Fight:363051

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Roberto Vasquez 110 lbs beat Jorge Sanchez 111 lbs by KO at 2:24 in round 1 of 8

What a Night

By Christian Giudice in Panama

It’s unbelievable what you can see for $2.

There might be better spots to watch boxing, but for pure entertainment and unbridled passion, the Lions Club Gymnasium in Panama City was unequaled on Saturday.

It wouldn’t have been an event in Panama if there wasn’t absolute chaos, which essentially was the beauty of the entire night.

From an enraged boxing mom with a mean left hook to a fighter losing his shoe in the middle of a round to a toe-to-toe confrontation between future opponents after a bout, at times the gym in Calidonia turned into a Jerry Springer set and left little to the imagination.

Even where there wasn’t action - there was action.

It wasn’t unusual to see a slew of bodies from adults to children running up and pounding on the ring during the fight, or groups of little pugilist wannabes sneaking in the ring seconds after the bout ended to show off their mini-jabs.

In between fights, a man with an inflatable doll wowed the fight fans with a dance performance that left the crowd in hysterics. With the addictive salsa vibes in the background and the shouts of “chorizo”(sausage) by the venders, the atmosphere alone at the Maranon gym provided an unforgettable experience.

“You don’t see this in the states,” said promoter from Ring Promotions. “Welcome to Panama.”

But the theatrics outside the ring couldn’t hide the fact that there is an abundance of talent inside of it. Unfortunately, the purses ranging from $600 down to $100 don’t reflect the dedication that the individuals put into the sport.

Although 122-pounder Ricardo “Maestrito” Cordoba ranked No. 9 at jr. bantamweight by the WBO - handled Andres Ciriaco in the main event by pounding out an 8-round unanimous decision, it was the right hook of Roberto “La Arana” Vasquez that produced a brutal first-round knockout over Jorge “Ocu” Sanchez in flyweight action in the co-main event that mesmerized those in attendance.

Despite posting a clean unanimous decision (80-73 on all three cards)in the super-bantamweight matchup, Cordoba, 19, who many consider a symbol of hope for a boxing country stuck in quicksand, might need some fights at this weight before he feels comfortable.

Coming off five consecutive stoppages, including a third-round KO of Marcos Sanchez for the Panamanian Bantamweight title, the power that defined the accurate puncher in the lower weights didn’t transfer according to plan on Saturday. There were moments where he had Ciriaco off-balance, but was unable to finish him.

“I felt strong in the gym and during sparring, but not in the fight because of the weight,” said Cordoba. “That’s not the best performance of my career. But I realize that not all my fights can end with an impressive knockout.”

In the early rounds, Cordoba (16-0) was able to control the action with movement combined with a busy jab. In the fifth round, Cordoba put together a effective flurry, accentuated by a nice uppercut, but let Ciriaco escape unharmed.

“I am a world-rated fighter and he has to come to me,” said Cordoba. “In the first round, I noticed that my punches weren’t as effective as they were at the lower weights. (Ciriaco) was very resistant and punched very well.”

Sometimes it takes a fighter several opponents to realize how his body will respond to the addition pounds, and last night was a prime example. Before the fight, Cordoba who has fought from 112-118 pounds and feel comfortable at 115 - noted that the Ciriaco fight was a stepping stone to an all-Panama showdown with another talented bantamweight in “Pelenchin” Caballero, also undefeated.

As his body grows, he will learn to adjust in the ring. But Cordoba will not beat Caballero with the same strategy he employed on Saturday.

“My bodies is still developing,” said Cordoba. “(Pelenchin) is proven at 122 pounds and I am eight pounds below that weight. I want two fights at this weight before I face him.” As Cordoba continues to grow and get stronger, Vasquez (7-1) got a chance to add to a escalating collection of highlight-reel knockouts with a thunderous fight hook thrown from somewhere near the Canal.

Despite facing a shifty and elusive, but not dangerous, opponent in Sanchez (9-6-4), Vasquez utilized a paralyzing display of right hooks to the body, then to the head to slow down the jumpy Sanchez.

Seconds after the lethal punch was thrown, Sanchez’ handlers immediately rushed to the ring fearing the worst scenario. Luckily, Sanchez returned back to his feet with only a bruise to his ego. “My trainer told me to go out early and throw everything I had in the first two rounds and then start to box him,” said Vasquez. “But I didn’t have to wait that long. I was very focused on the fight and have been working very hard in the gym. I was prepared for any fight.” While the crowd was still whispering about the punch, “Arana” the Spider was being called out by a former opponent, Angelo Dotting, who had some choice words for the winner. Dotting was the only fighter to defeat Vasquez in his brief pro career. Neither boxer backed down as they met face to face on a stage behind the ring. “It is very important for me to fight. ... because he defeated me in my first fight,” said Vasquez. “I wasn’t prepared in that fight and I lacked experience. Now I am prepared to fight him and overcome that loss. I’m ready for him whenever he wants.”'''''

Said Agapito Sanchez: “I have sparred with Vasquez and he is a very good fighter. He has a chance of making a name for himself in the future.”'''''


Also, 6-foot welterweight Jose Arosemena stopped Alex Rios at 2:02 of the second round to improve his record to 8-1. Holding back on few occasions, Arosemena looked to dispatch Rios early. Utilizing his height advantage and a quadruple-series of left hooks, the confident fighter had Rios wincing with every punch.

In a brief interlude, Rios even had ample time to catch his breath as he was being fitted for another shoe after one came apart midway through the round. He returned to the ring with one red and one black shoe.

With a minute remaining in the second round, Rios took it upon himself to end the fight before the referee could intervene. After absorbing a series of right hands in an earlier exchange, Rios just turned his back and indicated that the power was too much for him. The bout was immediately halted before Arosemena could inflict anymore punishment. “I don’t care who is in front of me, I’m looking to knock them out when I get in the ring,” claimed Arosemena before the fight. He didn’t wait too long to back up his promise.

In other action, Agustin Menacho earned a points win over Edwin Diaz in a rugged 4-round light flyweight bout where neither fighter looked particularly sharp.

In the most controversial ending of the evening, welterweight Roberto Mosquera was handed a stoppage win over Alberto Murillo with one second remaining in the first round (2:59). Without having landed a decisive blow in the bout, Mosquera caught Murillo against the ropes in the last 10 seconds of the first round.

Jumping in to stop a very sluggish onslaught by Mosquera, where few punches actually landed, the referee covered Murillo on the ropes as if to say that was enough. Needless to say the confused crowd was not happy with the decision.

In fact, when the fight was stopped, Murillo might have taken less punishment than Mosquera.

“I don’t understand what happened,” said promoter and manager Luis Spada, who echoed the crowd’s sentiment. “It was crazy.”

However, the real drama began way before the ridiculous stoppage.

With no official platform for women’s boxing in Panama, two exhibition bouts were held on Saturday. Nevertheless, it was after a right uppercut by Francelin Cabrera stopped Lissbeth Gallardo 25 seconds into the first round when a brawl ensued. Just when Gallardo was being checked for possible injuries, her mother stormed to the ring apron, climbed between the ropes, and began throwing punches at Cabrera.

Although Cabrera had no answer for the fleet-footed, but past-her-prime pugilist, she moved to the other corner top avoid the frenzy and the possibility of knocking out two Gallardos in one night.

In the first bout of the night, young prospects Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno and Javier Tello fought to a four-round draw. The judges scored the bout, 39-38 Tello, 39-38 Moreno and 38-38. Even though he left two noticeable lumps under Tello’s eyes, Moreno, the favorite, might have taken a step back in his career, as few of his punches did any real damage.

  • * *

While trying to establish a solid foundation with native boxers like Mauricio Martinez, Miguelito Callist, Tito Mendoza and others, by cultivating young talent in a feeder program with guys like Vasquez and Cordoba - who may never get a chance to leave the country - is essential to the growth of the sport.

To many, the end of Roberto Duran’s career incited the death of boxing in Panama. Gonzalez, with the help of other promoters/managers, are trying to revive one of the most popular pastimes in Panama.

For the boxing tradtion is what separates the country of 2 million from its neighbors. No doubt there are some good fighters coming out of Panama, but no one knows it as visas are almost impossible to obtain because the fighters have no money and no significant income.

So, instead they are forced to recycle their opponents.

Instead of garnering attention on a wider scale, the boxers are mere cargo to be shuttled back and forth between Chiriqui and Colon to stand in front of faces all too familiar. “The problem here in Panama is that promoting fights in Panama is not a business. You will always lose money promoting fights in Panama,” said Gonzalez, who represents four boxers in Panama. “The purses of the boxers are too high to be compensated what you can charge on the entrance fees.

“The difference between here and in the states is that we have to pay the television stations to come here to try to show the public the boxing activity here in Panama. When Duran was champion, they made money because people attended the fights.” Nevertheless, it is the revolving door of fights that puts a noticeable dent and stagnates the progression of fighters like Vasquez and Cordoba, who has 16 fights against eight different fighters.

“It’s gotten to the point where I have to pay the challenger more than I pay my own fighter because I can’t find anyone to fight them,” said Gonzalez. “You start off in fights like this and the key is to get recognized outside Panama. And that is the problem.” For instance, Sanchez has been recycled more than a Coke can, having fought 16 fights in his short career, four of them against Jose Gonzalez and two contests each with Jairo Arango, Javier Pinto, Isidro Munoz and Christian Alvia.

Sure, Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta fought six times, but with over a combined 200 fights. Even more of a shame is that at the time of the fourth Sanchez/Gonzalez contest, Gonzalez only had six total fights.

The revolving door has left boxing in Panama searching for some identity.

No longer can it live off the reputations of former world champions who still inhabit the proud country. On Saturday, many of boxing’s past luminaries and present champions found their way to the gym in Calidonia including Ismael Laguna, Enrique Pinder, Agapito Sanchez, while Callist, Martinez and local cruiserweight sensation Luis Pineda, who showed up in a cast on his right hand from a recent sparring incident.

While the talent in the country rarely exceeds the lightweight limit, the lack of any noticeable middle or heavyweights have left the spigots dry for any real publicity. Pineda (14-3) is the only hope for bringing some notoriety to the heavier divisions.

It is difficult to sell any boxer who weighs 108 pounds, let alone one that has little or no connection to a U.S. based promoter or manager. There are very good fighters like lightweight contender Miguelito Callist and Caballero, but there needs to be a more effective way to promote these younger fighters.

So many of these kids have the “goods” but can find anyone to help them progress. “It is no good. Instead of fighting internationally. ... they are fighting the same 10 guys,” said Agapito Sanchez. “If they eventually want to fight for the title, there is no way that can happen.”

Boxing is strong in Panama as there hearts are in the right place and in some cases so are their fists, but as they proved Saturday night, there are some forgotten fighters wasting away in gyms hoping to hitchhike a ride to the states.

Any takers?

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