“The Big O” suffers a devastating L

“The Big O” suffers a devastating L

Mark E. Ortega

FightFanNation.com

December 11, 2009

For the second time in two weeks, a veteran fighter on the verge of a nice payday was destroyed in a supposed tune-up bout at the hands of a much less regarded fighter as #2 WBC heavyweight Oleg Maskaev [36-7, 27 KOs] was dispatched 1:54 into the opening round at the hands of Newburgh, New York native Nagy Aguilera [15-2, 10 KOs] in front of a near capacity crowd at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California, the adopted hometown of Maskaev. The loss will cause Maskaev, nicknamed “The Big O”, to miss out on a title eliminator in 2010 for the right to fight WBC champion Vitali Klitschko.

Aguilera began the fight throwing a quick double jab and a right hand behind while Maskaev didn't offer any resistance. Aguilera went to the body and dropped his more experienced opponent's guard, allowing him to tag Maskaev with a left hook that stunned him. Aguilera followed with a right hand that floored Maskaev, who made it to his feet but was on severely shaky legs. Maskaev was unable to recover, and his seventeen-year younger opponent pounced on him and ultimately dropped him again with a vicious flurry near the ropes, prompting referee Dr. Lou Moret to stop the bout. Following the shocking result, you could hear a pin drop as the local crowd who had come out to support Maskaev with solid numbers were not sure what had happened. Maskaev left the building and declined to comment, obviously shaken by the devastating loss that will likely put an end to his sixteen-year career.

“Like I said earlier, he can't hit what he can't see,” said the very excited Aguilera following the victory. “He never hit me, I was too fast for him. My right hand to the body hurt him, I read it in his face, so I knew I had to work on this guy because I saw I could finish him.”

Maskaev joins Roy Jones, Jr. as the second 40-year old to get knocked off in the opening round of a fight they were highly favored to win in the build-up to a much more lucrative bout that would have taken place next year. Jones, like Maskaev, was hurt by the first hard shot his opponent Danny Green hit him with and never recovered, nixing a future big money rematch with Bernard Hopkins that would have taken place on pay-per-view in the opening quarter of 2010. For Jones, he at least was able to net a few million dollars in going to Australia to fight Green while Maskaev likely didn't earn much in fighting in front of about a few thousand fans. Aguilera will assumably earn a ranking in the WBC in his first big step up in competition.

Aguilera fights under the banner of former heavyweight contender Lou Savarese's Savarese Promotions, and the former Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield foe could not have been more happy following the victory.

“I've come a long way with Nagy,” said Savarese. “I kinda discovered him when I was sparring with Evander Holyfield I went into a gym in Newburgh and got to spar him. He's a tough kid and a likable guy and I think he finally realized how good he is.”

Savarese was originally contacted by Maskaev's promoter Dennis Rappaport about using Texas-based heavyweight Steve Collins, but Savarese felt that Collins wasn't ready and that Aguilera would have a better shot due to his extensive amateur background and quick handspeed. It was good managing by Savarese who helped Aguilera put the impressive former world champion's name on his ledger.

UNDERCARD RESULTS:

In an intriguing super middleweight co-feature, Denis Grachev [8-0-1, 5 KOs], a Russian fighter based out of San Diego, California battled Sacramento's Ernesto Castaneda [11-8-2, 4 KOs] to a contested majority draw. In the opening stanza, Castaneda was the aggressor but came in wide and off-balance with most of his punches. Grachev was far more accurate, although Castaneda was able to tag him with a video game style uppercut midway through the round. Castaneda came back with a strong second, landing many wide shots that cut through Grachev's non-existent defense.

The third round was competitive, with Castaneda getting stunned early in the round against the ropes by a series of left hands. The Sacramento based fighter came back with his own onslaught, leaning against the ropes and showing some uncommon defensive prowess, landing a series of good uppercuts and hooks that didn't deter the tough Grachev from keeping the pressure on. Grachev answered in the fourth by landing a good right hand on Castaneda early on, and used movement against his visibly tired opponent to fairly dominate the round. Castaneda again had success with his back against the ropes but was caught by a hard right hook right at the bell.

