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Arco
Arena
Sacramento, CA
July 21, 2005
Boxing has reawakened in
Central California. Dozens of entrepreneurs are stepping into the fray, and
trying to get rich. Unfortunately, many of them will fail. The ones that succeed
are the ones that do it because they love boxing, not just the money. Don’t
get me wrong; money is the name of the game, but not entirely. Take Don and
Lorraine Chagrin they’ve been doing this for years. Yet, they sit ringside and
watch every fight. You might ask why would an elderly couple want to be around
all that noise, drunk fans, blood and violence? That's easy, they love boxing. I
gotta admire their moxie
They usually put on good shows.
A lot of their success has to do with the people behind the scenes. However,
much to any promoter’s chagrin, they can only work with what's available.
It’s not up to them to make a fighter, fight. Boxers are often prima donnas,
seeking special attention. Some have strange quirks, likes and dislikes. Some
wanna be rappers, others wanna be singers, and others just don’t care. Many
boxers, especially on the east coast are drunks. I’ve heard horrible stories
about boxers showing up drunk. I’ve not heard or seen anything like that here,
if I did, I’d drop a dime to the commission.
The first bout was between
Carlos Mainor (1-0) from San Diego and Ignacio Solar (2-0), Sacramento. I was
disappointed Ignacio waited so long to get rolling, while Carlos got into his
rhythm right away. Ignacio was intimidated and did not have any zip on his
punches. He lacked fundamentals, had no defensive technique, and his foot
positioning was terrible. It did not take long before Carlos saw an opening and
landed a left hook, which rocked Ignacio, the ref came him an eight count.
Carlos dominated the match, simply by being the busier fighter. Ignacio’s
problem was a lack of confidence. Call me jaded, but I do not trust Mainor’s
record, as it is impossible to verify an out of country fighter’s history.
Ignacio winged his punches and failed to use his jab. Carlos used Ignacio’s
head for a piñata in the fourth round. I was surprised at the fan’s lack of
support for our own town boy. The lack of loyalty is significant. The fight
crowd in Sacramento is unlike any other I’ve seen. Its about 50% DOEIs
(Descendants of European Immigrants), usually its about 75% Latino. DOEI fans in
Sacramento have no reservations about demonstrating their preferences based on
race. The drunker they get the more scream and the less they care. I’m
surprised there has not been a major incident, although there have been many
brawls. Arco fans seem to like to drink more than average. The inappropriate
behavior reaches levels of near insanity ringside. This was a tough crowd,
openly hostile towards Ignacio and sympathetic towards Carlos who got the
decision.
Sitting ringside watching the
fight, I am always surprised at other lack of enthusiasm demonstrated by my
colleagues. I feel privileged to sit ringside and observe two gladiators up
close and personal. By the bored looks on some of my colleagues, you’d think
they were watching Opera. I’d hate to be them, Helen Keller, said it best.
“Life is either an adventure or a burden”. I love this game. I suggest the
sport Editors send someone who likes what they’re doing. What’s really
amazing is that these guys cover all sports, yet they think they know boxing.
Its like saying you know the law, because you watch Judge Judy on TV. I’m
still laugh at the arrogance with which some of these guys, strut around,
name-dropping, and act important. Amazing. It’s true; there is no fool, like
an old fool.
The second fight was Francisco
Maldanado (10-19-4, 2 KOs) and of Lakeview and Anthony Charnell (5-2-1, 4 KOs)
of Sacramento. This was a rematch and proved to be more exciting than the last
bout. Anthony Charnell fought Francisco before and it was payback time. Charnell
made few improvements, although his conditioning was better. His technique is
still lacking. I gotta wonder who trains these guys? I was surprised by
Maldanado who came out aggressively, while Charnell seemed subdued. As a fighter
Maldanado, lacks fundamentals. I continuously stress this concept because its
like breathing, without it, nothing else can happen. Much to my disappointment,
90 percent of coaches don’t seem to know what it means. Instead of examining
their performance they choose to take offense. Sadly it’s the fighters that
suffer. The fight seemed to be slowing down until Charnell nailed Maldanado, who
took a knee and an eight count. Charnell smelled victory and charged in for the
kill. After a short exchange Charnell landed a solid right hand and sent
Maldanado to the canvas. Maldanado made an attempt to get up, but elected to
remain on his back, resting his head on the bottom rope. The referee kneeled
next to him and counted him out. Maldanado took the entire count on his back.
