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06/07/2004 Archived Entry: "Miguel Hernandez and Son Shine in “Latin Explosion”"
Miguel Hernandez and Son Shine in “Latin Explosion”
By Juan C. Ayllon
Hernandez poses with belt
(Chicago, Illinois): Boxing is a violent sport. Stripped to its core, it’s a primordial—and often pitched—battle between two individuals seeking to physically impose their wills on one another. Say what you will about technique, science and power, in the caldron of battle, combatants must ante up immense levels of courage and discipline in willing themselves to stay the course—to stick to a disciplined strategy—while subjected to horrific abuse.
Therein lies both the appeal and repugnancy of boxing. It’s a sport where one’s resolve and ability to cope with pressure within and without—when every fiber in ones being cries out for relief from sheer exhaustion and pain—are severely tested. Those who can effectively negotiate this aspect of the sport may or may not go onto greater heights. However, those who cannot, fall by the wayside.
The venue was DePaul’s Athletic Center. Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions dubbed this evening’s event as “The Latin Explosion.” In a largely successful evening slated to be a special, father-son coming out party in which popular Chicago middleweight, “Macho” Miguel Hernandez (10-1-0, 7 KO’s) gunned for the Middleweight Illinois State title and his son, Joshuah fought on the undercard, Hernandez prevailed in a fiercely competitive and fiery battle. However, his victory was marred somewhat by his opponent’s unseemly breakdown in the eighth and last round.
Facing Miguel Hernandez was tough customer, Nathan Martin (6-1-0. 2 KO’s). As advertised, the two were very competitive from the start. Round one appeared fairly even as the two took turns belting one another. Martin, for his part, threw fast and hard hooks to the body just above the waistline. Hernandez threw booming right hands and hooks as he sought to establish superiority.
Round two began on fairly even terms as the two exchanged very hard punches. After absorbing a clean right to the head that sent sweat flying from his head, Miguel unloaded with a vengeance that left Martin literally blinking in a clinch that he initiated. Hernandez pressed hard, punishing Martin and dominated for the balance of the round.
In round three Martin was surprisingly effective as the two traded freely. Backing Hernandez to the ropes, he fired with both hands and—as Hernandez covered—stuck his chin out in mockery. Hernandez fired back hard with both hands, as Martin retreated to ring’s center. It was becoming evident that while Miguel had an edge in power, Martin had a rugged chin and a slight edge in speed. As such, Martin baited Hernandez, slipped some punches, absorbed others and counterpunched with multiple spry punches of his own to good effect.
Martin goes after a crouching Hernandez
This pattern carried through into rounds four and five, where Martin and Hernandez traded on fairly even terms, Hernandez throwing the heavier blows, but Martin answering back with higher volume. A few of Martin’s blows landed several inches below the belt. According to Hernandez, Martin allegedly head butted as well. In round five, frustrated, Hernandez picked up Martin by the leg and momentarily tried to throw him. The referee intervened and warned Hernandez. Once the action resumed, Hernandez volleyed with a vengeance. However, Martin answered with crisp, multiple shots of his own.
Round six was a pitched battle with both firing often and hard. Again, Hernandez threw the harder shots, but Martin countered with more shots at a clip. It was a tough, tough round to score.
Round seven witnessed Hernandez appearing to edge Martin in effective powerpunching as he pressed his tormentor who, again, countered sharply. Martin was making a statement with his potent and faster flurries. However, it appeared to this writer that, as tough as Martin was, the more effective aggression belonged to Miguel who, to his credit, remained disciplined in mixing up short and long punches in a potent, two fisted attack.
Hernandez (left) pressures Martin
The bristling pace continued in round eight, as Hernandez pressed and Martin countered. Hernandez surged, driving Martin to the ropes with wicked hooks and rights to head and body. As Hernandez rained blows on Martin in a corner, Martin fought back like a cornered—but overpowered—cat: he did his best to fend him off any way he could. This included a shot or two south of the border.
In short order, Martin—who had previously been warned to keep his punches up—was deducted a point for low blows. Then, in a bizarre turn, he turned his back, tossed his gum shield into the crowd and climbed out through the ropes. In the chaos that followed, he apparently threw a chair towards Hernandez and the referee and, in turn, was showered with beer as he stormed his way out of the gymnasium. Hernandez won via disqualification.
Afterwards, Miguel Hernandez had the following to say:
“Well, I think he wasn’t going to take it anymore. They saw that he was really tired, I was keeping the pressure on him. I was going to go all out, you know, he was going to [try to] knock me out, I was going to [ostensibly] run out of gas. He shoulda never left the ring! We won’t never know what would happens now. I give him a lot of respect, he’s a tough fighter. He’s kind of dirty, you know, he’s into religion and everything, but I don’t know what kind of religion that is. God bless—he got the name—but he throws the head butts. You know, I was inside and he intentionally was hitting me with his head…I think in the fifth round, he intentionally head butted me.
