Windy City Fight Night 6
WARRIORS COLLIDE
Saturday, September 26, 2009
UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL
Let's get one thing straight. Dominic Pesoli's 8Count Productions NEVER has a boring event. But once in a while, the planets line up and they put together a show that really grabs the audience by the throats and forces their attention. This night was unlike any Chicago fight night in recent memory, and it had everything to do with the matchups.
First of all, Jaime Sandoval (Chicago) won an unanimous decision over fellow Chicagoan Oscar de la Cruz in a thriller of an opening bout, with both fighters leaving their mark on their opponent. Sandoval, the younger brother of Jesus Chavez (who fought in the main event), was dropped in the first round by a picture-perfect left hook by de la Cruz, but was able to mount a comeback of sorts as he rallied back to squeak out a unanimous 57-56 (x3) score from the judges, improving his record to 16-4 in a fight that will have fans talking for quite a while.
Next up was newcomer Achour Esho (Palatine, IL), who needed only five minutes of fighting to score a TKO against Ricky Thompson (Tampa, FL), in a fight that saw Thompson down on the mat no less than three times. This was a totally dominant performance by Esho, who brings a lot of excitement (as well as a large fanbase) to the Chicagoland fight scene. This win brings Esho's professional record to 4-0.
Rey Ivan Popoca (Chicago) pounded on Michael Gonzalez's (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) chin for six rounds before the the referee was forced to stop the fight at 1:34 of round six.
Diamond Baier (Chicago) escaped with a three-way 38-37 set of scores after his spirited battle with Jose Guzman (Fort Wayne, IN) in a four round fight. Baier, whose record improves to 2-0-1 easily was given a "step up" in opposition with Guzman. Let's look forward to more steps up in Baier's future.
David Latoria (Chicago) muscled his way to a unanimous four round decision over Jeremiah Williams (Cincinatti, OH) in the night's lone heavyweight bout. The popular Latoria has carved out a bit of a niche for himself by beating on an overmatched but game opponent until the referee has seen enough. On this night, though, Williams wasn't going away, as Latoria is getting used to. Still dominant through all four rounds, Latoria moves up to 3-0 with 2 KO's.
Juan Martinez (San Luis Potosi, Mexico) showed the true meaning of the word dominance when he outpointed local favorite Jose Hernandez over 10 hotly-anticipated rounds. Martinez's record of 15-10 (now) doesn't show his skill level, that's for sure. He beat Hernandez to the punch in nearly every exchange, and proved that for all of Hernandez's aggression in the later rounds, that nothing the Chicagoan could put together could hurt Martinez, which was the cornerstone of his success. There was talk that if Hernandez couldn't beat Martinez, than he'd retire. Here's to Hernandez taking a deep breath, reevaluating, and seeing that he still has plenty to offer the sport that made him a household name in all of Chicagoland. Scores: 97-93 and 98-92 (twice).
Then came the big one. The barnburner. The fight that was going to decide Mexican-heritage bragging rights in Chicago, between former USA Olympian and former WBC lightweight world champion, David Diaz, and former two-time world belt-holder, Jesus "el Matador" Chavez. Chavez lived a good portion of his life in Chicago, and claimed to "be made in Chicago, fightwise". Diaz brought a big roster of talent on his pro record, his last fight being a KO loss to Manny Pacquiao last year.
Diaz started slowly as Chavez worked well to the body and the head, only to score well to the body, himself in the second round. Back and forth, Diaz and Chavez split the first four rounds as both combatants imposed their will on their opponents, giving the spirited audience all they needed as far as fight action. Coming into the eighth round, it looked like Chavez might be able to muster up a points victory, but 
Diaz swept the last three rounds with his killer body attack and fresher legs, usually punctuating the end of the rounds with flurries that would make a middleweight back up. The final scores read: 95-95, 97-93, and 96-94 for a majority decision for Diaz.
Afterwords, both fighters appeared in the rear of the UIC Pavilion for a postfight press conference emceed by acclaimed ring announcer, Tom Treiber. Chavez was quoted as saying, "I'm just glad we both came out of the fight okay. . . and safe. I felt good physically, and I'm not disappointed, but I think there might have been a little favoritism (fighting in Diaz's backyard). Diaz started his statements with, "I told you this guy was tough. . look at my face!" He was referring to the cut over the eye he sustained during the fight, and the noticeable swelling under both eyes. Diaz went on to field questions, including one I asked about possibly fighting Michael Katsidis in the near future. "Bring it on!" he said. "If Katsidis wants me, he can have me. I'm much better with taller fighters, anyway."Special thanks to Dominic Pesoli and Bernie Bahrmasel of 8Count Productions for issuing Bolo Punch the credentials to report on WARRIORS COLLIDE.
**Ringside photography exclusively the property of Emil Kegebein of The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour. Written ringside report by Chris Guzman, who has hosted The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour since 2002.