Charnell got his revenge.
The third bout of the night was
schedule for six rounds. Marsha Valley (10-19-4, 4 KOs) was scheduled to go six
rounds with Martha Salazar (9-3-0 2 KOs). It seemed to be a mismatch as Marsha
was 47 pounds lighter than Martha who weighed 223. Martha couldn’t have looked
less like a boxer. She was short, over weight, with a belly that hung over her
trunks. Her hair was all messed up and her equipment didn't fit. Marshal looked
like a fighter. She had tone, looked strong and was very intense.
I am impressed with the
improvements women’s boxing has made since my fighter took third place at the
women’s National Championships. Marsha came out swinging for the fences and
landed a four-punch combination on Salazar’s head. To my surprise the short
fat girl came back with a solid right cross that rocked Marsha. The crowd went
nuts. Salazar surprised me with her stoic composer, boxing skills and quick
hands. Salazar attacked and continued to land solid combinations that had
Marsha’s head bouncing around like a piñata on Cinco de Mayo. The drunks
sitting behind me got louder as the degree of violence increased. The entire
arena seemed to be toasted, and everyone was scream for blood. Marsha tried
switching from left to right foot lead, but nothing worked. I shouted for Marsha
to get her hands up, a second latter boom, boom, boom Martha, the short, fat
girl from San Francisco nailed her again. Marsha proved she had heart. She tried
to come back, but Martha maintains her attack and responded like a professional,
boom, boom, solid shots that had the crowd on their feet. Martha Salazar, the
most unathletic woman I’ve seen in boxing, demonstrated a surprising ability
to box, and punch. Her appearance disguised a lethal ability and a killer
instinct. Marsha Valley made a mistake when she took this fight. Salazar landed
rights and left hooks nearly dropping Valley, causing her to take a knee. The
referee gave her an eight count and asked if she wanted to continue, Marsha, the
LA girl, smartly said “no”. This was a rare event, and I was lucky to be
present to witness it. Salazar won by knock out. It was the best women’s match
I’ve seen in a long time.
The female fights I’ve seen
in Sacramento are pretty one sided. Our uncrowned local queen of boxing can’t
seem to find worthy competition, which will cost her dearly in the future. Be
careful, if you share these thoughts with her, she’s as mean out of the ring
as she is inside of it. I suggest Martha Salazar loose about sixty pounds, if
she’s serious about her career. She looks awful. I’ve got a great picture of
her. I was surprised She’s ranked number one in California. Thank God, life
still has surprises in store for me, although not all are pleasant.
The Co-Main Event was the best
fight of the night. Scheduled for 8 rounds, between Roque Cassiani (22-18-3, 15
KOs) from Columbia and Efren Hinojosa (28-2-17 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico. This
bout was the best in styles and flow. Roque got into his rhythm right away,
while Efren seemed confused. Neither had fundamentals, both lacked proper hand
positioning, and balance. I thought Roque dominated the bout early on, but lost
momentum. Efren used a “Hollywood
Parry”, an amateurish showboating manner of using the right hand to deflect a
jab to the body. Efren was either too close or too far away, and then out of the
blue, he landed a lucky right hand that rocked Roque. This was because Roque’s
kept dropping his hands. The ring smart Roque grabbed Efferent and both of them
tumbled to the canvas. The Referee, who deserves credit, was not fooled. He
called it right and gave Roque an eight count. Few fight fans take time to
acknowledge the referee’s contribution or lack of it. A well-trained,
experienced, referee is essential and this one deserves a pat on the back. I had
Roque ahead as he had out punched and out hustled Efern. However, Efren
continued to attacked and landed another powerful shot, then charged in for the
kill. After a flurry of punches, the referee stepped in and called it. Hinojosa
won by TKO. It was the best fight of the evening.
