[Previous entry: "Media Heavyweights Weigh-In on March 15th's 'Fistful of Shamrock!'"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Fitness Corner: Who Else Wants the Secret to Great Abs?"]
03/15/2008 Archived Entry: "Jauregui Wins UD over Huerta in ‘March Badness!’"
Jauregui Wins UD over Huerta in ‘March Badness!’
Rios knocks out Brown in two
Ringside photos and report by Juan C. Ayllon
Referee Curtish Thrasher looks on as Jauregui (left) tags Huerta with a stiff left to the head
CICERO, Ill.—It was a classic case of an older veteran fighter who’d seen his best days against a rising youngster looking to pound his legacy into the squared circle. Add to that a battle of pride between two Mexican warriors, the older hailing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and the younger from Mexico City, Mexico by way of West Covina, California. Unfortunately for the younger Huerta, Javier Jauregui, 34, still had enough left in his bag of tricks—including a stiff punch—to upset his opponent’s plans on securing the vacant NABF Lightweight Title.
Although only four years older at 34 years of age, Juaregui had nearly twice as many fights and had been fighting professionally since February 1988, while Huerta had his first pro fight in January 1999.
The difference in ring experience showed.
Sporting deep creases in his forehead from years of abuse in the ring and a physique that sagged a little from the ravages of middle age, Jauregui was much more relaxed than his baby-faced and more sculpted foe. Wily, he moved, slipped and rode out punches just enough to minimize damage of incoming blows, while often landing blows from awkward angles and, at times, seemingly off balance.
An example of the latter occurred at one point in the match where, his head down low and to the right of Huerta, he crashed a looping left hook to the left side of Huerta's jaw.
Jauregui (left) on the attack
And thus, two-time world champ Javier Jauregui (135 lbs., 42-14-2, 36 KO’s) wasted no time, digging a thudding left hook to Miguel Angel Huerta's (135 lbs., 26-8-1, 18 KO’s) right side moments into their bout. Continuing to pressure, he had Huerta on the defensive, trying to get his respect. Some good trading resulted.
A favorite with fans at Cicero Stadium, Shouts of “Huerta, Huerta, Huerta!” rang out.
Huerta gave a much better account of himself in the second and third, as he connected more often with quick hooks and rights to body and head. At one point, Jauregui slipped to the mat. Still, Jauregui banged in some hard single hooks to the body, whereas Huerta’s body shots were more of the slapping variety.
Jauregui (left) shows his experience as turns his head and rolls with the force of Huerta's right hand
The crowd roared in the fourth when Huerta drove a straight left down the middle, snapping Jauregui’s head back and driving him to the ropes. Stepping up his attack, he repeatedly out-sped Jauregui, who still fired back hard in spots. At one point, Huerta landed four blows in a row, prompting Jauregui to fire back four of his own.
In the fifth, Jauregui stunned Huerta with a volley of smashing blows. It appeared to this writer that Huerta was in more trouble than he was letting on and Jauregui inadvertently let him off the hook. The moment passed. Trading back and forth, Jauregui appeared to be the more effective puncher of the two and, mockingly feinted Huerta at one point before tossing some blows.
Jauregui (right) lands a chopping right hand to Huerta's head
Moments into the sixth, Jauregui sent spray flying from a jarring right to Huerta’s head. It appeared that Jauregui was picking up the slack of the bout, slamming hard blows, dodging some returns and fielding what did land with equanimity. Huerta rallied at rounds end with a flurry of blows.
This pattern continued into the seventh, where Jauregui stunned several times with crashing rights to the head.
Huerta (right) batters Jauregui on the ropes
Huerta knocked Jauregui several steps back in the ninth with a hard straight right to the face and seemed to have him bothered after an apparent clash of heads. Close round.
An off-balance Jauregui was sent tumbling with a push in the 10th. Fireworks erupted briefly, as he tried to exact revenge for this infraction. Huerta appeared to edge in a nip and tuck round.
Huerta (right) smashes a straight left through Jauregui's guard
The busier puncher in the 12th and final round, Huerta drove Jauregui backward to the ropes with a hard flurry, but which seemed to result as much from the former being squared up too much as from the force of the blow. Trading hard, both landed, but Huerta appeared to take this round with more volume and effectiveness.
Huerta (right) on the attack
However, it wasn't quite enough, as judges scored the bout 115-112 (twice) and 117-110 all for Jauregui, who won by unanimous decision.
Huerta (left) and Jauregui pose for the camera after their bout
Rios (right) attacks Brown with a two-fisted flurry, as referee John O'Brien observes
Oxnard, California’s Brandon Lee Rios (130.5 lbs., 15-0, 9 KO’s) made short work of willing, but ultimately unable Kansas City, Missouri’s Alvin D. Brown (130.5 lbs., 26-10, 12 KO’s).
Rios repeatedly hurt Brown in spots during the first round, using lead rights to the head and hooks to the body that suggested it might be an early evening. At one point, Brown nearly fell—catching himself on the ropes, but it wasn’t until early in the second round when a left-right combination to the head finished the job. Referee John O’Brien counted him out at 1:10 into the second.
It's down and out for Alvin Brown
Martinez (right) pounds on Figueroa on the ropes
In the swing bout, Chicago’s rugged but very limited Miguel Figueroa (133 lbs., 4-5-1, 3 KO’s) took a pounding against Columbus, Ohio's faster Leobardo Martinez (12-9, 5 KO’s), getting stopped inside four rounds.
The discrepancy in speed and talent was apparent early in the first, where Figueroa appeared slow and listless as Martinez repeatedly tagged and rocked him. Ever game, he swung back with ill intent, but his shots were often telegraphed. As such, he was taking a sustained pounding at rounds end.
Ever game, Figueroa (left) mounts an attack of his own
At times, it appeared that Martinez was hitting the focus pads, with Figueroa’s face serving as the mitts. Hammered and abused in the second and third, Figueroa drew loud roars with single lefts and rights he landed on his swarming opponent. There were moments when Martinez tired that lent itself to the notion that Figueroa might still have a chance.
Twenty-seven seconds into the fourth, those notions were scuttled.
Trapped on the ropes, things take a dark turn for Figueroa moments before referee Rodriguez rescues him from harm's way
Trapped against the ropes, Figueroa winced after a right hook crashed into his eye. Referee Genaro Rodriguez jumped in and waved it off. Escorted to his corner by a consoling Rodriguez, Figueroa walked on unsteady legs and sat down on his stool.
Referee Rodriguez assists Figueroa to his corner
All kudos for his guts and glory approach to boxing, but someone has to say it: Miguel, we love you, but perhaps it’s time to move on. Your health and your future are much more important than whatever money and glory you get in boxing.
Figueroa (left) acknowledges Martinez's win after their bout
Garcia (right) on the attack
Battering and rocking Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Jose Guzman (133 lbs., 5-0, 4 KO’s) repeatedly, Oxnard, California’s Javier Garcia (132 lbs., 2-0, 2 KO’s) dropped him hard with a vicious left hook to the jaw. His head slammed hard into the mat and his corner immediately waved it off. Referee John O’Brien halted the bout at 2:44 into the first round.
Guzman (left) jabs the body
Guzman got in a few shots, but it was too few and far between against his slicker, quicker, and harder-hitting foe.
Above, Guzman goes down and out
In an exciting opener, Chicago’s Gadiel Andaluz (130 lbs., 1-0, 1 KO) dominated and flattened Cincinatti, Ohio’s Frederick Fleming (132 lbs., 0-4) at 2:06 into the second round.
Andaluz puts Fleming down hard
All in all, it was an entertaining night of boxing pitting rugged veterans and up and comers that, bottom line, know how to fight. This evening's festivities were produced by Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated in conjunction with TCF Bank, Tecate Beer and AeroMexico. Several of the fights were telecast by Telefutura's "Solo Boxeo Tecate" boxing program.
* * *
At ringside, from left to right, fighters Rocky Martinez, "Macho" Miguel Hernandez, Kendall Gill, and Freddie Cuevas mug for the camera
Popular 8 Count fighter, Ivan Popoca (left) poses with a friend in the audience
Popular Chicago heavyweight Carl Davis mugs with one of the Telefutura 'Solo Boxeo' sports commentators (whose name escapes me at the moment!). Davis is slated to fight on March 28th at the Aragon Ballroom on another 8 Count Productions event.
