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by David P. Greisman - Some fighters stroll leisurely to the ring, accompanied by their corner men, their manager, assorted hangers-on and a carefully selected backing tune. Others choose to dance, stepping and shaking occasionally accompanied by personalized live rap music that pumps up the champion while deflating the waiting challenger. A rare few prefer traveling to the squared circle aboard a contraption, be it a flying carpet, a t****ze or a throne, the ego boost of being carried in weighed carefully against the potential humbling of being carried out.
Daniel Ponce De Leon’s trip from standby to stairs took 20 seconds.
The World Boxing Organization junior featherweight titlist, who must have made dinner plans, wasted little time retaining his belt in the main event of Saturday night’s “Boxing After Dark.” What began with his intent entrance of jogging and shaking hands ended with him still focused, still coming forward behind an intense onslaught of jabs and left hands. His opponent, Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, imploded under the pressure and the overwhelming power, going down and down again from left hands that hit Bautista’s button and brought the challenger’s elevator to the bottom floor.
Ponce De Leon, ever the conquistador, had found his fountain of truth.
The journey hadn’t been easy. Ponce De Leon was one of only two Mexican boxers returning from the group that, in October 2005, had battled Thai fighters in Golden Boy Promotions’ first-ever World Cup. On that night, Ponce De Leon had to recover from a second-round knockdown to outpoint Sod Looknongyantoy for a dreary unanimous 12-round decision.
With that win, a vacant title. But that victory also filled a hole, the wounded pride that Ponce De Leon felt eight months earlier, when the then-undefeated prospect dropped a decision – and the chance to contend in the 122-pound division – to Celestino Caballero. [details]
Daniel Ponce De Leon’s trip from standby to stairs took 20 seconds.
The World Boxing Organization junior featherweight titlist, who must have made dinner plans, wasted little time retaining his belt in the main event of Saturday night’s “Boxing After Dark.” What began with his intent entrance of jogging and shaking hands ended with him still focused, still coming forward behind an intense onslaught of jabs and left hands. His opponent, Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, imploded under the pressure and the overwhelming power, going down and down again from left hands that hit Bautista’s button and brought the challenger’s elevator to the bottom floor.
Ponce De Leon, ever the conquistador, had found his fountain of truth.
The journey hadn’t been easy. Ponce De Leon was one of only two Mexican boxers returning from the group that, in October 2005, had battled Thai fighters in Golden Boy Promotions’ first-ever World Cup. On that night, Ponce De Leon had to recover from a second-round knockdown to outpoint Sod Looknongyantoy for a dreary unanimous 12-round decision.
With that win, a vacant title. But that victory also filled a hole, the wounded pride that Ponce De Leon felt eight months earlier, when the then-undefeated prospect dropped a decision – and the chance to contend in the 122-pound division – to Celestino Caballero. [details]
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