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North Texas Fisticuffs
Despite having having more ups and downs in his professional boxing career than a ride at Six Flags, Fort Worth’s Jose “El Loco” Hernandez has always resonated with fight fans here in North Texas. The humble young fighter fights with an indescribable tenacity in the ring that is as awe-inspiring as it is brutal. Unfortunately, Hernandez’s career has been perplexing as he has often found himself the “B-side” in a number of fights against ballyhooed young prospects. It’s not as if the likes of Michael Perez and Sharif Bogere were that much more talented than Hernandez, it was just that Hernandez often found himself taking these fights on short notice.
However, it appears that “El Loco’s” days of toiling in the cut throat business of boxing may have gotten a lot easier as word broke today that Hernandez has just signed on with the Espinoza Boxing management group.
“We are excited to sign Jose Hernandez,” stated Frank Espinoza via his Twitter account. “He’s an exciting fighter and always comes to fight. I feel he has a bright future.”
Hernandez seemed equally excited saying, “I’m happy to be apart of the Espinoza Boxing Club. I know I’m in good hands and excited to fight!”
Hernandez joins the roster of considerable talent under the Espinoza Boxing Club banner like Daniel Ponce De Leon, Luis Ramos, and Israel Vazquez.
Hernandez is coming off a win this past October against Justo Vallecillo and will most likely make his fighting debut with the Espinoza Boxing Club in February.
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Roberto Marroquin had a huge contingent of fans on his side at the Winstar Casino in Oklahoma on Saturday night. He came into this fight on his way to another winning streak, after suffering his only loss of his career about 5 months ago. His young professional record has him with an impressive twenty one wins and fourteen by KO with Top Rank and Bob Arum. Despite that only loss, he is determined to get back to what he expects from himself, and that is to win. He has gone back to the basics, under his new trainer Paul Reyes, the former trainer of world champions Donald Curry and Paulie Ayala. Marroquin followed his script, exactly the way he told it to northtexasfisticuffs several weeks ago. He went back to using his jab, his speed, his height against shorter opponents, and more of the unpredictable left hook. He also said he would be using the uppercut and that is what he used repeatedly against his opponent, Carlos Valcarcel (12-3-4). In addition to that, he also mentioned that his opponent would be holding in the fight and that is exactly what Valcarcel did throughout the fight.
Marroquin came into the fight in great shape and in the first two rounds he quickly started connecting with his jab and landing with both hands. His shorter opponent attempted to get in close, but Marroquin moved and countered with fast and hard punches. Marroquin also got in a few uppercuts just as he said he would. In the third round Marroquin connected with a smooth uppercut and continued to work his jab. Valcarcel covered up well and attempted to land a few punches but Marroquin landed a hard right to the head of his opponent. Valcarcel then landed a low punch and the crowd responded, but no warning was given. Marroquin was the aggressor throughout this round.
In the fourth round, Valcarcel starting throwing his jab and landed a few punches. Then Marroquin connected with a huge right to the head of Valcarcel and the crowd roared. He then followed up with a double combination and missed with his uppercut. The round progressed and Valcarcel was given a warning for holding. The round ends. In the fifth round, Marroquin lands a hard left cross to the head of Valcarcel and his head goes back. As the fight continues and as Valcarcel tried to get in close, Marroquin countered, and more of the holding continued. In frustration, the referee began to pull the arm of Valcarcel away from Marroquin. Marroquin then landed a good combination as his fans roared. At the end of the round, Valcarcel was given a warning for a late punch.
At the halfway point at the beginning of the sixth round, Marroquin landed a great overhand right to the head of Valcarcel. Valcarcel then began to force the action and them Marroquin began to connect again with his jab. Valcarcel then landed a left but Marroquin followed up with a fast uppercut and then Valcarcel landed his own left jab. Marroquin then went in for the kill and landed a barrage of punches on Valcarcel against the ropes. The crowd went crazy and then started chanting “Marroquin, Marroquin, Marroquin!.” At the end of the round, Marroquin landed another uppercut.
As the fight went into the seventh round, Marroquin began to really put the pressure on the game Valcarcel. Marroquin quickly landed a left jab and then followed up with a very quick combination on Valcarcel as he was on the ropes. Marroquin then followed up with two uppercuts and then another one. Valcarcel tried to hold but Marroquin then landed a right as they were on the ropes. At this point Valcarcel was bleeding from his mouth, but he fought on. Marroquin then connected with a heavy left hook to the body of Valcarcel. This was a huge round for Marroquin. In the eighth round Marroquin began by forcing the action and he began to throw multiple jabs as Valcarcel moved out of harms way. Marroquin then landed a triple combination and the crowd began to roar. This was another great round for Marroquin as he used all his weapons against his opponent who continued to hold.
