A rejuvenated Arreola
dominated Aguilera, stopping him on his feet in the third round.
Arreola, of Riverside,
Calif., came to the scales in a svelte 234, easily his best form in recent
memory. The question was whether the 30-year-old former title challenger’s
newfound fitness would translate to a new “Nightmare” in the ring against
Aguilera, 238, whose first round knockout ofOleg Maskaevtwo years ago has been tempered by
losses in three of his last four bouts, including a lopsided decision loss toAntonio Tarverlast October.
The strength and power of
Arreola was the story of this fight, as he just outmuscled Aguilera from the
get-go. In the first, a one-two from Arreola did some damage and backed
Aguilera into the ropes. This trend would repeat itself in the second, as
Arreola continued to pressure Aguilera with a basic one-two to take the round going
away. While Aguilera landed a few counter right hands, they were few and far
between.
In the third, Arreola dared
Aguilera to match his output, letting his hands go at will and pushing his
opponent on the ropes three separate times before an unimpeded barrage
highlighted by a heavy right hand snapped Aguilera’s head back and caused referee
Raul Caiz Jr. to wave the bout off.
Official time was 1:58.
Arreola’s win streak now
runs to three, as he jumps to 31-2 (27). Aguilera, a 24-year-old Dominican
who now lives in Newburgh, N.Y., falls to 16-6 (11).
JAVIER MOLINA UD4 DANNY FIGUEROA Light Middleweights
Molina, 148.25, the second
of two Goossen Tutor 2008 Olympians on the card, remained unbeaten with a
four-roundunanimous
decisionover
Figueroa, 148, who was coming off his first loss in four bouts last June.
Although only 21 years of
age, the native of nearby Norwalk displayed a plethora of skills, from double
left hooks upstairs and to the body, lead left uppercuts, and counter left
hooks, all of which landed from beginning to end.
Figueroa had his moments
when Molina covered up, touching up his foe with aleft hookto
the body and straight right hand.However,
he telegraphed the majority of his punches and Molina scooted away to safety
before unleashing his own attacks, most of which occurred on the ropes as the
bout progressed.
In the final round, Figueroa
traded with Molina and matched the Olympian punch for punch but it would be
insufficient to take the fight on the cards.
Scores were 40-36 for
Molina.
Molina’s record grows to 6-0
(4), while Figueroa, of Hastings, Minn., descends to 3-2 (2).
MATT VILLANUEVA TKO1 FRANK
GUTIERREZ Bantamweights
Villanueva, 117, wasfeaturedearlier this week on MaxBoxing and he
lived up to his ink with a first-round stoppage of Gutierrez, 118.
Oddly enough, all five of
Villanueva’s bouts had ended in victory via second-round stoppage and this
fight would be no different. Gutierrez, a southpaw who had recently been
stopped by prospects Michael Ruiz and Manuel Avila, was cautious early on,
constantly getting on the back foot after throwing his right jab.
However, Villanueva’s power
was on display early, as he took a step back on his own and floored Gutierrez
with a straight right off the counter. With seconds left in the first,
Villanueva threw a left hook that detonated in a pinpoint fashion on
Gutierrez’s chin that put him down and caused referee Ray Balewicz to end it at
2:56.
Villanueva, of Palmdale,
Calif., definitely impressed trainer Joe Goossen and new promoter Goossen Tutor
with the performance. The
23-year-old remains unbeaten at 6-0 (6). Gutierrez, of Highland, Calif.,
plummets to 2-10-2 (1).
SHAWN ESTRADA KO1 JOSEPH GARDNER Super Middleweights
Estrada, 174, another
Goossen Tutor-promoted Beijing Olympian from East Los Angeles, handed Gardner,
166, a one-sided first-round knockout.
The size and strength
discrepancy was evident from the opening bell and Estrada went to work right
away. After Gardner found his back touched the ropes, he moved to his
right only to walk into an Estrada left hook.The
time was 1:27.
The 26-year-old Estrada kept
his record unblemished, moving to 12-0 (11).Gardner,
of Woonsocket, R.I., tumbles to 7-3 (1).
DOMINIK BRITSCH TKO5 DELRAY
RAINES Middleweights
Britsch, 168, made his
American debut a memorable one with a fifth-round knockout of Raines, 167, of
Paris, Ark., who sported a 1-3-1 ledger in his last five that included
stoppages under two rounds to prospects David Lemieux, Ronald Hearns, andErislandy Lara.
From the outset, the
23-year-old Britsch employed a deliberate, boxing pace. Toward the end of
the second, Ulli Wegner-trained German floored Raines with what seemed to be
flurry completed by an overhand right, although Raines would complain to
referee Ray Balewicz about a headbutt to no avail. Lightning struck twice
for Britsch at the end of the third, as a left hook followed by two borderlinerabbit puncheswith his right hand put Raines down,
who got back up as the round concluded.
Britsch poured it on in the
fourth, slinging a variety of lefts and rights to the body. Raines tried
to return fire with a right uppercut but failed to inflict any significant
damage. Almost like clockwork, with seconds left, a Britsch left hook
collided with Raines’s ribcage and seemed to put him down for good. To his
credit, Raines got up again.
Raines showed a little fight
in the fifth, refusing to back down. “D-Ray” came forward and starting
utilizing head movement to get inside but it was not enough, as Britsch
continued to break his foe’s body down, waiting for the perfect moment to land
a short right hand that landed flush on Raines’s temple and sent him down one
final time, prompting Balewicz to call the bout at 2:21.
Sauerland-promoted Britsch,
of Bad Friedrichshall, Germany, rises to 23-0 (8); Raines plunges to 18-10-1
(13).
Ovsepyan, 147.75, originally
from the Armenian capital of Yerevan, pleased his contingent of compatriots
with a first round knockout of Brambila, 149.5, of Guadalajara, Mex, who was
mired in a five-fightlosing streak.
The 25-year-old Ovsepyan was
fresh off a three-round dismantling of Alex Viramontes last month and had
racked up seven knockouts in his last eight bouts.
This fight would be no
different, as Ovsepyan landed at will in the earlygoing followed by a single
screaming straight right hand moments later that landed at the point of
Brambila’s chin. Upon impact, Brambila crashed to the canvas and struggled
to get up, ultimately failing to get to his feet. Official time was 2:44.
Ovsepyan, 11-1 (9), has now
won 11 straight after dropping his debut three years ago. The opposite can
be said for Brambila, now defeated in 11 of his last 12. He stands at 9-15
(4).
ANDREY KLIMOV TKO3 TY
BARNETT Light Welterweights
In an entertaining opener
where neither guy came in as an opponent, Barnett, 135, met fellow 140-pound
prospect Klimov, 137.5, in a bout where the latter emerged victorious by
third-round stoppage.
Representing Washington,
D.C., the 28-year-old Barnett was ending a ten-month layoff after upsetting
Tyrese Hendrix last July. Klimov, also 28, was the reigning Russian
lightweight champion from Klimovsk. He came into the bout undefeated.
While Klimov’s corner urged
him to go to the body, Barnett’s seconds implored him to throw his right hand
after establishing the jab. Both fighters were able to score effectively
throughout the fight with stinging body attacks and three-punch combinations
upstairs. In the third, it seemed that Barnett finally began to get on his
bicycle.
However, it was to his
detriment as Klimov clipped Barnett with a series of punches punctuated by two
right hands and a left hook that had Barnett reeling into the ropes and down to
the canvas. Barnett rose to his feet but the referee had seen enough and
called a halt to the bout at 1:12.
Klimov’s momentum continues as his record improves to 11-0 (6). Barnett
loses his first pro bout, regressing to 18-2-1 (12).