by Chris 'Polish Hitman' Morris, click here for photos

Galvadon Promotions put on the ‘fight card of the year’ last night in Colorado Springs, Colorado with a nine bout billing. In the main event Izaak Cardona starched Demetrius Walker in two and Jeremy Ramos turned back the challenge of Johnny Rodriguez. The under card provided some high level and high action fights as well.

Izaak Cardona, 14-2, 14KOs, kept his perfect KO streak intact as he put Walker down twice in the first before putting him away in the second as Stephen Blea waved off the count at the 1:12 mark. Cardona needs a ‘break out’ fight this year. He had it scheduled against Marco Antonio Rubio, but that card fell through. I would love to see Cardona challenge another of the up and coming prospects or a savvy veteran. Someone like Derek Edwards or the aforementioned Rubio would be perfect.

Ramos Punishes the Punisher Over Six

Super welterweight Jeremy Ramos, 9-1, 4KOs, continues to impress putting together a four fight win streak after his lone loss to Brad Jackson, which looks very farcical in hindsight. Rodriguez took some bombs on the chin and to the body, but, to his credit, he never stopped fighting and never went into survival mode.

Ramos sets the tone in the first as he is sticking and moving very well. Rodriguez focuses, smartly, his attack on the body, looking to take some air out of Ramos tires. Near the end of the round Rodriguez lands a big right hand, but, Ramos took it very well. Ramos is on the jab in the second and begins to go downstairs as well. Ramos hurts him with a hard body shot then hook combination. Rodriguez lands a nice right hand and they get tangled up sending Ramos to the canvass on a correctly ruled slip by Rob Mullings. Late in the round Ramos hurts him again with a body shot and has him on the brink of an early stoppage. Rodriguez survives only to be dropped, hard, right at the bell. This fight would have ended right there if there were another 30 second in the round.

Rodriguez looks very discouraged and it would seem the reality of being in over his head began to set in early in the third. Ramos is breaking him down with combinations. Very seldom does Ramos throw single shots and punching in combination makes it hard to win a round. Ramos punctuates the round with a perfect 1-2-3 right on the point of the chin to end the round. Rodriguez continues to focus on the body, but, Ramos is not slowing down in the slightest. He keeps punching and just too sharp for Rodriguez. Ramos lands a pull counter that stops him in his tracks and follows that up with a beautiful five piece combination.

The fight is becoming very one sided and Ramos starts target practice on the fading Rodriguez, hitting him with power shots. Rodriguez lands an uppercut and hook to the body, but he looks spent as well he should. The big question is what, exactly, is keeping Rodriguez upright on his feet?

More of the same in the sixth as Ramos is teeing off at will. He lands a nice double left hook to the head then body. Ramos hurts him again with a left hook late in the round.

The RMB scorecard is a shutout at 60-54. Judges ringside Tyrone Short and Ed Kugler have it 59-55 while Jeanne McEvoy sees it closer at 58-56. Ramos moves to 9-1, 4KOs, while Rodriguez suffers his first defeat slipping to 5-1, 5KOs.

Ramos was training for a bout with Donyil Livingston bout on Showtime before Livingston decided to pull the plug. Ramos is a tough out for anyone and a bout with someone like Frank Galarza or Chris Peason, whom he shares a common opponent with, would be nice step up fights. Pearson stopped Arturo Crespin in six while Ramos put him away in four. Rodriguez should simply stay within his weight class at welter. A rematch with Chino Carrillo could be in order or maybe someone like Tyler Pogline.

Galvadon Comes Off The Canvass To Dominate Perez

Featherweight prospect Chris Galvadon had a huge scare in his four rounder with Salvador Perez. Galvadon comes out very calm and it turns out, maybe a bit too calm. Early in the first Perez lands a left hook that stuns Galvadon and another that puts him flat on his back. The knockdown looked devastating, but, Galvadon got up and showed no ill effects finishing the round strong.

Suffering a knockdown in a four rounder really places a fighter ‘behind the eight ball’ to speak. Galvadon knows he must win the remaining three rounds to salvage a victory. He didn’t look to win rounds though, he was in seek and destroy mode, walking Perez down and hitting him with some heavy leather.

While Galvadon was dominate, Perez did have more than his share of moments. He rocked Galvadon on several occasions with hard left hooks and long overhand rights. Hard to tell if this points to a defensive flaw in Galvadon or he is simply walking threw Perez, not caring if he takes punches in the process.

It’s all Galvadon in the third and he adds hard body shots to the fuselage. Perez is beaten and battered. Galvadon tried to close the show in the fourth as he had Perez trapped in the ropes and banged away to the body and head bringing the crowd to their feet. Speaking with referee Stephen Blea afterward he said he was very close to stepping in and stopping the fight.

Galvadon remains undefeated going to 7-0, 2KOs while Perez falls to 2-8-2, 1KO.

