-pound light heavyweight class, featured Jose Ponce of the Oceans Boxing Club, Chula Vista, Calif. going up against Emiliano Lopez of Boxing for Christ, San Jacinto, Calif.
If asked to put a label on this match, “The Fury of Time Bombs,” would be appropriate. In the first minute, Ponce tagged Lopez with three hard punches that sent him back into the ropes. It didn’t matter that Lopez’s nose was a bloody mess, he kept coming and on occasion hit Ponce with a heavy blow. This one ended the same way it started with Ponce landing the majority of the power shots, especially with the left hand, and Lopez doing his best to return fire.
At the conclusion of this day-long show, it was the Jason Rivera (l) versus Oscar Hernandez (r) bout being declared “The Top Bout of the Show”. Photo: Jim Wyatt
When making the introductions for Bout #20, the show’s Master of Ceremonies, matchmaker and event coordinator, Ivan Puente stated: “Saving the best for last!” When the locals saw the boxers approaching the ring, they all knew what he meant.
The final bout featured Jason Rivera, who only recently moved to San Diego, going up against a former sparring partner, Oscar Hernandez, from the Rhino’s Boxing Gym in Vista. Both boxers had done some maturing, moved up in weight, and gotten a few inches taller since they last met. Since they were familiar with each other, this one turned out to be a great tactical match. Hernandez tried desperately to keep things close, while Rivera preferred to keep Hernandez at a distance and let his skills dictate the pace. After three heated rounds, it was Rivera getting the nod from the judges.
The next local LBC 44 USA Amateur Boxing Show will be on Saturday, July 28, 2012, at the Community Youth Athletic Center (CYAC) in National City, Calif., 91950
Weigh-ins are at: 9 a.m., First Bout will start at: 1 p.m.
Your contact person is Carlos Barragan (619) 474-2922
