By: Austin Killeen – Ringside – April 9, 2016     Photos by Jerry G. Angelo

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First time proved to be a charm for newbie promoter Alejandro Castillo. He invited amateur boxers from Arizona, California, Kansas, Texas and Utah to participate in a fight card held in the “Duke City” on Saturday. The last place I wanted to be was in attendance at a thirty two bout amateur card. I was thinking of excuses why I couldn’t make it. My dog was lost, I don’t own one. My mailman died, he was going to the fights. My cousin, three times removed, was very sick. I don’t even know what three times removed means. As a result of not having any excuses, I witnessed one of the best amateur cards I’ve ever seen. The matches were very competitive. The bout sheet was very informative. The boxers invited actually showed up. Once the first bout started, each contest took place in a timely fashion. And most important of all, New Mexican boxers were exposed to fighters from five states. Yoruba Moreu, whose son and daughter participated, likes to say fifty bouts in state are not the same as fifty bouts across state lines. As a result New Mexico fighters were exposed to competition of up to a thousand miles from their front yards.

Bout #6 Open, 80 lbs., Kolby Vela, age 12, Boxing Pride, Laredo, TX won by SD over Noah Aldeana, age 12, Garden City Boxing, Garden City, Kansas. I was blown away by the skill of these two boxers. I found it had to believe I was watching twelve year olds. Vela carried the first round behind an excellent left jab and lateral movement. Aldeana wasn’t standing around, he was throwing punches in bunches, in a very competitive round.

The second round Aldeana was more aggressive, forcing Vela on the defensive much of the time. The taller Vela was one cool customer, blocking many of his rival’s combinations and then counter punching. I gave the edge to Vela. The final round was a repeat of the second but with the edge to Aldeana. There was no loser in this matchup; I wish the amateurs allowed draws.

Bout #17 Open, 109 lbs., Amy Salinas, age 15, Las Cruces PAL, Las Cruces, NM won by UD over Aly Santa Maria age 15, Boxing Pride, Laredo, TX. This was another example of female boxing at its best. I gave the opening round to Santa Maria based on her excellent jab and left hooks. Salinas unloaded the big guns in the second, scoring with right hands to the head. This fight was shaping up as power verses finesse. Using a bob-n-weave style Salinas started landing five punch combinations, but Santa Maria was still able to land some nice shots of her own. Although there was only one winner there was no loser.

Bout #23 Open 116 lbs., Santiago Giron, age 15, Power and Glory, Albuquerque won by UD over Diego Alvares, age 17, Gallos Boxing Club, Ogden, Utah. This was an interesting contest of contrasting styles. I’ve seen Giron in action for several years now and was aware that he was very talented. Although he is a southpaw, he likes to switch back and forth to orthodox. He employed this tactic to carry the first round, landing some clean punches. He has a nice jab from either side. In the second Alvares pressed the attack more making it a close round. I felt Alvares had his best moments in the final round, scoring with clean punches and backing Giron up. You can’t let Giron camp out in the middle of the ring, he’ll slap you silly and Alvares made adjustments on the fly. I agreed with the verdict but Alvares is a solid campaigner.

Bout #22 Open, 100 lbs., Gabe Sandoval, age 14, Las Cruces PAL, Las Cruces, NM won by UD over Noel Bustamante age 13, JD’s Gym, Portales, NM. This was another excellent bout between evenly matched opponents. Bustamante appeared to carry the first round with his strength on the inside. Sandoval made adjustments in the second round, by creating space to land some clean punches. It was a close round; I gave the edge to Sandoval. The final round Sandoval was the aggressor and landed the cleaner punches. If you saw the second round for Bustamante you had a different winner. This was another quality bout.

 

Bout #21 Novice, 75 lbs., Angel Sandoval, age 10, JD’s Gym, Portales, NM won by SD over Michael Romero, age 11, Bear Knuckle Boxing, Albuquerque. Romero opened the first round strong but Sandoval was effective in the second half. Flip a coin on that one. In the second round Sandoval displayed some terrific body punching and then switched his attack to the head. Sandoval continued his body assault in the final round, but Romero was always firing back. This was a terrific fight and the fans loved it. I have little doubt that we will be hearing from both Sandoval and Romero in the future.

