IFL 5 Rocks North Hollywood

IFL 5 Rocks North Hollywood Crowd

By Lauren Rodriguez

NORTH HOLLYWOOD-It was a big turnout for the Influencer Fight League’s IFL5 on Saturday.

A long line of fans stretched down the block surrounding the inside of the venue where IFL 5 took place. It was a bigger turnout than expected.

Influencer Albert Ochoa faced off against Marcus Portillo and the main event matchup was as entertaining as it promised to be for the ICB and IFL super welterweight championship at SAS movie studio. FIT tv and Influencer Fight League promoted the boxing card.

Portillo, the fan favorite of the night, garnered many cheers despite his lack of accuracy and constant fouls. Fighting his third fight in the last year, Ochoa fought with precision, patiently sitting in his punches before throwing them and quickly exiting. Portillo often went head first as he tried to duck Ochoa's 1-2 jabs. Keeping it a class act Ochoa often had his hands up as he waited for the referee to reset their face off. Many times, while the referee was trying to separate the two or Ochoa was turned away, Portillo would throw cheap shots at his opponent. The illegal actions in the fight were noticed by unbiased viewers who called for point removals from Portillo. The match seemed to end early as viewers along the ring questioned the abrupt ending in what appeared to be round 4. Despite the discrepancies with timing and penalties, the bout was scored a split decision. The final decision was valid as Albert Ochoa became the new ICB and IFL champion.

“I just want to keep learning, I want to thank all my trainers and everyone who believed in me. I just want to take some time off to really learn and spar as much as I can before I get in the ring again,” said Ochoa.

Battle of the Coaches

The battle between two boxing coaches, Vincent “Razor” Ruiz and Rico Gainzz was over as quickly as it began. It was in round 1 that Ruiz, who teaches at Mayweather Boxing and Fitness Hollywood, wrapped the match up the money team way. It was a right hand to the body that dazed Rico Gainzz, bringing a pause from the referee. After resuming it was clear that Gainzz was not as present in the ring as his opponent. A right hook by Razor completely stopped Gainzz in his tracks before the referee brought the bout to a final halt.

Battle of the Blondes

The only female fight of the night was between singer-songwriter Alaena and Fitness content creator Lindsey Flanders. Entering in a black and red bedazzled ensemble, the Pittsburgh singer had an audience of fans waving signs and cheering her on. Flanders, in pink and blue shorts, was a heavy hitter in the ring, power punching despite difficulties with her protective headgear. The two blondes remained consistent going jab for jab. Where Alaena had a reach advantage, Flanders had the power advantage that seemed to tire her out. The match was scored a split decision with Alaena as the winner.

Undercard

The fight between Sulli Odell and The Jaras was nothing short of entertaining from start to finish. Odell rolled under the ropes into the ring before doing a backflip off the corner. The chaotic duel was everything but boxing as the two threw every limb at each other. Some fans called it MMA, others called it wrestling and many didn’t know what to call it as the two fell around the ring. The two constantly had to be separated from wrestling, once bringing the referee into a wrestle on the ground with them. The match was declared a draw.

A contest between aspiring social media influencers, Christian “Chrissy Pooh” Wardy and Kevin “Icy Kevin” Correa ended in TKO. Training out of infamous Jack Rabbit Boxing in Long Beach, Wardy stopped his opponent with a sharp left hook to the back before attacking with a vicious combination. Jack Rabbit boxing is known to breed skillful boxers, professional and amateur.  A TKO victory for Ward improves the young boxer's amateur career while we hope to see him professionally soon.

The “Battle of the Rivals,” between Luis “Wicho” Segura and KC Fantastic LA was one of the realist boxing matches of the night. The two actually boxed around the ring while Segura led the rounds. With impeccable footwork, Segura was a tough opponent for KC whose camp could be heard reminding him to use his jab. The bout was a unanimous decision win for Segura.

In the “Battle of the Heavyweights” between Michael Mims and Anthony Kibbz. Mims led the first round as he used his jab to frustrate his opponent. Kibbz picked up momentum in the 2nd round as Mims tired. The bout was a split decision in favor of Mims.

The Battle for Clout was an interesting match as Mason ThaP and IiiWunder excited the crowd with their antics. Although IiiWunder had reached his advantage, MasonThaP managed to knock his opponent down in the first round before they resumed the match. The match was scored a unanimous decision of 2-1 with MasonThaP as winner.

The opening fight of the night was a 3-round match between Andress “Ace_Vuitton111” Parra and Julian “Jujudamack” Ramos. The fight was called to a halt by the referee after Parras lack of defense. The unanimous decision was a win for Ramos.

The event also included live performances during intermissions from artists KyleGee, Alibis and PlutoMaxx. Adding more action on top of the night, a tag team match hyped up fans. The tag team had the crowd cheering before team “Knockout withdrew.