By Jake Donovan
If nothing else, Hugo Cazares proved he's capable of outboxing a slick southpaw.
The goal in tonight's Telefutura main event was for Cazares to work out the kinks against left-handed competition, in hopes of securing a rematch with previous conqueror Ivan Calderon sometime this year. Cazares accomplished that to some degree, overcoming a sluggish start to impose his will on veteran Kermin Guardia en route to a unanimous decision at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, IL.
The bout was Cazares' since losing his junior flyweight title to Calderon last summer, and it took about a round for the Mexican to get re-acclimated to live combat. Guardia boxed smartly at the start of the bout, keeping considerable distance between the two while looking to land his straight left from the outside.
Cazares began to close the gap in the second round, just enough to begin landing power shots of his own, landing straight lefts with some regularity. However, he was largely ineffective in cutting off the ring, which allowed Guardia to repeatedly escape out of harm's way, rarely getting hit clean with more than one shot at a time.
It was more of the same in the third and fourth rounds, with Cazares on the hunt, and Guardia disinterested in engaging. Guardia's strategy of attempting to keep it an outside fight worked for the most part, but not without sacrificing offense as a result.
He looked to change that in the 5th, fighting more flat-footed than at any point in the fight. A right hook found its way home for Guardia, but not without eating a Cazares left hook in return, much to the delight of the crowd, chanting "Me-Xi-Co." The two traded right hooks late in the fifth, drawing oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
Cazares was in full control once the sixth round began, keeping Guardia well within punching range and landing straight lefts throughout. For the first time in the fight, the Mexican was able to put together combinations while keeping the fight at close quarters.
Guardia attempted to slow down Cazares in the seventh, standing his ground and sitting on his punches more so than at any point in the fight. The returns were hardly satisfying, but enough to keep the heat up off of him, if only for a round as Cazares went right back to work in the eighth round.
The final two rounds saw Guardia offer his greatest efforts to make it a competitive bout, but was simply outgunned by the former junior flyweight champion. To his credit, Guardia didn't get on his bike, instead standing in front of Cazares, hoping for counter opportunities that didn't present itself until very late in the tenth, when Guardia unleashed a right hook that drew a "Whoa" from both ringside announcers. It was too little way too late, though he took home a moral victory in once again extending a top fighter the distance.
The judges were in agreement in the end, with scores of 97-93 (2x) and 98-92, all for Cazares, who improves to 26-4-1 (19KO) with the win, his first since last May. With the win and ten more rounds of experience under his belt, Cazares insisted afterward he was ready for a return go with the undefeated Puerto Rican.
"I believe I'm ready for a rematch," Cazares told Telefutura announcers afterward. "We both got our optional fights out of the way (Calderon defeated Esquer last month in the first defense of his 108 lb. crown). I got what I needed with this fight against a crafty southpaw."
Guardia got what he expected – bragging rights of giving Cazares ten tough rounds of action. But almost doesn't count in boxing, with Guardia losing his second straight fight in falling to 37-8-1 NC (21KO). The Colombian is now 2-6 in his last eight. Even with enough fight in him to give anyone from 105-112 a tough night's work, the 38-year old veteran might want to begin pondering retirement while his faculties are still intact.
While Cazares rebuilds and Guardia winds down, the Velasquez twins, Juan Carlos and Carlos Ivan, are just getting going. The Puerto Rican duo appeared in separate co-feature battles, both scoring knockouts in impressive fashion.
The show opened with Juan Carlos Velasquez (6-0, 4KO) forced to overcome the first official knockdown of his career to stop Noe Inunza (7-13-1, 3KO) in the fourth and final round of their featherweight contest. The knockdown was a questionable call, with the two fighter's heads banging together, forcing Velasquez off balance. Inunza landed a body shot as Juan Carlos was falling to the canvas, which prompted the referee to rule it a knockdown.
Velasquez protested the call, to no avail. But the early deficit awoke a sleeping giant, with Juan Carlos dominating the rest of the fight. The slick Puerto Rican breezed through the second and third rounds before unloading in the fourth. A left uppercut began the fight-ending rally midway through the round, with Juan Carlos cleaning out the kitchen before sending Inunza to the canvas. Inunza arose to one knee early in the count, but didn't have the wherewithal to continue, instead taking the full ten count.
The official time was 1:56 of the 4th round.
Twin brother Carlos Ivan Velasquez (6-0, 6KO) had a much easier go of it, disallowing Ever Luis Perez (10-14, 7KO) to make it out of the opening round of their scheduled four-rounder.
Perez' balance was horrible from the opening bell, with Carlos Ivan picking apart the Colombian with no threat of return fire. It was the right hand doing most of the damage for Velasquez, but a left hook that produced the ending. Perez took the shot flush on the chin and immediately collapsed to the canvas. He attempted to rise to his feet, but was still buzzed as he fell right back down before being embraced by the referee, who waved off the count, just 1:58 into the 1st round.
The quick endings in the double co-features provided unexpected airtime for promising newcomer Daniel Jacobs, who provide a blink-and-you-missed-it ending of his own in overwhelming Hector Lopez (1-3) in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout.
Jacobs, who fell just short of making the 2008 Olympic squad, turned pro seven weeks ago on the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton undercard. There wasn't anywhere near as much fanfare surrounding this one, but it ended the exact same way – Jacobs making quick work of his severely overmatched opposition.
Lopez never gave himself a chance, showing up fleshy, though even a chiseled physique wouldn't have atoned for his blatant lack of skill. The closest he came to drawing any positive reviews was early in the fight. A swing and a miss with a left hook caused the Puerto Rican to do a pirouette. Award-winning announcer Bernardo Osuna quipped that Lopez looked to be ready for "Dancing With the Stars."
Moments later, Lopez would see stars. Jacobs pinned him along the ropes, taking any opening he can get before landing a money left hook to the body. Lopez crumbled to the canvas, with the referee waving off the bout midway through his count.
The fight ended after just 75 seconds, about 45 seconds longer than Jacobs' pro debut. The Velasquez twins were the most recent subjects of BoxingScene's "New School Pick of the Week" prospect series; don't be surprised to see a New School showcase for Jacobs in the near future.
The show was presented by Golden Boy Promotions and 8 Count Productions, with the Velasquez brothers' bouts courtesy of DeCubas Promotions.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His feature column runs every Tuesday, and his Prospect of the Week series runs every Thursday. Jake is also BoxingScene's official Telefutura correspondent.
Please feel free to submit any comments or questions to Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .
