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Austin Brooks Improves To 11-0
With KO Of Anthony Chavez
A sold-out crowd of nearly 2,000 fans enjoyed a memorable
night of boxing last night, presented by Toro Promotions,
Inc. and Whitfield Haydon Boxing, at the famed Emerald Queen
Casino in Tacoma, Washington.
“I will remember this show for a long, long time,”
co-promoter Whit Haydon said. “It was a special night that I
will have a hard time forgetting and that same sentiment was
imparted to me as well by many others in the building”
Boxing spotlight back to the Great Northwest and rising
super featherweight prospect Austin Brooks (11-0, 4 KOs),
making his debut as a headliner in his first scheduled
10-round fight versus dangerous Anthony Chavez (11-4-1, 3
KOs) in the main event.
The 27-year-old Brooks, fighting out of Coeur d’Alene,
Idaho, stepped up in class against Chavez, a 2015 USA
National Championships bronze medalist as an amateur.
Brooks, who has already fought several times on the ESPN
platform, cemented his reputation as a rising star with an
electric knockout of Chavez in the sixth round, culminating
an epic evening of boxing at Emerald Queen.
Brooks vs. Chavez was a strategic battle that abruptly ended
in the sixth round, when Brooks trapped Chavez in a corner
with his hands down. Brooks, a southpaw, cracked Chavez with
a powerful left that sent Chavez to the canvas. He was able
to beat the count, however, Brooks attacked his dazed
opponent, unloading a barrage of unanswered punches until
referee Joel Scobee waved off the fight.
The co-featured event couldn’t have been more evenly matched
as Seattle featherweight Gregory Cruz (5-2-1, 3 KOs) and
Roberto Negrete (4-2-1, 2 KOs) fought to a six-round
split-draw. Cruz and Negrete traded blows from start to
finish, throwing more than 1500 combined punches, according
to a ringside statistician, in an immensely entertaining
confrontation.
Undefeated Portland super lightweight prospect Lorenza
Caldera (7-0, 4 KOs) responded in a positive manner in the
stiffest test of his young pro career, stopping Filipino
veteran boxer Jake “D’ Twins” Bornea (14-5-1, 7 KOs), the
former WBO Asia Pacific Youth Flyweight Champion, in the
second round.
Fan favorite Joshua Cadena (2-0, 1 KO), a lightweight
fighting out of nearby Auburn (WA), much to the delight of
his many supporters on hand, took an impressive four-round
unanimous decision from a gritty Dan Hernandez (2-3, 1 KO)
in a war of attrition that was like an old fashioned
“barnburner.” The back-and-forth, action-packed fight was
compelling for the pumped-up fans who were on their
collective feet throughout the entire four rounds, in which
Cadena showcased his tremendous skills, energetic style, and
promising potential.
Undefeated Puerto Rican welterweight prospect Axl Melendez
Salgado (7-0, 4 KOs) kept his unblemished pro record intact,
although highly questionable work by referee Louis Jackvony
tarnished the outcome versus Tulsa welterweight Lyle
McFarlane (2-2, 1 KO). The competitive match-up was marred
by the referee’s overshadowing of the two boxers, ruling
three dubious - at best - deductions against McFarlane.
Salgado was leading fairly comfortably when Jackvony waved
off the fight in the fourth round, unfairly declaring a win
for Salgado by disqualification, resulting in a chorus of
boos from fans.
Detroit super lightweight Wesley Rivers (1-3) pulled off a
mild upset, winning three of four rounds on each of the
three judges’ scorecards for a four-round unanimous decision
victory over Richard Ray Howell (4-3-2, 2 KOs), of San
Antonio (TX). The evenly matched fight was clearly headed to
being a draw when Rivers registered a late knockdown for the
win.
Compton (CA) super lightweight Angel Rebollar (7-3, 3 KOs)
and super lightweight Esteban Munoz (7-4, 4 KOs) set the
pace and tone for the evening in the opening bout. Rebollar,
who was a 2019 USA Western Regional Junior Open Champion as
an amateur, and Chavez stood toe-to-toe, pounding each other
from the opening bell to the end of this rare five-round
match, which ended in a split decision for Rebollar.
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