In the ninth round the crowd was in full force and cheering with every punch that Marroquin landed. Marroquin continued to be aggressive in this round and started landing punches on Valcarcel as he was in the corner. He then landed more of his left jabs with continued speed in his hands. Valcarcel then attempted to land a combination, but Marroquin blocked the punches. Marroquin finished the round strong.
In the final round, just as it was announced, you could feel the entire audience was behind Marroquin. Marroquin started this round by landing a quick left jab on Valcarcel. Marroquin then quickly pursued his opponent and then continued to land his jab. As his opponent was in the corner, Marroquin landed a heavy left hook and right to the body. He then followed up with a left and right to the head of Valcarcel as he was on the ropes. Marroquin finished the round by landing the last punch. The up and coming Marroquin wins by unanimous decision. The score cards read 100-90, 100-90, 100-90, which was televised by Top Rank TV and Fox Deportes/FSN.
The Undercard:
Hector Vazquez vs. Julio Cesar Rangel
In the welterweight division, Hector Vazquez (7-1,2KO’s), another up and coming prospect from Dallas, Texas, put on a great performance against the tough Julio Cesar Rangel (8-4). From the outset I knew that this was going to be a good fight. I had seen Vazquez’ work before and I knew he was going to put on a good boxing exhibition. Vazquez started out with good movement around the ring and throwing his long jab as Rangel began to force the action. As Rangel advanced, Vazquez landed a few good body punches. Vazquez then landed three consecutive left jabs and Rangel just shrugged it off. The round continued with Rangel forcing the action as Vazquez steadily landed counter punches. The second round was almost identical to the first, except Vazquez landed a huge punch to the shoulder of Rangel that really shook him. Rangel was fortunate that it didn’t land, or major damage would have been done. Vazquez appeared to have won this round with numerous counterpunches. In the third round, the tough Rangel continued to force the action and then Vazquez landed a double combination. Rangel shrugged the punches off again. Suddenly Rangel landed a good overhand right to the head of the smooth Vazquez. Vazquez then attempted to land with a right and a left but Rangel covered up and blocksedthe punches. Rangel then lands a good right on Vazquez. At the end of the round, they slug it out on the ropes and the bell sounds. Rangel stares down Vazquez as he goes to his corner.
In the fourth round, at one point, Rangel just stands against the ropes as he lets Vazquez land consecutive punches on him. I guess to prove that Vazquez’ punches didn’t hurt him, to the enjoyment of the crowd. Rangel then began to stalk Vazquez around the ring as Vazquez just countered and moved away. As the round continues, Vazquez lands three consecutive left hooks to the body of Rangel, but Rangel doesn’t seem to be hurt. In the fifth round, the fresh Vazquez moves around the ring as Rangel continues to force the action. Rangel then lands a good right jab to the head of Vazquez. Vazquez then counters with a long right jab to the head of Rangel. Both fighters seemed to have rested till the end of this round. In the final round, both fighters were ready to go. At this point, Vazquez appeared to have a little mouse above his right eye. The game Rangel followed his same pattern of forcing the action and the crafty Vazquez continued to move and counter. Vazquez then connected with a huge right hand to the head of Rangel as he was on the ropes, and the crowd went wild. He then followed it up with a lightning fast triple combination as Rangel missed with a wild punch as the round ends. Vazquez wins the fight by unanimous decision. 59-55,59-55, 59-55.
Andy Ruiz vs. Theron Johnson
In the heavy weight division, the fans got to see one of the most exciting and heavy hitting fights of the night. The young and undefeated Andy Ruiz (13-0, 8KO’s) started off the first round by landing his heavy jab on the taller Theron Johnson (5-7). After a few exchanges by both fighters up close, suddenly Ruiz landed a monster short right cross to the head of Theron and down he went. Theron gained his senses and was able to hang on, literally, to the end of the round. In the second round, the heavy hitting Ruiz continued his punishment on Theron by landing a good left to the head and an overhand right. As they got in close to punch, Theron attempted to get in some easy body punches as he held on. This frustrated Ruiz, so he did the same. Ruiz then started to pound Johnson with heavy punches as they were on the ropes. In the third round, Johnson finally connected with a good left jab on Ruiz. Ruiz then began to move forward and lands a right hand to the head of Johnson. He then gets Johnson in the corner and lands a left and right and follows up with a hard left uppercut. Ruiz finishes the round by landing a combination on his taller opponent. At this point, the crowd were very excited to see how fast and hard the young heavyweight landed with both hands. He didn’t seem to landed. He seemed frustrated by all the holding. In the fourth round, Ruiz continued to move forward as he did in all the previous rounds. He then landed a left and right to the head of Johnson and finished up with another right. He continued with another hard left and landed another right. Ruiz then landed a big right and his opponent began to hold. Ruiz shakes his head in disgust. In the fifth round, Ruiz looked fresh and ready to do more punishment on Johnson. He moves forward and misses a huge right on Johnson, and Johnson gets in a right hand on Ruiz. They continue and then Ruiz lands a heavy left hand and a right on Johnson. Toward the end of the round Ruiz goes ballistic and starts pounding on Johnson all around the ring and on the ropes. Johnson hangs on till the end of the round. In the final round, Ruiz had the look of wanting to destroy his opponent, who at this time had a bloody mouth. Johnson had an anxious look on his face because he probably new that Ruiz was out to finish him off. After blocking a few punches from Ruiz, Johnson got in a glancing left and right on Ruiz. Ruiz just shook it off and then landed a huge overhand right on Johnson. Ruiz continued to pound Johnson until the end of the round. Ruiz was the winner by a unanimous decision. Keep an eye out for this heavyweight, he is going to make that division really exciting in the years to come.
