number1contender.net

Versus Fight Night Live Recap

 

September 25, 2008

Soboba Casino-San Jacinto, California

 

1. WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight (200+ pounds) 10-Round Championship Match:

Chris Arreola (24-0, 21 KO's, 258.5 pounds) (c) vs. Israel Garcia (19-1, 11 KO's, 246 pounds)

Arreola won this title when it was vacant via knockout at 1:45 of round 3 over Thomas Hayes on September 21, 2007 at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. The previous champion was Tony Thompson, who vacated the title to take a match that made him the mandatory challenger to one of Wladimir Klitschko's heavyweight titles. This is Arreola's second title defense.

The Riverside, California resident had a good amateur career winning the National Golden Gloves Championship at 178 pounds in 2001.

After winning the Golden Gloves tournament, Arreola's weight ballooned. He made his pro debut roughly 2 years later, 58 pounds heavier at 236 pounds. Arreola would continue to add weight previously peaking at 256 pounds for a 6-round unanimous decision victory over Andrew Greeley on September 23, 2005 at the USC Lyon Center in Los Angeles, California. Arreola has proved himself the to be the "heavy" type of heavyweight in every sense of the word. Arreola has slimmed down since then. However, he still looks like a 200 pound boxer trapped in the body of a portly heavyweight.

The champion's last match was a win via controversial disqualification over Chazz Witherspoon at 3:00 of round 3 on June 21, 2008 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Witherspoon was disqualified for his corner entering the ring before the bell after Witherspoon had been knocked down. However, an official outside the ring appeared to make the decision to disqualify Witherspoon, when under the unified rules of boxing only the referee can disqualify a boxer. The entire situation was very convoluted. The full recap of that debacle can be found here: http://www.number1contender.net/the-latest/2008/9/25/recap-of-chris-arreola-vs-chazz-witherspoon.html

For that match 3 months ago, Arreola weighed-in officially at 239 pounds, and appeared at least 20 pounds over weight. That means in a little more then 3 months he has gained 19.5 pounds. This seems to indicate that Arreola has spent very little time in the gym working on his boxing career during that time. However, his preparation for the competitive eating circuit seems to be coming along quite well.

Arreola is The Ring magazine's number 10 contender at heavyweight to their vacant championship in the weight class.

Garcia has been brought in to lose this match. Versus and Showtime seem to be the two television networks in the United States most obsessed with creating the next great American heavyweight. Garcia has a glossy record that can try and convince fans that do not know better Arreola is beating a top opponent.

The New York City, New York resident has never been past 6 rounds and only been in 2 scheduled 8-round matches. The best opponent Garcia has faced in his career is Taurus Sykes. Sykes defeated Garcia via 6-round unanimous decision on April 29, 2001.

The challenger's last match was a technical knockout victory at 3:00 of round 1 against Innocent Otukwu on March 5, 2008 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Garcia is unranked by The Ring, and the number 144 ranked heavyweight in the world by boxrec.com.

At 27-years-old, Arreola is 11 years younger then the 37-year-old Garcia. Arreola has the height advantage standing a generous 6' 4" tall, while Garcia stands 6' 3" tall. The champion has the reach advantage with a 77" wingspan, compared to the 76" wingspan of Garcia. Neither boxers' unofficial weight approaching match time is available. However, the obese Arreola will be the heavier boxer in the ring. Both boxers will employ the orthodox stance.

California's modified version of the unified rules of boxing will be in effect for this event. In California, both the referee and doctor can stop the match. Also, an accidental foul that leads to a premature stoppage will send the match to the scorecards after the start of round 4. The home areas of the judges' keeping official score of this match from ringside are not announced, nor will they be for the entire event. The referee is Dr. Lou Moret.

Arreola dominates round 1 to take it, 10-9. Garcia's body is almost as soft as Arreola's. In round 1, the challenger only threw one punch to the soft body of Arreola. Arreola never had to go to the body of Garcia, because he was punishing the challenger with uppercuts. It is surprising Garcia was able to take all of those unblocked punches and stay standing. Arreola easily wins round 2, 10-9. It is ridiculous that a boxer as highly ranked as Arreola got matched up with a boxer like Garcia, especially in a match for a belt. With 1:52 to go in round 3, Garcia got pinned up against the ropes and was taking a barrage of unprotected punches that forced the referee to step in and stop the match. Garcia's corner feels the stoppage was premature. However, Garcia was over-matched and had taken a lot of clean hard punches, already. The referee was correct to stop the match at that time.

The official outcome from the always "Classy" Jimmy Lennon, Jr. is that: at 1:11 of round 3 the referee has called a stop to this contest making the winner by technical knockout, still undefeated, and still the WBC Continental Americas Champion, Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola. The win moves Arreola to 25-0 with 22 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Arreola said in his post match interview that it was a D+/C- performance. The champion thought he should have knocked out Garcia earlier. Arreola said he will be back in the gym in a week to train for a match against a top opponent in November.

