JUDGE Ruben Garcia of Texas has come under fire for his 115-112 scorecard in favor of former World Boxing Organization champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., who lost by a split decision to Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire before over 14,000 fight fans at the Alamadome in San Antonio, Texas Saturday night.
HBO’s Saturday offering looked on paper to be a pair of potentially exciting fights bound to result in the favorites standing in victory. Fans got more than that in both affairs as both WBC Middleweight titlist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and new WBO Jr. Featherweight titlist Nonito Donaire got a healthy twelve rounds of grueling work.
By Jake Donovan - With his legendary father leading the way into the ring and cheering him on at ringside, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr continued the growth portion of his still budding career. The second-generation titlist maintained both his unbeaten record and his alphabet middleweight belt with a hard-fought decision win over Marco Antonio Rubio in the main event of HBO’s first boxing telecast of the year Saturday evening at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Scores were 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Chavez Jr, who made the second successful defense of the belt he won last June. As the comparisons to his father remains inevitable, Chavez Jr. continues to emulate the original model in all but giving away the first round of each fight. The action was slow, with Rubio dictating the pace on the occasion in which punches were exchanged between the Mexican rivals. Chavez Jr. came alive in the second round, stalking Rubio and catching him along the ropes. The success didn’t carry over into the third round, as he was left to showcase the granite chin trait that runs deep in his family’s genes. Rubio enjoyed his most successful round to that point, with Chavez Jr showing his ability to take a punch, but hardly a sound formula for winning rounds. The pace didn’t pick up very much in the middle rounds but was fought entirely in a phone booth. Chavez Jr. worked the body well, but appeared to be punching himself out early on – perhaps a testament to his struggling all week to make weight (159.5 lb at Friday’s weigh-in after stripping down to his birthday suit) and then piling on 22 lb. from weigh-in to the opening bell. Rubio appeared fit and trim, but couldn’t quite come up with a fluid attack that forced Chavez Jr to change his ways. A low blow in the fifth round by the Mexican veteran actually benefited both fighters, as each seemed to be in the need for an unofficial time out.
Ryan Burton catches the post-fight press conference to the HBO doubleheader, featuring Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Marco Antonio Rubio and Nonito Donaire vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Hear from the main fighters involved and more.
San Antonio, Texas - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. retained the WBC middleweight title Saturday night, earning a unanimous decision over fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio. The scores were 118-110, 116-112 115-113 for Chavez, which drew a mixed reaction from the 14,120 in attendance Saturday at the Alamodome. Chavez (45-0-1-1) overcame a gutsy performance by Rubio (53-6-1) despite having some trouble entering the fight.
Nonito Donaire, although loading up all night, outlanded Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in 11 of 12 rounds. 115-112 Vazquez? Really Judge Ruben Garcia, really? Donaire landed 60% of his power shots and dropped Vazquez in round nine. Donaire won a twelve round split decision and the vacant WBO super bantamweight title.
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas - In his first fight at 122-pounds, Nonito Donaire (28-1, 18 KO) won a twelve round split decision over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-2-1, 18 KO) to capture the vacant WBO super bantamweight title. The judges had it 115-112 for Vazquez, and two scores of 117-110 for Donaire.
By Jake Donovan - The premium level of the 2012 boxing season is finally underway. HBO makes its season premiere with a highly anticipated Boxing After Dark doubleheader live from the Alamodome in San Antonio (Saturday, 10PM ET/PT). In the main event, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (44-0-1, 31KO) endures his toughest test to date as he faces consensus Top 10 contender Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46KO) in making the second defense of his alphabet middleweight title. The co-feature pits a pair of normally humble warriors now in the midst of a grudge match. Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18KO) rises up in weight after a brief but electric bantamweight run as he takes on former 122 lb. titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (21-1-1, 18KO) in a vacant title fight. Read on to see how the Boxingscene.com staff believes it will all go down.
CompuBox examining the numbers for the last five fights of each boxer. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. is the busier fighter and also landed more punches per round. Donaire, fighting his fight at 122-pounds, should be the harder puncher. Vazquez will need to use his jab and not get into prolonged exchanges with Donaire.
Now this is more like it. After a sputtering start to the year, action kicks into high gear on two continents with three title fights of consequence.