Morales gets revenge! stops Guty in three before a raucous 12,292 fans.
HBO
PPV / TOP RANK results from the Staples Center, L.A. CA. 10-4-03
By Francisco Villasenor @ ringside.
In the main event, Erik Morales (45-1- 34 Ko's) seemed on his way to a repeat over his decision win over Guty Espadas Jr. (37-5-23 Ko's) from the first fight held from 2001 in which Morales lifted Espadas WBC Featherweight belt, as Morales found himself trading on even terms and fighting at Espadas speed through three rounds before lowering the boom, as ''El terrible'' landed a chopping right hand to Espadas left temple sending Espadas to the canvas with all of his senses knocked out of him for the count. As hard as he could, the Yucatan fighter could not make it to his feet being counted out at 2:58 of the third round.
Morales mentioned there will be no Barrera vs Morales II as he will not be able to come down to a proposed catchweight of 128 to Barrera's 126 Featherweight limit.
He also spoke about a very possible showndown vs either Carlos Hernandez, or Jesus Chavez for either the IBF or WBC Superfeatherweight belts, respectively.
Hernandez wins decision vs Forbes following severe cuts due to accidental headbutts.
By Francisco Villasenor.
In the co-main event, Carlos ''Famoso'' Hernandez (40-3-1- 24 Ko's) rocked several times in the fight, the challenger Steve Forbes seemingly ahead on the cards at the end of ten, ends up the loser following a stoppage due to severe cuts inflicted on Hernandez face due to accidental headbutts.
Keeping
up with the Morales vs Espadas fight, both combatants came out hard
and fast, Hernandez hooking behind a bobbing and weaving stance while
Forbes tried to slow down the champion with a body attack.
Hernandez made it his fight as both men could have fought inside a phone
booth literally, except for one jab by Hernandez in the later round,
there was a lot of roughing in up in the inside, body shots by both
men and many head clashes, two of which opened a cut alongside Hernandez
left eye early in the fight and the final one in the tenth round..
Both men tried uppercuts which found there respective homes during the lenght of the bout with mixed success, the lighter punching Forbes switched from side body shots, to quick body shots down the middle in the pit of the Salvadorian's stomach, which made the champion start to clinch and hold very often as Forbes would trade shots on the inside with him.
The most telling punishment had been dished out by Forbes in the fourth round, as he staggered Hernandez a couple of times, one of which looked as if Forbes might score the knockdown. Although he tried the lack of firepower and Hernadez will not to go down helped him stay on his feet.
The fight was fought on pretty much the same terms up until the tenth round, with Forbes attacking the midsection, slipping shots down the middle and Hernandez brawling with uppercuts and avoiding many overhand right shots and crosses by Fores using his waist.
A
very bad clash of heads opened a deep cut over Hernandez right eye in
the tenth round which forced the doctor to call the fight due to the
severity of it and the output of blood coming out of it sending the
bout to the cards.
Scores: 97-93, 97-94, and 98-92 all in favor of the still champion Hernandez
Carlos Hernandez retained his IBF Superfeatherweight belt, and sets
up a possible showdown with Erik Morales down the line.
Marquez outpoints Pastrana in twelve!
By Joe Lomeli @ ringside.
Mexico City's Rafael Marquez (30-3-27 Ko's) strenght and poise serve him well, as he reatins his IBF Bantamweight crown by defeating the former two time world champion, the Colombian Mauricio Pastrana (30-4-1-20 ko's) over twelve heats of boxing action.
After a couple rounds of studying each other, which the crowd did not appreciate and made their opinions clear by booing, the action heated up, as Marquez met his fists unto an incoming Pastrana in the following round, that quickly changed Pastrana's attack mode, to a lot of feints and lateral movement. Pastrana clearly began to feel the power as he was staggered by a right hand at the end of the seventh, and almost tasted the canvas in the eight as Marquez would put his punches together in a series of hard shots to Pastrana's head. Somehow the gritty Pastrana got back on the attack and managed to back up Marquez for the rest of the round.
Marquez would find a home with intermittent power jabs to Pastrana's
chin, most of which shook him but there was no right hand follow up
by the champion (Marquez claimed after the fight to have hurt his right
hand in the sixth round as he landed a bomb on the top of Pastrana's
head) Pastrana would try to steal the rounds then on in the final seconds,
something which the judges did not buy.
Scores at the end of twelve: 118-110 x 118-110 and 117-111 all for Marquez.
Reyes stops Cardenas in a barnburner!
By Joe Lomeli.
The Colombian Daniel Reyes (33-1-1-28 Ko's) wins the IBF Straweight belt as he stopped the very game Edgar ''Tun Tun'' Cardenas (30-11-27 Ko's) in a thriller.
Despite a strong start by the champion Cardenas, using sharp stinging shots down the middle, putting together his jabs and short right hands slipping them inside the wider shots fo his much taller opponent, Cardenas would find himself in a fire fight through the first three rounds, as the lanky Colombian would slowly start to find his range and land power shots of his own.
Reyes hurt Cardenas badly in the third round as he was on the receiving end of a crunching right hand, followed by a volley of punches which had Cardenas all but out against the ropes.
Reyes went all out in the following rounds punishing a fading Cardenas almost at will. Cardenas showed his internal fortitude by surviving a brutal beatdwon and somehow digging deep inside to make a small comeback of his own.
The inevitable end comes in the six round as Reyes landed a right and left combination which sent Cardenas to the canvas. A hurt Cardenas made it to his feet imploring to go on, the ref let it go, only for Cardenas to receive further punishment with the bout being halted at 2:40 as the referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout, seeing Cardenas was in no shape to continue being caught up against the ropes receiving a brutal beatdown.
In other results: The Mexican Olympian
medallist, the southpaw Christian Bejarano upped his record to
12 -0-5 Ko's as he defeated a very awkward Richard Conchas in
a unanimous six round lightweight bout.
The southpaw Jesus ''El martillo'' Gonzales showed why he is
called the hammer as he blew out Josh Peters in the opening moments
of their superwelterweight bout with a devastating left hand to the
mug of Peters who visibly under severe pain on his face did not even
bother to beat the count.
In the opening bout of the evening, the previously undefeated Lightweight Zahami Gracia (6-1-6 ko's) was turned to shreds, being dropped three times in the first round by Carlos Cisneros, now 2-2-2 Ko's.
In attendance were among others the reigning WBO Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, Francisco 'Panchito' Bojado,former world champion Carlos Palomino, Genaro 'Chicanito' Hernandez, Ahmed Santos, Marihno Gonzalez, Francisco Arce, Raul Marquez and Mr. T. And let's not forget the beautiful girls walking up the steps in between bouts, which drew the many cat calls and whistles by the fanatical crowd in attendance.
2003 boxingladiators.com