[Previous entry: "Weights for Tonight's Chicago/ESPN2 Friday Night Fights Show"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Photo of the Day: Molina Hammers Camarena!"]
08/09/2008 Archived Entry: "Cloud Bursts Rain Fists Aplenty, Sinks Gonzalez in Ten!"
Cloud Bursts Rain Fists Aplenty, Sinks Gonzalez in Ten!
By Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Photos by Kristy Wawersik
Cloud, left, crashes a hard left hook off Gonzalez's jaw
CHICAGO, August 8, 2008—They say that Florida is the sunshine state. But, for an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 fans packing the Aragon Ballroom, Tavoris Cloud—who hails from Tallahassee, Florida—is an adopted hometown hero in a city renowned for its brutal weather. And he didn’t disappoint, as he unleashed a furious storm, battering and ultimately halted a very game and, perhaps, too rugged for his own good Julio Cesar Gonzalez (who'd never been stopped previously) over 10 bruising stanzas.
Scheduled for 12 rounds, the International Boxing Federation Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator pitted an iron chinned former champion and proven contender in Huntington Beach, California’s Julio Cesar Gonzalez, 32, (174 lbs., 41-5, 25 KO’s) versus a young, powerful and technically sound rising and undefeated prospect, Tavoris Cloud, 26, (174 lbs., 17-0, 16 KO’s).
It didn’t take long for the fireworks to begin.
Gonzalez digs a jab to Cloud's body
It’s the first round and Gonzalez is moving forward and working the jab. Cloud repels him with a sharp jab. A left hook bounces off Gonzalez’s head. Another, and then a right smash home! Gonzalez works off the ropes with both fists and bangs with the jab. Clearing the ropes, Gonzalez is jabbing and retreating. A stiff jab by Cloud knocks Gonzalez back. Like a sinewy tiger, Cloud pounces. A left hook stuns Gonzalez, who continues to retreat. Cloud smiles as he pursues and tees off on Gonzalez with both fists. Cloud jars with ripping rights and lefts along the ropes. Just as it seems Gonzalez has weathered the storm two more crashing rights rock him again. The crowd erupts in loud cheers at the end of the round.
In the second, Gonzalez pumps the jab like a piston in Cloud’s face and bounces a wide right high off Cloud’s back. Cloud stalks. Gonzalez is very busy banging away with both fists; Cloud is picking his shots. Cloud drops a hard right over the top. Gonzalez escapes and keeps peppering. A left and then a right stagger Gonzalez. Gonzalez is punching nonstop. A right hook staggers Gonzalez along the ropes.
“Watch those heads!” referee John O’Brien yells as they slug in close.
A smashing right knocks Gonzalez back hard into the ropes as Cloud tees off on him at rounds end.
Gonzalez lands a hard right to the head after several jabs early in round three that draws oohs from the crowd. They’re banging away at each other’s bodies. A right to the jaw staggers Gonzalez. He regroups and they continue trading blows, head to shoulder. Gonzalez looks gassed and in survival mode.
The pace slows in the fourth. A hook knocks Gonzalez back a step. A left hook stuns Gonzalez. Cloud continues battering with a right and a left following after the bell, and nearly has Gonzalez out with a left hook followed up by a barrage in the fifth round..
Picking up where he left off, in the sixth, Cloud systematically batters Gonzalez.
They’re both tired in the seventh round. Gonzalez jabs, digs a right to the midsection, and waits for the oncoming. Cloud lingers on the outside, and after a spell rises on his toes and circles. He circles some more and lands a right to the chin. Gonzalez peppers with the jab. Cloud remains poised for another strike. A right to the jaw snaps Gonzalez’s head back. The crowd roars again. Ever durable, Gonzalez survives and jabs from ring’s center. Gonzalez opens up again, with Cloud blocking most and missing with a wide right at the bell.
Up on his toes, Cloud resumes circling his adversary in the eighth round. Gonzalez pumps the jab, mostly hitting air. Reengaging, they trade jabs. Then Cloud darts back out and circles. Gonzalez digs to the body and Cloud counters with a left as he comes off the ropes. They’re shoulder to shoulder trading punches up close and personal. Gonzalez bounces a straight left off Cloud’s jaw. Cloud counters with a stiff right. Tapping away, Cloud suddenly digs a hard left to the side and a thudding right to the head. He bounces a right off the jaw as Gonzalez marches forward. A single right to the head turns Gonzalez bodily at the bell.
Stalking, Gonzalez digs a right to Cloud’s side in the ninth. Cloud slams a hard right to the side of Gonzalez’s head. Still, Gonzalez advances forward, punishing the body to slow his antagonist’s charges.
A right sends spray from Gonzalez’ head. Gonzalez soldiers forward, nevertheless, behind a pesky jab. Cloud traps Gonzalez’s right hand between his left arm and his side to get a respite. He bounces on his toes as Gonzalez stands, right poised to strike, in a corner.