Jacoby Simply Wants It More Than Terrible Tommy

Rubin Jacoby might not have an elite skill set nor heavy hands, but, he does have will power and a desire to win as he outworked ‘Terrible’ Tommy Atencio, who, honestly, looked terrible and might consider calling it a career.

Atencio was very soft around the middle for this super lightweight bout. Ideally Atencio fights at 26’s or 30’s and the extra weight really slowed him down. Jacoby just keeps punching. He will take a few to give a few and he is wearing Atencio down with pure attrition.

Jacoby switches stances and keeps his hands busy, just touching over and over. Atencio showed flashes of the prospect he once was as he stole the opening stanza on my card. From there is was the Jacoby Show as he never let up and never took a step backwards.

Judges ringside Ed Kugler and Tyrone Short both score the bout the same as RMB at 39-37 while Jeanne McEvoy saw it a shut out at 40-36.

‘Terrible’ Tommy could make a final run but his career maybe quickly coming to the end. He could provide a litmus test for Chris Galvadon. For Jacoby he has put together 3 wins in a row after a five year layoff. I think a bout between he and Helario Medina would be a nice step. Jacoby reaches even ground landing at 4-4, 2KOs and Atencio is now 7-9-1, 4KOs.

Belmontes Outclasses Diaz

Steve Belmontes and his father Salvador flew in from Texas to take on local pug Antonio Diaz and he was impressive in doing so. He was very polished for only his second pro fight and he could be someone to watch for.

Diaz is all effort and heart but Belmontes is simply too skillful for Diaz to handle. Belmontes uses purposeful footwork to set up his combinations. He lands and moves away before Diaz can land. Belmontes establishes his jab early and uses it well. He uses a body jab as a reset whenever Diaz loads up to throw. Belmontes is beating him to the punch.

Earlier in the night, Belmontes cornerman, Ernest Reyna, lost to Joey Montoya. He proceeds to talk shit from the corner about how shitty Colorado is and ‘show them what’s up with Texas’ while complaining about his decision. Not the best way to gain favor for the visiting fighter. It’s also pretty childish.

Belmontes lands a low blow and referee Rob Mullings gives Diaz some recovery time. In the fourth Belmontes goes inside where he continues to beat Diaz to the punch. Belmontes even looked good in reverse as he landed double hooks while back peddling. A pair of hard body shots has Diaz on his bike for the remainder of the round.

Belmontes is now 2-0 while Diaz drops his second in a row falling to 5-3, 2KOs.

Abdullah Debuts With Win

In my ‘fight of the night’ Raheem Abdullah, son of Olympic coach Basheer Abdullah, squeaked out a split decision win over a very game Adrian Pineda. Abdullah didn’t have his father in his corner but rather the legendary Dickie Wood and his side kick Carlos Ibarra. Pineda fights out of the Ghost Town Gladiators stable run by Raul ‘Romo’ Utajara.

Pineda comes out on fire as he is tearing into Abdullah’s body with hard hooks in combination. Abdullah is calm under fire picks with the jab. They trade jabs and it’s apparent these are two highly skilled fighters in a competitive bout. Abdullah lands a lead right hand but Pineda wins the first on his volume body punching. In the second Abdullah picks up the pace and starts finding a home for his jab as a stiff one bloodies Pineda’s nose. Pineda focuses on the body and he hooks away whenever he can. Abdullah lands a nice counter 1-2 over a right hand. He finishes the round strong with a combination and wins the round on the RMB card.

Pineda starts every round fast, but, seems to finish slow. His body shots are hard but they may not have time to take full effect in a four rounder. Abdullah is having some problems with distance as he falls in behind the 1-2 smothering himself out of punching position. When Pineda goes to the body Abdullah ‘shells up’ and allows it. Abdullah gets Pineda trapped in the ropes and lands hard shots. Late in the round Abdullah lands a shot behind the ear that wobbles Pineda and is the difference in the round on the RMB card. Both men are on a mission in the fourth and final round. Pineda knows he needs it as does Abdullah. When Abdullah jabs, Pineda is slamming in a right hook to the body, it’s pretty. Abdullah lands a 1-2-3 and pushes Pineda to the corner where he looks to unload including a hard inside uppercut.

Mid round Pineda loses his mouthpiece and Rob Mullings takes a point. Although it was the third time it was dislodged, I didn’t feel the penalty was warranted. In no way did he purposely spit it out for a rest or advantage, Abdullah was knocking it out. Coach Romo is absolutely furious about the call and he gives Mullings the business after the bout. Mulling quipped to me that he lost it three times in a four rounder.

Thankfully it doesn’t affect the outcome of a great and highly competitive fight. RMB scores it 39-35 with the deduction. Judges ringside have a split decision as Ed Kugler has it a shutout at 40-35, Tyrone Short has it 39-36 and Jeanne McEvoy scores it 38-37 for Pineda. If you add back the point taken the two cards for Abdullah would still be his at 40-36 and 39-37.

Abdullah debuts with a very hard fought win and Pineda falls to .500 at 1-1. This was a great fight and I expect each of these fighters to make some waves as they get further into their pro careers. A rematch is certainly warranted, but, I’d like to see them get 5 or so fights between now and then.

