Ringside Report: Montiel Vs Johnson

By Don Deane

17.08 - HBO Boxing After Dark came to us live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Even without Derrick Gainer this card had great moments and was very entertaining. The Fernando Montiel-Mark Johnson WBO title fight was a wonderful main event.

Fernando Montiel vs Mark Johnson- 12 round Super Flyweight WBO Title

It took awhile for this fight to get going, but when it did none of us left disappointed. The first round was the Soul Train dance contest finals as both men traded taunts and accomplished nothing in the way of boxing. Round two started out the same way and if it wasn't for a few Johnson jabs and a late exchange on the ropes it would be easy to forget this was a boxing match. By rounds 3 and 4 Montiel had chosen to circle and attempt to counter. Johnson seemed comfortable as the aggressor and worked his jab and some good rights to the body. In round five Montiel slipped a bit as he was throwing a right and Johnson landed a sharp right hand on the chin that sent Montiel falling. He was able to land on his right hand and stay up but it was nonetheless a knockdown. Montiel bounced back well in round 6 and was able to stick a nice combo in on Johnson while shuffling around the ring to regain his composure. Johnson gave a good chase but was unable to finish what he started in the prior stanza. Rounds seven and eight were rest rounds and Montiel continued to circle away from the now tiring Johnson. In round nine Montiel was able to land the jab on the move and circle out of the way of Johnson's rushes. Johnson kept the pressure on and made every attempt to land at least a small piece of leather on the defending champ. Round ten proved that Montiel has a nice left hook in his arsenal and he continued to work with a sudden found vigor to keep the belt. In the championship rounds the veteran Johnson came out strong and closed out the show well. In round eleven he was able to land a nice right hook and looked more energetic than he did in the preceding few rounds. In round twelve he landed nice left hand counters and a big right hand that stunned Montiel and sent the crowd into a frenzy. The two went at it for the last half of the round and contributed to a very exciting and close second half of the fight. In the end the cards read 114-112, 117-110, and 114-114 in favor of Mark Johnson by majority decision. Eastside had the bout 116-112 in favor of Mark Johnson. Johnson is the new WBO 115lb champ and is world champion for the third time. His record is now 42-3. Montiel suffers his first defeat and falls to 26-1-1.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs Marcos Licona- 10 round Featherweight Co-Main

Marcos Licona did a good service to fight fans and Marquez by taking this fight on short notice. He is a very tough fighter and gave Marquez a good workout. Marquez came out early and displayed his speed and power advantages over Licona . Early on Marquez landed a stiff jab that instantly reddened Licona's nose. In round two the pace slowed a bit with Marquez landing a solid body shot that made Licona wince for the round's lone shining moment. Round three sped back up a bit and Marquez landed a very tough left uppercut on the chin of Licona. To Licona's credit, through the abuse he took he never stopped coming forward and showed a lot of heart. He definitely gained at least a few fans tonight. In round four Licona found the solar plexis with a good solid shot and was later greeted by a jab-jab-cross combo that rocked him in return. Marquez really didn't work at a steady pace. He mostly threw a bunch of punches, and then went dormant for a bit and threw another combo. He really didn't establish a rhythm. The difference in styles between what he trained for to face Gainer and what Licona brought to the table may have contributed to that. The fifth was probably Licona's best effort. He was able to land as many as Marquez and strong armed a few cheers out of the agitated and rowdy crowd. The crowd certainly enjoyed their fair share of adult beverages this evening. On to the sixth, and more Marquez. Stiff jab, two big hooks and a tough right hand is the best way to describe this round. Licona began to puff up and swell at this point. Marquez kept it on in the seventh landing a few good counter rights before dropping Licona in the eighth with a big time right uppercut. After another administered beating in the ninth round, Licona was advised to not come out for the tenth. Marquez was awarded the TKO stoppage after 9 rounds. Marquez improves to 41-2 with his 33rd early retirement. Licona falls to 20-4-1 and probably earned himself a few more good paydays.

Undercard Results

Three under card fights and all were excellent fights. The major under card fight was undefeated New York welterweight prospect Jeffrey Resto. He improved to 17-0 with a 77-74, 80-71, 78-73 victory over Marteze Logan of Kentucky. Logan falls to 7-3-1. Eastside saw the bout 78-73 for Resto.

Another New Yorker, Leonard Pierre, who is trained by former Tyson boss Kevin Rooney won a close six round decision at middleweight over very tough Andres Larrinaga. This is the second time I have seen Larrinaga fight and both times he fought very well. He can take one hell of a punch. Pierre took the fight 58-55, 57-56, and 59-54 and improved to 10-0. Larrinaga falls to 3-9-2. Eastside had that bout 58-55 for Pierre. Pierre threw one of the most beautiful combos I have ever seen in that fight. He came off a weeve to the left with a left uppercut and a right cross. Both shots landed cleanly.

The opening bout was a heavyweight hug fest between Derek Bryant and Barry Lindberger. Bryant took the split decision by scores of 58-56 twice for him and 57-56 for Lindberger. Eastside had it a draw at 57 apiece. Bryant moves to 17-1 and Lindberger drops to 4-5. One funny side note on this one. Lindberger's trainer yelled "30 second bell" to his charge about four times in the closing moments of a round which prompted Lindberger to stop in mid-tussle and yell back "ok, I gotcha". The crowd and press row erupted. Truly an hilarious incident.

I'd like to close out by saying thanks to the Mohegan Sun and Dibella Entertainment for this fantastic night of boxing. Tonight was the first card for the Sun's new boxing boss and he did a great job sorting out the confusion and making press row and the show run smoothly.

Until next time, be safe and keep reading.