03.10.05 – Photos Courtesy of Fanoula Tavlarides – Exciting Junior Welterweight Jesse Feliciano returned with a vengeance Saturday night at the Lucky Star Casino in Rochester, WA, stopping Rafael Ortiz in the 10th round to capture the NWBA 140 pound title before an SRO crowd of over 1,300 cheering fans. In his first fight under the tutelage of Jesse Reid, Feliciano came out fast behind a stiff jab and thudding body shots, as he averaged over 1,000 punches per round during the course of the fight.
Ortiz, however, gave as good as he got, momentarily stopping Feliciano in his tracks with an overhand right in the second round that set the tone for a see-saw battle that had the appreciative crowd on their feet all night. Although Ortiz had his moments, it was Feliciano’s strength, brutal body attack and left hooks that began to wear down Ortiz by the middle rounds
Bleeding from his nose, mouth and looking through a left eye that was nearly closed, Ortiz battled-back gamely, only to wear down under the relentless pressure of Feliciano..
In a fight that redefined courage and will, the 9th round was the beginning of the end for Ortiz. With his left eye swollen shut, Ortiz was pounded from pillar to post as Feliciano went for the knockout.
The end came at 3:00 of round 10, as ringside physician Dr. Antwaan Johnson stopped the fight. Citing bleeding from Ortiz’ ear, a laceration inside his mouth and a horribly swollen left eye, Dr. Johnson said he was not taking any chances in the wake of recent ring tragedies.
With the victory, Feliciano improves to 13-4-2 with 8 KO’s as he looks to reestablish himself in the talent laden 140 pound division.
“I’m so happy right now, “said an exultant Feliciano after the fight. “There are so many people to thank; my father, Jesse Reid, Jesse Reid Jr., my conditioning coach Axel and my friend Kevin. I also want to thank my advisors Albert Falcon and Pat Doljanin for making this fight possible. We’ve got a great team!”
“I’m very proud of Jesse,” said advisor Patrick Doljanin. “He showed great improvement for having worked with Jesse Reid for only one month. He also showed the heart of two mountain lions and an indefatigable will to win which have become the hallmarks of his young career.”
“We were very impressed with Jesse’s conditioning and with his performance,” added co-adviser Albert Falcon.
Citing a hand injury, Falcon added, “He (Feliciano) hurt the middle knuckle on his right hand which needs to be evaluated. If it’s nothing serious, we are looking to have Jesse back in the ring next month.”
The action packed card was promoted by the legendary Benny Georgino.