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10/30/2008 Archived Entry: "Rob Frankel Defeats Ramon Montano"
Rob Frankel Defeats Ramon Montano
Torres and Cantrell Make Successful Returns
By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Mike Blair
Frankel lands his uppercut on Montano
A lack of power in the sport of boxing may seem like a major obstacle hampering a fighter’s climb up the ranks. A match-up between two such fighters usually leaves fight fans uninterested as they feel it is a recipe for a boring fight. But there is something to be said for fighters that make up for a lack of pop with a busy work rate and a willingness to fight. Matched correctly, fighters like that often make for entertaining bouts, despite their short comings.
Last Saturday at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington Robert Frankel (25-9-1 4KOs 139 lbs.), of Denver Colorado took on Ramon Montano (16-6-2 1KO 139 1/2 lbs.), of Chicago, Illinois. While most fans felt that there was not much of a chance for high drama between these two, the fighters having only five knockouts between them, the match-up promised fireworks as it pitted two rugged fighters that put themselves out there every time out. The bout delivered on that promise as both fighters engaged in ten rounds of close, back and forth combat, giving the local crowd an entertaining end to an exciting night of boxing.
The first round of the bout was fought mostly at range with both fighters seemingly trying to get a feel for what the other was looking to do. That quickly deteriorated into a fast-paced brawl as Montano pressed his way in close with a barrage of punches. Frankel fired back along the ropes, setting the tone for what most of the remainder of the bout would look like.
In the early rounds Montano had an edge in effectiveness as he forced the fight and made Frankel fight on the inside, a position that favored Montano. In the middle rounds Frankel began to work off of his jab and use his lateral movement with greater regularity, keeping Montano on the end of his punches. As the fight wore on, both fighters had their moments, but the majority of the effective work was done by Montano on the inside. He consistently pressed Frankel back onto the ropes and swarmed him with three and four punch combinations.
At the end of the bout it appeared that Montano had done enough to pull away with the victory, albeit by a close margin, but the official judges disagreed, awarding the unanimous decision to Frankel by scores of 96-94, 97-93, 97-93.
The co-main event of the evening featured the return of a northwest favorite. In his first fight back since suffering his first professional defeat four months ago, David “El Torito” Torres (21-1 13KOs 139 lbs.) defeated Zaid Zavaleta (18-5-2 11KOs 142 ½ lbs.) with a unanimous eight round decision. Torres forced the fight from the start, swarming his opponent with measured pressure. Working his way in behind a snapping jab, Torres repeatedly found his mark with quick combinations.
Zavaleta proved to be no push-over, though, fighting Torres throughout and finding success in the middle rounds with quick counter punches. In the final seconds of the last round a hard counter left hook buckled the knees of Torres and sent him reeling back to the ropes. Zavaleta pressed immediately but was unable to do further damage as Torres was able to avoid most of his opponent’s assault. All three official scorecards read 78-74, in favor of Torres.
Aside from the last moments of the fight, this performance was a good one for Torres. There was no evidence of a lack of confidence, which is a major concern when a fighter suffers his first defeat, and it appeared that at times he was almost too willing to engage his opponent. That willingness to trade and his busy work-rate kept him in control of the bout and secured him the victory. Getting back in the ring quickly and staying busy, which has been a problem in the past, will be a key factor in whether or not Torres can put himself back into contention to fight a name opponent.
A six round cruiserweight bout featured the return of another local fighter coming off a recent loss. Roger Cantrell (13-1 8KOs 177 ½ lbs), who suffered his first loss to Andre Ward last January, had a tougher time than expected in defeating Billy Bailey (7-3 2KOs 178 lbs.). Cantrell opened the bout strong, letting his hands go from the outside with hard one-twos. Bailey proved to be a resilient and determined fighter, though, as he weathered the early onslaught and began to find his mark with hard left and right hooks, winning the first two rounds. Cantrell, who is an effective fighter at range, spent most of the fight swinging wild power shots at Bailey, engaging in a brawl which left him open for his opponent’s determined retaliation. Bailey appeared to tire after the first three rounds, though, at which point Cantrell took over the fight. The last few rounds were close, but Bailey was unable to sustain a consistent work-rate. The judges’ scored the bout 57-57, 58-56, and 58-56 awarding the majority decision to Cantrell.
Fort Langley, British, Colombia’s Sarah Pucek (3-0 1KO 128 lbs.) maintained her perfect record with a lop-sided unanimous decision over Santa Fe, New Mexico’s Clara Delatorre (1-6 1KO 128 lbs.). Delatorre was an awkward fighter with a long jab, but Pucek did not have much trouble working her way in close with hooks to the head and body. A right hand to the chin had Delatorre in some trouble in the third round. Pucek closed the bout strong, swarming her opponent with hard right-left combinations and stunning her once again in the fourth. All three judges saw the bout in favor of Pucek by scores 40-36.
Wlliams knocksdown Andaluz
In a battle of unbeatens, Saint Louis, Missouri’s Danny Williams (5-0 5KOs 133 ½ lbs.) scored an impressive second round knockout of Gadiel Andaluz (3-1 2KOs 133 ½ lbs.), of Chicago, Illinois. Williams displayed quick hand speed and accurate counter punching abilities early in the first round. Mid-way through the round, Williams caught his opponent with a snapping left hook to the chin, putting him in some trouble. Williams opened up immediately with a lead right hand flush on the chin that bucked the knees of Andaluz. Looking to end matters quickly, Williams stepped in wildly, leaving himself open and paying the price. A hard left hook from Andaluz rocked Williams back, giving Andaluz the opportunity to open up. Both fighters traded hard shots in close at the end the round. In the second round Andaluz pressed the fight early, opening up with hard combinations. Williams took a more measured approach, picking his spots and using his jab and foot work to control the distance. An accurate right hand dropped Andaluz. After the eight-count, Williams stepped in with a vicious right-left combo, sending Andaluz crashing to the canvas for the final time. The referee stopped the fight at 1:48 of the second round.
The evening’s card opened with a Jr. Welterweight bout between undefeated Prenice Brewer (9-0-1 5KOs 138 lbs.) and journeyman Jason Jordan (6-26-4 138 lbs.). Brewer had an easy time out-boxing Jordan throughout the bout, slipping and countering well to secure a clear victory. All three judges saw the bout 40-36 for Brewer.
The six bout fight card was promoted by Brian Halquist Productions. The promoter will host his next boxing event at the Emerald Queen Casino on February 21st. The next combat sports event scheduled for the Emerald Queen Casino will be an MMA event presented by Cage Sport MMA on November 29th. Tickets for this event are on sale now at the EQC box office or through Ticketmaster
