Karim Mayfield suffers first pro loss

Karim Mayfield suffers first pro loss
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
April 1, 2014


Saturday night, San Francisco junior welterweight Karim Mayfield suffered the first defeat of his professional boxing career. Mayfield dropped a unanimous decision to Thomas Dulorme in Atlantic City; the bout was televised by HBO.

It was a bizarre week for Mayfield, as Thursday evening saw news break that his de facto manager Marlon Sullivan was caught up in serious allegations as they related to Senator Leland Yee.

Yee, a one-time candidate for mayor of San Francisco in 2011, found himself right in the thick of charges such as accepting campaign contributions in order to carry out orders solicited from undercover agents. Such orders included gun running.

Click here to read the rest...

Juan Carlos Martinez spoils Alejandro Perez’s plans in UniMas main event

Juan Carlos Martinez spoils Alejandro Perez’s plans in UniMas main event
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
March 30, 2013

LAS VEGAS — With a shot at top-10 featherweight contender Nicholas Walters looming on May 31, Alejandro Perez just had to fight a safe gameplan and stay out of harm's way in his main event Saturday night against Juan Carlos Martinez at Texas Station Hotel & Casino. Martinez, a compet journeyman used to taking fights on short notice, had other plans as he shocked Perez by winning a 10-round split decision over Perez.

Despite his bad looking record, Martinez (20-14-1, 7 KOs) came to fight, forcing Perez (19-4-1, 13 KOs) to brawl in an entertaining scrap that probably had his team uneasy with every exchange. Martinez came in off training with renowned trainer Joel Diaz while helping Timothy Bradley prepare for Manny Pacquiao. You don't get sparring much better than that.

"When you're used to fighting on a few weeks notice and you get a full training camp, it makes a world of difference," Joel Diaz told RingTV.com after the win.

Click here to read the rest...

Bits & Pieces: Alejandro Perez stays busy, Chris Arreola trains in San Diego

Bits & Pieces: Alejandro Perez stays busy, Chris Arreola trains in San Diego
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
March 25, 2014

Featherweight veteran Alejandro Perez has earned his spot the hard way.

Lightly regarded through the early stages of his career, it wasn’t until the Salinas, Calif. native endured a few defeats before he began to find himself as a fighter.

A mesmerizing one-round knockout of former touted prospect Antonio Escalante in March of 2011 had him hopeful momentum was swinging his way. Instead, it forced a label of being a dangerous, high-risk, low-reward type fighter. That led to only getting offers to fight at 130 pounds despite Perez being at his best at 126 pounds.

Click here to read the rest...

Donaire returns to the ring

Donaire returns to the ring
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
November 7, 2013


San Leandro, Calif., boxer Nonito Donaire returns to the ring on Saturday in a new weight division, but will look across the ring at a familiar foe while doing so.

Donaire (31-2, 20 knockouts) is coming off an April defeat to Guillermo Rigondeaux, his first loss in almost a decade. Donaire was dealing with a slew of personal matters, including his wife Rachel being pregnant with their first child, who was born a few months ago.

Now refocused, Donaire will face Vic Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 KOs) in a 126-pound fight that will be part of a triple header televised by HBO. These two last met in July of 2007, where the five-to-one underdog Donaire knocked out Darchinyan in the fifth round with a wicked check hook. That victory launched Donaire, who won 13 straight across four weight divisions prior to the loss to Rigondeaux.

Click here to read the rest...

Perez wins showcase against Riovalle

Perez wins showcase against Riovalle
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
July 13, 2013


INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Alejandro Perez started out his career underneath the Top Rank umbrella, but it ultimately didn’t work out, resulting in Perez going on his own for a long stretch.

Perez fared pretty well given the circumstances, scoring some credible victories over a range of contenders. Yet, Perez was unable to parlay those victories into a major fight, likely due to not having a powerful promoter at his disposal.

Earlier this year, Perez signed on again with Top Rank, believing they could navigate him up the ladder the correct way. Saturday night in Inglewood, Calif., their second run began with a showcase bout in the 10-round main event of Solo Boxeo against Edgar Riovalle.

