Last night Dallas boxing fans enjoyed fistic color, action and drama via good fights at the American Airlines Arena. This boxing match was produced by Real Deal Events & Lester Bedford of the Bedford Agency. If you did not attend, you missed several torrid knockouts!
1st fight: Jr welterweight Chad Aquino, 8-0-1 of Houston wowed the crowd with a fast KO of Ft Worth’s Tomondre King, 4-13-5, at 2:38 of rd 2.
2nd fight: Ft Worth’s rising bantamweight star, Vanessa Juarez, 3-0, beat Dallas’ Rosio Vasquez, 6-2, with a quick, decisive KO at 1:02 of rd 2.
3rd fight: Ft Worth claimed another victory by lightweight Sergio Reyes, 15-4 soundly beating El Paso’s scrappy Carlos Madrid, 6-3, on a unanimous decision. Reyes was the aggressor as he outworked and out hustled Madrid, earning a UD. 2 scores were 58-56; 1 was 59-55.
4th fight: Houston’s featherweight Miguel “El Soldado” Albares, 3-2-1, soundly KOed Ira Gutierrez, 0-2 in 24 seconds of rd 1. Albares rained over 20 unanswered punches on Ira and ref waives it off.
5th fight: Piedras Negras, Mexico’s 19 year old welterweight sensation Julio Cesar “Baby Face” Garcia, 38-2 (31 KO’s), destroyed Tijuana’s Alfonso Sanchez, 20-5-1 (18 KO’s) in a 2 rd barn burner. Garcia’s trademark punch is his trip hammer jab and it was in Sanchez’ face many times in rd 1. Rd 2 saw Garcia chop Sanchez down along the ropes with hooks, jabs and straight rights. Garcia cornered him and rained many heavy punches until ref waives it at 2:38. Ya’ shoulda been there, chum!
Main Event: The night culminated in 4 time heavyweight world champ, Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield launching his attempt to become 5 times champ, after losing his last 3 fights and a 21 month layoff to let shoulder injuries heal. Holyfield, 39-8-2 (25 KOs) of Atlanta faced Jeremy “The Beast” Bates, 21-12-2 (18 KOs) of Charleston, WV, who had lost his last 3 fights too. In rd 1 both were scrappy as they set a blistering pace, with Holy wobbling Bates twice and nearly putting him down at the bell.
Round 2 was a brawl with Holy jabbing and hooking to Bates’ head and body and Bates catching the ex-champ with ferocious head and body punches. Holyfield snaps Bates’ head back with a beautiful jab and crowds him on the ropes. Bates is on rubber legs and Holy smells the kill. He rains about 20 punches and the ref separates them, takes a look in Bates’ eyes and waives it at 2:56 of rd 2!
Holyfield was tough in the ring and persuasive in the interviews that followed, saying that he wants one more tune-up fight and then a shot at the title. If you are a long time boxing fan, you almost believe this grand old man can fulfill his dream. Given the current shallow crop of champions and contenders, he might. But many writers, fans, and prognosticators say “never happen.” Time will tell, but Evander deserves admiration for displaying the courage, hard work and persistence to follow his dream!
Thanks, Evander and Lester Bedford, for a great boxing event!
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