CICERO STADIUM PRESENTS: Month of the Kings (1-12-08)
The MONTH of the KINGS
Friday, January 25th, 2008
CICERO STADIUM
Chris Guzman, Bolo Punch Boxing Hour, from ringside
This bitterly cold night in Cicero needed something to warm up the boxing-hungry patrons who crammed the Cicero Stadium to capacity. And Dominic Pesoli’s 8Count Promotions always seems to have a steady stream of talent to serve up for those who want to see tomorrow’s champions build up their experience levels. This night would not dissapoint.
The first fight of note staged featherweight Juan Carlos Velasquez (a hot, young Shelly Finkel prospect) against Noe Inzunza, a fighter with a 7-13 record. Velasquez outclassed Inzunza, but did get knocked down very briefly towards the end of the first round. It looked a bit like a slip, but it didn’t deter Velasquez from his goal of scoring a knockout. By the fourth round, the sheer numbers of punches that Velasquez was landing finally got to Inzunza, who took the 10-count while down on one knee. VELASQUEZ KO4
Next, we were treated to Juan Carlos’s twin brother, Carlos Ivan Velasquez, also the owner of a 6-0 record, although this brother’s wins have ALL come by knockout. Carlos Ivan, who fights at junior lightweight, has plenty of buzz around him for this reason, and he did not let any of his fans down, scoring a one-punch knockout (a short, fast left hand on the chin) over Ever Perez. The speed and power of these Velasquez brothers ensures that fireworks will be on display whenever they are on a fight card. VELASQUEZ KO1
Middleweights were next to showcase their talents, and with bigger men came bigger bombs being thrown. Daniel Jacobs, a Brooklyn prospect, stayed undefeated at 2-0 with 2 KO’s after sending a killer left hook to the body of Hector Lopez (1-3-1, 1 KO). Look out, middleweight and supermiddleweight division. Who knows what it will take to stop this young, hungry fighter? JACOBS KO1
Hugo Cazarez (Mexico) earned an easy unanimous decision over former strawweight champion Kermin Guardia (Colombia) after 10 rounds, setting up a rematch with Ivan Calderon in July or August. Cazares moves up to 26-4 with 19 KO’s, and stands a good chance to even the score with Calderon, and regain the junior flyweight title from him. CAZARES UNAN10
The last fight of note showcased local favorite Ivan Popoca, as he outworked, outclassed, and outfought Richard Baldo, who goes by the moniker “The Vicious Redneck”. Baldo, to his credit, stayed on his feet the entire first round, despite countless Popoca uppercuts and right hooks to the body. After two knockdowns in the second round, however, the referee was forced to stop the action. POPOCA TKO2
Be sure to check out the outstanding photos taken by our own Emil “Soda Popinski” Kegebein, from ringside of this 8Count Event.
**Special thanks to Dominic Pesoli and Bernie Bahrmasel of 8Count Promotions.
