By Jake Donovan
Tyrone Harris was forced to pay a fine for missing weight at Thursday’s official weigh-in, but it was highly touted junior lightweight prospect Marvin Quintero who paid a heavy price once the opening bell sounded.
A back and forth slugfest ended with Harris scoring an eighth round stoppage in a major upset at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.
Quintero weighed in at the contracted limit of 131 lb; Harris was 132 ¼ lb, and agreed to financial extraction after failed efforts to shed the extra weight.
Harris fought his usual pace, jumping out to a quick start, including a right uppercut early in the opening round. Quintero, usually a blazing starter himself, showed poise in keeping it strictly boxing in the early going, offering just enough foot movement to cause his opponent’s punches to fall short before countering with his straight left. Harris adjusted, closing the gap and scoring to the body.
The phone booth distance between the two continued in the second. Harris was effective with his double jab, while Quintero was bouncing on his toes, trying to create distance to gain leverage on his punches.
What he was neglecting was Harris’ body, a questionable tactic considering his opponent’s struggles at the scales Thursday afternoon. Harris responded by landing the more telling blows, which appeared to be enough to take the first two rounds.
Harris’ right jab was causing early damage, as Quintero was already sporting a mouse under his left eye just two rounds in. The Mexican southpaw picked up the pace in the third, but Harris refused to give an inch. Quintero was intent on boxing, but forced to bite down and trade with his Michigan-based foe.
Fighting his opponent’s fight actually proved to work to Quintero’s benefit, as he began targeting the body late in the third. He went a bit too low, catching Harris well south of the border towards the end of the round. The action drew a warning, but also gave Quintero hope that the tide was turning.
It proved to be false hope. Harris gained his second wind, landing a series of head shots, particularly with his piston-like jab. Quintero suddenly backed off, but came back midway through the fourth as the two traded straight shots in center ring.
Disaster nearly struck in the fifth. Harris had Quintero in serious trouble in the first minute of the round, pummeling him along the ropes and landing a straight left that had the Mexican holding on in efforts to clear his head. It proved to be a wise strategy, as he came roaring back as the round wore on. Harris remained with him every step of the way, riding out the storm and landing a huge right hook to momentarily shake Quintero.
It was suggested between rounds that Quintero injured his right hand earlier in the fight. Harris picked up on his opponent’s lack of activity and decided to go for broke. Quintero was momentarily defenseless, but bit down and came back with power shots of his own to force Harris to back off just a bit. A straight left and right hook late in the round drew a charge out of the partisan crowd on hand, and ended the round with two more left hands upstairs.
Quintero went on the attack in the seventh, fighting as if he needed every remaining round to win the fight. Harris was surprisingly inactive for the first time in the fight, allowing Quintero to take the lead and repeatedly score with combinations. Both fighters got paid late in the round, Harris landing with rights and Quintero connecting with body shots.
Round eight saw Quintero return to boxing, which ultimately proved to be his undoing. Harris laid back, looking for the perfect moment to strike. He found it when Quintero overcommitted on a left hook at center ring, countering with two straight lefts and a right hook that had his opponent in serious trouble. Quintero stumbled to a corner as Harris moved in for the kill, unloading until referee Raul Caiz Jr intervened.
The official time was 1:05 of round eight.
With the major upset win, Harris breathes new life into his once-falling career. He improves overall to 24-5 (16KO).
There were big plans lying ahead for Quintero, but the knockout loss and damaged hand seriously stalls those plans. Gone is a 12-fight win streak as heads back to Tijuana, BC, Mexico with a record of 16-2 (12KO).
TELEVISED UNDERCARD
It was a night of firsts for teenaged bantamweight prospect Chris Avalos. The former amateur standout was fighting on US television for the first time and in opponent Andre Wilson was also facing the first southpaw of his young career.
The early returns suggest that Avalos passed every test with flying colors, as he was short and to the point in making a statement with a second round knockout in the evening’s co-feature.
Both fighters weighed 117 lb, one shy of the bantamweight limit.
Avalos mixed boxing and banging in the opening round, at times offering movement, but never shying away from mixing it up whenever Wilson threatened to work his way inside.
Wilson, who made a bold fashion statement in rocking black and pink, enjoyed early success to the body, looking to test the heart of the 19-year old pretty boy standing in front of him. Avalos never backed down, trading with the southpaw as the round came to a close.
The bout quickly went from competitive to a violent shift in Avalos’ favor early in the second. The Californian was measured in his attack, but a power-punching combination 30 seconds left Wilson shook, leaving him open for a picture perfect left hook that crashed on Wilson’s jaw to produce the bout’s first knockdown.
Less than 30 seconds later, Wilson found himself back on the canvas courtesy of a right hand and sweeping left hook. He once again beat the count, but Avalos emptied both barrels with the intent of closing the show. Referee Jose Cobian recognized that Wilson was no longer able to defend himself, stepping in as Avalos punished him along the ropes.
The official time was 1:28 of round two.
Expect to see a lot more of Avalos, whose manager Mike Criscio also guides the career of light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson and 154 lb. contender Alfredo Angulo among others. The red hot Lancaster (CA) prospect improves to 11-0 (9KO) with the win, his third of 2009.
It’s a different kind of tale for Wilson, who heads back to St. Joseph, Missouri with his second straight loss and an overall record of 11-3-1 (9KO).
AN ANNOUNCER IS BORN?
The Shobox series is usually geared towards building stars in the ring, but one might’ve been produced behind the mic.
Former light heavyweight king Antonio Tarver, who has previously served as an ESPN2 in-studio host, made his debut as a ringside commentator, joining series regulars Nick Charles and Steve Farhood on the broadcast.
While not immediately in the running for the Sam Taub award, Tarver did a solid job behind the mic, knowing when to speak and when to allow the action to speak for itself. Three man teams can be tricky and often prove to be one person too many, but the former top light heavyweight did a superb job of blending in.
The show was presented by Gary Shaw Productions and aired live on Showtime’s “Shobox: The New Generation.”
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.
