Daniel Seda vs. Anthony
Martinez
San Jose, CA
03/12/04
The first fight night of the
season kicked off in San Jose presented by Sugar Ray Leonard promotions.
Nobody seemed to know or want to say why Golden Boy Promotions was replaced.
I’ve heard a lot of rumors, but I don’t want to feed hearsay. I was
happy just to be back in the mix. I'd rather be doing this than anything else.
That being said, I gotta call it as I see it.
Not everyone appreciates my candor, as demonstrated by the colorful
messages filled with four letter descriptive phrases in my mailbox. It is
however, this very trait that makes boxing fans the best sports fans in the
world. We don’t just follow the game, we experience the fights vicariously.
Even with all the dirt you find in boxing, I gotta say, I love this
game. I can’t imagine any title, in any sport, more coveted than a boxing
championship. Nor, do I don’t know of any game, more demanding or requiring
more commitment than boxing. Lets
hope the guardians of the game, the Athletic Commission, values it as much and
does its best to maintain high standards.
The first bout matched Jose
Rico with five wins, six losses, and one tie with two knockouts and Francisco
Arce (9-1-4 KOs). The first bouts are opening acts whose main objective is to
warm up the crowd. I thought Jose was actually a better boxer, however Pancho
got tough towards the middle of the second round and nailed Jose with a left
hook that hurt him. Francisco was taking charge of the action in the fourth
round when Jose landed a blow below the belt and dropped him like a wounded
buffalo. Haven taken such shots
myself, I can honestly sympathize. This is often seen with poorly trained
Mexican boxers who swing from the ground up like lumberjacks chopping down a
tree. I was disgusted with the repeated offenses. I would have disqualified
him after the second offense. Personally, I think he should have been fined for deliberate
violations. Francisco Arce won
the bout on my scorecard, the judges agreed.
The next bout matched William
Harmon of Fresno squaring off with Oliver Foye, from Inglewood. Harmon looked
like a bodybuilder, solid and about four inches shorter than Foye. Harmon
demonstrated better fundamentals and an ability to get inside and under
Foye’s punches. Harmon landed bombs that would have killed an elephant. Foye
somehow managed to survive the assault. The deadly attack continued none stop
as Harmon landed power shots until he seemed to hold Foye’s chin up with his
left hand and unloaded a monstrous Hammer of God right hand that should have
killed him, and down he went. Again, Foye demonstrated lots of heart and a
rock hard chin and got up, but only temporally. Harmon seeking to destroy his
opponent rushed in and pummeled Foye until the referee mercifully stopped the
bout. Harmon won by KO in the
first round.
The next bout matched
(“Irish” Ben Dunne and Evangelino Perez.
I gotta say I was impressed with Dunne’s handy work. He demonstrated
many of the legendary characteristics attached to famous boxers from he
Emerald Isle. Dunne with only ten bouts gave Evangelino Perez, with forty-two
bouts a boxing lesson. Dunne not
only peppered Perez with shots at will, he demonstrated a solid chin, Perez
demonstrated poor knowledge of fundamentals difficult to believe in light of
his extensive experience. I got
the impression he was just here to survive, earn a paycheck and leave. I doubt
if he ever had any intention of actually trying to win.
Perez lacked commitment to his punches and acted scared.
Dunne on the other hand hit Perez with every punch ever invented and
yet, was unable to finish him. I met him after the bout in the Lobby of the
hotel. He had his right hand in a bowel of ice. We chatted about
Dublin, having been there myself. Ben asked me if I liked Dublin, I had to say
that except for the beer brewery I wasn’t impressed. It was just another big city, too many people and too much
traffic; I can get that in the States. The Irish countryside contains a
strange loneliness and eerie quite. The
wind blown island gave me an understanding of why so many Irishmen seek lives
elsewhere. I hope to see Ireland
again. The love of my life and I plan to return to the Emerald Isle.
