Evander Holyfield W12 Fres Oquendo... In San Antonio Texas, the amazing career of 1984 Olympian Evander Holyfield is now assured of continuing into 2007 after the former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion won a unanimous decision over Fres Oquendo. In the first round, Oquendo momentarily dropped his guard and Holyfield knocked him to the canvas with the first right hand he threw. Oquendo recovered and the bout quickly became a nip-and-tuck affair. It was a close bout and Oquendo landed his share of punches, but allowed Holyfield to dictate a tempo that was comfortable for the 44 year old. The Fox Sports announcing crew thought Oquendo pulled out a close one, but the knockdown wound up costing Oquendo a draw as the official scores were 116-111 and 114-113 twice. A frustrated Oquendo stormed out of the ring as soon as the decision was announced. The fight drew a crowd of over 10,000 to San Antonio's Alamo Dome. source for all results: Fox Sport pay-per-view and San Antonio Express-News
Jose Navarro W10 Gabriel Elizondo... In a great fight between two hungry 115-pounders, Jose Navarro earned his warrior stripes yet again with a split-decision over hometown favorite Gabriel Elizondo. Neither boxer possesses a huge knockout punch, but they rarely clinched and both men bled their way through ten exciting rounds. Elizondo was perhaps more aggressive, but Navarro boxed accurately and effectively, landing sharp combinations and then slipping Elizondo's counters. Two judges scored it 97-93 for Navarro, overruling a 96-94 card for Elizondo, 22-2. With the gallant win, Navarro positioned himself for a crack at the new junior bantamweight darling boy, Jorge Arce. However, for the second straight bout, Navarro will have to wait for a cut to heal. Navarro, 24-2 as a pro, previously defeated Elizondo in the 2000 Olympic trials.
Golden Johnson TKO11 Oscar Diaz... Golden Johnson, a former lightweight title challenger from the 1990s, proved he still cannot be taken lightly despite a career checkered with long layoffs and losses he wasn't fully in shape for. On Friday in San Antonio, Johnson, now trained by James Leija, pulled it together and upset Oscar Diaz by eleventh-round technical knockout in a bout for a regional welterweight title. It was an exciting fight that saw Diaz winning the early rounds and Johnson practically out on his feet in the seventh round. Diaz, however, injured one of his hands, and a determined Johnson turned the tide after the near-knockout. Soon, Diaz was a mess. The tenth was very one-sided in Johnson's favor, and Diaz had one eye closed and a bad cut over the other. Referee Ruben Carrion should be ashamed of himself for allowing the brave Diaz to absorb a tremendous amount of punishment when it was clear his damaged eyes and hand left him defenseless. With Diaz's octogenarian trainer Lou Duva climbing up the stairs to save his fighter, Carrion finally woke up and stopped the fight. He let it go a good thirty seconds too long, and in all honesty, the doctor probably should have stopped it after ten. Johnson is now 25-7-3, while Diaz, who hopefully will be able to return to form, drops to 25-2.
Evander Holyfield W12 Fres Oquendo... In San Antonio Texas, the amazing career of 1984 Olympian Evander Holyfield is now assured of continuing into 2007 after the former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion won a unanimous decision over Fres Oquendo. In the first round, Oquendo momentarily dropped his guard and Holyfield knocked him to the canvas with the first right hand he threw. Oquendo recovered and the bout quickly became a nip-and-tuck affair. It was a close bout and Oquendo landed his share of punches, but allowed Holyfield to dictate a tempo that was comfortable for the 44 year old. The Fox Sports announcing crew thought Oquendo pulled out a close one, but the knockdown wound up costing Oquendo a draw as the official scores were 116-111 and 114-113 twice. A frustrated Oquendo stormed out of the ring as soon as the decision was announced. The fight drew a crowd of over 10,000 to San Antonio's Alamo Dome. source for all results: Fox Sport pay-per-view and San Antonio Express-News