I wish I didn’t have to say
this, I thought the Main Event was awful. I have a problem with lazy fighters.
When a fighter is just bad, but tries hard, I give ‘em credit, but when a
fighter is good and is lazy, it’s just disturbing. The poor guy from
Mississippi looked like he’d learned how to box at a petting zoo. Tory Beets
(12-6-1, 8 KOs,) was simply awful. He had nothing and needed everything,
including a punch. Michael Simms, (16-3-1, 13 KOs) had all the advantages and
never used them. Simm’s lack of killer instinct leaves me perplexed. His
style, or lack of it, is what causes problems for his opponents. Michael, is a
combination of a self taught street guys like Roy Jones, Prince Ahmed, and God
knows who else. He never uses his legs to punch. He swings from his elbows in
what I call Fat -Cat punches. He throws lazy, sloppy right hands, which I call
“smelly cheese”, and he stops punching for no reason. Which I call lazy. He
drops his hands and takes breaks when he should be pressing his opponent. Poor
Troy Beets, even though Simms gave him dozens of breaks, and about a thousands
openings, he was unable to take advantage. He did take a lot of punishment. He
must have brain damage by now. His lack of defensive skills, zero fundamentals
and slow hands, are unbelievable in a main event fighter. The only thing I’ve
found that works on guys like Simms, is for promoters to stop calling. I have
seen Simms fight several times and I’ve not found any of his fights
impressive. He is building a good record, and unless you’ve seen him perform,
you’d think he was pretty good. He reminds me of John Ruiz, who manages to
win, but not beat his opponents. I’m sure Michael Simms is a wonderful human
being worthy of praise; he just doesn't give a damn about the audience. Someone
should remind him that although he might see himself as a real bad ass, he is
simply an entertainer, who is paid to perform. In this way he seems like Bernard
Hopkins, who could care less, as long as he gets paid. The rest of us must
simply endure.
I wanted to say a few words
about an old friend. “Little Guns”, Gutierrez, whom I saw fight recently.
Guadalupe Gutierrez was once a tremendous warrior. He had a heart as big as
Texas and never took a step back. I’ve always respected him as a human being
and admired him as a fighter. I was saddened when I saw his last performance,
and very concerned that his trainer would let him fight, knowing he was past the
point of retiring. I love this game too. I know boxing gains a spiritual hold
upon those who endeavor to be great. However, there comes a time in every
warrior’s life, when he must pass the torch and serve in a difference
capacity. With all due respect, I strongly suggest, that he consider teaching
his trade to new, younger fighters. Boxing can always use someone of his caliber
and experience to help up and coming fighters learn the trade. I’d hate to see
such a fine individual get hurt.
In closing I want to send out a
special Congratulations to Lance Armstrong who brought home his seventh win of
The Tour de France. His accomplishments have few equals. I’ve taken up riding
a bike, because after twenty years in the military, my knees are shot. Although
I cannot claim a victory compared to his, I do share his passion for riding and
competition. If anyone knows Lance personally, please give him my warmest
regards. If anyone out there has a racing bike, a real road bike, they’d like
to sell or donate to a worthy cause, I will gladly take it off their hands.
A special thanks to the staff
at Arco Arena, Mr. and Mrs. Don Chargin and all the individuals behind the
scenes that helped make this event possible.
Remember to send out a prayer
for our boys in Iraq and Afghanistan; we’d like ‘em home safely. Having once
been at war in the same desert, I sympathies with their situation. Once more I
gotta say, Thank God For Boxing.
Always in Your Corner,
Jorge A. Martinez
Sportswriter/Trainer/Manager
dancingskyhorse@earthlink.net
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