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06/02/2007 Archived Entry: "Hernandez Passes Bloody Gut Check with Decision over Tackie"
Hernandez Passes Bloody Gut Check with Decision over Tackie
Photos and story by Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Hernandez (left) and Tackie trade at rings center
CICERO, Ill.—It was the eighth round. Warm blood trickled down the 28-year-old’s face and into his eyes. Opposing him, the older, powerful African warrior with a deep scar on his right cheek savaged his head and body with concussive blows. He was trapped on the ropes.
Swinging for dear life, welterweight prospect Freddy Hernandez knocked his antagonist back several steps with a booming right to the jaw. The crowd roared. Surging, he reasserted himself and finished the round on even terms.
And although he would arguably lose the next several rounds in pitched battle, overcoming this moment’s crisis enabled him to win a unanimous decision over ultimate trench warrior Ben Tackie.
Ben Tackie (right) stalks Hernandez
That’s Ben Tackie, a native of Accra, Ghana who at 33 had run up a record of 29-6-1 and 17 knockouts against competition that included such fighters as former Light Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu, Current IBO Light Welterweight Title holder Ricky Hatton, former WBA and IBF Light Welterweight Title holder Sharmba Mitchell, Former IBF Lightweight Champion Freddie Pendleton, and many others. And he’d never been knocked out.
Things weren’t so difficult in the early rounds for Hernandez. In rounds one and two, he circled and peppered Tackie, who pursued and dug single thudding rights to the body.
As things heated up in the third, Tackie landed wicked lefts and rights. That’s when the bleeding began. Apparently resulting from a clash of heads, the wound high on Hernandez’s scalp was inspected by a ringside physician.
No matter. Hernandez edged with faster hands. As Tackie swung with the full force of his body, Hernandez circled, parried, and peppered with crisp rights and lefts. They weren’t stopping Tackie in his tracks, but they were scoring points. They had the effect of a picador’s pricks with a lance, enraging this oncoming bull with Matador Hernandez in his sights. Perhaps frustrated, Tackie was warned for several low blows.
In the fifth, Tackie landed one low blow too many and was deducted one point. Capitalizing on his moment’s opportunity, Hernandez continued circling and landing potent lefts and rights to the head, slipping punches and building up points. At one point, Tackie missed with a big right, the kind that had knocked out former world champion Freddy Pendleton years ago.
In the sixth, Tackie was deducted another point for low blows. As the fight resumed, the heavier handed Tackie pursued. His head turned this way and that from snapping rights and lefts, he finally cornered Hernandez on the ropes and unloaded angry rights and lefts. The two traded several seconds past the bell.
Hernandez was deducted one point for grabbing and holding the back of Tackie’s head in the seventh round. Tackie pounced. He dealt a brutal beating to Hernandez’s midsection. His best round so far, Tackie repeatedly trapped Hernandez on the ropes and pounded body and occasionally, the head.
Then there was that fateful eighth round.
It was a pure brawl. Both traded back and forth. Shouts of “Meheeco, Meheeco!” erupted from the crowd, which was heavily weighted with Latinos. Tackie trapped Hernandez on the ropes and exacted revenge for earlier trespasses. And that’s when Hernandez repelled Tackie with that big right hand.
Tackie surged and dominated in the ninth and, in the 10th, he drew large “oohs” from the crowd with a handful of lefts and rights to the head. Trapping Hernandez on the ropes, he unleashed hell on Hernandez’s body and head. Again trapping him in a corner near rounds end, he pounded away.
“He was in out on his feet,” said one ringsider of Hernandez. Indeed, it was all he could do to cover and counter where he could. The bell terminated the bout with Tackie pounding away.
The judges felt that Hernandez did enough, as they scored the bout 94-93, 96-91 and 95-92 for a unanimous decision victory for Hernandez. With this win, Hernandez, who hails from Mexico City, Mexico, advanced to 22-1 and 17 knockouts.
Freddy Cuevas (center) and Kendall Gill (right)
The scores flabbergasted some, not the least, Ben Tackie. Former Chicago fighter Freddy Cuevas, who arrived late, said, “I didn’t see the first five rounds, but from what I saw, Tackie won the fight.” Former basketball star and sometime professional boxer Kendall Gill concurred.
