On July 8 an estimated 5,000 boxing fans braved the notorious dry heat of Arizona to watch Hometown favorite Jesus “El Martillo” Gonzales score a 117-109, 116-110, 115-111, 12 round Unanimous decision over rising boxing star Francisco Sierra of Mexico. The win upped Gonzales’ record to 27-1-14 knockouts while the loss dropped Sierra’s record to 24-4-1. The fight, shown nationally on ESPN, was billed as a NABBF Super Middleweight Title Fight ; but, Sierra failed to make the required 168 lb weight limit so Gonzales actually won the belt before throwing a punch. Gonzales could have waved bye,bye, to the taller and stronger Sierra but he wanted to fight for his fans so he did the noble thing, he signed a new contract allowing him to fight Sierra who, at fight time, weighed close to 200 pounds.
Gonzales used his speed and agility effectively to his advantage in the early rounds and dominated first 3 rounds. He appeared comfortably ahead and in the 4th round he brought his crowd to their feet when he delivered a liver shot that sent Sierra down to one knee. They went delirious and sensed a knockout victory.
Sierra was wounded but not out. In the fifth he knocked Gonzales down and almost out with a crushing right hand just before the bell rang signalling the end end of round 5. It was a wake up call for Mr. Gonzales.
After being refreshed by his corner, Gonzales used his superior speed and boxing skills to frustrate his opponent in the remaining rounds. Sierra didn’t give up but the extra weight derailed any chance for him to win. At the end of round 12, he was visibly exhausted.
After the fight, the 26 year old Gonzales mingled with his fans and talked to reporters. He said would like to continue to fight until he won a world title and then retire and go into business. He joked about maybe going into nursing but no one took him serious. His wife is a nurse. Gonzales said he was satisfied with his performance but promised to rigorously work on his defense which was porous at times.
Since the fight there have been new developments that may impact the next Gonzales/Fan Base Promotions Event. . Kelly Pavlik, thought to be a possible future opponent for Gonzales, has been accused of beating up his brother and may face criminal charges. His beat down may reason for him to sit awhile..somewhere.
Fernando Vargas has emerged as a possible ring foe and rumors have the contest being held at the Arizona State Fair in October. Fan Base Promotions didn’t confirm or deny the rumor.
In the Co-Main Event, it didn’t take Cleveland’s Yaundale “Money Shot” Evans took on Emmanuel “The Butcher” Lucero and it didn’t take him the allotted 8 rounds to convince fans that he is ready for prime time action. The bout was stopped in the 6th round and the TKO victory runs Evans record to 15-0 with 11 knockouts. The best thing that can be said about the vulnerable but game Lucero is the fact that he lasted 6. Evans has the potential to become a champion…Lucero is near the end of a very productive and respectful career.
On the under card, Irish Canadian Light Middleweight Janks “No Nonsense” Trotter made short work of Arturo “El Toro” Crespin with a thunderous right hand in the second round that ended the night for Crespin and left no doubt who was the better fighter. They met in March and an accidental head butt resulted in a technical draw. Trotter,5-0-1 with 5 knockouts disputed the TD in March and vowed to correct what he called an “error in judgement” if he was given a chance. He was and he did.
Trotter won 2 National and 2 Golden Gloves in Canada as an Amateur. He wanted to turn professional but he drew bad management and changed his mind. About 3 years ago the itch returned and Trotter abandoned the oil fields for a shot at being a champion. At 27, he knows the odds are long but Janks likes the role of an underdog and he’ll take his chance one fight at a time. He hopes to fight next month but finding an opponent becomes harder after each knockout victory.
The return of hometown favorite Rafael Valenzuela was disappointing for his many fans. Valenzuela was outworked by Robert Guillen in a 130 pound bout that had its’ moments early but neither fighter had enough stamina to avoid fatigue after the 3rd round. The last 3 rounds were painful to watch. Valenzuela still has skills but the ring rust is noticeable.
In what some fans called the second or third best fight of the night…Cruiser weights Billy Schmidt and Carlos Reyes met again after their wildly cheered draw in March. In their highly anticipated rematch, Schmidt knocked Reyes down early but it was Reyes who threw the bomb in third round to win by TKO. Schmidt got up at the count of 8 but he was in no shape to continue. The referee wisely stopped the contest.
In the final fight of the evening,Super middle weights Isiah McFadden and Roberto Young went toe to toe for four all out rounds and McFadden, the harder puncher, was awarded a unanimous decision. It was a great evening of professional boxing.
