By Jake Donovan
The final installment of the VERSUS Fight Night Club series was littered saw three fighters with upside down records make their way to the telecast.
Included in that batch was the evening’s main event, in which undefeated Luis Ramos Jr easily turned away the challenge of Cristian Favela in their six-round featherweight bout.
The show aired live from Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles.
Ramos Jr made his third appearance on the short-lived series, his previous two fights ending in knockouts against journeyman with better records than Favela, though also a lot longer in the tooth and softer in the beard.
It was assumed going in that this one would go rounds, given that Favela has only been stopped once in an 11-year career that has seen 45 fights and over 330 logged rounds. It was a lesson not lost on the southpaw Ramos Jr, who boxed wisely in the first couple of rounds, working behind a stiff jab and also occasionally touching the body.
Favela’s game plan was fairly basic – charge forward whenever Ramos stopped jabbing, and try his hardest to discourage the Santa Ana (CA)-based prospect.
After a boxing lesson early on, Ramos Jr dug in a little deeper in the third. Boxing was still first and foremost, but he also traded when necessary, all while getting hit with very little in return. Body shots were thrown with greater conviction, including a right hook that momentarily knocked Favela off balance.
The action continued to flow in the same direction in the fourth, though Favela let his hands go for the first time in the fight. Most of his efforts proved futile, with Ramos Jr slipping nearly all of his opponent’s telegraphed shots.
Round five was a clinic for Ramos Jr, who buried his head in Favela’s chest and pounded away at the body. With a win all but written in stone, he could’ve easily gone into cruise control, knowing that Favela was going to finish the fight on his feet.
Instead, he wanted to give the crowd their money’s worth, stepping on the gas and pouring on the pressure from bell to bell to go out with a bang, even if it meant waiting for the reading of the scorecards to make it official.
Scoring was academic, with all three judges scoring it a shutout (60-54) for Ramos Jr, who cruises to 13-0 (7KO) with his win fourth of 2008 including three straight in the VERSUS Fight Night Club series. The rangy southpaw helped open the series with a fifth round knockout of Baudel Cardenas, and has built a considerable following ever since, which justifies the creation of the series.
Where he goes from here depends on what deals Golden Boy Promotion can work out with other networks in efforts to keep the series going.
Meanwhile, Favela will most likely resurface in the corner of the nearest prospect or contender anywhere from 126 to 135 pounds. The granite-chinned Mexican falls to 17-22-6 (10KO), losing all five of his fights in 2009, though logging in 36 rounds in the process.
HUERTA WINS TODAY… PROMISES TO LOOK GOOD THE NEXT TIME
Fighting for the third time in the brief series, featherweight prospect Charles Huerta bounced back from his disastrous knockout loss two months ago to score a six-round decision win over journeyman Rodrigo Aranda in the televised co-feature.
Scores were 59-54, 58-55 and 57-56.
Huerta entered the sport as a well-schooled boxer-puncher. The boxer part has slipped away in recent fights, catching up to him when Derrick Wilson knocked him out in the first round of their VERSUS-televised main event two months ago, resulting in the lone loss of his career.
The first round of his co-feature with Aranda suggested his reverting to his old ways, boxing wisely in the early going before opening up more in the second. The difference between this fight and his past several is the aggression came in a controlled manner, rather than feeling an overwhelming need to score the knockout.
Not that a knockout was coming anytime soon; Aranda was in his face virtually the entire fight, taking Huerta’s best while steadily charging forward. Huerta was easily landing the cleaner and more telling blows, but it was the Mexican journeyman forcing the pace.
A reversal of fortunes came in the fourth, which saw Huerta on the defensive for much of the round as Aranda continued to grow braver. A break came for Huerta late in the round, when referee David Denkin docked a point from Aranda for rabbit punching.
Sensing the deck was stacked against him, Aranda went for broke in the final two rounds, though wasn’t always effective in his attack. Huerta was far more economical with his punch output, doing enough to score points, but never on a seek-and-destroy mission against a club fighter who’s never been stopped in 21 professional fights.
The win advances Huerta’s mark to 12-1 (7KO), though the performance clearly screamed “win today, look good the next time.” When and where “the next time” takes place remains to be seen. VERSUS allowing a club series greatly benefits fighters like Huerta, who deserves a broader audience but isn’t quite ready for prime time. ESPN2 Friday Night Fights is done for the year, and Golden Boy’s next show on Shobox will be its first.
While his next step is taken into consideration, it’s a given that he’s in a better place than Aranda, who drops his fourth straight in falling to 8-11-2 (2KO).
HEY WAS THAT… KARL DARGAN IN THE RING?
Undefeated Philly junior welterweight prospect Karl Dargan made a rare ring appearance, taking care of business with a decision win over Renell Griffin of Louisiana.
Scores were 59-55 (twice) and 58-56.
Griffin tried to force a fast pace in the early going, to which Dargan not only obliged, but used his opponent’s reckless abandon to his own advantage. The former amateur standout stood back and landed clean head shots, as Griffin’s workrate decreased as the round went on.
It was a complete turnaround in the second, as Griffin regained his composure and take the fight to Dargan in a far more effective manner. The plan worked for about in the second, before Dargan took full control in the third, with Griffin spending much of the round under siege and with his back touching the ropes.
Dargan controlled the action down the stretch on the strength of his superior defense and overall boxing skills. He appeared to run out of the steam in the final moments of their six-round affair, but it was too late for Griffin to do anything about it at that point.
The unanimous decision was met with a spattering of boos, but was ultimately the right call. Dargan improves to 5-0 (2KO) with the win, his third of 2009, after having fought only once in each of the previous two years.
Griffin falls to 5-2-1 (1KO), suffering his first loss since his pro debut three years ago.
The final episode of VERSUS Fight Night Club was presented by Golden Boy Promotions.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .