Gonzalez' long flight, fight for redemption

Gonzalez' long flight, fight for redemption

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 28, 2011

If you've followed the career of former world bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez, you'd be sure to think that with all he has experienced in the squared circle over the course of his career that he was winding down a professional career and must be in his mid-to-late thirties.

You'd be incorrect. In six months, Gonzalez will be turning thirty years old despite having fought in more than his share of high profile bouts over the last decade. His path has been derailed more than a handful of times, but the Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexican born fighter has always found a way to keep his name in the mix despite his slipups.

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.

Humbled Kirkland on the rebound

Humbled Kirkland on the rebound

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 23, 2011

The last time Austin, Texas' James Kirkland [27-0, 24 KOs] found himself in the midst of a meaningful bout against an able bodied opponent, this writer was ringside.

In a headlining bout as part of HBO's Boxing After Dark in San Jose, California, James Kirkland dismantled a game Joel Julio, ultimately finishing the Colombian in six rounds. It was the kind of performance that, if Kirkland was somehow not on your radar, after that March 2009 performance he most certainly had to be.

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.

Tough, tough lucked Collazo ready for another opportunity

Tough, tough lucked Collazo ready for another opportunity

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 21, 2011

Despite being only thirty years of age, former welterweight champion Luis Collazo of Brooklyn, New York has seen his share of big fight opportunities slip through his hands, more often than not the cause being something out of his control. Despite many questions left unanswered over the course of the 30-year old fighter's nearly eleven year professional career, he has found a way to move on and let the past be the past, focusing all of his efforts on a better tomorrow where he hopes another opportunity to showcase his talents at the upper tier will appear soon.

Arum, King reconciliation, hope for current qualms?

Arum, King reconciliation, hope for current qualms?

Mark E. Ortega

UndisputedFightMag.com

March 11, 2011

One of boxing's biggest rivalries is not one that took place between the ropes. It's not one where few, if any blows were exchanged. But it is one that helped fuel the sport for much of the last five decades.

Promoters Bob Arum and Don King, long the sport's most influential promoters worldwide, are winding down their personal careers and therefore have made amends over their tiff that crossed more than five decades.

Griffin and Mack play it to the bone

Griffin and Mack play it to the bone

Mark E. Ortega

UndisputedFightMag.com

January 10, 2011

In boxing, they say friends don't make for good fights.

On February 4^th, light heavyweights Otis “Triple OG” Griffin [23-6-2, 9 KOs] and Yusaf Mack [28-3-2, 17 KOs], friends for a number of years, will be looking across the ring at each other with a IBF world title shot being the spoils to the winner. What makes this fight different from many other clashes amongst friends is that neither man is already at the top of the sport.

Consider this fight a real life version of the 1999 boxing comedy “Play It to the Bone”, which starred Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson as fringe contenders who trained out of the same gym and were given the opportunity to fight each other for a shot at the world title.

In that film, Woddy Harrelson as Vince Boudreau said “The worst thing in the ring you wanna feel is compassion.”

Nov. 6th: Super Six Crossroads

Nov. 6th: Super Six Crossroads
Mark E. Ortega
UndisputedFightMag.com
November 4, 2010


This Saturday, on a weekend chock full of fun and important bouts, there is one fight that may get overlooked but could prove to be the most intriguing.

On Showtime, on the undercard of the potential Fight of the Year candidate between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez, the Super Six super middleweight tournament resumes when Allan Green [29-2, 20 KOs] and Glen Johnson [50-14-2, 34 KOs] lock horns.

For those who have been following the tournament, you know it has been a wild and rocky ride and that neither of these men was of the original six that Showtime put together almost a year and a half ago. Still, it provides the division with a meaningful bout between two fighters that are at a crossroads in their career.

TKOed?

TKOed?
by Mark Ortega
FightFanNation.com
July 11, 2010

July 2nd's broadcast of ESPN Friday Night Fights from Ontario, California was supposed to be the coming out party for a promotional company that had been around all of two years. The card was promoted by TKO Boxing Promotions, based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, and featured TKO fighter Demetrius Hopkins against Mike Arnaoutis in what figured to be a competitive fight that would elevate Hopkins back into the mix at the top of the 140 pound weight class. As far as the fight, everything went to plan.

