30.10.05 – By Joseph Carlo Russo: The October 29th Boxeo De Oro card presented by Oscar DeLaHoya’s Golden Boy Promotions featured some of the finest lighter weight fighters in the world including top batamweights Ratanachai Sor Vorapin and Jhonny Gonzalez, top junior bantamweight Fernando Montiel, and top junior flyweight Hugo Cazares. This bill created for an excellent night of boxing as one of the greatest boxing nations in the world flexed its muscles once again..
On October 29th, a World Cup was at stake. Not the football World Cup, but a World Cup boxing competition between two of the best lighter weight division countries in the sport, Mexico and Thailand. Considering the outcome, this card could have easily been titled “Viva Mexico.” Indeed, viva Mexico was the recurring theme all night much to the satisfaction of the heavily Mexican Arizona crowd.
The card started off on a good note with an exciting junior flyweight WBO title fight between Hugo Cazares and Kaicho Sor Vorapin. It was an entertaining fight from the opening bell as both fighters initiated good action. Cazares was seemingly outboxing the game Sor Vorapin throughout the first five rounds until Kaicho landed a crisp shot that sent Cazares to the mat in round six. But that was surely not going to be enough to cause the Mexican to fold as he connected with a flawless straight left in the same round to end the fight in a most dramatic fashion as Sor Vorapin fell to the canvas and stumbled back down upon trying to get up.
In the second bout, the tough Daniel Ponce De Leon outscored Sod Looknongyangtoy en route to a unanimous decision to claim the WBO junior featherweight crown.
The third fight featuring Ring magazine #4 ranked WBO bantamweight champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin and Ring magazine #9 bantamweight Jhonny Gonzalez turned out to be the most exciting of the bunch. The lanky Jhonny Gonzalez proved to be too much for the aggressive swinging Sor Vorapin. Gonzalez floored the tough Thai twice in round two, again in round six, and unleashed a furious flurry of ferocious punches in round seven prompting Referee Robert Byrd to call a halt to the bout 22 seconds into the round.
To close the show and conclude a clean sweep for Mexico Ring magazine #4 ranked WBO junior bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel engaged previously unbeaten Pramuansak Posuwan in a twelve round duel, which ended in severely disturbing swelling around Posuwan’s right eye. It was a good, competitive fight over the course of the distance with Montiel landing the more effective, precise punches to win a unanimous decision.
The October 29th Boxeo De Oro card presented by Oscar DeLaHoya’s Golden Boy Promotions turned out to be a successful night of boxing providing four entertaining worthwhile matchups. It was truly displayed that Mexico is one of top two boxing nations in the world alongside the United States as both countries boast the largest amounts of top ten contenders in game. What was also exhibited was the quality caliber of talent and entertainment that exists in the lighter weight divisions. It is a great shame that the bantamweight and flyweight divisions are often ignored because they are abundant in talent and certainly provide equivalent, if not, better entertainment than that of the heavier weight classes. Hopefully we will all be treated to more flyweight and bantamweight fights for they have definitely proven themselves worthy. On that note, kudos to Oscar DeLaHoya for a great card and for his excellent promoting!