The only thing Arreola proved in this match was his lack of dedication to boxing. He came in out of shape and beat up a boxer who was not in his league. Arreola should face a real contender next to prove he is more then a boxer who has put together an impressive record by beating weak opposition.

Garcia is a journeyman heavyweight. He will now go back to fighting on the undercards of small time shows in New York.

 

2. Super Bantamweight (122 pounds) 6-Round Match:

Rico Ramos (6-0, 4 KO's, 121.5 pounds) vs. Manuel Sarabia (16-26-9, 10 KO's, 121 pounds)

Ramos had a good amateur boxing career and was an alternate for the United States on the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic boxing team. However, he chose to turn pro in March, rather then waiting around to see if he would be needed for the Olympics.

He is a local boxer from nearby Pico Rivera, California. This match has been put here to showcase him.

Ramos' last match was a technical knockout victory at 1:42 of round 3 over Alvaro Muro on September 11, 2008 at the San Jose Arena (HP Pavilion)* in San Jose, California.

Ramos is unranked by The Ring and boxrec.com ranks him as the number 84 boxer in the world at 122 pounds.

Sarabia is the journeyman boxer that has been brought in to lose and showcase the local prospect. He is 1-10-3 in his last 14 matches.

Sarabia's last match was a 4-round unanimous decision loss to Charles Huerta on June 27, 2008 at the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California.

Sarabia is unranked by The Ring, and the number 343 boxer at 126 pounds by boxrec.com.

At 21-years-old, Ramos is 9 years younger then the 30-year-old Sarabia. Sarabia has the height advantage standing 5' 7" tall, while Ramos stands 5' 5" tall. The native of Mexico has the reach advantage with a 73" wingspan, compared to the 71" wingspan of Ramos. Neither boxers' unofficial weight approaching match time is available. However, Sarabia will probably be the larger boxer in the ring. Both boxers will employ the orthodox stance.

The referee is Jerry Cantu.

Ramos is showing great hand speed. He is consistently working the body of Sarabia in round 1. A left to the body has Sarabia badly hurt and backing up into the corner with 1:37 to go in round 1. Following that body punch, Sarabia stopped defending himself forcing the referee to move in to stop the match with Sarabia still standing with 1:32 to go in round 1.

The official outcome from the "Classy" Jimmy Lennon, Jr. is that: at 1:31 of round 1 the referee has stopped the contest making the winner by technical knockout and still undefeated, Rico Ramos. The win moves Ramos to 7-0 with 5 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

The final punchstat numbers have Ramos landing 14 total punches in the abbreviated match. Sarabia landed 1 total punch in the match.

Ramos said nothing of note in his post match interview.

Ramos was impressive in this match. Since Ramos is so young, he would be best off to keep knocking out opponents at a slowly increasing level as he develops. Following this performance, there may be an inclination him to rush him along to significantly better opponents. However, it should be at least 2 years before Ramos starts facing boxers that are around the top 10 in the 122-pound division.

After this bad stretch of losses, Sarabia probably should not be sanctioned by any boxing commissions. It is probably unsafe for him to be in the ring anymore. Retirement is probably his best option.

 

Versus is now being forced to fill a lot of time, because the 2 matches have combined for less then 3 full rounds of boxing. Therefore, Nick Charles, who is doing play-by-play of this event for Versus, is now interviewing James Toney at ringside. They are having Toney talk about how Arreola should not be overweight. Toney then called Hasim Rahman a "sissy" for "quitting" in their last match. Finally, Toney challenged Tony Thompson to a match in December.

 

3. Welterweight (147 pounds) 6-Round Match:

Bayan Jargal (7-0-1, 4 KO's, 141.75 pounds) vs. Francisco Rios Gil (12-7, 9 KO's, 144.5 pounds)

Jargal is a native of Mongolia, who now resides in Arlington, Virginia. This is his first match that is more then a few hour drive from Arlington.

The Mongolian's last match was a technical knockout victory at 2:46 of round 3 over Maurice Chalmers on August 9, 2008 at the Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.

Jargal is unranked by The Ring, and the number 190 boxer in the world at 147 pounds according to boxrec.com.

Gil's record is highly inflated. The boxers Gil has beaten for his last 4 victories are a combined, 3-58-1. The Phoenix, Arizona resident has lost to every boxer he has faced with at least 6 wins and a winning percentage of at least 50%.

His last match was a technical knockout victory over the 0-9, Rodrigo Villalba on May 16, 2008 in Huatabampo, Mexico.

Gil is unranked by The Ring and the number 456 boxer in the world at 154 pounds by boxrec.com.