Pineda is as likeable as they come. After the decision he was pure class congratulating Abdullah and saying ‘Hey brother that was fun, great fight!’ rather than putting forth complaint.

Montoya Beasts Reyna

Joey ‘The Beast’ Montoya played rock ‘em sock ‘em robots with Emest Reyna over four hard fought rounds. Reyna is loading up with big shots and lands an overhand right that puts Montoya down. Montoya beats the count but is now down 10-8 in a four rounder. There is a sense of urgency from his father Mike in the corner. A clash of heads opens a nasty cut on the left eyelid of Reyna.

In the second Montoya is loading up for big shots. They get tangled in the ropes and Montoya nearly lands in my lap. There is a lot of wrestling for position. Reyna lands a nice inside hook but Montoya lands an uppercut and left hook followed by another hook that land hard. Reyna takes them well as asks for more.

Montoya opens the third with a hard right hand right on the kisser. Reyna fires back with a right hook of his own. There is a very ugly knot developing under the right eye of Reyna as Montoya begins to take over on the strength of his landing bombs. It’s more of the same in the fourth as Reyna feels the Mile High altitude and fades. Montoya can’t miss with the left hook and he picks up the final round. He beat Reyna from pillar to post and RMB scores a 10-8 round sans knockdown.

Judges ringside Ed Kugler and Jeanne McEvoy score it 38-37 while Tyrone Short also sees a 10-8 round in Montoya’s favor as his card reads 38-36.

Montoya wins his fourth in a row, not counting his BKB bout, and his record stands at 9-2-3, 3KOs. Montoya scaled in at 184.6 for this bout. I would really like to see him get down to 175’s where I think his size and power would be a bigger factor. Reyna’s record slips to 6-3, 3KOs.

Johnson Beats Berto/Broner Clone Josh Wilson

Isaac Johnson, who is an MMA crossover, debuted in style as he stalked and beat Josh Wilson, who looks like Andre Berto trying to be Adrian Broner. Lots of posturing and posing but very little punching.

Wilson is awkward but ineffective. He lands a slapping right hand early. Johnson is working the body and lands a hard right hand to steal a slow opening round. Johnson is getting in a groove and lands a nice 1-2 with Wilson pinned in the ropes. Wilson lands a right hook to get out of trouble. From Johnson’s corner he is getting sound advice from his trainer Chris Solarzano. Solarzano shouts ‘nose is red, that means we’re touching it’ and after a very unorthodox bit of footwork he tells his charge ‘never do that again, that’s garbage. Don’t do it anymore.’

Johnson is just too strong and consistent for Wilson. Wilson seems to fight best when pressured, almost out of survival to a degree. If he would keep that intensity for the entirety of a round he would do much better winning rounds. Johnson lands a nice counter 1-2 and quickly moves away. Wilson lands a hard right hand that puts Johnson on his heels momentarily. It’s too little too late as RMB scores it 40-36 a shutout for Johnson. Judges ringside all agree turning in the same 4-0 scorecard.

Johnson debuts with a win and Wilson is 0-2.

Marquez Debuts With Win

Freddy Marquez, fighting out of the Ghost Town Gladiators is a prospect to watch. This bout was contracted at 122 pounds, but, according to coach Raul Utajara ‘he is really a 115 pounder’. The extra weight didn’t slow him down as he takes it to Joe Muniz.

Marquez starts out pumping his jab into Muniz’ face. He has a nice move where he slips the jab and dives in with a left hook to the body. Muniz is content to follow him around and clinch when possibe. For Muniz his best punches are in and out the clinches. Marquez is punching in combination and finishes his exchanges with left hooks to the body. He looks super sharp.

Muniz comes to life in the third as he stands his ground, sits down on his punches and land hard shots to the head of Marquez. Muniz, the bigger man, is looking to rough it up on the inside. He lands a looping over hand right that stuns Marquez. Marquez looks to hit the body but Muniz picks up the round landing the harder and more effective blows to win the round.

Marquez is on fire in the fourth as he is landing double left hooks to the body. He then opens up a straight right and left hook that land flush. Marquez is having his busiest round of the fight and Muniz can’t match the pace. Marquez lands a hard right hand timing Muniz on the way in.

Marquez debuts with a win and Muniz a loss. In speaking with Romo Utajara he told me ‘this might be the most athletic kid I’ve ever had in my gym. I think he probably has the most potential I’ve every worked with’. Very high praise from a man who trains fan favorite Chino Carrillo. Keep an eye out for Marquez. When he gets a few more bouts under his belt, I’d like to see him do battle with Damien Vasquez.

What a great night of fights. Each bout was a battle and well matched, the exception being the Cardona bout. This was the best card of the year inside the borders of Colorado. Galvadon Promotions gained some ground as this show was nearly sold out and fans were on their feet most of the night. Hopefully the fans will show up in force again for their next show.