By Austin Killeen      May 14, 2016      Photos by Brandon Sanchez

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Antonio Martinez versus Benjamin Vasquez figured to be a war and it lived up to its prefight hype. The fighters even gave the fans a bonus round right after the bell sounded ending the bout. Not a good career move on the part of Vasquez with Martinez’s mother standing directly behind me at ringside. I was afraid she was going to use me as a step ladder to get into the ring. With apologies to Vasquez, when Mrs. Martinez asked me if I approved of his post fight behavior, I caved. My mother didn’t raise no fool. Both fighters were bleeding over their left eyes at fights end, while the entire crowd was cheering their approval of an exciting match. Watching all the activity both in and out of the ring it reminded me of a boxing movie from the forties. For Pat Holmes Sr. it was another solid show at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino, after a hectic week of trying to find replacements for fighters who canceled at the last minute.

In the evening’s main event scheduled for four rounds, Antonio Martinez (5-2-4, 4 KO’s) 143.1 lbs. of Espanola, NM drew with Benjamin Vasquez (3-1-1, 3 KO’s) 141.6 lbs. of Amarillo, TX. The power punching Vasquez started fast and forced the hometown fighter to backup much of the round. He landed some big right hands to the body off his jab. Martinez scored with nice jabs of his own and landed a solid right hand to the head. But Martinez is a pressure fighter and fighting in retreat seemed to cost him much of his power. At the bell, Vasquez was bleeding from a cut on the outside of his left eye. The second was a better round for Martinez but he was still fighting backing up. Vasquez was the aggressor and landing with the harder punches. He was throwing in bunches with Martinez often trapped on the ropes. Martinez landed with a solid left hook to the head stopping Vasquez in his tracks but failed to follow up his advantage.

The third round featured lots of good exchanges to the enjoyment of the partisan crowd, a round which I felt was the Espanola fighter’s best round of the fight. Now both boxers had cuts over their left eyes and taking deep breaths as a result of the hectic pace of the fight. Vasquez opened the final round firing left jabs to the head followed by right hands to anyplace. To his credit Martinez was showing some defensive skills off the ropes and a nice spin move to escape to the center of the ring. The final minute of the round he danced around the ring like he had the fight in the bag. At the bell both boxers continued firing bombs, resulting in seemingly more people in the ring than in the audience. Order was restored and the boxers embraced in acknowledgment of respect for each other.

There was suddenly silence as announcer Mike Adams stepped to the mike to read the judges’ score cards. Chris Tellez 39-37 for Martinez, Ester Lopez 39-37 for Vasquez and Levi Martinez 38-38 a draw. Although I felt Vasquez had done enough to win the verdict, people whose opinion I respect felt that Martinez won as a result of his superior defense and counterpunching. This was an exciting bout featuring lots of good exchanges and a display of defensive skills from boxers who’ve built their reputations as bomb throwers. This is now my fight of the year, heading into the halfway mark of 2016.

In the evening’s semi-final scheduled for four rounds, Aaron Martinez (no relation to Antonio) (2-0-0, 1 KO) 130 lbs. of Espanola, NM returned to the ring after a three year absence to KO Otto Sandoval (0-1-0) 130.6 lbs. of New Mexico. I had no prior knowledge of Martinez, but he appears to be one cool customer. He scored with a radar overhand right to the head of Sandoval, making him look like he was standing on the deck of the Titanic. Things only got worse for the game Sandoval after that. Trapped on the ropes and taking a hail of incoming leather, referee Ray Chavez saved Sandoval from further punishment at 1:39 seconds of the first round. I hope Martinez doesn’t wait another three years before having his next fight.

In the evening’s third bout scheduled for four rounds, Bryant McClain (2-0-0) 167.5 lbs. of Rio Rancho, NM won by UD over Daniel Garcia Flores (0-2-0) 165.4 lbs. of Albuquerque, NM. This was a rematch of their pro debuts last January. McClain has a deep background in the amateurs, including two state golden gloves titles and it showed. All four rounds were entertaining but the experience of McClain was in clear evidence. Unlike their first fight which McClain made more difficult than it should have been, he threw some nice combinations off his stiff left jab. In particular he throws a nice left jab-overhand right-left hook combination with accuracy. The game Flores has no amateur background but possess a solid chin and loads of determination. In all four rounds he was able to trap his rival on the ropes where he unloaded a barrage of punches to the head and body. McClain was able to block many of the incoming leather missiles as a result of his superior skill. All three judges had identical scores of 40-36 in favor of McClain.

In the evening’s second bout scheduled for 6 rounds, Wes Capper (14-2-0, 10 KO’s) 170 lbs. of Perth Australia won by TKO over Omar Barefield (0-13-1)  165 lbs. of Pomona, CA. Capper has some serious skills and put on a display of infighting, both on offense and defense. I’ve seen Barefield before and don’t understand why he has never won a fight because he has some talent. In the first two rounds Capper outworked Barefield on the inside, delivering some painful shots to the body and head. Barefield made the mistake of staying on the inside, instead of trying to capitalize on his longer reach. In the third round a right-left combination dropped Barefield who managed to beat the count. Capper scored a second knockdown with a solid left hook to the head. Referee Chavez came to the rescue at 2:02 of the third.

In the evening’s first bout scheduled for four rounds, Matthew “Diamond Boy” Griego (5-0-0, 5 KO’s) 113.8 lbs. of Albuquerque, NM won by TKO over Ramon Lopez (0-2-0) 114.1 of El Paso, Texas. Similar to the McClain/Garcia Flores this was a rematch of a January fight. Like their first fight, there were some nice exchanges while it lasted. But Griego has heavy hands and an impressive amateur pedigree which proved too much for Lopez. Referee Rocky Burke stopped the proceeding at 2:37 of the opening round.

For a fight card that seemed to go wrong at every turn, Pat Holmes Sr. put together an entertaining evening for the fans. Officially the promotion was thirty seven fans short of a sellout. I’d love to see a second Antonio Martinez/Benjamin Vasquez hookup as their bout was a beauty. Daniel Garcia Flores, Omar Barefield and Ramon Lopez are all still looking for their first win; all they need is a contest against rivals of the same ability. As for Aaron Martinez, Wes Capper and Bryant McClain, they just need their next opportunity.

Killeen’s Note Pad: On May 14th, Angelo Leo won by stoppage in Chihuahua, Mexico. While in Cloves, NM., heavyweight Elijio Sena won by decision over Omar Acosta of Durango, Mexico, Richard “Rico” Urquizo decisioned Andre Galarza of Albuquerque, NM and Abel Mendoza won by TKO over Francisco “Paco” Castillo.