Cloud smashes a right into Gonzalez's mouth
It’s now the tenth round. Once again, they’re trading shoulder to shoulder at close range. Now, they trade jabs. A right and another stagger Gonzalez, who quickly regains his legs and lands his own right to Cloud’s head. Cloud bounces a hard left to the side and a pair of rights. A pair of hooks has Gonzalez listing and lurching A right crashes into Gonzalez’s face and dumps him into the ropes. What’s keeping him up? Another smashing right to the chin bounces him off the ropes. He lurches forward and referee John O’Brien waves it off at 2:50 into the tenth round. Clearly lucid, Gonzalez protests. Cloud has won by technical knockout.
Boos, mix in with the cheers, as there’s a smattering of perception that perhaps O’Brien acted hastily in halting the bout.
Afterwards, referee John O’Brien disagrees, saying, “He was getting hit too hard—not returning punches and getting hit too hard. It’s that simple.”
Cloud says, “Easy, easy,” as I reach to shake his right hand, which is clearly sore after repeatedly bouncing it off Gonzalez’s hard skull. “In the fourth round, I felt him weaken. Like I said, I’m a boxer-puncher. Every punch isn’t hard. I felt I was the dominant fighter.”
Molina (left) on the attack
In the co-main bout, Appleton, Wisconsin’s Carlos Molina (146.5 lbs., 11-4-1, 4 KO’s) waged a crowd-pleasing battle versus rugged Avarado, Colorado’s Donald Camarena (146 lbs., 19-4, 9 KO’s), winning by decision over their scheduled eight rounds.
As was to be the pattern throughout the fight, Molina dug to the midsection moments into the first, pressing, he banged in four lefts and rights in spurts. Camarena countered with one and two-punch combinations. At rounds end, Molina dug into the body with two fists.
Molina digs a left to Camarena's side
Molina banged away at the body in the second, while back on his heels, Camarena cuffed and pot-shotted at Molina’s head. A left hook bounced off Camrena’s jaw, then, after a brief respite, more blows landed on his body. Several rights and lefts came. Then, as Molina recharged, Camarena bounced a couple hard jabs off his head. The two traded hooks at the end of the round.
After catching several jabs to the head, Molina tore into Camarena in the third round with lefts and rights on the ropes that drew a large roar from the crowd. Surviving the onslaught, Camarena backed Molina back to ring’s center with rights and lefts.
Camarena bounces a left off Molina's head
A big right snapped Camarena’s head back. Then another. And another. Molina teed off on Camarena, who was trapped on the ropes. As Molina slowed down, Camarena slugged back and turned the tables on Molina momentarily. Camarena landed a jarring left hook to the jaw as the two traded and, in the waning moments of the round, dug to the body and head with looping blows. The crowd roared and Camarena gave Molina a big smile at the bell.
With referee Pete Podgorski looking on, Camarena (at left) caromes a straight left off the side of Molina's head above and misses with another below
After the prerequisite body attack, Camarena slugged back in earnest with both fists in the fourth round. Molina pummeled Camarena’s head with lefts and rights. A right and left jarred Camarena, and then another—drew roars. The pace slowed, they traded in brief flurries. Molina got the better of them and gave Camarena a hard, “in your face” look at the bell.
Molina continued to pressure and land the better preponderance of blows in the fifth, circling out when he needed a break. Up on his toes, he made Camarena miss with several blows and jumped back in with four or five of his own.
In the sixth, after brushing aside Camarena’s lead right glove, he nailed him squarely on the side of the head—and nothing happened. He continued to pressure and batter and dominate, away, but Camarena seemed to grow in confidence as he made his stand.
Molina continued to bomb away to midsection and chest with impressive looking five and six punch barrages but, for all the flourish, Camarena wasn’t going anywhere.
Camarena (right) unleashes some of his own firepower onto Molina's head
Molina initiated the eighth and final round with a fury, bombarding the body and head once again. Still, Camarena snapped off short bursts of stiff jabs and rights with little growls.
Molina (left) scores with a left to the face of Camarena
He carried the more effective blows, lunging in with the weight of his body and using good rotation in his punches. After the ten second warning, Camarena buckled Molina’s knees with a straight left. Jumping in, Molina fired away with both fists. The two swapped furious blows to the bell—with Molina firing a right just a moment after the bell.
Judges scored the bout 79-73 twice and 78-74 for Carlos Molina.
Pete Podgorski served as referee.
Michoacan, Mexico’s Guadalupe Diaz (145 lbs., 4-4-1, 1 KO) jarred Burbank, California’s Jonathan Suarez (148 lbs., 2-0-1, 1 KO) in the first round with a right uppercut and had him holding on, a round in which he out-hustled his opponent.
Diaz continued to maul in close in the second, while Suarez sought to punch from range. To this end, Suarez had a little more success, landing a long right along the ropes. However, by and large Diaz continued to smother his punches and land in close.
