Julio Zarate KO4 Vernie Torres... It was the moment Julio Zarate was waiting for. When troublesome opponent Vernie Torres chose to fight off the ropes late in the fourth round, the super bantamweight contender didn’t squander the opportunity. Zarate connected with a series of rights to score the knockout win Friday night before a crowd of 1,638 at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.
Prior to the stoppage, Zarate had his share of problems with the unorthodox Torres. The Filipino southpaw tried to bait Zarate into leading by keeping his hands low before firing back with counters. He also tried to mess with “La Sombra” mentally, mocking Zarate with facial expressions and exaggerated footwork.
Zarate got off to a good start, landing a good right in the first that earned a nod of respect from Torres. Torres seized control in the second, flooring Zarate with a right-left combination. Zarate was stunned but not badly hurt, and ate a couple of right hook counters later in the round.
Zarate scored of a knockdown of his own early in the fourth; the only problem was the punch was low. The infraction drew a stern warning from referee Dr. Lou Moret, and the action resumed before Zarate delivered the coup de grace.
With Torres camped on the ropes, Zarate caught his foe with a lethal right and followed up with 2 more rights to put Torres on the canvas. Zarate then appeared to land 2 or 3 more punches for good measure, before Moret stepped in and began to administer the count before waving off the bout at the 2:58 mark. Zarate said he worked on landing
the right against a left-hander in training.
“We trained really hard. I didn’t see that coming (The knockdown punch in the 2nd round). I trained for this fight with a right hand surprise the southpaw wouldn’t expect. I want to continue working with (manager Frank) Espinoza and take it all the way in the United States to become a champion,” said the Mexico City native. Zarate, a former “interim champion” at 118 pounds, improves to 26-4-1(15) with the win. Torres is 27-11(15) with the loss.
UNDERCARD
Jesus Berrelleza TKO2 Freeman Taft... In a light heavyweight special attraction, local favorite Jesus Berrelleza upped his ledger to 4-0(3) with an impressive second round stoppage of Freeman Taft. Berrelleza was able to close the gap on the long and lean Taft with side-to side head movement and by ducking under Taft’s shots. Once inside, he let his hands go. A pair of rights to the body appeared to drain Taft of his remaining energy in the second, and a right upstairs with Taft against the ropes stunned the Phoenix resident. Berrelleza’s follow up attack knocked Taft across the ring, leading ref David Denkin to pull the plug at the 2:03 mark. Taft slips to 4-6-3(1).
“I wasn’t really shocked. I expected to have trouble with a tall fighter. I knew both of us came to win,” said Berrelleza. Taft said he was surprised by his opponent’s hand speed,
and labeled Berrelleza “a decent fighter.”
Henry Mitchell W6 Dario Castillo... The big man beat the little man at his own game in the co-feature, as Henry “Ambush” Mitchell outpointed Dario “JJ” Castillo in a junior welterweight six rounder. The taller Mitchell was able to outfight Castillo at close range, landing some nice body shots. Castillo was able to get Mitchell to the ropes at times but couldn’t capitalize, as “Ambush” was able to get the bout back toward center ring. Scores were 60-54 twice and 59-55 for Mitchell, who improves to 7-6-1(1). Castillo evens out at 4-4.
Charles Huerta, W4 Jesse Padilla... Charles Huerta, a “well-regarded amateur” according to the pre-fight press release, won a four-round unanimous decision over Jesse Padilla in a featherweight bout. Scores were 40-34 across the board for Huerta, who floored his scrappy opponent twice in the second round. Huerta is now 2-0(1). Padilla is 1-2-1(0).
Mauricio Herrera TKO3 Eliseo Garcia.... Mauricio Herrera improved to 2-0(1) with a third round stoppage of Eliseo Garcia. The junior middleweight bout was scheduled for 4 rounds. The bigger Herrera dominated a defensive minded Garcia, whose primary strategy was to keep his gloves high and let
Herrera punch before occasionally firing back. Herrera wisely concentrated much of his attack on Garcia’s midsection, connecting with some hard rights downstairs. With Herrera applying pressure on a rubbery-legged Garcia in the third, Moret halted the bout at the 1:27 mark. Garcia slips to 0-2.
Brent Rodrigues W4 Ignacio Garcia... In the opener, Hawaii’s Brent Rodrigues gained his first pro win with a four-round unanimous decision over Ignacio Garcia from nearby Riverside. The more polished Rodrigues got the better of the action and punctuated his performance with a knockdown in the final seconds of the bout. Official scores were 38-37 twice and 38-38. Rodriguez moves to 1-0-1 while Garcia is 0-1.
NOTES:
Torres was taken to a local hospital for a CT scan after the bout, according to fight publicist Marylyn Aceves. The tough veteran was experiencing problems with his vision.
Look for bantamweight contender Yonnhy Perez to return to action February 1 on Shobox. Perez made an impressive debut on the show last month, stopping Alexander Federov in 4 rounds.
This was the final Thompson Boxing show of the year. The promotion will return to the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario on Friday February 22, 2008. For more information, visit www.thompsonboxing.com.
Joe “Are you ready” Martinez was the ring announcer. Super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez was honored during the show. Fighters in attendance included former welterweight contender Mando Muniz and junior lightweight prospect Dominic Salcido.