I was just trying to work the body, tire him down. He was, you know, an awkward fighter. He had a good jab, but when I caught him with the right hand, I felt that that would bring it down. You know, but he wasn’t going to fall. I know, he’s a strong kid and I seen his face: he wasn’t going to fall. So I was trying to knock him out, ‘cause that would look good for me if I knocked this tough guy out. But, Jesus Gonzales didn’t knock him out. He fought Gonzales, which is a superstar. You know, he’s a good fighter.”
Commenting on what precipitated Martin’s collapse, Hernandez said, “The overhand right. Everyone kept telling me to throw the overhand right. But, in boxing, it’s easy to tell you what to do, but in there, it’s different: you miss the overhand right and he catches you with a counterpunch, you end up taking a punch. I mean, I’ve yelled at my son from out there and I know that it’s hard. So, you know, I caught him [Martin] and I just couldn’t get the job—Lucky, you know, maybe he left the ring ‘cause he felt like he couldn’t go no more, I don’t know. We’ll never know.”
Earlier, welterweight bomber Luciano “El Gallo Bravo” Perez (8-0-0, 7 KO’s) continued his winning ways in taking the fight to Steven Verdin (3-16-2). In round one, Perez used a ramrod jab to work his way in with heavy rights and hooks. However, Verdin fired back surprisingly hard in spots.
Round two saw bristling action as Luciano pressed to end matters definitively and Verdin—who found a relatively immobile Perez fairly hittable—fought back with stiff punches of his own. However, Perez was not to be denied victory and at 2:35 into round two, knocked Verdin out with a pulverizing overhand right. 
Doctors examine the fallen Verdin
Crisp boxing and popular junior middleweight, Trinidad Garcia (2-0-0) took on more experienced Mark Norge (5-12-2, 2 KO’s), easily out-punching his game opponent two and three punches to one in rounds one and two. Round two saw more of the same, as Garcia used a tight defense, a pumping jab, and solid combinations to dominate his retreating foe.
In round three Garcia alternatively bounced on his toes and boxed one moment and came in tight and hooked and uppercutted to head and body in close. Norge fared better towards the end of the round, landing several hammering blows to Garcia along the ropes and forcing him to back off.
Round four, Garcia fought with a renewed sense of urgency, relentlessly pounding his man at close quarters and sending sweat flying from the force of his blows. To his credit, Norge withstood his charge and gamely returned fire on occasion. However, there was no doubt as to the outcome, with Garcia winning the bout by unanimous decision by scores of 40-36 all.
Debuting professional 153-pounder Rudy Cisneros provided a brief demonstration of beautiful combination power punching in stopping Ronny Clardy (0-2-1) in a corner with a sustained heavy barrage of unanswered power punches at 2:01 into round one. Ealier, Clardy sustained a notable cut over his left eyebrow, prompting the doctor to look it over before allowing the fight to continue.
Former Golden Gloves champion, Michael Walker (1-0-0. 1 KO) kicked off the professional fights by dominated Nathan Wilkes (0-2-0) in the first round with a mixture of tight boxing and heavy power punching, only to suffer a few anxious moments following an unintentional low blow. Wilkes took several minutes to recover. After the action resumed, Walker pressed hard, but unsuccessfully, for the knockout.
In round two, Wilkes surprised by fired back hard in spurts. However, he was penalized one point for repeatedly “ducking too low” and shortly afterwards crumpled to the canvas from a wicked left hook to the ribs at 2:50 into the round for a TKO.
In a special amateur portion of the evening, 125-pounders Noe Perez—a champion at this year’s Golden Gloves and kid brother of Luciano “El Gallo Bravo” Perez—and Jose Hernandez put on a surprisingly entertaining scrap, taking turns walloping one another behind high but somewhat porous guards and snapping each others’ heads back. In the end, Noe Perez won by unanimous decision.
Popular 70-pounder, Arturo Suarez—who in past Pesoli cards has put on scintillating shadowboxing demonstrations—boxed and slugged his way to victory by TKO in the second round over outclassed but game Brandon Nieves.
A spirited bout between 70-pounders, Joshuah Hernandez and Manny Gallegos kicked off the festivities to the wild cheers of an appreciative crowd. The son of popular headliner “Macho” Miguel Hernandez, the free-swinging Joshuah gave a good account and made his father very proud in winning a gutsy majority split decision. 
Young Hernandez ducks Gallego's left hook
Thus, the evening provided everything as advertised: fulfillment of Miguel Hernandez’ dream to fight successfully on a “father-son” fight card. He said, “This day is for my son and for me, that means more to me than the title. My dream came true.” As such, it provided a warm familial touch, plenty of action and even high drama—albeit of the controversial kind—to the sublime satisfaction of a festive and appreciative crowd.
