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REPORT

Boxer Paul Nave claims elusive 20th win in San Rafael
By Scott Silveri; Marin Independent Journal Posted:10/19/2012 10:45:43 PM PDT [1]

The professional boxing main event between "The Marin Assassin" Paul Nave against  
Justin Danforth did not begin until 10:30 p.m under the lights on Friday night at  
Albert Park.Despite the late start, the elusive 20th victory Nave so desperately  
wanted was his.Nave won by unanimous decision with one judge scoring the fight 
80-72 and the two others 79-73.

The first fights were scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but did not start until closer 
to 8 p.m. After the third undercard bout between Novato's Marquita Lee and Fresno's 
Lisa Lopez ended, the final two fights were delayed even further. Lopez suffered  
anasthma attack shortly after the conclusion of her fight. She was to taken to an 
area hospital to receive treatment, but it was believed not to be too serious.

In the final round, with the decision still in question, Nave hammered Danforth 
with a fierce right cross that staggered his opponent. Blood continued to pour out 
of Danforth's ear as the 52-year-old Nave looked to have more stamina than his 
younger opponent Danforth, fighting out of Milwaukee, heard plenty of jeers from 
the Marin crowd as he entered the ring. A dark black robe and a mask reminiscent 
of Hannibal Lecter from the film "Silence of the Lambs" didn't help his cause.

The first round ended with neither fighter taking a clear advantage. Danforth did 
corner Nave, connecting on some clean blows. Danforth went down in the second 
round, much to the delight of the crowd. It was ruled a slip, however.

Nave recorded a nice combination to Danforth's body in the third round. A 
frustrated Danforth threw Nave to the canvas, garnering a warning from the referee. 
The pace of the fight picked up with both boxers initiating contact and being more 
aggressive. Danforth's trainer argued that Nave head butted his fighter, but to no 
avail. In the fifth round, there was some noticeable swelling over Danforth's right 
eye, which Nave continued to go after. At several moments in that round it appeared 
that Danforth was staggering, holding on to Nave. A low blow to Danforth gave both 
fighters pause, with Nave motioning at his opponent to continue.

Nave began to take over momentum of the fight, opening a cut on Danforth's ear. 
Danforth countered by appearing to knock Nave off his feet, another slip ruled by 
the referee. Whether this is Nave's final bout remains to be seen. At the very least
he left his Marin fans with one last night to remember.

Novato's Lee wins
In her second professional fight, Novato's Lee took care of business against Lewis, 
winning the four-round bout by unanimous decision. Round No. 3 is when Lee did her 
most damage, connecting on several combinations to the head of Lopez. Lopez battled 
back in the final round, working Lee into a corner and punching the body. However, 
it was too little too late to sway the judges' decision.
"I don't think you ever know what to expect, I was a lot more nervous for the first 
one," said Lee, who also fought on Nave's  undercard last September. "I was a little 
more relaxed and calm for this fight. I executed my game plan perfectly."

Macedo loses by decision
Novato's Rudy Macedo got his first taste of a big fight, his first as an amateur 
on a pro card. Macedo lost a unanimous decision to San Francisco's David Lopez. 
It appeared that Macedo had knocked down Lopez in the second round, but the referee 
had ruled that Lopez had slipped. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor 
of Lopez. "The later rounds he got more punches than me," Macedo said. "It was a 
good experience, definitely. I'm not used to fighting on pro cards."
Et cetera
Things got a little chippy at the end of the second undercard fight between Aldwaye 
Simpson of Richmond and Santa Rosa's Jovanni Rubio. Both fighters had to be separated 
after the final bell in the fourth round exchanging late punches. Simpson earned the 
unanimous decision. San Francisco's Laura Deanovic earned her first professional 
victory by decision over Claudia Amaro of Fresno in the fourth and final undercard fight.