17.07.05 – by Kent Appel @Ringside: Main Events Promotions and Ringside Ticket Inc. presented a live fight card from the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, portions of which were broadcast live on ESPN 2 on Friday Night Fights. The main event featured Jason Litzau of St. Paul, Minnesota verses Johnny Nolasco of Phoenix, Arizona in a featherweight fight scheduled for ten rounds.. The fight lived up to its billing as a headlining bout as it was the best fight on the card.
Litzau passed a major test in this action packed contest by getting off of the canvas in round number seven after being knocked down by a left hook from Nolasco and by weathering the storm and coming back to hold on to the split decision victory.
The judges votes were as follows: 95 to 94 and 95 to 94, both for Litzau and 95 to 94 for Nolasco. Some of the live crowd booed the decision but I felt that although the fight was highly competitive, the verdict in favor of Litzau was a fair one. I saw the fight by the score of 96 to 94 for the winner Litzau largely on the basis of his building up an early lead in the fight.
I gave Litzau the first round because he effectively out landed Nolasco by scoring well with the left jab and some right leads to the head. Litzau also scored with a left hook, a right to the body, and a left/right combination to the head while Nolasco landed few effective punches in this stanza.
I scored round number two for Nolasco as Nolasco began letting his hands go more by landing left hooks to the head, right leads to the head, and a left/right combination to the head. The round was close though as Latzau scored well again with the jab, left/right combinations to the head, the right to the body, and the right lead to the head.
Round number three saw Litzau having an edge by using the left jab well, right hand leads to the head, as well as rights and lefts to the body. Nolasco did land some right leads to the head, left hooks to the head, and a left hook to the body but Litzau landed the more effective punches in this round.
Litzau controlled much of round number four by effective use of the jab, left and right hands to the body, left hooks to the head, and right leads to the head. Nolasco came on strong late in the round as the two battled it out trading power shots as the crowd roared its approval at the end of the round.
Nolasco had the edge in round number five as although Litzau did score with some good right hand leads, Nolasco landed the harder more effective punches including a multiple punch combination to the head of Latzau that was started with a hard left hook that shook Latzau up.
The pace slowed in round number six but Litzau regained the advantage by his effective use of the left jab and of the right hand lead to the head. But this was all to change in round number seven as just when Litzau seemed to be taking control of the fight, Nolasco sent Litzau to the floor with a hard left hook near the middle of the round that had Litzau trying to clear his head for the rest of the round. Nolasco was unable to follow up on his advantage though.
Litzau was still a little dazed as he came for round number eight but it was a slow round as Nolasco was a little spent from trying to follow up on his advantage in round number seven, which he could not do and the moment passed allowing Litzau to recover. I called this round as being even.
A rejuvenated Litzau came out for round number nine and he reclaimed the advantage by scoring well with the left jab, the left hook, and combinations to the head including one that hurt Nolasco at the bell to end the round.
The trend continued in the tenth and final round as Litzau scored well with left/right combinations to the head, the right lead to the head, as well as a multiple punch combination to the head. Nolasco battled back hard towards the end of the round and the two fighters traded hard punches at the bell’s end. The fans gave both fighters a well deserved standing ovation, honoring a job well done by both men.
With the win Litzau, 127 1/2 pounds, improves his record to 15-0,.14 by KO while Nolasco, 127 pounds, steps back to 15-4-4, 6 by KO.
This was a good learning lesson for Litzau, a fine prospect in the featherweight or junior lightweight divisions. It gave him a chance to overcome adversity in the ring and still come out on top. This was a good experience that will help him as he climbs up the ratings ladder.
Nolasco is also a fine fighter and since the margin of victory for Litzau was small, a victory in a return bout would hardly be assured. A rematch between these two men is not out of the question and one the fans would likely enjoy.
The lead preliminary fight, in a heavyweight fight scheduled for eight rounds, B J Flores of Phoenix, Arizona defeated Frank Walker of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by a unanimous decision. The judges scores were 79 to 73, 79 to 73, and 80 to 72 for the winner Flores.
I saw the fight 80 to 72 for Flores on the basis of Flores’ strong use of the left jab all through the fight and the strong use of two handed combinations to the head, particularly late in the fight.
Flores used good foot movement as well as the jab to dominate the first five rounds and although Walker started to find the range in rounds six and seven when he scored with some solid right leads to the head and body and with some combinations of his own, he never mounted enough of an offense to negate Flores’ superior punch output.
Flores landed several hard combinations to the head in the eighth and final round to solidify his victory and take away any possibility of Walker, who needed a knockout to win, of gaining the advantage. With the win Flores, 208 pounds, improves his record to 12-0-1, 8 by KO. While Walker, 215 pounds, takes a step back to 10-2-1, 5 by KO.
Also on the card: in a lightweight fight scheduled for six rounds, Daniel Cervantes of Ventura, California defeated Anthony Vasquez of Snider, Texas by a unanimous decision. All three judges saw the fight by the score of 39 to 37. Cervantes, 138 pounds, improves his record to 7-0 while Vasquez, 137 1/2 pounds, takes a step back to 1-2.
In a junior middleweight contest scheduled for four rounds, Enrique Gutierrez of Santa Rosa, California defeated Jeramiah Chapman of Austin, Texas by a knockout at 1:23 of the second round. Gutierrez, 150 1/2 pounds, improves his record to 5-0, 4 by KO while Chapman, 149 pounds, is now 2-3, 2 by KO.
In a junior middleweight bout scheduled for four rounds, Archak Ter-Meliksetian of Glendale, California defeated Marteze Logan of Covington, Tennessee. Ter-Meliksetian, 153 pounds, steps up to 14-1, 11 by KO while Logan, 150 pounds, is now 19-16-2, 5 by KO.
In a cruiserweight fight scheduled for four rounds, James Brock of St. Louis, Missouri fought to a draw with Sheldon Callum of San Francisco, California. The judges scores were 39 to 37 for Callum, 39 to 37 for Brock, and the third judge scored the bout 38 to 38. Brock, 184 pounds, in now 10-27-3, 4 by KO while Callum, 177, is now 6-10-2, 2 by KO.