Tag: Hector Tanajara

Angel Fierro rises from two knockdowns to stop Alberto Machado

Angel Fierro survived two knockdowns to stop lightweight contender Alberto Machado on Thursday in Puerto Rico.

A week ago, Angel Fierro was an unknown Mexican fighter. Now he’s a player in the lightweight division.

Fierro, who agreed to face lightweight contender Alberto Machado on less than two weeks notice, survived knockdowns in each of the first two rounds to stop Machado in Round 6 on Thursday at Albergue Olimpico in Salinas, Puerto Rico.

And the resident of Tijuana has his daughter to thank for it.

“He dropped me twice early on in the fight,” Fierro said through a translator. “I told my corner, ‘Remind me of my daughter because with this fight, I can change her life.’ And that’s exactly what they did after the third round.

“My daughter motivated me. … I said at the fighter meetings that I didn’t come to Puerto Rico to be a tourist. I came to win. And that’s exactly what I did.”

Machado is ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies even though he was 1-2 going in his previous three fights, both losses coming by knockout against Andrew Cancio in 2019.

And the 30-year-old southpaw once again proved to be vulnerable on Thursday night in his home country, although things certainly didn’t start that way.

Machado, boxing behind his jab, put Fierro (18-1-1, 14 KOs) down with a right hook about midway through Round 1. The Mexican, who is trained by Hall of Famer Erik Morales, wasn’t hurt but Machado got his attention. Then, with seconds remaining in Round 2, Fierro went down again from a harder right hook.

Machado (22-3, 18 KOs) continued to do good work in Round 3, particularly with body shots that seemed to hurt Fierro.

At that point, with his daughter in mind, Fierro decided enough was enough. He suddenly attacked Machado with abandon and began to turn the fight around, outworking the favored fighter from then on.

The end came in an instant. Fierro punctuated a wild flurry of punches with a left hook that caught Machado on the chin and put him on his back, under the lowest rope. That’s where Machado lay when the count reached 10.

The official time was 47 seconds of Round 6.

Fierro, who started jumping up and down before the count was complete, gave out a yell when it was clear he had won the scheduled 10-round bout.

“I’m ecstatic I could face a fighter of his caliber and come out victorious,” Fierro said.

Fierro, 22, had taken part in only one scheduled 10-round fight going into Thursday. He could have some 12-rounders in his near future.

Angel Fierro rises from two knockdowns to stop Alberto Machado

Angel Fierro survived two knockdowns to stop lightweight contender Alberto Machado on Thursday in Puerto Rico.

A week ago, Angel Fierro was an unknown Mexican fighter. Now he’s a player in the lightweight division.

Fierro, who agreed to face lightweight contender Alberto Machado on less than two weeks notice, survived knockdowns in each of the first two rounds to stop Machado in Round 6 on Thursday at Albergue Olimpico in Salinas, Puerto Rico.

And the resident of Tijuana has his daughter to thank for it.

“He dropped me twice early on in the fight,” Fierro said through a translator. “I told my corner, ‘Remind me of my daughter because with this fight, I can change her life.’ And that’s exactly what they did after the third round.

“My daughter motivated me. … I said at the fighter meetings that I didn’t come to Puerto Rico to be a tourist. I came to win. And that’s exactly what I did.”

Machado is ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies even though he was 1-2 going in his previous three fights, both losses coming by knockout against Andrew Cancio in 2019.

And the 30-year-old southpaw once again proved to be vulnerable on Thursday night in his home country, although things certainly didn’t start that way.

Machado, boxing behind his jab, put Fierro (18-1-1, 14 KOs) down with a right hook about midway through Round 1. The Mexican, who is trained by Hall of Famer Erik Morales, wasn’t hurt but Machado got his attention. Then, with seconds remaining in Round 2, Fierro went down again from a harder right hook.

Machado (22-3, 18 KOs) continued to do good work in Round 3, particularly with body shots that seemed to hurt Fierro.

At that point, with his daughter in mind, Fierro decided enough was enough. He suddenly attacked Machado with abandon and began to turn the fight around, outworking the favored fighter from then on.

The end came in an instant. Fierro punctuated a wild flurry of punches with a left hook that caught Machado on the chin and put him on his back, under the lowest rope. That’s where Machado lay when the count reached 10.

The official time was 47 seconds of Round 6.

Fierro, who started jumping up and down before the count was complete, gave out a yell when it was clear he had won the scheduled 10-round bout.

“I’m ecstatic I could face a fighter of his caliber and come out victorious,” Fierro said.

Fierro, 22, had taken part in only one scheduled 10-round fight going into Thursday. He could have some 12-rounders in his near future.

Report: Javier Fortuna likely to fight fill-in Hector Tanajara

Hector Tanajara probably will replace Jorge Linares as the foe for lightweight contender Javier Fortuna on Aug. 28, according to a report.

Hector Tanajara probably will replace Jorge Linares as the opponent for lightweight contender Javier Fortuna on Aug. 28, BoxingScene.com is reporting.

Linares on Friday had to pull out of the fight at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Tanajara (19-0, 5 KOs) was scheduled to face Mercito Gesta on the Vergil Ortiz Jr.-Samuel Vargas card on July 24, but the fight was canceled the day before when Gesta came down with a bug unrelated the coronavirus.

The handlers of Fortuna (35-2-1, 24 KOs) and Tanajara reportedly are waiting for approval from DAZN, which will stream the show.

Fortuna has won two fights in a row (with one no-contest) since he lost a split decision to then 135-pound titleholder Robert Easter in 2018. The Dominican came in overweight, which precluded him from fighting to the belt.

Tanajara, 23, is coming off arguably his biggest victory, a wide decision over veteran Juan Carlos Burgos in January. Fortuna would be a significant step up for the San Antonio fighter.

Hector Tanajara: Perpetual underdog, perpetual winner

Lightweight prospect Hector Tanajara is scheduled to fight veteran Mercito Gesta on the Vergil Ortiz-Samuel Vargas card on July 24.

Hector Tanajara feels as if he has always been an underdog. Tall, lean, not physically imposing. How good could he be?

Well, results speak for themselves. The San Antonio fighter finished with an amateur record of 125-10 and had the distinction of being a multi-time national champion. He’s 19-0 (5 KOs) in a pro career that is just beginning to take off.

Tanajara is coming off his biggest victory, a unanimous decision over rugged veteran Juan Carlos Burgos on Jan. 11 at the Alamodome. He won nine of 10 rounds on one card, eight of 10 on the other two.

He faces another tough, experienced opponent, Mercito Gesta, in a 10-round lightweight bout on the Vergil Ortiz-Samuel Vargas card July 24 in Indio, Calif., on DAZN.

“In my amateur career, I was always the underdog,” Tanajara told Boxing Junkie. “Even when I won the nationals, people who know me were surprised. They didn’t think I’d win tournaments. I was always a super skinny kid. They saw I had something once I got into the ring.

“I know how hard I work, I know what I have. And I know my time will come.”

Hector Tanajara has his hand raised after his impressive victory over Juan Carlos Burgos in January, his last fight. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy

Trainer Robert Garcia, one of the best in the business, saw something in the young fighter. He approached Tanajara when he was still an amateur and the two have been a team since then.

Tanajara, who turned pro in 2015, has traveled back and forth from San Antonio to the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, Calif., from the beginning. Still does. As a result, he has been able to spar with the some of the best Los Angeles-area fighters, including Abner Mares, Mikey Garcia and Joseph Diaz Jr.

That kind of experience under the watchful eye of Garcia has helped him grow as a fighter.

“The only way you can get better in boxing is by sparring elite guys, guys that have or are world champions,” he said. “Sometimes sparring guys at that level is harder than the actual fight. I’ve learned a lot.”

Gesta referred to Tanajara as a “very technical boxer.” He’s OK with that description. He takes pride in a skill set he has honed since he took up boxing at 11 years old, pride in his sharp ring acumen and the poise he exhibits in ring.

And while five knockouts in 19 fights might lead one to believe he can’t hurt his opponents, the opponents might say otherwise.

“I have some power,” he said. “A lot of guys I spar with would tell you that. The knockouts haven’t come mostly because they just haven’t presented themselves. At the end of the day, I don’t care as long as I get the win.

“And I think I still entertain the crowd even without a lot of knockouts.”

Gesta (32-3-3, 17 KOs) was stopped for the first time in his career by Juan Antonio Rodriguez in March of last year but Rodriguez is a bona fide puncher.

The fact is the 32-year-old Filipino is a skillful, experienced southpaw who moves well and has some power himself. In other words, we’ll have a better idea exactly how good Tanajara is after this fight.

Garcia likes his man’s chances.

“Hector is a very smart fighter,” Garcia told The Ventura County Star. “He has great boxing skills. He started working with Charles Trembley on his conditioning and strength. I really believe that will help him a lot.

“Gesta will be a difficult, tough fight. Gesta has lots of experience. We know that a win would put Hector a lot closer to a bigger fight and possible a championship fight.”

Indeed it would. He has already begun calling out the likes of Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. And that sort of fight would seem to be on the horizon.

Of course, Tanajara would almost certainly enter the ring as the underdog in such a matchup. Then, if his pattern continues, everyone would understand after the opening bell that he belongs in the ring at that level.

“Yes, I’m confident,” he said. “That’s how I was raised, that’s what my parents taught me. I know the hard work I’ve put in. I know some others aren’t working as hard and that they don’t have the quality work I have with Robert Garcia.

“I want to be a multiple-weight world champion, maybe in the Hall of Fame one day, to just be a name that people remember.”

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Jaime Munguia stops Gary O’Sullivan in middleweight debut

Jaime Munguia stops Gary O’Sullivan in the 11th round of his middleweight debut at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Jaime Munguia’s middleweight debut brought up all the concerns that had tailed him at 154: a slipshod defense, sloppy punches and an inconsistent jab. But none of them, alas, would jeopardize the Mexican on this night against Gary O’Sullivan.

After a rocky start, Munguia, a former junior middleweight titleholder, eventually took control of the 12-round fight, breaking down O’Sullivan en route to an 11th round stoppage in front of a partisan crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio. 

Munguia unleashed a barrage of punches in the final round, including a strafing right hand that dropped O’Sullivan for the first time in the fight. At that point his corner threw in the white towel. Referee Mark Calo-Oy stopped the bout at 2:17 of the 11th.

Asked to rate his performance, Munguia said “I would give myself about a 8 or 9.”

Up until the middle rounds, the veteran O’Sullivan had some success exposing Munguia’s inherent weaknesses. The Irishman stepped forward for most of the fight, landing some consequential straight right hands as Munguia loaded up on his own punches. Toward the end of Round 2, O’Sullivan caught Munguia’s attention with a mean right hand and followed it up with a couple of 1-2 combinations.

Munguia’s hulking build allowed him to overpower his opponents at 154, but it was clear he could not do the same with O’Sullivan. Munguia acknowledged afterward that he opened himself the most when he threw his flurries.

“I was kind of sure and unsure,” said the 23-year-old, referring to his game plan, “because when I had him hurt was when he would throw hard. So I waited for him to get tired and then go for the finish.”

Munguia (35-0, 28 KOs) perhaps benefited from landing several low blows, two of which forced O’Sullivan (30-4, 21 KOs) to take a knee in Rounds 6 and 7. Calo-Oy docked a point from Munguia in Round 6. In the late rounds, Munguia began breaking down O’Sullivan, who appeared to be on unsteady legs. 

The new weight might’ve helped Munguia in terms of stamina, but it’s clear that he still needs to shore up his defense, a perpetually weak area that an elite middleweight will have no problem taking advantage of. The fact that he struggled visibly at times with O’Sullivan, who is no more than a B-minus-level fighter, speaks volumes. Still, that did not dissuade Munguia from calling out the division’s titleholders.

“I want to fight against the best of the division,” he said, “whether that’s Canelo (Alvarez), (Gennadiy) Golovkin, or (Jermall) Charlo.”

Munguia’s handlers, Golden Boy and Zanfer Promotions, may want to slam the brakes on their charge. 2020 should be another year of development; the lions can wait. 

Alejandra Jimenez upsets Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become newest 168-pound titleholder

Former heavyweight Alejandra Jimenez upset Franchon Crews-Dezurn in 168-lb title fight

Claressa who?

Women’s super middleweight titleholder Franchon Crews-Dezurn and former heavyweight contender Alejandra Jimenez turned in an hellacious 10-round tussle on the undercard of the Jaime Munguia vs. Gary O’Sullivan main event at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

In the end, it was Jimenez who left the ring crowned as the newest titleholder of the 168-pound division.

Two of the judges had it 98-92 and 97-93 for Jimenez, while one had it 97-93.

Jimenez (13-0-1, 10 knockouts) was a freight train all night, drowning out the Baltimore-based Crews-Dezurn (6-2, 2 KOs) with an unending onslaught of punches. Crews-Dezurn never fully seemed to adjust to the pace. She looked dejected in her corner at times, and in a somewhat comical moment heading into Round 10, Crews-Dezurn appeared to be more concerned about her weave, rather than the fight, much to the consternation of her trainer Barry Hunter.

Both fighters came out winging shots in the opening round and never looked back. Early on, in Round 2, it appeared that the much larger Jimenez might eventually stop Crews-Dezurn, after landing a slew of unanswered right hands.

But Crews-Dezurn was able to mount a comeback in Round 5, though Jimenez made sure to make her work for every second. Gassed and wobbly-legged, Crews-Dezurn was still able to land the occasional overhand right to stay in the fight.  Still, it was Jimenez who was landing the cleaner punches and controlling the torrid pace of the fight. Perhaps she also wanted it more.

Certainly there was no other concern other than the fight at hand in Jimenez’s corner. The same can’t be said for Crews-Dezurn, who had to endure her trainer Hunter’s ire going into Round 10, after a second  ripped the damaged weave from her head. “Do you want your hair or you want your belts?” Hunter yelled.

After the bout, an emotional Jimenez stated she wanted to face titleholder Claressa Shields at middleweight.

Also on the undercard, lightweight prospect Hector Tanajara Jr. turned in one his more complete performances to date in a 10-round decision over Mexican veteran Juan Carlos Burgos.

One judge had it 99-91, while two others had it 97-92, all for the San Antonio-based Tanajara Jr., who was fighting in his hometown for the first time in his career. 

Tanajara, 23, began the fight working behind his jab, but midway he began mixing it up on the inside. In Round 6, Tanajara went on an offensive spree, delivering multiple unanswered left and rights to Burgos’ body.

But Burgos had his moments as well, getting in some nice body shots of his own, but he lacked a consistency in his attack to truly pose a threat.

Junior bantamweight Joshua Franco made short work of Jose Alejandro Burgos, snapping back Burgos’s head all night en route to a ninth-round stoppage.

Though Burgos fought at an aggressive pace — he was throwing nearly 100 punches per round — he routinely left his chin open by swinging so wildly. Franco took advantage of the openings by countering his foe pretty much at will.

Case in the point was in Round 7, when Franco (16-1-2, 8 KOs) connected on a right uppercut that had Burgos (17-3, 14 KOs) scatterbrained. In the pivotal Round 9, Franco found Burgos’ floating chin once more with a left hook, sending Franco into the ropes where Burgos unleashed a flurry. Rafael Ramos intervened, waving off the bout at 2:13.

There was a scare earlier in the night when junior welterweight prospect George Rincon (10-0, 7 KOs) collapsed after scoring a first-round knockout of Diego Vicente Perez (13-10-1, 11 KOs). Rincon reportedly suffered a seizure in his corner and was taken promptly to the hospital. Later in the night, DAZN broadcaster Claudia Trejos offered an encouraging update, clarifying that Rincon had simply fainted and that “there was no problem.”