Hopefully, I’ll have time to visit Ben Dunne and other Irish boxers.
The next bout matched Kelsey
Jeffries a young lady I first met her at the Woman’s National Championships
in Augusta Georgia. I have always
admired her determination. That being said, I gotta say I hope she gets back
to basics, and renews her use of fundamentals.
I also got a problem with the quality of her opponents.
This bout is typical of the overmatched candidates she has faced.
Linda Tenberg is a beautiful woman.
I thought she was one of the ring girls when I first saw her. This lady
has Mia Saint John potential. A
manager, one with a little imagination, and more brains could market this lady
as the next boxer-sex goddess, equal to the likes of Mia. Plus; Linda hails
from Austin, Texas. I met her
manager at the hotel bar. He was two sheets to the wind when I saw him and it
wasn’t closing time yet. After chatting a little I had to ask him why he
took the fight. I mean, Kelsey
had thirty-two bouts, while Linda only had sixteen, eight of which she lost.
Why would he take a fight they couldn’t win with someone with twice the
experience. It doesn’t make any sense.
It’s the manager’s responsibility to protect his fighter.
I can’t believe he actually thought they could beat Kelsey in her own
back yard. In a John Wayne
imitation, with his elbows on the bar, looking glassy eyed, half drunk and
half sitting, half laying on the bar stool, her coach, who calls himself
“Iron Man”, told me they did it for the money.
I got nothing against making an honest dollar, and professional boxing
is about money, so it’s not a “wrong” answer, however I have a problem.
Maybe its because Linda’s inexperience. Not only is she beautiful and
smart, she hasn’t adopted the tough exterior that so many boxers seem to
have. I thought she should have
waited at least one more year, gotten more experience then stepped up and
challenged Kelsey, when she was ready. As it was, Kelsey had all the aces, the
biggest clubs, bigger guns and a hometown crowd to support her. Linda came over 2000 miles to loose.
Linda wore black trunks.
Right away I saw she lacked footwork and balance. She was stepping
across herself, thereby stopping her forward movement. Linda was at least
three inches taller and should have used her reach to her advantage, but
lacked the footwork that would have enabled her to attack effectively. Kelsey
had her weight on her back leg as usual, thereby shortening her reach, and
slowing her down. Kelsey came in aggressively, forcing her way inside then
landing overhand rights. Kelsey
landed a solid shot, Linda backed out, jabbing and caught her with a left hook
to the head. Linda moved to her left as Kelsey pressured her throughout the
first round. Marty Sammon, the only referee to jump out of a perfectly good
airplane worked the fight. This
gentleman is one of my favorite people, he has a lot of class, knows his job,
and I call him a friend. He’s got a subtle sense of humor, one that requires
intelligence to appreciate. Linda
came out aggressively with the bell willing to trade punches. Kelsey however,
met her fury with an increased intensity and landed an overhand Hammer of God
rights. The crows roared as leather flew in a hot flurry of blows. Linda came
out strong with the next bell, parrying and counter punching, keeping Kelsey
on the outside. Kelsey bulldozed
her way inside and landed several bombs, then both fighters engaged in a
vicious exchange of power shots, getting a response from the crowd. I had
Kelsey ahead. The bell sounded,
Linda came out jabbing. Kelsey slipped a right hand, then a left hook, and
then landed a right cross. Linda tried to pressure Kelsey, who head butted
her, then landed several vicious body shots. Overhead rights, left hooks and a
beautiful right cross that rocked Linda. It was clear Linda was overmatched
and out gunned. She had the heart, but not the experience or the tools to
handle Kelsey’s magic. The fight changed decisively from this point. Kelsey
clearly began to dominate, controlling the bout and beating Linda in every
sense of the word. Linda’s jab might have saved her, if she had followed up
with combinations, however she failed to take advantage, while Kelsey stepped
closer to the flames. The last
round saw Kelsey attacking like a gored buffalo, while Linda, seemed to just
want to survive without being knocked out. Linda failed to take advantage of
her reach, and throw combinations. While Kelsey, rained punches from every
angle. Kelsey used feints
effectively and again nailed Linda with overhand rights, while Linda threw her
hands up in the air, clearly wanting the fight to be over. Kelsey won every
round 60 to 54. Linda learned
some tough lessons, demonstrated lots of heart and raised the value of her
worth tenfold. Kelsey, who won a victory without much to be proud of. I gotta
give Linda an At-A-Boy, she could’ve skated the last rounds however, she
stepped up, like a Warrior and went for it, earning a place in my heart.