At 22-years-old, Gil is either 4 or 9 years younger then the 26 or 31-year-old Jargal, depending on the source. Gil has the height advantage standing 5' 8" tall, while Jargal stands 5' 7" tall. The Phoenix, Arizona resident has the reach advantage with a 71" wingspan, compared to the 69" wingspan of Jargal. Neither boxers' unofficial weight approaching match time is available, but Gil should be the larger boxer in the ring. Both boxers will employ the orthodox stance.

The referee is Dr. Lou Moret.

Gil is busier in round 1 and wins it, 10-9. Following a left to the body, Gil goes down to his backside on the canvas with 2:15 to go in round 2. Gil successfully answers the referee's count to continue with 2:03 to go in the round. However, he appears to be in bad shape. Following a series of punches against the ropes, Gil drops to a knee with 1:45 to go in round 2. Seeing Gil take a knee, the referee immediately waives off the match.

The official outcome from Jimmy Lennon is that: at 1:16 of round 2 the referee stops the contest making the winner by way of knockout (that may get changed to technical knockout), and still undefeated, "The Mongolian Mongoose" Bayan Jargal. The win moves Jargal to 8-0-1 with 5 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Jargal looked okay in this match. His left hand was very low, while his head was straight up in the air. Jargal was very hittable. However, Gil was not capable of doing it. Jargal will probably continue to work swing matches on televised events.

Gil was not good in this match. Next he will probably face a boxer with no wins and about a dozen losses. Gil will knock that opponent out. Then Gil will be used as fodder for someone else trying to build a record. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

 

4. Middleweight (160 pounds) 10-Round Match:

Paul Williams (34-1, 25 KO's, 157 pounds) vs. Andy Kolle (17-1, 12 KO's, 158 pounds)

Williams holds a belt at 147 pounds, but is monstrously large for a boxer who cuts to 147 pounds. This match is an attempt to show he can dominate at 160 pounds and 147 pounds. At 160 pounds, Williams wants a PPV match with Kelly Pavlik. With a strong showing here, Williams could be Pavlik's most viable contender at 160 pounds. This match could help market Williams for the match he wants at 147 pounds, as well. There he wants a rematch with Antonio Margarito. The original recap of the great match he had with Margarito can be found here: http://www.number1contender.net/the-latest/2008/7/25/recap-of-margarito-vs-williams.html

Williams followed up the victory over Margarito with his worst performance as a pro, losing a controversial 12-round split decision to Carlos Quintana on February 9, 2008 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

However, Williams would erase the memory of that match in his last match, an immediate rematch with Quintana. After struggling so much with Quintana the first time, Williams was not expected to exercise his rematch clause. Williams was expected to go back to fighting top 20 boxers at 147 pounds to rebuild his confidence following how he was "exposed" in the first match with Quintana. Instead Williams proved that February 9 was just a bad night and the real Williams was arguably the best 147-pound boxer on the planet. Williams regained his title by defeating Quintana via technical knockout at 2:15 of round 1 on June 7, 2008 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. That victory, Floyd, Mayweather, Jr.'s "retirement" and Margarito's defeat of Miguel Cotto in July have left Williams as the uncrowned king of the 147-pound division. The original recap of Williams-Quintana II can be found here: http://www.number1contender.net/the-latest/2008/9/25/recap-of-paul-williams-vs-carlos-quinatana-ii.html

Williams is The Ring's number 2 contender at 147 pounds to their vacant championship in the weight class, behind only Margarito.

Kolle is here to showcase Williams. The last opponent Williams defeated that was better then .500 in their 6 matches prior to facing Kolle was Kareem Chartrand on December 3, 2005. Chartrand had a career record of 7-2 entering the match. The biggest name on Kolle's record is the only boxer to beat him. Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward, who was 8-0 entering the match, defeated Kolle via technical knockout at 3:00 of round 6 on April 29, 2006 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantuket, Connecticut.

The resident of Fergus Falls, Minnesota's last match was a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Jonathan Reid on June 7, 2008 at Wessman Arena in Superior, Wisconsin. Reid continued Kolle's streak of beating weak opponents. Reid was coming in having lost 8 of his last 9, 3 of those by knockout. Reid has had 1 match since then and he lost that via technical knockout in round 4.

Kolle is unranked by The Ring, and the number 94 ranked boxer in the world at 160 pounds by boxrec.com.

At 26-years-old, Kolle is younger then the 27-year-old Williams. Both boxers officially stand 6' 1" tall, however Williams appears taller. (Williams may be the only man on the planet who tells people he is shorter then he is, because he appears to be about 6' 4" tall.) The 147-pound title holder has the reach advantage with a gargantuan 82" wingspan, compared to the 70" wingspan of Kolle. Neither boxers' unofficial weight approaching match time is available. However, both boxers should be roughly the same weight in the ring. Both boxers will employ the southpaw stance.

