By John G. Thompson: The two sensational fights on Showtime this evening occurred in two different venues – the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island, Nebraska and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event in Nebraska, Reyes Sanchez 20-4-1 (11 KO’s) cleverly wore the hat of the Cornhuskers into the ring to gain local support against fellow Mexican Antonio DeMarco 25-2-1 (18 KO’s). Unfortunately for Sanchez, the locals could do little to help him against DeMarco. And in Las Vegas Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios 27-0-1 (20 KO’s) of Oxnard, California took the WBA World Lightweight Championship from Miguel Acosta 28-4-2 (22 KO’s) from Venezuela in an action packed come from behind victory.
The thirty-two year old Acosta had earned his draws in his first two professional bouts, and the losses came all the way back in 2002 and 2003. Since then Acosta had been on a nineteen fight winning streak with fourteen of those coming by way of knockout, including two undefeated prospects amongst his last three opponents. Twenty-four year old Brandon Rios had an extensive amateur background with allegedly over two hundred and fifty bouts, including a 2004 United States Amateur Featherweight Title, and he was a 2004 Olympic alternate. His best win to date was over then undefeated Anthony Peterson and the draw on his resume had already been avenged with a seventh round technical knockout.
Acosta and Rios immediately took on their roles as boxer and puncher respectively, though to label someone with Acosta’s power solely a boxer would be a mistake. Acosta also seemed to have the faster hands, though Rios seemed to posses the greater power. Acosta took the first couple rounds, and just when Rios seemed to be coming back in the third by going to the body and cutting off the ring, Acosta did some damage with a counter to the head, which he followed up with an impressive combination to clinch the round.
Acosta actually went on the attack in the fourth applying Rios-like-pressure, throwing almost exclusively power punches. Just as things were looking bleak for Rios, he mounted a little bit of a comeback in the fifth, showing a great chin and true determination, as he absorbed Acosta’s headshots in order to land his own. In the sixth, Rios managed to completely cut off the ring, corning Acosta several times, and was able to land. He actually caught Acosta with a jab as Acosta was trying to move out of a corner and Acosta went down. He got up, but clearly the accumulation of Rios’ power punches was catching up to Acosta. Acosta fought on, and actually did well boxing for the remainder of the round.
Acosta boxed well in the seventh, but in the eighth, Rios again caught Acosta as he was trying to fight his way out of a corner and Acosta went down (evening the scorecard for me). Round nine was sensational as Acosta’s back was to the ropes the entire round, yet both men traded punches from bell to bell, Acosta throwing more, but Rios landing the harder shots; the unrelenting action bringing the crowd to their feet.
Rios backed Acosta into his own corner in the beginning of the tenth. Acosta landed a great right to the jaw, but Rios didn’t flinch. He swarmed Acosta with punches, pinning him into the corner. Just over a minute into the round Rios landed an overhand right to Acosta’s temple, which seriously hurt Acosta. Before he could get his hands up, Rios landed another right, then left hook to the chin and another overhand right to the temple, as Acosta sunk to the canvas. Acosta’s corner man was there to throw a towel over him like a white flag, signaling to referee Joe Cortez to stop the fight. This was a spectacular win for Brandon Rios over a truly elite competitor in Miguel Acosta.
Antonio DeMarco’s career had been skyrocketing until he met a fighter now slipping into legend, Edwin Valero, who dominated DeMarco from the start, stopping him in the ninth round. This was Valero’s last fight before the he was accused of murdering his wife and committed suicide. Prior to his death, Valero had knocked out all twenty seven opponents he had faced, nineteen of them in just the first round. I bring this up not to glorify Valero, but to fully explain the level of talent it took to stop DeMarco at this stage of his career. His only other loss and draw came back in 2006, when he was just twenty years old. Reyes Sanchez, also age twenty-four, had won numerous youth and Continental Americas titles before picking up something called the “WBC Silver Lightweight Title” in a twelve round split decision over Daniel Estrada.
A southpaw, DeMarco dominated the first round using his jab and an effective straight left – the first one of the bout opening a cut over Sanchez’s left eye. Sanchez, who sported a pink and silver mohawk, must be given credit as he pressed the action, and fought with a lot of heart and confidence; however, in the first five rounds DeMarco displayed faster hand movement and more precision punching.
In the sixth and seventh rounds, Sanchez mounted a comeback, applying constant pressure and getting the better of DeMarco in those exchanges in which DeMarco’s back was to the ropes. It was clear by the eighth, the key to victory for Sanchez was keeping DeMarco’s back to the ropes and he did everything he could to do so, even earning a warning from referee Vic Drakulich for holding the ropes, while pinning DeMarco against them.
Sanchez’s punches did not look as crisp in the tenth, and DeMarco boxed a bit better, really going to war in the final ten seconds – as they had done often throughout the night. DeMarco took the eleventh convincingly, but the all out war in the twelfth was close. Sanchez threw everything he had and backed up DeMarco, but DeMarco’s counter-shots were much more sharp and effective. The judges scored the match 116-112, 117-111, and 115-113 (I scored it 117-112 with one round even) all for Antonio DeMarco.