Bout #3, Novice, 55 lbs. Natalya Martinez, age 9, of Nightmare Boxing, El Paso, TX won by SD over Amaris Martinez, age 9, Dona Ana B.C., Las Cruces, NM. This was nonstop action for three rounds and the fans loved it. I have no idea what the punch count was for this fight, but it had to be off the charts. It was all offense all the time. All the referee had to do was stay out of the way. I felt Amaris Martinez used her size advantage and left jab to win all three rounds by very close margins. But Natalya Martinez was very aggressive often backing her rival up; apparently this caught the eye of two of the judges. Anyone who doesn’t think females can box is wearing a blindfold.

Bout #1, Novice, 55 lbs. Alex Rodriguez, age 9, (South San Jose Boxing, ABQ, NM) won by UD over Jermaine Nez, age 8, (Punch’s Boxing Farmington, NM). Rodriguez has a nice right hand and foot work as demonstrated by his lateral movement to control much of the contest. Nez, after a slow first round became more aggressive, but failed to match his rivals punch production.

Bout #2, Novice, 60 lbs. Mason Vela, age 9, (Boxing Pride, Laredo, TX) won by UD over Edgar Herrera, age 9, Lubbock Boxing Club, Lubbock, TX. In the opening round the taller Vela used a nice 1-2 to exploit the porous defense of Herrera. He continued to exploit his size advantage and skill set to control the remainder of the contest. Herrera was game and never stopped trying to turn things around.

Bout #4 Novice, 55 lbs., Alejandro Castillo, age 9, Castillo’s Boxing Team, Albuquerque, NM won by UD over Alejandro Mosqueda, age 8, Lubbock Boxing Club, Lubbock, TX. The taller Castillo landed effectively to the body and then moved out of range against a very dangerous Mosqueda. All three rounds were contested because Mosqueda was a live opponent.

Bout #5 Open, 70 lbs., Aaron Soriano, age 9, Bear Knuckle Boxing, Albuquerque, NM won by UD over Andrew Perez, age 9, Perez Boxing of Albuquerque, NM. This was a contest of aggression versus counter punching. I was impressed by the movement and counter punching of Perez in the first and third rounds. He was patient waiting to slip punches and countering with nice shots to the body and head. The taller Soriano pressed the action behind a nice jab and I gave him the middle round. Counter punching is a lost art and this fight illustrates why all three judges saw the bout for the aggressive Soriano.

Bout #7 Novice, 85 lbs., Angel Sotelo, age 11, South Valley Boxing, Albuquerque, NM won by SD over Eladio Castillo, age 12, Castillo’s Boxing Team, Albuquerque NM. Castillo worked well to the body all three rounds and would suddenly deliver and overhand right to the head. Sotelo was very busy himself, contesting his opponent every round. I felt Castillo had done enough to win, but the officials saw it the other way.

Bout #8 Open, 70 lbs., James Wright, age 10, Dethrone Boxing, Fresno, CA won by SD over Yoruba Moreu age, 10, Moreu Boxing, Albuquerque. This was an interesting hookup between Wright who fights orthodox and Moreu a southpaw. I gave the opening round to Wright who worked behind a nice left jab and his ability to retreat to safety after throwing his punches. The second round belonged to Moreu who scored with straight lefts to the head, and deftly switched his attack from the head to the body and back to the head. I awarded the final round to Wright; I felt he was timing the aggressive Moreu on his way inside. Both boxers have skills and the split decision indicates how close a fight it was.

Bout #9 Novice, 50 lbs., Jocelyn Olayo Munoz, age 8, Dona Ana Boxing, Las Cruces, NM won by UD over Sinai Castillo, age 10, Castillo Boxing Team, Albuquerque. These young ladies put on a very entertaining bout. Olayo threw a lot of punches in every round, but Castillo was dangerous, scoring while backing up. Castillo had her best round in the third, landing the cleaner punches including some eye catching body shots.

Bout #10 Open, 70 lbs., Adrian Cisneros, age 11, Team Mirabal, Albuquerque, NM won by UD over Eduardo Lopez, age 10, Gallos Boxing Club, Ogden, Utah. I gave the opening round to the shorter Lopez as a result of some effective counter punching. Cisneros picked up the pace in the second, but Lopez also had his moments. I favored Cisneros in a very close round. I felt Cisneros controlled the final round from long range behind an excellent left jab.