Clearly under matched, Kelsey was not tested in this contest.
However, as I’ve said many times before. This is the life we’ve
chosen, those of us who work in this magnificent business have much to be
proud of and, too often much to question. Yet we must continue. Onward into
the Valley of Death, guns all around us as we rage against the dying of the
light, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers, for he that sheds his blood
with me this day, shall be my bother.
The Main Event was one of the
best performances I’ve seen in many years. This young man demonstrated a
skill rarely found in professional fighters. Daniel Seda of San Juan Puerto
Rico, with 19 wins, no losses, one tie and 16 knockouts gave San Jose fans a
great show. Seda, gave Puerto
Ricans much to be proud of. Congratulations Daniel.
I had Daniel Seda ahead in every round. Anthony Martinez, of LA, with
19 wins, 12 losses, 2 ties and 9 wins by knockout, demonstrated a hard head, a
great chin, great conditioning and an ability to survive.
His wild Mexican style brawling was no match for Seda who moved like a
dancer, slipping in and out at will. Daniel’s
performance was truly enjoyable, especially to someone who appreciates the
beauty of such a high level of proficiency. Daniel gave Anthony a boxing
lesson, out boxing him on every level and handing him a sound defeat. Meeting
Daniel and his brother in the hotel lobby afterwards I was please to also
discover that he is friendly, and willing to answer questions. I salute
Daniel, and his brother, also his coach, for bringing honor to a game that
much too often has need of it.
Martinez worn blue and white,
Seda worn black and gray. The first round saw both fighters crack heads,
leaving them bleeding. Seda
established control of the bout with excellent hand speed, great jabs, using
combos and demonstrating great balance. It is impossible to over emphasize the
need for sound fundamentals, which Martinez lacked.
The second round witnessed Seda using effective jabs that stunned
Martinez, along with his hand speed and use of combinations. Martinez was
simply out classed. Martinez demonstrated a hard head, a great chin and a
great ability to take a beating. The
rest of the bout was lackluster as Seda was unable to finish Martinez, who
proved evasive. Unfortunately, Martinez lacked fundamentals, swung his arms
like a gorilla, and missed 90% of the time. He never put his weight behind his
punches therefore lacked power. I would recommend Martinez get a new trainer,
learn some fundamentals, learn how to punch or take up a trade. After several
rounds the fight became a sparring match. It was a no-contest, I stayed
because I’m a glutton for punishment. Seda won it, hands down.
If I would have known how badly Martinez fought, I met have skipped the
main event.
Amateur Update
Central California Amateur
Boxing Association held its certification clinic In Avenal California. My wife
and I missed the Rumble in the Jungle because of this obligation.
My adventure to Avenal was uneventful, thank God, that's the way you
want these mandatory trips to be. We learned the new method of scoring bouts,
we learned the new rules and I got to meet several of the amateur coaches in
Central Association. My thanks go
out to Andy Murrieta and Rick Mello for providing this training. These two
gentleman should receive some kind of public acknowledgment from the governor.
These two guys are the heart and soul of amateur boxing in Central
California. Without their assistance, hard work and dedication, we might not
even have a central association. Thanks guys... great job.
Comedy Corner
I am still seeking funny
stories from any coach, trainer, promoter, ring girl, referee anywhere.
I am working on a book of boxing humor.
