The heat was on in Las Vegas, temperature-wise as well as the action inside the ring, for the third installment of “Knockout Night at the D” series which aired live on CBS Sports Network from the outdoor Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (DLVEC) in 90+ degree conditions before another capacity crowd.
An old-time Las Vegas grudge match turned into a highly entertaining boxing war as Demond “Body Shot” Brock (12-3-1, 4 KOs) won a hard fought 10-round decision over previously unbeaten challenger Chuy “Hurrican” Gutierrez (14-1-1, 4 KOs).
“What a night we had downtown,” said Derek Stevens, Owner and CEO of the D Las Vegas and DLVEC. “I want to thank the Nevada Athletic Commission for allowing us to do these fights outdoors. I want to shout out to Chuy and Brock,,,..what fighters! Let’s keep this going downtown.”
Brock, fighting out of New Orleans, learned to box in Louisiana State Penitentiary, where he served nearly 15 years, sentenced as an adult at 15 for armed robbery. The determined lightweight controlled the pace and consistently beat hometown favorite Gutierrez to the punch all night. Gutierrez, a tough Mexican who lives in Las Vegas, showed the heart of a champion, albeit in a losing effort to a fresher Brock.
“I think I put on a great performance,” Brock commented after the fight. “I came out to give my best effort. We trained to fight inside to fight Chuy, not box, to make him uncomfortable in a fight he’s not used to. I won this fight on the inside. No backing up for 10 hard rounds. We prepared that way because we knew Chuy was going to come in throwing shots. But he’d never fought anybody of my caliber. I was looking to finish him but I didn’t want to get careless.”
In a battle of unbeaten junior middleweight, Mexican invader Rolando “Rola” Garza (9-0, 6 KOs) and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Erasmo “The Reckoning” Garcia (5-1-1, 3 KOs) put on a show in the televised co-feature. All they really needed was a phone booth as the two warriors pounded each other from the opening bell, although Garza got the much better of the action for the first four rounds, buzzing Garcia at the end of the fourth. The game Garcia came back in the fifth, despite suffering a lot of damage from a relentless attack by Garza, who simply outclassed his overmatched opponent with his technical boxing skills. Garza, who was deducted a point for throwing a low blow in the fifth round, won a unanimous 6-round decision in a firefight.
“We worked the body and, thank God, won the fight,” Garza noted. “He’s a tough, unbeaten guy. We came here and did it. Viva Las Vegas!”
In the television opener, Las Vegas welterweight prospect Jeremy “J-Flash” Nichols (5-0. 2 KOs) dominated previously unbeaten Adam Vasquez (5-1-1). The flashy Nichols dropped Vasquez twice in the final round to win a 4-round unanimous decision by scores of 40-34 three times.
Nichols won his third fight in the last three months, “I can go next week,” Nichols said after the fight. “He was tall fighter who was undefeated. He didn’t come here to lose. I take my hat off to him because I hit him with some great shots. He is a tough guy with a big heart. I had to do the Ali Shuffle in the first round because he was my favorite fighter.”
Los Angeles heavyweight Johnathan “Johnnie” Rice (4-1, 2 KOs), a former Winthrop College (NC) basketball player, upset 4-time Mexican National amateur champion Edgar “El Chato” Ramirez (1-1, 1 KO), pitching a shutout for a unanimous 4-round decision.
Las Vegas junior featherweight Max “Baby Face Assassin” Ornelas (1-0, 1 KO de an auspices pro debut, one day after his high school graduation ceremony, one day prior to his 18th birthday. Ornelas dropped Robert “Lil’ Rob” Ledesma (1-5) midway through the first round. Ledesma rose but Ornelas hit him with a vicious left hook to the body, hurting Ledesma who turned his back and walked away in pain. Referee Jay Nady stepped in and halted the fight.
Heavyweights Tracey “The Titan” Johnson (4-2-4), of Boston, and Los Angeles’ Cashton “Fedia-Tone” Young (2-1, 1 KO) set the stage in the opening fight of the evening. They stood toe-to-toe for most of the four rounds as Johnson, who has a Master’s Degree in Physical Education from Emmanuel College, won a 4-round split decision.
Tracey Johnson (R) pulled off a win
Complete results below:
MAIN EVENT
WBC UNITED STATES (USNBC) LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (10) – CBSSN
Demond “Body Shot” Brock (12-3-1, 4 KOs), Champion, New Orleans, LA
WDEC10 (100-90, 98-92, 97-93)
Chuy “El Hurracan” Gutierrez (14-1-1, 4 KOs), Las Vegas, NV
(Brock retained the WBC United States lightweight title)
CO-FEATURE
JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (6) – CBSSN
Rolando “Rola” Garza (9-0, 6 KOs), Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
WDEC6 (59-54, 59-54, 58-55)
Erasmo “The Reckoning” Garcia (5-1-1, 3 KOs), Little Rock, AK
WELTERWEIGHTS (4) – CBSSN
Jeremy “J-Flash” Nichols (5-0, 2 KOs), Las Vegas, NV
WDEC4 (40-34, 40-34, 40-34)
Adam Vasquez (5-1-1), Las Cruces, NM
HEAVYWEIGHTS (4)
Jonathan “Johnnie” Rice (4-1, 2 KOs), Los Angeles, CA
WDEC4 (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
Edgar “El Chato” Ramirez (1-1, 1 KO), Mexico City, Mexico
JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (4)
Max “Baby Faced Assassin” Ornelas (pro debut), Las Vegas, NV lbs.
WTKO1 (2:01)
Robert “Lil’ Rob” Ledesma (1-4), San Antonio, TX lbs.
HEAVYWEIGHTS (4)
Tracey “The Titan” Johnson (4-2-4), Boston, MA
WDEC4 (39-36, 38-37, 36-39)
Cashton “Fedia-Tone” Young (2-1, 1 KO), Los Angeles, CA lbs.
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