By Cliff Rold
By the end of the tenth round, both formidable Lightweights involved in the main event had a sizable mouse under an eye and a healthy selection of cheers from the crowd. It was almost too bad there could be only one winner after a gutsy display in which 22-year old Antonio DeMarco (19-1, 13 KO) of Mexico eked past 30-year old Jose Reyes (23-5, 8 KO) of Puerto Rico by a single point in a split decision at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada on Friday night.
Each man weighed in within one pound of the 135 lb. Lightweight limit, Demarco one pound under and Reyes one over.
The bouts opening two rounds were a measured affair. The lanky DeMarco, a fighter gaining a reputation for thrillers, elected for the wise path of tactical boxing early, using a long jab supplied by an unusual 5’10 Lightweight frame to keep Reyes at distance. The 5’7 Puerto Rican worked for counter opportunities with his right.
A southpaw lead right hook from DeMarco connected flush in the opening seconds of the third, instantly ratcheting up the drama of the bout as Reyes rose and retreated to get his legs back beneath him. DeMarco maintained a methodical approach, settling after an early post-knockdown burst of offense. Reyes worked his way back into the fray in the rounds second half, including landing a pair of big rights in the closing seconds.
The drama of the third all but evaporated in a slow fourth, the lone thrill coming with yet another lead hook from DeMarco which nearly dropped Reyes a second time. DeMarco shoved Reyes to the canvas rather than throwing further punches, drawing a warning from referee Kenny Bayless.
The fifth failed to provide a similar highlight as the size and technical superiority of DeMarco allowed him to outpoint Reyes largely at distance.
Reyes attempted to turn the tide right away in the sixth, firing two hard shots at the opening bell. His forward momentum was maintained throughout the round as Reyes used lead right, and even a switch to southpaw, to lure DeMarco in and force the Mexican to sacrifice his size height. The strategy yielded positive results by way of some hard left hooks.
A lead right from Reyes landed to punishing affect a minute into the seventh as DeMarco’s offensive output seemed to decline. At the minute mark, Reyes cut through the defenses of Demarco with a short right uppercut and stood firm as DeMarco replied with a lead left uppercut and right hook to the body near the closing bell.
Rugged back and forth action marked the eighth round as Reyes stayed close and traded shots with DeMarco. A big right hand from Reyes was the punch of the round, splitting the defense of Demarco and whipping his head skywards. Recognizing the potential narrowing of the scorecards, DeMarco fought with renewed vigor in the ninth, meeting Reyes at mid-ring with uppercuts in response to hooks. Near the ropes to start the last minute, Reyes ripped with both hands, backing Demarco up and following with punches as DeMarco attempted to spin out. The round closed with an echoing right to the body by DeMarco and an equally loud left to the head by Reyes.
The dream of putting one another to sleep was evident in the tenth and final round as the surging Reyes and tired DeMarco each stood their ground with power right away. As a crucial 180 seconds ticked by, it was Reyes who controlled the bulk of the action, refusing DeMarco any room to breathe and refusing to stop moving his hands. The Mexican though was not finished and dug deep in the final twenty seconds with two ripping right hooks countered by a clean left from Reyes to the applause of the crowd.
Reyes headed to his corner to wonder if he’d done enough to overcome an early deficit fueled by the third round knockdown. One judge felt he had at 96-93 Reyes while the other two chimed in at 95-94 and 96-93 DeMarco. The knockdown was the difference between a loss and draw, but neither man fought with any defeat inside them on the night after a slow start.
The opening televised bout saw undefeated 29-year old Colombian Bantamweight Yonnhy Perez (18-0, 13 KO), a current resident of Santa Fe Springs, California, maintain his perfection with a one sided drubbing of 25-year old David Martinez (18-5-1, 3 KO). Martinez, 118 ½, was a late replacement and may well have rued the role. He stayed off the floor but could nothing to stop the onslaught of flush power blows that saw the fight called off by referee Joe Cortez at 2:41 the sixth.
The card was broadcast in the U.S. by Showtime as part of its Shobox series, co-promoted by Gary Shaw Boxing and Thompson Boxing.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