Suarez teed off with a good left hook and follow-up blows early in round three. After a brief tie-up, Suarez raked him with more ripping lefts and rights to the body and head. Diaz slung back, jumping in to close the gap. There was more hitting and tying up in close.
The two traded back and forth in the fourth and final round, with Diaz dominating early, but Suarez coming on at the end with wide hooking blows.
Judges scored the bout 40-36 for Diaz and 38-38 twice, resulting in a majority draw.
Johnson (right) uses his left jab to great effect against Williams
Jackson, Michigan’s William Mitchell Williams (220 lbs., 1-0, 1 KO) and Chicago’s Theron Johnson (230 lbs., 1-1) served up some filler, with Johnson showing the jab and right, while Johnson packed a punch, but lacked a skilled delivery system. That was the difference.
In the second, Williams took some lefts and rights in close and seemed a bit wary of taking it to his taller foe, electing to launch wild, winging left hooks with. A straight left dumped Johnson into the ropes with moments remaining in the round.
Johnson continued to stifle William’s offense in the third with range finding jabs and rights, then smothering clinches. A clash of heads drew a momentary respite. Williams stalked and just missed with a ponderous pair of lefts.
Williams (right) lands a rare right to the face of Johnson
In the fourth, Johnson jabbed him with a left and Johnson leaped in with a left hook that hung up over the top of Johnson’s shoulder. Johnson circled and jabbed. A right jab and left sent spray flying from Johnson’s head. Still, he bounced and retreated. A jab to the chest, another pawing jab to the head. He ties him up as Williams lunges in with both fists swinging. Loud boos followed the termination of the round.
Judges scored the bout 40-36 for Johnson, 39-37 Williams, 39-37 for Johnson, who won by split decision. Referee Celestino Ruiz served as referee.
Zavaleta (right) jars Navarette
Lions, Illinois’ Zaid Zavaleta (136 lbs., 17-4-3, 11 KO’s) and Chicago’s Jose Navarette (136 lbs., 12-16-2, 6 KO’s) pitched an entertaining scrap for the evening’s opener, with Zavaleta the more powerful and effective, but Navarette him honest with pressure and plenty blows over and under.
Navarette had a habit of launching his right uppercut from the distance without a preceding jab—which
In the third, Navarette unleashed a flurry of unanswered punches on Zavaleta, who was resting against the ropes. Rising to the occasion, Zavaleta fought his way clear of the ropes with harder lefts and rights that sent spray flying from his head. However, Zavaleta’s surge was short lived, as Navarette swarmed him in the opposite corner, raining down lefts and rights to his head. Bleeding from the nose, Zavaleta fought his way clear at the end of the round.
Zavaleta (left) and Navarette trade blows at center ring
Zavaleta resumed the harder and quicker blows in the fifth, snapping back Navarette’s head back several times. However, Navarette continued to press forward.
In the sixth, Navarette took some heavy artillery in the form of snapping lefts and rights, but continued to press forward. Zavaleta was landing hard blows, but he just couldn’t keep Navarette off. At one juncture, following a head-snapping hook, he borrowed a trick from Antonio Margarito and jogged back into the fray. In the closing moments, Zavaleta reasserted himself with both fists banging.
Zavaleta (left) digs a left hook to Navarette's midsection
Judges scored the bout 60-54 and 59-55 twice for Zavaleta.
Afterwards, referee Celestino Ruiz, who oversaw the bout, said, “I think they picked the right winner; Zavaleta landed the more effective blows.”
Niagara Falls, New York’s Nick Casal (140 ½ lbs., 2-0, 1 KO) and Shelbyville, Indiana’s Frankie Zepeda pitched an entertaining scrap, with Casal ultimately prevailing by stoppage win.
Casal knocked Zepeda aback with a straight right in the early going of round one. Zepeda cut deeply over the left brow. After digging a straight left to the midriff, Zepeda was knocked back with a straight right to the head. The two traded at the bell.
Zepeda was warned for a forearm in the throat during the second round. The two traded back and forth. Casal landed the harder, cleaner blows, especially with the left hook.
In the third round, the two wobbled from swapped rights in a round fought in brief two and three punch salvos.
Suddenly, Casal was bleeding from a cut over his left eye, perhaps courtesy of a straight left that knocked him into the ropes. Then a right uppercut rocked Zepeda and a follow-up right knocked him backward. Seeking to close the bout, Casal walked into a jolting right to the head that knocked him back a step. The two continued to trade onto the bell.
A left hook by Casal did some damage in the fourth round; a follow-up right to the head wobbled Zepeda, who didn’t look right. Just as it seemed he was coming round, a right uppercut dropped Zepeda moments later. He dropped to his knees. That was it. Referee Pete Podgorski tended to Zepeda after the bout. Casal won by technical knockout 59 seconds into the fourth.
With that, the furious storm that rained heavy punches passed, and the patrons left the premises with sunny dispositions.
Promoter: Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions.
