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Arco Arena
January 5, 2006
The
management at Arco Arena gave me a professional black eye, and Arco’s
reputation for having consistently bad cards continues.
(Arco was recognized for the Worse boxing cards in 2005) The show was
terrible. According to my old
friend and referee Marty Sammon, three bouts were dropped due to problems of an
unknown nature. I’ll bet Andre
Ward, wanted top billing and more money. To
add insult to injury, I was shoved aside to the outer rim of the main floor.
In order to view the fights, I had to look up at the overhead screen.
After working like a field hand consistently covering the fights at Arco,
it was a black eye to be removed form ringside.
Again,
adding salt on the wound, most of the guys sitting ringside were not working.
They were just watching the fights.
I go there to work, not sit and stare.
If the guys who were given my sit had actually been “covering” the
fight, and providing reliable, consistent coverage, I’d feel less slighted, If
I’d known I was gonna be shoved aside, I’d stayed home and watched the
fights on TV. I am not expecting
fairness or even honesty, just improved judgment on those who decide whom to sit
ringside. Doesn’t it make better
sense to give those sits to the people who have been constantly doing a good
job? You know the people who pull the plow every time works needs to get done.
What can you do, you try to do a good job, be consistent, reliable, shoot
straight and be a stand up guy, and it still rains on you.
If
Vicente Escobedo, a kid I’ve been following since before he fought in the 2004
Olympics had not been the main event, I’d left; Instead, I remained and
endured the insult. As I said
earlier, this was the worse boxing card I’ve seen.
Promoter Don Chargin must be loosing his marbles.
Or perhaps Karma is catching up with him.
Most promoters are notorious penny pinchers and master manipulators.
Many promoters remind me of the sleazy guys selling stolen goods in
packing lots. Who knows, how many
skeletons there are in his closet. God
only knows, and I don’t care, all I know is it was awful. I won’t bore you with details; let it suffice to say anyone
who paid for a ticket was overcharged. The
boxers were so bad, I am not even gonna mention their names.
They don’t deserve any coverage, because even negative press is
exposure. The coaches should be
fined for allowing them into the ring. It
could almost be considered fraud. It
was another black day for boxing in Sacramento, and there have been too many to
count.
Vicente
Escobedo the hard-luck story kid form a poor neighborhood in Woodland is on a
fast track towards stardom. Vicente
scored an impressed victory, dominating the fight during the first round with
lighting jabs, then sending Jefferson Rodriques to the canvas with a powerful,
perfectly timed left hook. His
opponent who has more than three times Vicente’s experience, and should’ve
provided better competition. Maybe
he’s taken to many head shots, or maybe he wasn’t ready, who knows, all I
know is, it was a no-contest. Vicente
knew he was gonna get some, and remained as cool as a football hero on prom
night. His shots were precise and
perfectly timed. Vicente was
awarded, The Most Improved Local Boxer Award for 2005.
(See Jorge’s Corner last edition).
The
second round saw Vicente in charge of the action. He stalked his prey like a shark, smelling blood and victory.
He waited patiently and was rewarded with an opportunity.
Vicente landed a perfectly timed shot that rocked Rodriques, and sent him
to canvas. The referee counted him
out. I thought he had enough left
to get up, but Jefferson lacked the grit. His
unwillingness to continue was disappointing.
I was surprised. I expected much better, especially after all the hype.
I expected Rambo, but instead found Bambi.
Nevertheless,
Vicente Escobedo deserves a pat on the back; he beat a man with three times the
experience. Let’s pray and ask
God to open a path for him. I plan
to be there when he wins a world title. Congratulations
Vicente! Fans should know one of Vicente’s aces is his brother, Jose who is
also his manager, but according to trainer Don Clemente, the real engineer is
Mr. Eddie Gomez, the matchmaker for Golden Boy.
I hope things improve at Arco Arena.
I hope the management wakes up and realizes its consistency that gets the
job done. Not the celebrities who
only show up for the big shows. Most
facility managers would reward consistency.
I also hope there is an improvement in the quality of fights and Don
Chargin gets his head out of the sand, he must have found these guys at a
Wal-Mart blue light special.
The
laws of Karma show us nothing’s forgotten, it should serve as a constant
reminder that the Universe is watching. There
will be consequences. Meanwhile, I
will continue to struggle against the endless tide of individuals that just take
up space in the world. I will
continue to struggle to make the best choice, even if isn’t not the easiest.
I will reach for the stars with a smile, as Mason, a nine year old kid
said today, after being asked why he was so happy. “Today is my happy day”.
I’ll continue to do my best, not out of loyalty, which they do not
value, but because to do less is beneath me.
I choose to believe things will get better. So, I gotta say with a smile, Thank God For Boxing.
See
You Ringside ... Maybe,
Always in Your Corner,
Jorge A. Martinez
Sportswriter/Trainer/Manager
dancingskyhorse@earthlink.net
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