By Francisco Salazar
Headlining a card. Fighting before hundreds of family and friends.
Not to mention a fight about a mile from his house.
Nothing was going to deny Alejandro Luna on Saturday night.
Luna boxed early, eventually breaking veteran Daniel Attah down, forcing a stoppage after the sixth round at the outdoor Sports Arena in Pico Rivera, CA.
The scheduled 10 round bout headlined a five-bout "Boxeo de Gallos" card, presented by Gary Shaw Productions.
Luna was facing his first name fighter of his young career even though Attah, a former world title challenger, had seen better days.
Luna was smart in switching between a southpaw and conventional stance during his bout against Attah. He remained poised and patient, not rushing in unnecessarily.
Attah mostly worked with his back against the ropes, earning Luna's respect by landing a counter hook or cross.
As the bout progressed, Luna began attacking the body of Attah. Luna increased his punch output as he attacked Attah aggressively. Attah attempted to fight off the ropes, but was vulnerable to getting hit.
Luna's best round was in the sixth as he almost had Attah down twice in the round due to body shots. To his credit, Attah fought back bravely, but it looked as though one solid punch to the body would spell serious trouble to him.
After the bell sounded to end the round, Attah's corner informed referee Jerry Cantu that he was not able to continue.
"I followed my instructions from trainer Ben Lira," said Luna after the fight. Attah is a classy, savvy veteran. We were patient early and we felt we could break him down. I was conscious of my defense (tonight)."
Luna, from nearby Whittier, goes to 16-0, 12 KOs. Attah, from Calabar, Nigeria, drops to 28-17-1, 11 KOs.
Notes:
- After the Luna-Attah bout ended, a concert was held on a stage in the venue featuring local bandas.
- Ring announcer was Sonny Franco.
Super bantamweight Roy Tapia won a six round unanimous decision over Sergio Najera. Tapia (8-0-1, 3 KOs) landed the more telling blows, but made things harder than it should have been. Tapia attempted to load up with one punch, leaving himself to e countered. Najera (5-12-1, 2 KOs) would find spots to counter on the inside with a hook or cross. Tapia boxed more effectively in the second half of the fight, setting up his punches behind a jab. All three judges scored the bout 60-54 in favor of Tapia. Boxingscene.com scored the bout 59-55 in favor of Tapia.
Welterweight Arnold Barboza won a four round unanimous decision over Douglas Rosales. Barboza (3-0) was in control of the fight only because Rosales (0-2) fought defensively since midway in the second round. Barboza landed the telling blows, but fought in spurts and did not throw consistent jabs throughout the bout. All three judges, along with Boxingscene.com, scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Barboza.
In a bout featuring female lightweights making their professional debut, Myra Manzo stopped Edelma Jeffrey in the first round of a scheduled four round bout. Manzo backed Jeffrey in a corner and let her hands go, landing hooks and crosses to the head. Jeffrey tried to fight off the ropes, but began to cover up while Manzo landed at will. When Jeffrey looked as though she was not able to fight back, referee Jerry Cantu stepped in and stopped the bout at 1:00.
Lightweight Jose Garcia won a four round unanimous decision over Alejandro Ochoa. Garcia (3-6, 2 KOs) dropped Ochoa with a counter left hook to the head in the first round. Both fighters had their moments in the second round, but Garcia swung momentum his way in the third round when he dropped Ochoa to a knee with a counter right hand to the head. Ochoa (3-5-1, 1 KO) was able to beat Garcia to the punch in the fourth round, scoring with lead right hands to the head and body. It was too late as Garcia won on all three judges scorecards, 38-36, 38-36, and 39-35. Boxingscene.com scored the bout 39-35 in favor of Garcia.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2002 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. He also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, Knockout Nation, and Ring Magazine. He could be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com and on twitter at FSalazarBoxing
