Raul Saloman Wins in Pomona

Raul Saloman Wins Impressively at Pomona and More Results

By Sophia A. Reyes

(Photo by Brandon Rivas)

POMONA-No time was wasted in the ring at Boxfest Round 6 presented by Marvnation Promotions. The Derby Room was full of talented pro fighters and a lively crowd eager to support their favorite boxer. Even Marv Rodriguez himself was ringside making sure all eight bouts were up to par.

The super lightweight main event saw Angel Rodriquez (11-1) in a mismatch against Gabriel Gutierrez (7-13). It did not last long.

In the first round, Rodriquez’s monstrous overhand rights had Gutierrez down in the first round. Gutierrez insisted the fight continue, but was KO’d by a mean jab in the second. Rodriquez was the crowd favorite.

The co-main event featured massive middleweights and saw Raul Salomon (11-1, 9 Kos) knock out Geronimo Sacco (9-5-1). The southpaw Sacco managed to land a good jab cross combo, but it seemed as if Salomon’s head was conditioned to take pain. Salomon, the loudest fighter of the evening, never flinched once. His relentless uppercuts and terrifying walk down tactic against the opponent resulted in a W. Sacco’s corner stopped the fight just as the referee stopped the brawl at 1:35 into the second round.

In the most technical fight of the night, the flyweight bout between saw Christian Robles (8-0) defeat Dan Cormier (2-1) by unanimous decision. It was an impressive show of The Sweet Science.

Matched in height and skill, each boxer displayed extensive footwork, head movement, and tactical punches throughout all six rounds. Robles, the Jalisco, Mexico native, said “I had to pick up the pace faster than planned. I wish I could have been more elusive with my angles, but it was a great learning experience.”

The final round was a spectacle of non-stop bobbing and weaving with hooks from each opponent. Robles won by unanimous decision and remained undefeated.

Other bouts

Welterweights Juan Sanchez (4-0) knocked out Emmanuel Tennison (1-3) after an impressive three round rumble. Tennison started out with nice sharp hooks while Sanchez used his double jab to close the distance. By the end of round two the piercing body shots and upper cuts of 22-year-old Sanchez stole the show. Sanchez continued to walk down Tennison and won by a flurry of explosive punches in the 3rd round.

The blows kept coming by two dedicated featherweight fighters Francisco Rodriguez (6-0-1) and Daniel Olea (13-9-3) that ended in a majority draw. It was clear from the beginning that Olea was going to jam Rodriguez’s punches by constantly pressing his peek-a-boo guard against his opponent. Rodriquez had to rethink his approach in round two by using short jab cross combos and his shoulder to create distance then finishing with explosive body shots. Rounds three to six were filled with an exchange of constant level changing blows, each fighter landing several punches all resulting in a majority draw.

In a lightweight rumble, Rialto’s Ruben “El Gallito” Islas (6-0, 4 KOs) wasted no time using his lightning speed punches to strike down southpaw Christian Renteria (9-13) right before the first round bell. Islas had Renteria down twice in the second round finishing him with a right cross at 1:33 to win by KO.

In the second welterweight shuffle of the evening, Hevison Herrera (27-21-1) started out with good defensive skills and a powerful right cross but his overextending punches left him wide open for Vlad “Super Bad” Panin’s (14-1, 7 Kos) stinging uppercuts. Herrera was down in the second round by not just one but two of Super Bad’s unforgiving overhand rights, winning by KO.

Tennessee’s Avious Griffin (8-0, 7 Kos) won by knockout over Mexican opponent Danial Perales (12-24-2) in a welterweight fight. Although Perales was able to land a nice hook in the first round, his lack of punches kept him open to Griffin’s explosive right hook. There was a break in the first round due to long talks to each fighter by the referee. Fifty one seconds into the second round, Griffin, the Tennessee native, won by KO with a mean right cross to his opponent against the ropes.

In the first super lightweight bout of the evening Nolan Ticman (1-0) of Palm Springs won his pro debut by unanimous decision after four rounds against Pomona’s Keith Carson (0-6-1)

The juxtaposition of Ticman’s jittery fighting style to Carson’s calm statuesque stance was a strange sight to see. This was a pro debut for Ticman, who took his time to throw his first punches, and with Carson being a reactive boxer, this resulted in long nulls of no action. By the second and third round, Carson shined with some powerful combinations. Ticman, who was a crowd favorite, pivoted Carson into a corner simultaneously landing a sharp southpaw Jab. By the final round it was a corner ring brawl. Even though both fighters landed a notable amount of decent punches, Ticman won by unanimous decision.