By Cliff Rold

Let’s call it the Johnny Drama classic.  All it was missing was Clint Howard as the third man in the ring.

In a fight that was a main event by way of family name more than fighter quality, 28-year old Jr. Middleweight Ramon Alvarez (20-4-2, 12 KO) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, scored a unanimous decision in ten rounds over 24-year old Omar Chavez (32-3-1, 22 KO) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, on Saturday night at the Palenque de la Feria in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico.  It was a relatively one-sided affair with the aggressive Alvarez forcing and controlling the bulk of the action.

The fight was a bit of a proxy war between the two biggest current names in Mexico, Alvarez the brother of former Jr. Middleweight titlist Canelo Alvarez and Chavez the brother of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Both men weighed in at the division limit of 154 lbs.  The referee was Miguel Canul.  

From the outset it was Alvarez on the front foot as Chavez circled the ring and looked to box.  In the third, a right hand from Alvarez appeared to hurt Chavez and the scion was exceedingly defensive until a landing an uppercut in the final thirty seconds.  Chavez found another good shot before the bell.

After taking the worst of it again in the fourth, Chavez rebounded somewhat early in round five.  Alvarez responded by going to the body and started to walk his man down again.  The fifth closed with a spirited exchange after a harsh Alvarez right hand.

Matters didn’t get any better for Chavez in the next four rounds.  Employing a strategy where he moved his feet more than his hands, Alvarez battered him more often than not when in punching range.  The left side of Chavez’s face was reddened by the consistent punishment.

Knowing he needed something big in the final round, Chavez came out after Alvarez with more fire than he’d shown most of the night.  Fatigued, and getting hit back, Chavez couldn’t sustain the attack he needed and Alvarez finished the night with his hands raised.

Alvarez got the nod at 98-92 and 96-94 twice.  The first score was closer to reality with four rounds scored for Chavez appearing charitable.  

The televised opener spotlighted a debutante in the Welterweight division.  It was no debutante ball.

Jonathan Nieblas (3-1, 3 KO) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, scored a stoppage of Hector Ruiz (0-1) of Chiapas, Mexico, in the final round of their scheduled six-round affair.  Ruiz’s corner threw in the towel as their man took a beating.  The time of the stoppage was 2:01 of the sixth.  The referee was Arturo Cruz Ingles.

The card was broadcast in the US on UniMas as part of their “Solo Boxeo” series, promoted by Zanfer Promotions.      

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com