Iron Boy
Promotions presented Iron Boy 49 from the storied Celebrity Theater in Phoenix,
AZ this evening. The six fight card offered the capacity crowd in attendance a bevvy
of young talent, local fan favorites, grizzled veterans, and a special treat not
often witnessed on a professional card - two amateur fights that featured fighters
from the Phoenix chapter of USA Boxing.
The co-main
event featured Fidel Hernandez (19-5-1, 10 KOs) as he did battle with Ulises
Jimenez (23-23-1, 15 KOs). This fight marked “OG’s” 2019 debut after a very
busy 2018 which saw him enter the squared circle four times with a grab bag of
decisions as he finished the year 2-1-1, all decided by the judges. Fidel last
stepped in the ring just four months ago as he fought Andrew Hernandez (a man
eight years his junior who’s gone toe-to-toe with stout talent such as Caleb
Plant and Jesse Hart) to a 10 round majority draw. Hernandez’s opponent tonight
was Ulises Jimenez, a fighter who’s engaged in combat with top tier fighters
such as Roberto Garcia and Samuel Vargas, who at only age 35 entered his 48th
professional fight.
The main
event pitted newly signed Top Rank boxer Francisco De Vaca in his last fight
for Iron Boy Promotions against Ernesto Guerrero, a veteran of 55 professional
bouts. The 24-year old De Vaca, also known as Panchito El Centenario, made his
first appearance of 2019 after a flawless 2018. De Vaca’s last fight emanated
from the Gila River Arena back in August on the undercard of the Ray Beltran
vs. Jose Pedraza ESPN clash (one I was lucky enough to have a ringside seat
for) as he earned an impressive unanimous decision victory over Jesus Serrano.
Amateur Fights
Mario Ruiz vs. Adrian Rodriguez
Three Rounds, Bantamweights
Decision: Adrian Rodriguez via UD
Both of these
young men took full advantage of the opportunity to participate on a professional
card as they came out ready to put on a show. Rodriguez was able to work around
the jab of Ruiz, who had a substantial reach advantage, to do some nice inside
work as he landed some crisp uppercuts. Rounds two and three saw Rodriguez start
to walk down Ruiz as he began to take control of the fight with some very
effective feints that kept Ruiz on his heels in conjunction with some additional
well placed uppercuts. The judges were all in accordance as Rodriguez took the
bout via unanimous decision.
Jacob Girardot vs. Thomas Valerio
Three Rounds, Featherweights
Decision: Thomas Valerio via SD
In the
second, and final, amateur bout of the evening, both young men displayed
unwavering tenacity as they stood toe-to-toe and gave 100% effort for three
rounds. Girardot displayed excellent head movement and a solid left hook
whereas Valerio, much like Mario Ruiz, was able to overcome his reach
“disadvantage” to move inside and score what turned out to be significant
points. I personally felt Girardot had done enough to win the fight by a narrow
margin, however, two of the judges saw it differently as Valerio earned the
split decision.
Professional Fights
Jose Castanon (0-1-0) vs. Eduardo Ayala (4-0-0,
1 KO)
Four Rounds, Light Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Decision: Eduardo Ayala via UD (40-36,
40-36, 40-36)
The first
bout of the professional portion of the card pitted a pair of Phoenix natives
against each other as the debuting Jose Castanon squared off with Eduardo
Ayala. Round one saw Ayala come out and press the action as he landed some
solid body shots, while Castanon looked primed to go but was a bit gun-shy which
could have been attributed to first pro fight jitters. In round two, Castanon
begin to establish an effective jab that was able to draw blood from the mouth
of Ayala, however, Ayala answered with several vicious combos highlighted by
some powerful body shots. Round three saw Ayala slow down a bit but Castanon was
unable to capitalize as he still allowed himself to be walked down and thus opened
himself up to some additional punishment and the development of a prominent
mouse under his right eye. In the fourth and final round, Castanon came out
reinvigorated and let his hands go while he continued to utilize an effective
jab, however, it was too little too late for a four round contest. The judges viewed
this bout unanimously as a clean sweep for Ayala.
Tim Ruiz (1-2-0, 1 KO) vs. Trini Ochoa (5-0-0,
2 KOs)
Four Rounds, Junior Welterweights (141 lbs)
Decision: Trini Ochoa via TKO in round 3
Tim “The
Toolman” Ruiz attempted to overwhelm Ochoa with a dose of reckless abandon in
the opening round, however, Ochoa displayed great patience and landed a right
hook to Ruiz’s ear that dropped him to his knees. Ochoa came out in round two
and delivered much of the same as he continued his tactically sound onslaught.
Ochoa’s well placed right hooks and straight rights bloodied the mouth of Ruiz, ejecting his mouthpiece in the process. In round three, just seconds after
Ochoa reintroduced Ruiz to the canvas, his continued assault led Ruiz to take a
knee leading to an impressive victory for the Mesa, AZ native.
Ulises Jimenez (23-24-1, 15 KOs) vs. Fidel
Hernandez (20-5-1, 11 KOs)
Eight Rounds, Super Middleweights (168 lbs)
Decision: Fidel Hernandez via TKO in round
3
In the
co-main event of the evening, Fidel “OG” Hernandez immediately brought the
hometown crowd to their feet as he made his way to the ring donning his
sunglasses to the classic War song “Lowrider.” From the opening bell, Jimenez
did not exude the body language of a man that wanted any part of this fight as
“OG” Hernandez continued to walk him down and cut off the ring leaving him on
his heels. Round two delivered much of the same as Jimenez continued to play
keep away, a tactic that almost backfired as he caught a right hook on the chin
that he was lucky to absorb. Jimenez entered round three like he was a
different fighter as he attempted to mount some offense, unfortunately for him, it exposed a window of opportunity for Hernandez to walk him into the corner.
OG was able to brutalize Jimenez with body shots that drove Jimenez to his
knees leading the referee to call a stop to the action.
Ernesto Guerrero (30-26-0, 20 KOs) vs. Francisco
C. DeVaca (20-0-0, 6 KOs)
Eight Rounds, Featherweights
Decision: Francisco De Vaca via UD (80-72,
80-72, 80-72)
Round one
was an extended feeling out process for the two pugilists as De Vaca walked
down Guerrero repeatedly and stayed busy enough to seemingly have taken the
round. Round two saw an uptick in the action as De Vaca quickly landed a stiff,
straight right that propelled Guerrero into the ropes with such velocity that I
thought he was going to land in the judge at ringside’s lap. Rounds three
through eight saw Guerrero enter survival mode as he seemed more interested in
wrapping up De Vaca than attempting to inflict any kind of punishment. De Vaca
on the other hand demonstrated a proficient jab and when he was able to engage
Guerrero, he landed body shots with sniper-like precision. The fight overall
was rather frustrating for the fans in attendance as De Vaca literally begged
Guerrero to engage him to little avail. In the end, it was no shocker that all
three judges agreed that De Vaca pitched a shutout as he was awarded the
unanimous decision.
Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!