Click here to read the rest...

Consummate pro Perez ready for showcase bout

Consummate pro Perez ready for showcase bout
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
July 12, 2013


It hasn't been an easy road for Salinas, Calif. junior lightweight Alejandro Perez, who is wrapping up his tenth year as a professional fighter at the age of 27. Finally, it feels as though the young fighter has a bit of stability after signing with Top Rank just last month.

Perez headlines Saturday's UniMas Solo Boxeo card against Edgar Riovalle in a bout that can largely be considered a showcase fight, something Perez hasn't been the benefactor of many times over his 21-fight career. The fight headlines a card at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, Calif.

This will actually be Perez's second go-around with Top Rank, having more or less began his career with the company before suffering a shock decision loss to journeyman Adolfo Landeros in June of 2008.

That defeat derailed Perez a bit, while at the same time ending his relationship with the company. This forced Perez to navigate the tough sport of boxing pretty much on his own. For the situation he was presented, Perez has managed to become a solid gatekeeper, but with Top Rank, he hopes to become more than that.

Click here to read the rest...

Bits & Pieces: Weight controversy in Vegas

Bits & Pieces: Weight controversy in Vegas
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
June 8, 2013


While HBO and Showtime go head-to-head tonight with shows from Montreal and Carson, Calif., respectively, Top Rank and Zanfer Promotions have a card at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas that will be televised on UniMas’ Solo Boxeo. Here are some notes compiled from Friday's weigh-in.

Click here to read the rest...

Ramos set for showdown with Shimoda

Ramos set for showdown with Shimoda

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

July 6, 2011

I don't usually like to inject myself into a story of mine, but rules are meant to be broken.

I've seen fifteen of his nineteen professional fights, nine of them in a ringside capacity. That has been no coincidence.

When I first saw unbeaten super bantamweight Rico Ramos turn pro just more than three years ago, I knew I was watching something that had the potential to be very special.

Even at twenty years old and against a non descript opponent, I felt that Ramos had the tools necessary to not only be a world champion, but a future pound-for-pound entrant.

Now set to contend for his first world title as he meets WBA 122-pound champion Akifumi Shimoda this Saturday in the opening televised bout of HBO Boxing After, my predictions are at a point where they have a chance of coming true.

Perez starches Escalante in one!

Perez starches Escalante in one!

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 25, 2011

In a shocking upset, Alejandro Perez [15-2-1, 10 KOs] scored an emphatic one round knockout of former contender Antonio Escalante [24-4, 15 KOs], whose career is now in doubt following the starching.

It's not so much the result that was shocking, but the way the fight finished. Most people that pegged Perez as a danger to Escalante figured he would box his way to a victory over Escalante. Instead, with less than thirty seconds in the first round, Perez stuck a jab in the stomach of Escalante and followed it up with a huge overhand right that crushed the favorite and bounced his head off the canvas.

Escalante 130, Perez 130

Escalante 130, Perez 130

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 25, 2011

Friday night, Solo Boxeo makes a return to Telefutura following a weekend off with a very competitive super featherweight main event between fringe contenders Antonio Escalante [24-3, 15 KOs] and Alejandro Perez [14-2-1, 9 KOs] in a ten round attraction at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California.

The fight may not look like much on paper, but in comparison to the forgettable February the program had that saw numerous mismatches headlining the Friday weekly cards, it looks like a barnburner.

Antonio Escalante's return to familiarity

Escalante's return to familiarity

Mark Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 22, 2011

This weekend's Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event will see a familiar face to its airwaves, as the always exciting Antonio Escalante [24-3, 15 KOs] returns to the network that helped build him to take on the tough Alejandro Perez [14-2-1, 9 KOs] in a bout scheduled for ten rounds.

Escalante, who last fought on Telefutura against veteran trial horse Edel Ruiz last August, will fight without the benefit of his fanbase in El Paso, Texas as he travels to the west coast and the now Solo Boxeo familiar Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California.