Bout #11 Novice, 114 lbs., Jennifer Lozano, age 13, Boxing Pride, Laredo, TX won by UD over Marisol Denogean, age 12, Old Skool, Boxing, Deming, NM. Lozano won the opening round with clean punches from the outside. Denogean was credited with a knockdown in the second round, that I felt it was a trip. Lozano appeared to score a clean knockdown at the end of the same round, but it was ruled a push. Lozano was the aggressor in the final round behind some nice 1-2’s. Denogean showed some skills in the contest.

Bout #12 Novice, 90 lbs., Exzavier Figueroa, age 11, Castillo’s Boxing Team, Albuquerque won by UD over Angel Enriquez, age 11, South Valley Boxing, Albuquerque. This was a close fight in which I gave the first and third rounds to Enriguez, but the second to Figueroa who scored effectively behind a nice jab. Obviously the officials at ringside saw it differently.

Bout #13 Open, 110 lbs., Manuel Gutierrez, age 11, Archangel Boxing, Lubbock, TX won by UD over Cross Roybal, age 11, Team Mirabal, Albuquerque. Gutierrez was just too strong for a very game Roybal. Gutierrez has a good grasp of the basic 1-2 combination.

Bout #14 Open, 90 lbs., Luis Sandoval, age 12, JD’s Gym, Portales, NM won by SD over Daniel Haro, age 11, Dethrone Boxing, Fresno, CA. This match up resulted in a controversial ending. Sandoval took standing 8-counts in all three rounds, but a knockdown, standing or otherwise is just considered a punch in amateur boxing. In the pros they would have resulted in two point round advantages for Haro. I gave the opening round to Sandoval but rounds two and three to Haro.

Bout #15 Open, 95 lbs., Rolyn Nez, age 13, Punch’s Boxing Club, Farmington, NM won by UD over Jayden Lopez, age 13, Gallos Boxing Club, Utah. Nez won going away against a game Lopez who never stopped trying. The taller Nez appeared to have much more experience and knew how to capitalize on his size.

Bout #16 Novice, 125 lbs., Novice 125 lbs. Greg Alaniz, age 12, won by default.

Bout #18 Novice 55 lbs., Steve Rivas, age 11, Dethrone Boxing, Fresno, CA won by UD over Jesus Abundis, age 11, Team Mirabal, Albuquerque, NM. Rivas used his height and reach to control the match. The game Abundis took a standing 8-count in the second round and had to survive a strong finish by Rivas in the final round.

Bout #19 Novice, 100 lbs., Josh Yazzie age 13, Lites Out, Gallup, NM won by Default.

 

 

Bout #20 Open, 114 lbs., Max Moya, age 15, Power and Glory, won by UD over Joseph LaJeunesse, age 15, Duke City Brawlers, Albuquerque, NM. Both boxers have skills and all three rounds were hotly contested. I was impressed with their ability to slip punches and counter-punch. I was glad I didn’t have to score the fight. Both boxers showed a lot of potential.

Bout #24 Novice, 140 lbs., Serieno Olmos, age 18, Lubbock Boxing Club, Lubbock, TX won by SD over Josiah Zamora, age 17, Unattached. This was a difficult bout to watch as both boxers wore identical outfits except for the color of their gloves. It would be nice if boxers carried two shirts of different colors to avoid this from happening. The first round was very close, and I’ll admit I found it confusing. I gave the second round to Zamora due to his power and being busier. Also, Zamora liked to switch back and forth from orthodox to southpaw. Olmos had a strong third round but Zamora tried to steal it with a strong finish. Throughout the contest I thought I was crediting one boxer only to realize it was his opponent. I was impressed with both boxers ability to make adjustments on the fly, because the momentum appeared to shift back in forth in an evenly contested bout.

Bout #25 Novice, 106 lbs., Dwayne Yazzie, age?, Martinez Boxing Club, Farmington, NM won by UD over Torriane Stone, TNT Boxing Club, Los Lunas, NM. This was a contest in which Yazzie clearly had the superior skills. Stone, who was at a severe height disadvantage, received two standing 8-counts in the first round. Rounds two and three Yazzie continued to operate from the outside where he controlled the action. I give Stone a lot of credit, if you box long enough you’ll eventually find yourself in over your head. Stone could have retired on his stool but instead elected to do his best. That’s all you can ask of anyone.

