(SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) – The Battle Across the Border between the United States and Mexico kicked off USA Boxing’s 2008 calendar with an exciting night of action on Friday at the San Diego Arena in San Diego, Calif. Mexico’s full Olympic team took the ring to face off with the United States in the Olympic-style boxing dual..
Three U.S. boxers took home victories in Friday’s action. Welterweight Greg Carter (Waterbury, Conn./NMU) earned the first U.S. victory of the night with a 24-13 decision over Oscar Molina of Mexico. Molina held a slim one-point lead at the end of the first round, but it was the last advantage he would enjoy. Despite having a point taken in the second round, Carter took an 11-10 lead at the midway point of the contest. He extended his lead over the final four minutes, taking a 15-10 edge into the final round of boxing. Carter blew it open in the fourth round on his way to a 24-13 final decision.
Heavyweight David Carey (Anchorage, Alaska) simply would not be denied in his bout with Mexico’s Javier Torres. Carey took a slim early lead in the bout, holding a one point advantage after each of the first two rounds. He began to take over the contest in the third round, and enjoyed an 18-12 edge as the final round began. Yet Carey refused to sit on his lead, he turned up the heat, throwing strong combinations and giving Torres a standing eight count. Carey’s efforts earned him nine points in the final round as well as a 27-16 final decision.
Super heavyweight Mike Wilson (Central Point, Ore.) closed the show in victorious fashion, winning a 16-9 decision over Mexico’s Andres Ruiz. Wilson led from bell-to-bell in the four round contest, moving out to a 4-1 lead after one. He pushed his lead to a 9-4 margin at the midway mark of the bout, and refused to relinquish his advantage over the final four minutes. Wilson took an 11-7 lead into the fourth round and extended his edge in the last round to take the final victory and end the night on a winning note.
Light flyweight action opened the night’s competition with a bout between 2008 United States Olympian Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) and Mexico’s Odlion Zaleta. Yanez took the early lead in the contest, but Zaleta answered back late in the round with a strong shot and the first round ended with Yanez holding a 5-1 lead. Zaleta enjoyed a productive second round, pulling the bout within one point at 8-7 at the halfway mark. He made up his slim deficit in the third as both boxers enjoyed spurts of action and the bout moved into the final two minutes deadlocked at ten. Zaleta pulled out the victory in the fourth round, scoring three points to win a 13-11 final decision and give Mexico the first bout of the event.
Mexico emerged victorious in the second bout of action as well with 2007 U.S. Championships silver medalist Daniel Lozano (Bowling Green, Fla.) falling to Braulio Avila of Mexico. Avila jumped out to an early lead over Lozano in the flyweight contest, holding a 10-2 edge after the first round of action. Avila poured on the points in the second round, more than doubling his point total to take a 22-3 lead after two. The United States coaches jumped in and called a halt to the bout at the :53 mark of the third to give Avila the victory on retirement.
Hometown boxer David Clark (San Diego, Calif.) hoped to grab the first win for his United States team, but he fell just short in his contest with Oscar Valdez of Mexico. It was Clark who grabbed the early momentum in the bantamweight contest, enjoying a 5-2 lead after the opening two minutes of competition. Yet Valdez came flying back in the second round, grabbing his first lead of the competition with a 10-9 edge at the midway point. Clark looked to regain the lead in the third round of action, but could never take back the advantage and Valdez went on to win a 15-12 final decision.
Featherweight Rico Ramos (Los Angeles, Calif.) brought the crowd to his side early in the bout, but didn’t enjoy the same luck with the judges. He trailed by an 8-3 margin at the end of the second round, and despite his best efforts trailed by six at the end of the third. Ramos let his hands fly in the final round of action, but dropped an 18-11 decision to the disappointment of a vocally supportive crowd.
Mexico’s Francisco Vargas grabbed the first lead of his lightweight contest with Miguel Gonzalez (Cleveland, Ohio) and never looked back. He held an 18-4 lead at the end of four minutes of boxing. Vargas kept his foot on the gas over the final two rounds of boxing and went on to win a 38-11 decision over Gonzalez.
Andre Sherard (Milwaukee, Wis.) came close to stemming the tide in his light welterweight contest with Mexico’s Jessie Vargas. Sherard held a slim advantage after each of the first three rounds. He enjoyed a 4-2 lead after the first and held on to the same two-point advantage to move on to the final two rounds with a 7-5 lead. Vargas cut his opponent’s lead in half in the third and Sherard went into the final two minutes with a 10-9 advantage. Yet the American boxer couldn’t sustain his lead and Vargas went on to win a 15-12 decision.
Mexico’s Marco Antonio Periban returned his team to the winning side with a victory of the United States’ Shawn Porter in middleweight action. The bout was close in the first round with Periban taking a 7-3 lead after one round. Yet Periban took control in the second stanza, taking a 20-5 lead at the halfway mark. Porter pressed the action in the final two rounds, looking to make up his deficit, but he fell short. Periban went on to win a 47-12 decision.
In light heavyweight action, Mexico’s Joshua Garza controlled the bout from the start in his contest with Siju Shabazz (Las Cruces, N.M.). Garza held Shabazz scoreless in the first two rounds, holding a 9-0 lead after four minutes of boxing. Shabazz got on the board in the third round, but it was too late to overcome his deficit and Garza moved out to a 27-4 final decision.
Heavyweight David Carey (Anchorage, Alaska) simply would not be denied in his bout with Mexico’s Javier Torres. Carey took a slim early lead in the bout, holding a one point advantage after each of the first two rounds. He began to take over the bout in the third round, and enjoyed an 18-12 edge as the final round began. Yet Carey refused to sit on his lead, he turned up the heat, throwing strong combinations and giving Torres a standing eight count. Carey’s efforts earned him a 27-16 final decision.
Results
106 lbs/48 kg: Odlion Zaleta, Mexico, dec. Luis Yanez, Duncanville, Texas/USA, 13-11
112 lbs/51 kg: Braulio Avila, Mexico, won on retirement over Daniel Lozano, Bowling Green, Fla./USA, RET-3 (:53)
119 lbs/54 kg: Oscar Valdez, Mexico dec. David Clark, San Diego, Calif./USA, 19-14
125 lbs/57 kg: Arturo Santos, Mexico dec. Rico Ramos, Los Angeles, Calif./USA, 18-11
132 lbs/60 kg: Francisco Vargas, Mexico, dec. Miguel Gonzalez, Cleveland, Ohio/USA, 38-11
141 lbs/64 kg: Jessie Vargas, Mexico, dec. Andre Sherard, Milwaukee, Wis./USA, 15-12
152 lbs/69 kg: Greg Carter, Waterbury, Conn./NMU, dec. Oscar Molina, Commerce, Calif., 24-13
165 lbs/75 kg: Marco Antonio Periban, Mexico, dec. Shawn Porter, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/USA¸ 47-12
178 lbs/81 kg: Joshua Garza, Mexico, dec. Siju Shabazz, Las Cruces, N.M./USA, 27-4
201 lbs/91 kg: David Carey, Anchorage, Alaska/USA dec. Javier Torres, Mexico, 27-16
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Mike Wilson, Central Point, Ore./USA dec. Andres Ruiz, Mexico, 16-9