08.05.04 – By Carlos Kalinchuk: Jr. Middleweight Guadalupe Martinez improved his record to 13-0 (9 KO’s) when he TKO’d Maurice Brantley 23-9 (8 KO’s) of Kansas City Missouri in round 7. Official Ronnie Ralston called a halt to the action midway through round 7 when Brantley was unresponsive to Martinez’s blows. The stoppage really should have occurred in round six as Brantley was in real trouble the entire round. Unfortunately Ralston and Brantley’s corner still allowed Brantley to take a vicious beating in rounds 6 and 7.
What Happened: Brantley lost the first round by two points because not only did he lose the round, but he was also deducted a point for rabbit punching by referee Ronnie Ralston. Even though Ralston warned Brantley early on, he connected on another rabbit punch when it appeared Martinez came in with his head low. The point deduction looked very premature because of the way Martinez came but Brantley nonetheless received the penalty. The second round was all Brantley’s though as he moved and connected with some heavy right hands on Martinez. His lateral movement could be construed as running but with Martinez’s forward only style, this seemed like the only plausible strategy to use on the heavier handed Martinez. Rounds 3-5 were very entertaining though as both landed but it was Martinez straightforward body attack that was tiring and taking the legs away from Brantley. Round 6 was all Martinez though and Brantley offered no resistance. He barely even fought back and the fight really should have ended as Brantley was being massacred. Between rounds, Ralston called a timeout for Dr. Jimenez to inspect Brantley. Even though Brantley was physically able to continue, Ralston should have ended the fight immediately as he has the ultimate decision in allowing a fighter to continue. Unfortunately if this was the least of Ralston mistakes, perhaps he should be forgiven but what occurred in the middle rounds of the fight was totally disgraceful.
In round 5 and 6 when Brantley lost his mouthpiece from the shellacking he was taking by Martinez. Obviously this is not uncommon as many fighters resort to this tactic to bide time during the fight. What ensued had to be the most disgusting and disgraceful display I’ve ever witnessed by a referee. Instead of picking up Brantley’s mouthpiece and handing it to his corner men, he kicked it like he was a rock that had fallen in the ring until it reached Brantley’s corner. Knowing full well that spit and dried blood and a multitude of other things are on a rings canvass, Ralston would not pick up Brantley’s mouthpiece. And to make matters worse, Brantley’s corner men inserted his mouthpiece in without washing it off when it came out the first time. Brantley should fire his inept corner for two reasons. For one, not stopping the fight and for two, sticking a filthy mouth piece in his mouth. Ralston on the other hand was even more disgraceful for his unwillingness to stop the fight of which he has control and for kicking the fighters mouthpiece until it got to where the corner men could pick it up without stepping in the ring. It was a total disrespect to the fighter and the sport of boxing and his License to officiate a professional prizefight should be suspended. It was a horrible display in what was an otherwise good performance by Martinez.
Hugo “Rambo” Ramirez Wins UD In 8 Round Blood Bath!
In the co-featured bout of the evening Hugo “Rambo” Ramirez 19-2 (15 KO’s) won an 8 round unanimous decision versus Alejandro Moreno 20-11 (10 KO’s’). Ramirez battled on in spite of suffering a vicious cut as a result of an accidental head butt (over his left eye) in round in round two. Although the fight could have ended there, neither Ramirez nor his corner wanted the fight to end as Doctor Guerrero was called to the neutral corner to inspect Ramirez’s left eye. Throughout the remaining 6 rounds, Referee Bobby Gonzales stopped the fight and was careful to monitor the steady flow of blood from Ramirez’s eye. The gash was as a result of Moreno’s headfirst on the inside style. The scores were 80-72, 79-73, and 78-74 all in favor of Ramirez.
What Happened:
Moreno’s style was not an entertaining one throughout the fight as he darted his head in when in close quarters and repeatedly stepped back to avoid any contact throughout. Round one was slow but Ramirez still won it with his more aggressive style. Until the gash in round two, Ramirez was slow to engage as every time he tried to get close, Moreno pulled away. Thankfully the cut woke up Ramirez as he began to unload and be very aggressive and land with his left hook. From there on, it was all Ramirez as he tried to pressure and unload on Moreno. Unfortunately, Moreno would rather risk losing the fight badly than try and engage in any spirited and prolonged action. Gonzales would stop the fight periodically to a chorus of boos but every single stoppage by Gonzales was 100% appropriate as the gash Ramirez had was a bad one (See picture).
