Matadors Become First Americas Conference Team To Win On The Road:
The Los Angeles Matadors became the first away team to earn a victory in the Americas Conference of the World Series of Boxing Thursday night taking four out of five bouts and earning three points over the Memphis Force at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss. The Matadors have built up a commanding, four point lead in the Americas Conference over rival Miami Gallos, the only team to beat them and currently sit number one throughout the international World Series of Boxing League.
Bantamweight and two-time Olympian Rau’Shee Warren started the Matadors evening with a unanimous decision win over the Force’s Ronny Beblik, scored 46-49, 46-49, 43-50. The win, Warren’s second consecutive victory, kept Warren’s perfect WSB record in tact.
“It took me the first round to feel him (Beblik) out,” Warren said. “It usually takes me 15 seconds to figure the fighter out. Coach said just stick your jab out and he’ll be right there to set him up with a punch, so that’s what worked.”
Capitalizing on the Matadors momentum, lightweight Everton Lopes scored a technical knockout (TKO) at 2:29 in the second round against Raynell Williams. Lopes unleashed a combination of body and head shots that dazed Williams and forced Roland Labbe to stop the fight just as Force Coach Anthony Bradley threw his towel in to the ring to the stop the bout.
“I knew from the first round I was going to knock him out because he would come in real tight,” Lopes said. “But when he would bring his guard back he would bring his hands down. I saw he was getting fatigued and just kept setting him up for the left hand.”
After dropping from the light heavyweight class, Matador Carlos Gongora earned his first victory in the middleweight division taking an easy, unanimous decision from Terrell Sausha, scored 45-50, 47-48, 45-48.
“I feel great and we’re putting the name of the Matadors on top,” Gongora said after the victory. “I knew I had the fight when I’d come back to the corner and Manny would tell me I was doing good and to just keep applying pressure. My plan was to stick on the outside because I knew he was an inside fighter. I just kept my distance and it worked.
Matador and Long Beach Native Dorian Anthony earned his first victory of the season with a 46-48, 46-49, 42-48 unanimous decision over Anthony Mack. Anthony dazed Mack in the fourth round with a brutal right hook. A combination of punches left Mack dazed against the ropes and unable to beat referee Jose Bonet’s standing eight count.
“I wanted to work the outside and got caught with his uppercut a couple times because I got stuck inside,” Anthony said. “I just tried to control the fight.”
The Matadors only loss of the evening came during the heavyweight bout as the Force’s Cam Thompson won a unanimous decision over Pico Riviera Native Javier Torres, scored 50-45, 49-46, 49-46.
“He was better then me tonight,” Torres said. “He adjusted quick and that was my fault. I just had an off night. A bad night on an important night. Now I just have to get back in the gym and continue to train.”
LA Matadors – Memphis Force Photo Gallery
The Matadors next home bout is Jan. 13 at Nokia Theatre at LA Live as they look to avenge their first and only loss of the season against the Miami Gallos. Tickets, starting at $20, can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.
The World Series of Boxing is a groundbreaking, international sports league with teams from three continents competing for five spots – bantamweight, lightweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The Matadors will compete against three other North American teams, Miami, Mexico City and Memphis, for the next four months with the winner from the North American division advancing to the semifinals to compete against teams from other continents.
The Matadors will travel to Mexico City Jan. 7 to open the New Year as they take on inherent rival the Mexico City Guerreros.