It's what has happened since then [and in the leadup, as well] that has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many of the people involved, as well as swirling rumors that TKO Boxing's fifteen minutes of fame are up.

Adamek outlast Arreola, Angulo batters Julio

Adamek outlast Arreola, Angulo batters Julio
Mark E. Ortega
FightFanNation.com
April 24, 2010

Saturday night from the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, California, Tomasz Adamek [41-1, 27 KOs] won an impressive twelve-round majority decision over local hero Chris Arreola [28-2, 25 KOs] in front of a large crowd in the televised headliner of HBO's Boxing After Dark. Arreola started off quickly and for the first four or five rounds it was a firefight that favored the more than thirty pounds heavier fighter. Somewhere in the fifth round, Arreola hurt his left hand and the fight changed as Adamek began to outbox Arreola and move around the ring extremely well. Arreola would land a few big shots in nearly every round but Adamek was landing much more accurately. Adamek's body work in the middle rounds helped slow Arreola down and he enjoyed a surge in the eighth and ninth round. Arreola seized momentum in the tenth and eleventh but Adamek took the twelfth to earn the tight majority decision. One judge had it 114-114 even but was overruled by the 115-113 and a much too wide 117-111 in favor of Adamek.

Herrera back in the win column

Herrera back in the win column!

Mark E. Ortega

FightFanNation.com

April 23, 2010

On the eve of Chris Arreola against Tomasz Adamek, just a few blocks away at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, Mauricio Herrera [14-1, 7 KOs] of Riverside, California rebounded from his recent controversial defeat to Mike Anchondo by stopping Efren Hinojosa [30-8-1, 17 KOs] of Lakeside, California on a corner stoppage in the fifth round of a pretty close fight.

Herrera was hit far too often but he applied pressure for a majority of the bout and wore his opponent down. At the end of the fifth round, Hinojosa's corner called a halt to the bout. Herrera wasn't particularly impressive, but was the much more accurate fighter. Herrera languished against the ropes a bit too much and that could be trouble against a puncher at 140, which Hinojosa is not. Herrera is looking for a rematch with Anchondo later in the year.

Gonzales remains Flawless, outpoints Boone

Gonzales remains Flawless, outpoints Boone

Mark E. Ortega

FightFanNation.com

March 19, 2010

Friday night at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in front of a packed house, Brandon “Flawless” Gonzales [11-0] of Sacramento, California took a big step towards establishing himself as a top prospect at 160 pounds by easily outpointing rugged gatekeeper Darnell Boone [16-15] over eight rounds in the main event of Reno Xtreme Fights III.

Miranda gets shot while Brinkley has to wait

Miranda gets shot while Brinkley has to wait

Mark E. Ortega

FightFanNation.com

February 18, 2010

When Jesse Brinkley gutted out a twelve round unanimous decision victory over Curtis Stevens a few weeks ago in an exciting headlining bout televised by ESPN's Friday Night Fights in Reno, Nevada, it was supposed to be enough to earn him a title shot against IBF 168-pound champion Lucian Bute in April.

And it should have been.

Instead, it will be world title retread Edison Miranda who will meet Bute in Montreal on April 17^th in a bout that will be televised by HBO, likely as the co-featured bout to a Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Martinez middleweight title fight that will take place in Youngstown as part of a split-site telecast.

Brinkley, promoter roll the dice in Reno

Brinkley, promoter roll the dice in Reno

Mark E. Ortega

FightFanNation.com

January 23, 2010

One week from today, Yerington, Nevada's Jesse Brinkley steps in the ring against arguably the toughest and most dangerous opponent of his career when he faces Curtis Stevens. The bout will headline ESPN's Friday Night Fights and is an eliminator for the #2 spot in the IBF and could lead to a world title shot later in the year.

The fight will take place in nearby Reno, the adopted home of Brinkley, who has become quite a draw as their main event under the banner of Let's Get It On Promotions since signing with them just over two years ago.