Bout #26 Novice, 125 lbs., Ever Sotelo, age 13, South Valley Boxing, Albuquerque won by SD over Darius Builtron, age 12, Arch Angel Boxing Club, Lubbock, TX. I felt Sotelo used his height and reach to control the contest for the most part. But Builtron has a nice left hook and kept the rounds close. Builtron is not a bad fighter and if Sotelo had been sleeping at the wheel, this bout would have had a different outcome.

Bout #27 Open, 75 lbs., Dethrone Fresno, age 14, Jesus Hard won by UD over Andres Jiron, age 13, Duke City Boxing, Albuquerque, NM. Fresno has some skills and for three rounds got inside, unloaded, and then retreated. You’re either inside or outside and Fresno knew the difference. Jiron was determined and kept the match interesting and showed some potential.

Bout #28 Open, 95 lbs., Richie Archuleta, age 15, Lites Out Boxing, Gallup, NM won by SD over Ivan Barragan, age 15, South San Jose Boxing, Albuquerque, NM. I’ve seen Archuleta box on several occasions and like his style. In the opening round Archuleta would trap his rival on the ropes only to back away. This was a costly mistake because Barragan has a nice jab.

Round two Archuleta came to life and displayed some power when he cut the ring off. Apparently he listened in the corner between rounds. With the fight hanging in the balance, both boxers let it all hang out in the final round. Archuleta worked hard to get inside, while Barragan used his jab in an attempt to create distance. How you saw the third round, probably determined how you scored the fight.

Bout #29 Novice, 150 lbs., Jaspar Alvarado, age 17, Punch’s Boxing, Farmington, NM won by TKO over Nick Gomez, age 19, Stone Hard Boxing Club, Chandler, AZ. Alvarado had too much fire power for his game rival. In the opening round Alvarado was wild but effective, landing some hard shots. Gomez needed to step inside but lacked the experience to do so. In the second round Gomez was administered a standing 8-count before the referee stopped the contest at 1:17 of the round.

Bout #30 Open, 175 lbs., Sharahya Moreu, age 15, Moreu Boxing, Albuquerque won by default. Like her little brother, this girl has some talent. I was disappointed that she was unable to compete.

Bout #31 Novice, Masters, Jose Pimentel, Moreu Boxing, Albuquerque won by TKO over Daniel Haymes, Bear Knuckle Boxing, Albuquerque, NM. I’ve watched lots of video of Pimentel boxing at the Ringside tournaments and seen him spar with top amateurs and pros in the gym. Did I mention that Pimentel is a beast! Unlike Ringside tournaments where the referee seems to stop the action every five seconds, last night the third man let the fighters fight. This was unfortunate for the game Haymes, as he was the recipient of some blistering body shots. Trapped on the ropes, Haymes was dropped by a combination to the body and head. He gamely pulled himself up at the count of eight but the referee had seen enough. The time of the TKO was 51 seconds of the first round.

Bout #32 Open, Dante Stone, Stone Hard Boxing Club, Chandler, AZ, won by default.

This was an excellent amateur card put together by promoter Alejandro Castillo. He talked the talk in the weeks prior to the event and he delivered on Saturday. Castillo told me he was getting pretty nervous by the day of the show. I forgot to ask him how many cases of Maalox he consumed leading up to the fight card. He’s a new face in “Duke City” boxing who I feel will be a positive influence for the sport. Castillo told me he would like to promote again, possibly in the fall.

Rather than write about the fights in the order they occurred, I placed them in the order that they caught my eye. That is why bout #6 Vela vs Aldeana is listed first, this was my pick for fight of the night. I can’t believe they are only twelve years old. Keep your eyes on both these young men, as they are going places and I’m not referring to the mall; unless they’re having a fight card there.

As for “Hurricane Pimentel” the TV weather report forgot to mention he would be blowing through Albuquerque on Saturday night. He’s such a nice guy he’s even offered to spar with me on several occasions. I’m going to take him up on his offer, just as soon as he agrees to wear a pillow case over his head.

Attorney William McBride was in attendance at the fights on Saturday. McBride, like Pimentel, has also won the Ringside World Championship held in Kansas City, Kansas. I couldn’t help but wonder what a McBride vs Pimentel matchup would look like. McBride always looks to be in shape and Pimentel was in excellent condition for his bout this weekend. With someone experienced like Rocky Burke as the referee, this could have some potential. It might appeal to Pimentel because he wouldn’t have to wear a pillow case over his head. I’ve never seen McBride box, but if he’s as sharp in the ring as his wardrobe looks. . .