Grachev continued to build his momentum into the fifth as he adapted to Castaneda's wide punches by backing out after landing in combination. Castaneda was a tad slower in the round and did not find much success besides a few shots that caught the Russian as he moved away. With the fight hanging in the balance, Grachev's corner implored him to give it everything he had and he went out and pressed the fight in the final round. Castaneda again decided to counter off of the ropes and attempt to catch Grachev with something big. Castaneda was able to land some heavy hooks, but his power seemed to have little effect on the Russian fighter whose aggressiveness should have earned him the win. One judge scored the bout 58-56 for Grachev, while two judges agreed on a 57-57 draw verdict. FFN scored the bout 58-56 for Grachev.

In a rematch that was less competitive than the first, Vacaville, California's Gerardo Lopez TKOed the game but outgunned Kyle Dundas in the last round of a scheduled four-round junior middleweight bout. The first fight between the two took place in January with Lopez earning a unanimous decision in a fight where he weighed fifteen pounds less. Lopez looked noticably soft and slower, but his punches seemed to have much more of an effect on Dundas than they did the first time they met. Aside from a few shots that Dundas was able to land in the third round, the fight was controlled by Lopez. In the fourth, Lopez hurt Dundas with a left hand and followed with a jab, dropping his opponent to a knee. Referee Dr. Lou Moret stopped the bout at 2:36 of the final round.

Debuting Sacramentian Mike Guy came out of the gate quickly in scoring a first round stoppage of fellow debutante Ayo Olorunsola of Oakland, California at 1:32 of the opening round. Giy swarmed his opponent with an impressive volume of shots, not allowing Olorunsola to back out and fight on the outside. Guy fought a lot like a young Mike Tyson, utilizing good head movement as the much shorter fighter. Guy landed a right hook while Olorunsola was backing out after being stunned by a previously landed punch. Olorunsola fell to the floor and tried getting up, falling over again prompting the referee to stop the bout.

In a thrilling four-round lightweight bout, Maximilliano Becerra [3-0-1, 2 KOs] of nearby Vacaville, California remained unbeaten, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over the very game Thomas Herrera [2-4-1] of Tucson, Arizona. The opening round was an interesting one as Becerra was pretty successful utilizing his jab and landing his right hand. Herrera landed a good right hand when Becerra was on the ropes and later landed a one-two combination that sent Becerra to the canvas, mostly due to his lack of balance. Referee Ray Balowicz ruled it a slip, saving Becerra from suffering a three-point swing in the round from a 10-9 advantage to a possible 10-8 disadvantage. The second round was very close with Herrera buckling Becerra's legs with a left hook. Becerra controlled the rest of the round and may have stolen it in the last twenty seconds behind a vicious body attack. Becerra dominated the third round as he slowed his opponent down with body shots and landed a nice left hook downstairs followed by a straight right in combination. Both fighters gave it their all in an action-packed fourth and final round, with Becerra unleashing a hellacious series of punches near the ropes, nearly shooting the moon as it seemed to tire him out, allowing Herrera to get back into it with a combination of their own. With ten seconds left in the bout, both fighters landed bombs until the bell rang ending the fight. All three judges scored the bout, 40-36 in a fight that was much closer than the scores indicated, although you could argue Becerra slightly won all four rounds. FFN scored the bout 39-37 for Becerra.

In the opening bout of the evening, Richard Hargraves made a successful professional debut in stopping John Dunham [0-5-1] with a right hand that turned his legs into jelly 1:50 into the opening round of a scheduled four-round junior middleweight bout. Hargraves, a former amateur standout who towers at an astonishing 6'1” and can make the welterweight limit, landed many crushing right hands before dropping Dunham the first time for an eight count. Dunham made it to his feet but was obviously still hurt, and Hargraves was able to finish his outmatched opponent with a crushing right hand.

In attendance to witness the night's action were local legends and former world champions Tony Lopez and Loreto Garza, former world title challenger and fan favorite Juan Lazcano, former kickboxing champion and world-rated Sacramento based Eric Regan, cruiserweight contender Michael Simms. Also in attendance was Daly City, California welterweight prospect Karim Mayfield and former heavyweight contender Lou Savarese.