A ringside official said, “Well you missed all the low blows.”
Kendall Gill said, “That would explain it.”
Jiminez (right) on the attack
The co-main event was a matter of pride. Both combatants were Puerto Rican and, as such, wore Puerto Rican colors. The veteran and more pedestrian of the two, Angel Chacon of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico (132 lbs.) 30-7-2 and 15 KO’s wore a simple Puerto Rican flag on his white shorts, while his taller and flashier opponent, Daniel “Azuquita” Jiminez of San Juan, Puerto Rico (131.5 lbs.) 16-1-1 and 10 KO’s wore darker, multi-colored trunks with the same theme.
Once the battle began, it didn’t take long for the lithe Jiminez to redden Chacon’s face with a two-fisted onslaught. However, Chacon jarred with a pair of lefts—a lone left hook at midpoint and a straight left toward rounds end.
Chacon (right) fires back with a hard right
Jiminez continued the assault in the second, repeatedly backing up Chacon with searing lefts and rights. So brisk was his pace that the question remained, “Would he punch himself out against his more experienced foe?”
Weaving side to side, in the third round, Jiminez slipped punches and battered in spurts. Chacon fought back in spots, but had his head snapped back with a smacking right.
In the sixth, Jiminez rocked Chacon with a looping right. He pounced. He unloaded with searing rights and lefts first in one corner, then the next. Chacon covered and weathered the storm. Retreating across the ring, he covered, dodged and absorbed an array of blows. Eventually, his head cleared.
In the ninth, Jiminez landed a big right that roused the crowd. Chacon shook his head, “no.” Nonplussed, Jiminez continued the onslaught.
This carried forth into the tenth, where Jiminez repeatedly battered Chacon. On the cusp of being stopped, his face mottled and swollen, Chacon covered, ducked and withstood the furious assault.
There was little doubt as to the outcome. Judges scored the bout 100-90 twice and 99-90 for Jiminez, giving him a unanimous decision victory.
Undercard Results:
Ortega (right) swarms Dodds in a corner
Referee Tim Adams intervenes as Dodds loses his lunch
Bloodied about the face, Jose Manuel Ortega (146 lbs.) advanced to 9-1 with five knockouts, as he never stopped swinging and pounding the body of Randy Dodds (140 lbs., 6-20, 3 KO’s). At 2:04 of the sixth round, referee Tim Adams halted the bout as Dodds threw up from the sustained punishment to his ribcage.
Polyakov (left) surges back against truculent Bryant
Fighters Andrzej Fonfara (left) and Victor Polyakov celebrate Polyakov's win
Marteze Bryant (164 lbs., 0-1) stormed Victor Polyakov (162.5 lbs., 3-0, 3 KO’s) with both hands swinging. Bad move. On the defense momentarily, Polyakov came back with a blistering attack and stopped Bryant with a wicked right to the head at 53 seconds into round one.
Jorge Gonzalez (right) handles Deets' bullish tactics in a corner
Jorge Gonzalez (157 lbs., 4-1) out-boxed and out-punched game, but less experienced William Deets (159 lbs., 1-3, 1 KO) over six rounds for a unanimous decision victory with scores of 60-54 all.
Antoine (left) avoids the right hook of Rodriguez
Jose Angel Rodriguez (151 lbs., 10-0, 2 KO’s) won a unanimous six round decision over Damon Antoine (150 lbs., 5-13-1, 3 KO’s) with scores of 60-54 all.
Popoca (right) and Diaz trade blows at rings center
Ivan Popoca (147 lbs., 2-0, 2 KO’s) garnered a draw against Guadalupe Diaz (146 lbs., 2-1) over four rounds.
Green crumples Patton to the canvas
Leon Green (145 lbs., 3-1) stopped Ben Patton (144 lbs., 1-0, 1 KO) at 50 seconds into the first round of a scheduled four rounder.
Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions promoted this event in collaboration with Tecate and TCF Bank.
