McJoe Arroyo Yeej IBF Junior Bantamweight ntiaj teb Championship & Amir Imam khwv Txhaj Thaum 140-Phaus Title Nyob Showtime CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®
Saib Lub Replay Monday Ntawm 10 p.m. THIAB/PT rau SHOWTIME huab
STEP, Texas (Lub Xya hli ntuj 18, 2015) - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. khwv tau ib unanimous kev txiav txim siab (97-92, 98-91, 96-93) tshaj Marcos Reyes nyob rau hauv lub ntsiab kev tshwm sim ntawm Showtime CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING nyob rau hnub Saturday nyob rau hauv pem hauv ntej ntawm 9,245 nyob rau Don Haskins Center nyob rau hauv El Paso, Texas.
Reyes was the more active fighter – he doubled Chavez’s output – but simply couldn’t hurt his larger opponent. Following a loss at light heavyweight last April, Chavez txiav txim siab mus sim rau phiaj los nqis tes ntawm super middleweight.
Chavez (49-2-1, 32 Kos), uas tau sib ntaus sib tua rau lub thawj lub sij hawm nrog tus kws qhia Robert Garcia, seemed yuav tsum tau mus tsaws nws lub hwj chim txhaj tshuaj ntawm yuav, however he would pick his spots and had long bouts of inactivity. Although he was working with a new trainer, Chavez txuas ntxiv mus rau bulldoze rau pem hauv ntej thiab tiv thaiv ib tug heev zoo xws li cov sib ntaus raws li nws tau tiv thaiv nyob rau hauv lub Plaub Hlis Andrezj Fonfara, lub sij hawm no tawm tsam ib tug me me tus nrog sib ntaus.
“I won. This is big for me and Robert,” Chavez said. “I can do it better, but I won and that is the important thing. I’m going to fight at 168 phaus. Little by little, I’m going to get down in weight. We know we’re doing much better work in the gym.
“In the third round I hurt my left hand. I think it’s broken, Kuv tsis paub. I’ll see the doctor. With all respect to Reyes, hais tias kuv twb tsis mob kuv txhais tes kuv yuav tau khob qhov rooj nws tawm.
“I connected on the best punches to the chin and the body. Kuv mob nws, but I couldn’t finish him because I hurt my hand. He threw a lot of punches but missed a lot. Nws yeej tsis ua rau kuv mob. I felt I hurt him every time I landed.”
Tom qab kev sib ntaus, Reyes (33-3, 24 Kos) qhia nws cov ntaub ntawv mus Showtime reporter Jim Gray thiab taw tes tawm tus luj disparity.
“I feel I won the fight. I showed him how I box,” Reyes said. “I made the weight at 168 and he didn’t make weight. He’s like a light heavyweight fighting a middleweight.
"Kuv yog tawm tsam tag nrho cov yuav muaj tseeb - lub referee, qhov nyhav, txhua yam. I think I won the fight. It’s OK – I did my best.”
Nyob rau hauv lub co-feature, McJoe Arroyo yeej ib kev txiav txim tshaj Arthur Villanueva los yeej muaj cov tsis muaj IBF Junior Bantamweight ntiaj teb Championship tom qab lub bout raug nres ntawm 2:10 nyob rau hauv lub 10th round due to a deep gash over Villanueva’s right eye. The fight went to the judges’ scorecards and Villanueva was ahead 97-92, 98-91 tom qab lub tsev hais plaub ua tau qhab nia rau hauv lub 10th.
Lub Puerto Rico Arroyo (17-0, 8 Kos) los ua lub thib peb fighter ntawm cov kob los yeej ib 115-phaus title.
The lefty-righty matchup was at times highly technical and foul-filled. Referee Rafael Ramos deducted a point against Villanueva (27-1, 14 Kos) for leading with his head in the sixth. In a different clash in the sixth, a deep gash opened up over the right eye of Villanueva that ultimately led to the stoppage. Ramos ruled that the clash that opened the cut was unintentional.
Dr. Brian August inspected the cut midway through the seventh round and again after the eighth. Ramos again signaled for August to inspect the cut in the 10th and ruled that it was too deep to continue. In an interview with Jim Gray, Lub yim hli ntuj tau hais tias nws nres lub sib ntaus nyob rau hauv qhov zoo tshaj plaws kev txaus siab ntawm lub dav hlau tua rog tab sis hais tias Villanueva tias nws twb muaj tsis muaj lub xub ntiag teeb meem.
"Thaum nws nkag mus, he was entering low. He was clashing heads a lot,” Arroyo said. "Ua ntej sib ntaus, I knew he was a tough fighter. All Philippine fighters come to fight. I knew I had to be ready for 12 rounds, boxing or brawling. It was a competitive fight but we just worked harder every round.”
Thaum nug los ntawm Gray yog hais tias nws yog ib qho nyuaj mus nrhiav nws lub suab, Arroyo teb, “That’s a normal thing when a southpaw fights a right hander. We were both trying to be slick and smart. That happens when two boxers with the same style fight.”
Villanueva tsis pom zoo nrog cov stoppage thiab hu rau ib tug tam sim ntawd rematch.
"Nws yog ib tug ntxhib sib ntaus thiab tawv heev rau kuv tom qab lub headbutt,” Villanueva said. “I thought I won the fight. I didn’t want them to stop the fight because it was just getting into the flow. I’m disappointed with the stoppage. Kuv paub tias kuv tau tuav nws thiab kuv xav tau ib tam sim ntawd rematch. "
Nyob rau hauv lub qhib sib ntau sib tw ntawm yav tsaus ntuj, undefeated 140-phaus contender khob qhov rooj tawm Fernando Angulo nrog ib tug thundering cai mus khwv tau ib tug yuav tsum tua rau tus khiav ntawm cov teem lub caij nplooj zeeg showdown ntawm Viktor Postol thiab Lucas Matthysse rau lub tsis muaj WBC Super Hnav ntiaj teb Championship.
Nws nyob mus ua ib tug yooj yim sib ntaus rau Imam (18-0, 15 Kos), tab sis nws yeej ib txwm nyob rau hauv kev tswj thiab supremely tseeb, tsaws 54 feem pua ntawm nws lub hwj chim punches piv rau xwb 17 rau Angulo (28-10, 16 Kos). Imam ended the bout in brilliant fashion with a powerful right to Angulo’s ear, yuam nws tus nrog sib ntaus rau lub caij nplooj zeeg lub ntsej muag-rau pem hauv ntej mus rau lub hom ntaub khov heev thiab lub referee rau instantly nres lub contest rau :56.
“I take my hat off. He’s a good opponent,” Imam said. “I just hit him with a big shot on his ear and he was done.
“These guys get the belts and just hold it. I’m going to get the belt and hold it with pride.”
Hais tias Imam pab txhawb thiab Hall ntawm Famer Don King, "Nws yog ib qho zoo heev zoo - vim li cas kuv yuav tsum thiab ntau. You should never underestimate but pontificate when it comes to the ‘Young Master.’ We will take the belts and anyone that comes in front of us.”