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08/16/2008 Archived Entry: "‘El Famoso’ Hernandez Overcomes Ring Rust, Rough Tactics to Decision Alatorre!"
‘El Famoso’ Hernandez Overcomes Ring Rust, Rough Tactics to Decision Alatorre!
By Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Photos by Saul Santa Maria
Referee Gerald Scott raises the hand of victorious Carlos "El Famoso" Hernandez
CHICAGO – The skin was split open above his right eye, which was swollen shut, courtesy of repeated head butts and punches from a man 11 years his junior with half his experience.
It wasn’t quite the auspicious return to the ring that former International Boxing Federation Super Featherweight Champion Carlos “El Famoso” Hernandez, 37, (137.5 lbs., 42-7-1, 24 KO’s going into this fight) wanted following a two year hiatus. He took some flush hits, along with the roughhousing, but nevertheless managed a close win over recalcitrant Hector Alatorre, 26, (15-4, 5 KO’s) by virtue of his more effective –and greater preponderance of – punching.
Hernandez dug hard left and rights to Alatorre’s sides in the first round, laying the groundwork to sap his adversary’s energy in later rounds. However, Alatorre drew cheers with a hard right to the head and, later, a right uppercut that snapped Hernandez’s head back.
Hernandez ripped to the body again with a left, and then a right to kick off the second. As he pressed matters, he caught a large uppercut and a right to the head again from Alatorre. Later in the round, Alatorre dug to the body with a potent left and scored with a lead right to the head. Nonplussed, Hernandez dug to the body more with lefts and rights.
The third round heated up with Hernandez jabbing to get things going. Alatorre rallied briefly with both fists pumping. Hernandez dug a right to the solar plexus, Alatorre scored several hard headshots, and jabbing, Hernandez banged in a hard right to the head. Hernandez bled from a cut over his right eye, likely the result of a head butt; Alatorre was coming in rough with his head. A follow-up left hook to the jaw jarred Alatorre. Trapping Alatorre on the ropes, he dug three thudding left hooks into Alatorre’s side.
Hernandez worked hard in the fourth, landing a big right uppercut to Alatorre’s head and followed up with a two-fisted volley in a corner. In close, Alatorre blatantly ground the top of his head into the cut above Hernandez’s right eye, drawing a stern warning from referee Gerald Scott as a result. Hernandez continued to bang away at the body.
The fifth saw Hernandez charge out hard and fast, taking it to Alatorre. He landed a big right uppercut and stunned his foe with a hard right to the head. Boos rained in as referee Gerald Scott halted the bout momentarily to have the cut over Hernandez’s right eye examined by Dr. Bynum. It was a false alarm. Resuming, Alatorre bounced lefts and rights off of the ever-advancing Hernandez’s head.
His right eye swelling grotesquely, Hernandez launched a heavy assault in the seventh capped by a big straight right to the head of Alatorre, who lay trapped against the ropes. Hernandez pressed hard, swinging malevolent blows with both fists, and Alatorre hitting in between with quick counters. Hernandez lands more, but leaves himself open for counters with his low hands.
The eighth saw both trading heavily. Catching ponderous blows to body and head in a corner, Alatorre signaled he wasn’t hurt by shaking his head with an emphatic “no” to members in the audience. Hernandez’s right eye is swollen almost completely shut. Swinging hard, Hernandez just couldn’t find that definitive blow to end matters. Mocking him as they tangled along the ropes and Hernandez’s left armpit was exposed to his face, Alatorre fanned his nose as if to complain about body odor.
The ninth and tenth round were torrid affairs, as Alatorre teed off on Hernandez’s head and Hernandez continued to maul in close and press the action. Alatorre landed a potent right uppercut to Hernandez’s eye that drew gasps from the crowd. Hernandez drew cheers in the tenth and final round when he landed a big right to the head of Alatorre, who in turn sent spray flying from Hernandez’s head with his own big right; he continued to target the swollen eye. Nevertheless, Hernandez finished strongly, ripping to the body as Alatorre held on.
Alatorre (left) and Hernandez mug for the camera
Judges scored the bout 97-93 for Hernandez, 97-93 for Alatorre, and 96-94 for Hernandez, giving “El Famoso” a split decision victory.
“I knew he’d be rough, but I didn’t think he’d be that rough,” Hernandez said, shaking his head with an incredulous smile. “I knew he was a UFC [mixed martial arts fighter], so he’d come out rough, but he came in with the head and it affected my sight. I didn’t want to get cut, but that’s how it goes!”
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