On Thursday, May 27, Club Nokia played host to professional boxing for the fourth consecutive month in Downtown Los Angeles, via Golden Boy Promotions. Celebrities in attendance included future Hall-of-Famers Bernard Hopkins and Freddie Roach, as well as former WBC Junior Middleweight champion Sergio Mora.
In the main event, Lightweight David Rodela got back into the win column with a six-round split decision over Puerto Rico ’s Eric Cruz. Rodela, of Oxnard , got out to an early lead, but Cruz kept putting on the pressure until he closed the gap. The decision was in doubt at the end, yet Cruz’s lapses in offense appeared to be the difference. Two judges had it 77-75 Rodela, while a third had it 78-74 for Cruz. Cruz drops to 7-3-3-7 KO’s, while Rodela climbs to 15-3-3-6 KO’s.
In the co-main event, East L.A. ’s Frankie Gomez earned his third straight KO victory in only 46 seconds, when Akeem Akinbode was rescued prematurely by the referee. The welterweight 4-rounder did last long enough to expose Gomez’s superior skills, but after a hard flurry, in which Akinbode did not respond well, a halt was called. Former amateur star Gomez is now 3-0-3 KO’s, while Akinbode, of Los Angeles , falls to 1-3-1-1KO.
Tough-guy bantamweight Bengi Garcia, of San Diego , again gave a good account of himself in losing to a superior talent. Jose Navarro was extended the six-round distance in his comeback fight, but won 60-54 on all cards. The former 4-time world title challenger and Olympian landed crisp shots throughout, and did not look rusty, but could not drop or stop Garcia. The San Diegan also landed his share of shots, but lack of firepower made them largely insignificant in slowing down Navarro, of Los Angeles . Navarro moves to 27-5-12 KO’s, while Garcia falls to 14-15-3-1 KO.
In the opener, Ramon Valadez was victorious in his welterweight pro debut, winning a unanimous four-round decision over 0-3-1 Javier Romero. Romero, of Los Angeles , showed heart, but squared up to often, and did not utilize his height, resulting in poor offensive output. Valadez, of Los Angeles , punished his foe at will, but could not put him away. Scores were 40-36 on all cards.
Another debuting fighter was not so lucky, as Jesus Juarez, of Pomona, lost a four round decision to Jesus Rodriguez, of Van Nuys, in an exciting lightweight four-rounder. Juarez occasionally landed a clean left hook on his southpaw opponent, but was mostly outworked throughout. Scores were 40-36 twice, and 39-37. Rodriguez moves to 2-0.
Chris Strait
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