The referee is Jerry Cantu.

A powerful right-left combination sends Kolle to the mat, with 1:34 to go in round 1. Kolle landed with his upper body under the ropes on the apron and his arms flailing above his head in the area of the seats. Kolle struggles to get up and his mouth gets caught on the bottom rope, which is a bit humorous. The Minnesotan frantically makes it to his feet and starts stumbling around as the referee reaches 9 and 7/8. The referee wisely stops this match with 1:25 to go in round 1.

The official outcome from Jimmy Lennon, Jr. is that: at 1:37 of round 1 the referee stops the contest making the winner by technical knockout, Paul "The Punisher" Williams. The win moves Williams to 35-1 with 26 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

In Williams post match interview, he said he is trying to become more of a knockout puncher then a boxer who knocks out his opponents through an accumulation of punches. However, Williams manager delivered the quote of the night in reference to all of the boxers who are ducking his man at 147 that they are going to have break down and face Williams, "or join the girl scouts."

Williams appears to be a monster. It is unclear why anyone at 147 pounds would want to face him. He has already beaten Margarito. Cotto is 5' 7" tall and has probably had his fill of tall boxers. Zab Judah and Shane Mosley have both reportedly turned down matches with Williams. A match between Williams and Pavlik would be interesting. Williams is scheduled to defend his 147-pound belt on November 29 on HBO. It is unclear who will take that match. Amazingly, the giant is having problem finding any challengers for that match.

Kolle is going to go back to beating up below average boxers.

 

 

Even after 5 matches, 5 interviews and a slew of commercials this show had to go off the air after 1:42. Still with all the quick stoppages this is a pretty easy skip. The one highlight of the night was Williams showing that his punching power is legitimate. That is not worth sifting through all of the other stuff on the show to watch.

 

*The author of these recaps is from San Jose and grew up with the HP Pavilion being the San Jose Arena. Therefore, the Shark Tank/Compaq Center/HP Pavilion will always be referred to in these articles as the San Jose Arena. Similarly, all the sponsored/changed venue names in Oakland and San Francisco will not be recognized in these recaps.

 

News and Notes: The MGM Grand Garden Arena sold out almost immediately Wednesday when tickets were put on sale for the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao match. The current gate is the second largest of all time at around $17 million. However, demand to see the match in Las Vegas is expected to be so high that there are plans to put up an additional 33,000 seats for sale to watch the match on closed circuit. The closed circuit seats are being sold at between $60 and $100. That could push the gate past the current record held by De La Hoya vs. Mayweather at $18,419,200.

Floyd Mayweather, Sr. is out as De La Hoya's trainer for the match with Pacquiao. Senior is training Ricky Hatton for his match against Paulie Malignaggi on November 22, and the scheduling would not allow for Senior to do both. This will lead to a significant downgrade in promos and angles that will be run on De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7. Senior is being replaced by Nacho Beristain. Beristain is an excellent trainer who has cornered against Pacquiao in the past. However, this change may adversely effect De La Hoya's chance of winning the match.

Finally, a public service announcement that I have been saving for a while. The play-by-play man for boxing on Versus and ShoBox is named Nick Charles. His parents probably thought this was a clever joke, naming him after the alcoholic detective from the depression era Thin Man series of movies. However, when he probably does not think it is so fun when he introduces himself and every time someone says, "Like the alcoholic detective?" Parents need to learn that their kids' names are not meant to be punchlines, because the child will have to live with that for the rest of their lives. I know a Jew named Kyle. South Park has been on the air for 12 seasons. Not a week has gone by in the last 12 years that someone has not made a Kyle the Jew on South Park joke and thought they are the first one. Spelling a child's name in a fun unique and unique thing to parents. It dooms a child to a lifetime of having their name mispronounced and means a child can never have any of those customized license plates with peoples names on them they sell at Disneyland or anything like that. My name is pronounced like Jeremy. However, with a name spelled Jereme, I was never called the proper name on the first day of school or could find anything with that name on a T-shirt, which is important to kids. Naming kids after favorite characters in books is not okay either, no matter how obscure the book is someone will figure it out someday. I knew someone who was going to name their kid Allyson Wonderland. At that point, the parents should just erect the stripper pole in the living room so she can start preparing for the only job she is qualified for when she grows up and puts that name on a job application. Giving kids stripper/porn names that they will get teased for so they become strippers is not okay. All of these seem cute, amusing or unique to parents. They are none of those. When parents screw up a kid's name on that one day the birth certificate is filled out it effects a child, forever. To people who will eventually have kids, do not screw up your kids lives before they exist.

The next recap will come out Sunday covering the previous night's HBO event featuring Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga.