Oswaldo Novoa, Mario Andrade Fight To Draw In Mexico

By Jake Donovan

Oswaldo Novoa was generally viewed during his time as a strawweight tiltist as the weakest entry of the field. Now that there is no longer a belt around his waist, the 33-year old looks like just another fighter. 

His lack of superiority was evident in behind held to draw by fringe journeyman Mario Andrade in their 10-round bout Saturday evening at Centro de Espectaculos in Hidalgo, Mexico.

Scores were 96-95 Novao and matching tallies of 95-95 even.

The bout was Novoa's first since watching his strawweight title reign come to an end at the hands of unbeaten Wanheng Menayothin last November in Thailand. His lone successful defense came at this very venue, stopping Alcides Martinez in eight rounds last June. 

Lightning didn't strike twice for Novoa, who struggled far more than should've been the case for an ex-champion against a journeyman like Andrade. An intended confidence builder instead became a nip-and-tuck affair, with Novoa looking every bit the fringe contender he was believed to be prior to dethroning former strawweight champion Xiong Zhao Zhong on the road in China one year ago.

Novoa now dips to 14-6-2 (8KOs). Andrade's record now stands at 6-5-5 (1KO), having fought on even terms with four of his last seven opponents.  

UNDERCARD

Alondra Garcia picked up her first win in nearly a year, defeating Ivoon Rosas in the 9th round of their cut-shortened junior flyweight contest. Garcia (11-2-1, 1KO) was having her way for much of the night, though Rosas never stopped charging forward. 

It was Rosas' aggression that resulted in the end of the fight, as a clash of heads left Garcia with a streaming cut high on her forehead. The wound was rendered irreparable by the ringside physician, thus bringing the night to an end for both fighters at 0:30 of round nine.

A bizarre ruling rendered 19-year old Garcia as the winner by disqualification, even with the fight ending on an accidental foul. 

Both bouts aired live on Fox Deportes in the United States.