Press Release: In the main event of a Pueblo, Colorado show on Friday, Marvin “Much-2-Much” Cordova (8-0) bounced Rochester, Minnesota’s Scott Ball (7-1) from the ranks of undefeated fighters by unanimous decision. The junior welterweight Cordova used his fast hands and feet to land 3 and 4 punch combinations before quickly slipping back outside to safety. From the outside he used an accurate jab and hard right hands to the body to keep Ball guessing. Ball never gave up the battle and despite taking some heavy leather, which nearly had his right eye swollen shut, he never stopped punching back. This made for a very exciting fight that had fans on their feet chanting for their hometown fighter for most of the final two rounds.
The co-main event was the ‘fight of the night’ as super-middleweight Ronald “The American Dream” Johnson (8-1) had a nightmare in front of him by the name of Nelson Zepeda (2-1-1). Johnson boxed beautifully in the first few rounds easily out pointing the slow starting Zepeda of Los Angles, California. Zepeda began to come on strong in the fourth but was dropped by a monster uppercut that landed perfectly on the point of his chin. Fortunately for Zepeda it was right at the end of the round and despite getting to his feet on his own power, which was amazing in itself, he was saved by the bell. It looked to be a wake up call though as Zepeda came out firing away in the fifth. Zepeda used a steady dose of pressure to eventually wear the Cleveland, Ohio native, down and by the sixth and final round it looked as if Zepeda might get the upset win by knock out as he landed big shots one after another that had Johnson reeling on the ropes. Johnson showed the true heart of a champion by weathering the storm and finishing the fight on his feet winning a unanimous decision by scores of 57-56 and 58-55 twice. Johnson improves to 8-1 with 2 knock outs while Zepeda loses his first fight as a professional dropping to 2-1-1 with 1 knock out.
Other bouts on promoter Zeferino Ramirez’s show brought out the big boys, as nearly 600 pounds of heavyweight fighters filled the ring, literally. Rafael Butler, 252 pounds, fighting out of Colorado Springs by way of Rochester, Minnesota and Ronnie “Big Bear” Smith, 321 pounds, from Atlanta, Texas duked it out for two rounds before Smith eventually succumbed to Butler’s assault on his ‘can’t miss mid-section’. With the win the 2004 National Golden Gloves Champion gets back on track to 16-2 while Smith continues down the journeyman’s path to 6-35.
In other undercard action welterweights David Lee Marquez (2-1) and Jason Chacon (1-9) battled it out over four bloody rounds with Marquez eventually picking up the unanimous decision victory. Both men came to win and both had their moments. Marquez was the more consistent puncher while the south paw Chacon looked to land that one big punch that simply never came. Judges scorecards read 40-36 and 39-37 twice moving Marquez to 2-1 and sending Chacon back to the drawing board at 1-9.
The opening and walk-out bouts were both big knockouts as Colorado Spring’s Maurice Louishomme stopped Denver’s Ben Witthar mid way through the first with solid body shots in their light-heavyweight bout and Ft. Morgan’s bantamweight prospect, Ernie Marquez, dumped pro debuter Chris Segura, of Raton, New Mexico, twice, with the first two punches he threw and landed. Both fighters remain undefeated with Louishomme moving to 2-0 and Marquez improving to 3-0.
