Chavez & Flores Battle To Majority Decision Draw - Pound4Pound.com

Action Packed Night At Fantasy Springs Resort:
Chavez & Flores Battle To Majority Decision Draw

By Albert Castillo
Photos: William Trillo

Golden Boy Productions put together a solid card at Fantasy Springs Casino and Resort in Indio California this past Thursday night. Pound4Pound.com was in the house to capture the night of action-packed matches. In the main event Golden Boy’s most promising prospect, Jorge Chavez (14-0-1, 8 KO’s) battled Coachella’s Manny Flores for the WBA Continental USA Super Bantamweight Title.

However, Flores had other plans as he fought his heart out. Chavez displayed lightning-fast hands, exceptional footwork, and gave angles which frustrated Flores throughout the fight. Flores remained undaunted and worked to cutoff the ring. He threw heavy punches while Chavez shoe shined Flores with swift combinations.

The lasts two rounds had the crowd on their feet with many yelling, “Mannnny, Mannnny!” Flores responded and fought like a man possessed to capture the final two rounds. In the end one judge had it for Chavez, 97-93 while the other two judges had it 95-95 ending the bout in a majority draw. Let’s run it back!

In the Co-Main-Event of the evening New Yorker, Jordan Pantheon (11-1, 9 KO’s) and Phoenix, Arizona’s Farid Ngoga (11-1, 6 KO’s) fought for the WBA Continental Americas Gold Super Welterweight Title. This was a rough and tumble match with both fighters landing blows throughout each round.

By the tenth round Pantheon looked worse for the wear with a reddened face and a cut over his left eyebrow. One judge had the fight even at 95-95. The two others had it 96-94 and 97-93 for Jordan Ngoga.

The scores indicate how close the fight was and it could have easily gone the other way. Ngoga is declared the WBA Continental America Gold Super Welterweight Champion by majority decision.

Fan favorite and highly favored Grant Flores (11-0, 9 KO’s) out of Coachella, California, was rewarded with a TKO as Todd Manuel (23-24-1, 7 KO’s) of Raine, Louisiana, could not continue due to an injury to his right hand. Interestingly, Manuel never threw a right-hand punch and was shaking his right hand as soon as the fight began.

At the beginning of the second round Referee Rudy Barragan called on the ringside doctor to take a look at Manuel’s hand. It was then determined that Manuel could not continue. This was the 10th time that Manuel has been knocked out. The fight was called at .02 of the second round. Flores remains undefeated.

Highly popular, hometown up and comer Cayden Griffiths, (6-0, 6 KO’s) connected with a left hook to the gut of David Lobo Ramirez (18-6, 13 KO’s) that put Ramirez down and out for the fifth time in his career.

Referee Thomas Taylor waived off the fight at 1:54 of the fourth round. Griffiths showed heavy hands all night connecting with thudding combinations to the body of Ramirez. Griffiths remains perfect with 6 wins and 6 knockouts.

Cathedral City’s, Leonardo ”Bazooka” Sanchez, (9-0, 7 KO’s) was more like a toy cannon as he relentlessly pursued Mexican, Abraham Valdez (14-2, 9 KO’s) until he cornered him with combinations in which Valdez had no answer.

Referee Ray Corona stopped the bout at 2:16 of the 4th round. Sanchez, like a menacing bull put Valdez on his back foot the entire night. Even when Valdez landed a significant shot, Sanchez walked right through it delivering right and left combinations to the head and body until the stoppage.

Sanchez earned his ninth straight win and his 7th knockout. Sanchez stopped an opponent who had a formidable record and we look forward to seeing Sanchez continue to step up in competition.

In the TV opener undefeated Fabian Guzman, (8-0, 7 KO’s) out of Orange, California, continued his winning ways with a unanimous decision win over tough Argentinian, Brian Arregui, (11-6, 7 KO’s).

Arregui is the first opponent that Guzman was not able to knockout testifying to Arregui’s chin as Guzman did connect on some good shots. Arregui did have some success as acknowledged by the judges in their scoring which read, 78-74, 79-73, and 80-72 all in favor of Guzman to give him a unanimous decision win.

Hometown prospect Bryan Lua (10-0-1, 5 KO’s) and Colombian Kevin Piedrahita (10-3-1, 9 KO’s) fought a war of attrition. Knockout artist Piedrahita brought the heavy artillery with one big right hand in the fourth round that shook Lua.

Lua to his credit showed great mettle and a tremendous chin as he shook off the punch and battled back in the 5th round with combinations of his own. The fight went back and forth with each fighter owning every other round.

They both battled furiously throughout the fight. The judges had it right calling it a majority draw with two judges scoring it even 76-76, and one judge who had it 78-74 for Piedrahita.

In the opening bout of the evening, an entertaining battle ensued as Texan Javier Meza (4-0, 2 KO’s) bested Columbian Cesar Villarraga (11-13-1, 5 KO’s) in this 6-round contest.

Villarraga started his career as an 9-0 prospect, but his age (39) and experience could not overcome the youth and power of Meza.

Meza’s devastating body work and crisp combinations overwhelmed the aging Villarraga. In the end judges scored it 60-55, 59-54, and 59-54 all in favor of Meza.