Ivan Najera vs. Jerry Fuentes
In the junior welterweight division, Ivan Najera (5-0, 4KO’s) fought against Jerry Fuentes (2-1). The first round started off with a bang. Fuentes started off by landing a good right to the head of Najera. Najera then went after Fuentes and got him on the ropes. Suddenly Najera landed a huge left hook to the head of Fuentes, and Fuentes goes down. After the fight continued Najera went after Fuentes again, and then lands a left hook. Fuentes backpedals and lasts till the end of the round. In the second round, the longer reaching Fuentes gets Najera on the ropes and lands a few good punches. As Najera moves away from the ropes, Fuentes’ corner can be heard telling their fighter to “walk him down.” Then Fuentes lands a quick uppercut on Najera and then Najera lands his own uppercut and punches on Fuentes as he is on the ropes. At the end of the round, Najera throws a barrage of punches on Fuentes and goes in for the knockout. The round ends. In the fourth, Najera lands several punches on Fuentes in the corner as Fuentes’ mouth begins to bleed. As they continue, Fuentes switches his stance momentarily. Najera then begins to stalk Fuentes around the ring, but Fuentes catches him on the ropes and lands several punches. Najera continues his march forward and begins to punish the tough Fuentes. Najera lands a good left at the end of the round. In the fourth and final round of the fight, Najera continues advancing forward and Fuentes moves back. Fuentes then puts the pressure on Najera and lands several punches on Najera and his mouthpiece comes out. The round ended with Najera forcing Fuentes to backpedal till the bell sounded. Unanimous decision for Najera, 45-35, 45-35, 45-35.
The final three matches included a win by featherweight Luis Zarazua (3-0,1KO) against Guadalupe Perez (1-6). Perez came into the fight with four losses. In the third round Zarazua landed a huge uppercut and put Perez on the canvas. In the last round Zarazua lands a huge left and wobbles Perez and pounds him on the ropes. The round ends with Zarazua bleeding from his nose and the warrior Perez bleeding from his mouth. Unanimous decision for Zarazua. 40-34 on all three cards.
In addition to that fight, in the lightweight division, Jessie Roman defeated Angel Rodriguez. In the first round, Rodriguez puts Roman on the canvas with a left uppercut and Roman got up smiling. Despite the knockdown, Roman went on to score a unanimous decision against Rodriguez. 58-55, 57-56, 57-56.
All photos © Stacey Verbeek
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You would be hard-pressed to find a fight fan in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metorplex who doesn't believe that Oak Cliff's Roberto Marroquin is destined to win a major title at some point in his career. In the current hierarchy of North Texas based fighters Marroquin is without a doubt the one fighter who has managed to resonate to some tangible degree with fight fans on a national level. Promoted by boxing powerhouse Top Rank, Marroquin has been prominently featured on a number of major fight cards.
But, despite enjoying a meteoric rise over the course of his career it’s a bit perplexing that the general hype regarding Marroquin has cooled somewhat in the wake of his first, and only, professional loss this past April to Francisco Leal. It’s the great double standard applied to talented pugilists. Go undefeated and people will begin to question who a fighter has fought. Lose a competitive bout and all of a sudden people are in a hurray to declare the fighter an exposed fraud. Hell, it’s a no-win situation for a fighter and unfortunately, Marroquin has had to be subject to hushed whispers from his detractors. It’s unfair to levy such expectation and hope on any fighter but like it or not, that is the fight game.
Marroquin has managed to bounce back from his first loss, winning convincingly against two serviceable opponents. The most recent example was Marroquin’s whitewashing of Carlos Valcarcel this past weekend where he headlined the “Top Rank Live” card televised on Fox Sports Net. While that in itself is a great accomplishment one can’t help but think that 2012 should be the year that Marroquin makes the leap from talented regional attraction to bonafide title contender.
