By Cliff Rold
28-year old two-division former women’s champion Yazmin Rivas (35-9-1, 10 KO), 119, of Torreon, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico, earned a debatable ten round split decision over 28-year old Jessica Gonzalez (7-3-1, 1 KO), 119, of Mexico City, Mexico, in the main event on Saturday night at the Palenque Vicente Fernandez in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. It was a rematch of a 2013 contest won by Gonzalez via split decision.
Through the first four rounds, it was clear what each could do well against the other. When able to time Gonzalez coming forward, Rivas scored with clean counters, forcing his taller foe to reset her attack. Gonzalez made her luck at range, her longer reach setting up aggressive flurries that didn’t allow Rivas a chance to set her feet and respond. Gonzalez dominated the third round in that fashion and came on after a good start from Rivas in the fourth.
Working to both the body and the head, Gonzalez looked like she was building a lead through eight rounds. Though never for lack of trying, Rivas couldn’t match the output of her foe. Gonzalez wasn’t always landing, but the volume of her attack meant more chances for contact. Rivas did have some luck bruising the left eye of Gonzalez.
With two minutes to go, Rivas came out to try to change her fortunes. Landing some hard, short shots inside, she got off to a good start in the tenth and final round. A pattern for the fight largely held. After her initial burst, Rivas started eating subtle lefts and rights from Gonzalez who took over the round by the end. Both women raised their arms at the bell
In a surprising outcome, the judges favored the punch catching ability of Rivas over the punch landing ability of Gonzalez. The scores came in at 96-94 Gonzalez, 96-94 Rivas and what appeared a wide 97-94 Rivas.
The win for Rivas ties their rivalry at one apiece. Rivas formerly held the WBA super flyweight, IBF bantamweight, and WBC bantamweight titles, losing the last of these earlier this year via technical decision after suffering a cut on an accidental headbutt. Gonzalez drops her second straight after falling short in a crack at the WBA super bantamweight title in June, also via split decision, against Liliana Palmera.
The televised opener likely didn’t feature fighters who one can expect to see in contention for titles any time soon. They probably fought for a fraction of a fraction of what even a modest name goes for these days. And yet, for eight rounds, they gave it everything they had in a raucous brawl.
Battling through a cut over his left eye, lightweight Jesus Silveira (7-3-1, 2 KO), 135, of Nuevo León, Mexico, earned an eight-round unanimous decision over 24-year old Carlos Jimenez (10-7-1, 6 KO), 135, of Morelia, Michoacán de Ocampo, Mexico.
It was a blistering battle from the start, both men landing big in almost every round. Each man was rocked in the bout but kept digging in to take the fight into deeper waters. In the final minute, Silveira appeared to have Jimenez ready to go only for one final rally to earn the full-throated approval of the crowd. Before announcing the verdict in Silveira’s favor, the ring announcer called for an encore of applause for the effort of both men.
The card was televised in the US on BeIn Espanol, promoted by Zanfer.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