Charles Wins Texas Super Lightweight Title By Close Decision!
Raymond Charles improved his record to 9-0-2 (4 KO’s) when he won an 8 round majority decision against tough Mexican Carlos DeLaCruz 7-2 (5 KO’s). The fight was give and take and although it appeared on paper that this fight was not qualified to be the main event, both fighters proved otherwise as they both fought fury and with skill for all 8 rounds. The scores were 77-75 twice in favor of Charles and 76-76.
What Happened:
DeLaCruz opened up the fight with the fury and nearly knocked out the cold Charles in the opening minute of round one. With a hard jab, he buckled Charles legs and wobbled him the rest of the round with a persistent attack on the shorter Charles. DeLaCruz was able to connect, as Charles would continue to pull back from each exchange with his chin up and his hands down. Round two was a different story though as Charles seemed to warm up and get his legs underneath him. DeLaCruz seemed slowed by the initial energy he had in round 1 and Charles had him back peddling and losing the round on the inside. The remainder of the fight was identical as Charles would lose when on the ropes and by pulling away while DeLaCruz would lose the inside exchanges and by running out of energy. I had DeLaCruz winning rounds 1,3,5, and 8 and I had Charles winning rounds 2,4,6, and 7. The last round was all DeLaCruz though as he appeared to nearly knock out Charles as he did in the first round. I had it a 76-76 draw. DeLaCruz was fighting in Charles backyard but his inactivity in certain rounds hurt him while Charles battled hard as well. As a result, a one-point decision either way is acceptable but the fight looked to be a draw from my vantage point.
Corner & Lousy Referee (Ralston) Save DeLeon!
The opening bout of the evening ended abruptly in round two when Referee Ronnie Ralston called a halt to the action after an accidental head-butt opened a gash on the top of Super Lightweight Lee DeLeon’s 2-1 (2 KO’s) head. In round one, Southpaw Ramiro “El Torro” Torres 1-0 had knocked down DeLeon with a vicious right hook. Although it was a flash knockdown, DeLeon’s eye began to swell very badly. When the head-butt occurred in the opening seconds of round 2, Ralston’s indecision to have the Doctor and not the corner-man inspect the eye was amateurish. A corner is not supposed to decide when a fighter should or should not continue. The gash was definitely not in a spot that would impair his vision and the by goading by DeLeon’s corner men saved DeLeon from an eventual loss. Not only did Ralston allow the corner men to inspect the eye before the Doctor but also the fighter should have been sent to the neutral corner for the Doctor to evaluate. As a result is the fight is ruled a no contest instead of what should have rightfully been a DeLeon loss.
In the second bout of the evening, undefeated Featherweight Benjamin Flores improved to 4-0 (2 KO’s) and Joey Garza opened his career with a loss after going four tough give and take rounds. Even though the tide of the fight changed from one moment to another, it was clear Flores’s wicked left hook was getting the best of Garza. In fact by round 4, Garza was lunging rather than throwing the shorter compact punches he was throwing early on. In spite of the apparent one sidedness of the fight, all four hundred in attendance seemed to jump to their feet after the fight to show their appreciation for such a great effort by both fighters. Although Flores clearly won all four rounds, this had to bee the toughest fight of his career for a very game Garza. All three judges had the score 39-37 in favor of Flores.
Jose Villanueva and David Vasquez opened their careers with a draw after four unaesthetic rounds of boxing. Both fighters punched with a lot of sizzle but there was little steak as both lunged and swung for the fences on each punch. Although a case could be made for a draw, Judge Phillips card of 40-36 in favor of the hometown Villanueva was criminal. I had out of town fighter David Vasquez disappointing Villanueva’s hometown crowd with a 39-37 victory.
Akondaye Fountain improved to 2-0 after blistering and dominating the slower and more plodding Trini “La Traviesa” Guzman 0-3 in their four rounder. Fountain seemed to do what she wanted when she wanted to. Although both women did box, there were some moments when Guzman did pawing and slapping than punching. The final scores were 40-36 all around in favor of Fountain.
Carlos “Stiff-jab” Kalinchuk
Contributing Writer & Photographer