To hear both Marroquin and his promoter tell it, time is on their side. True, Marroquin is only 22 and despite having a glossy record of 21-1 the humble young fighter still has some technical holes that he needs to work on in order to become a complete fighter. But even at such a young age, relatively speaking, one can hope that Top Rank will begin to work to get Marroquin on some bigger stages. A fighter of Marroquin’s level should be a staple on ESPN, or, better yet ShoBox.
2012 brings with it a lot of hope and promise and for a fighter standing on the precipice of a title shot, fans of Marroquin can only hope that the new year brings a new champion to North Texas.
Photo by Stacey Verbeek
A source close to the situation has just informed North Texas Fisticuffs that Roy Spoon will not be fighting Marcus Hicks on the January 14 Element Fighting Championship card. In place of Spoon will be Longview’s Joshua Lee.
No luster is loss in this intriguing fight between hard0hitting welterweights. Hicks, a former WEC title challenger, is the personification of action while Lee brings with him the heart of a lion.
North Texas fight fans no doubt remember Lee for his two scintillating performances at against Jason Fisher and the aforementioned Roy Spoon at XKO 11 and XKO 13 respectively. To put it simply, Lee does not come to the DFW to lose.
Stay tuned to North Texas Fisticuffs for all your late-breaking news.
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WINSTAR CASINO, Saturday, Dec.17th, 2011,Thackerville, Okla. (Fox Deportes/FSN)
MAIN EVENT WINNER - ROBERTO MARROQUIN - DALLAS, TEXAS, UNANIMOUS DECISION, 100-90, 100-90, 100-90. Roberto Marroquin (124 lbs) vs. Carlos Valcarcel (124.2 lbs).
UNDERCARD:
Hector Vazquez (147 lbs) vs. Julio Cesar Rangel DALLAS TEXAS(145.4 lbs), 6 rounds, welterweights; WINNER - HECTOR VAZQUEZ, DALLAS, TEXAS, Unanimous Decision, 59-55,59-55, 59-55
Andy Ruiz (262.6 lbs) vs. Theron Johnson (231 lbs), 6 rounds, heavyweights; WINNER - ANDY RUIZ, Unanimous Decision, 60-53, 60-53, 60-53.
Ivan Najera (135.2 lbs) vs. Jerry Fuentes (134.6 lbs), 4 rounds, junior welterweights, WINNER - IVAN NAJERA, Unanimous Decision, 40-35, 40-35, 40-35.
Luis Zarazua (124.2 lbs) vs. Guadalupe Perez (123 lbs), 4 rounds, featherweights, WINNER - LUIS ZARAZUA, Unanimous Decision, 40-34, 40-34, 40-34.
Jessie Roman (135.8 lbs) vs. Angel Rodriguez (137.2 lbs), 6 rounds, lightweights; WINNER - JESSE ROMAN, Unanimous Decision, 58-55,57-56, 57-56.
Jose Roman (133.4 lbs) vs. Alejandro Rodriguez (133.4 lbs), 8 rounds, lightweights; WINNER: JOSE ROMAN
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WINSTAR CASINO, (MAIN EVENT), Saturday, Dec.17th, 2011,Thackerville, Okla. (Fox Deportes/FSN)
Main Event
Roberto Marroquin (124 lbs) vs. Carlos Valcarcel (124.2 lbs)
Undercard:
Jose Roman (133.4 lbs) vs. Alejandro Rodriguez (133.4 lbs), 8 rounds, lightweights;
Hector Vazquez (147 lbs) vs. Julio Cesar Rangel (145.4 lbs), 6 rounds, welterweights;
Andy Ruiz (262.6 lbs) vs. Theron Johnson (231 lbs), 6 rounds, heavyweights;
Jessie Roman (135.8 lbs) vs. Angel Rodriguez (137.2 lbs), 6 rounds, lightweights;
Ivan Najera (135.2 lbs) vs. Jerry Fuentes (134.6 lbs), 4 rounds, junior welterweights;
Luis Zarazua (124.2 lbs) vs.Guadalupe Perez (123.2 lbs), 4 rounds, featherweights no comments
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So, as a service to our beloved boxing scene here is a quick little calender of events that are taking place in the North Texas area.
Dec 17 - Professional boxing returns to Dallas (about damn time) as Black Gloves Promotions will host an exciting card at Gilley's in downtown Dallas. Expect the Hatley Brothers along with some of the area's more talented pugs in a night of great fisticuffs.
Jan 6-8 - The LBC Box-Offs at a location TBD. Catch some of our LBCs best and brightest boxers!
Jan 12-14 - The Regional Silver Gloves takes place in Little Rock, AR.
Jan 21 - Dallas Golden Gloves weigh-ins
Jan 25-28 - Dallas Golden Gloves taking place in Garland
Feb 1-4 - National Silver Gloves takes place in Independence, MO
Feb 10-12 - Texas State Box-Offs in Dallas. Location TBD
Feb 29- March 3 - Texas State Golden Gloves no comments
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