Southern California Notebook

Southern California Notebook
By Doug Fischer (July 24, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor

I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon at the Montebello PAL gym this past weekend, watching four fighters make their final preparations before heading into pivotal bouts this weekend. The fighters were – in the order I watched them train – Giovanni Segura, Isidro “Chino” Garcia, Jesus Soto-Karass and Antonio Margarito.

Of course, the main guy I traveled to see was the Tijuana Tornado, who will engage Miguel Cotto in the biggest fight of both welterweight warriors’ careers this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

I’m happy to report that Margarito was not in gym war. The last sparring session of his camp, which began on May 28th, did not go 10 or 12 rounds with three or four middleweight-sized sparring partners.

The sparring I witnessed only went three rounds; there was only one sparring partner, an aging lightweight, and the session was – by Margarito’s standards – uneventful.

Normally I’m bummed when there’s a lack of action in the gym, but in Margarito’s case what I saw Saturday afternoon was a very good thing.

Why? Because it means that the 15-year veteran known for his grueling workouts and brutal sparring sessions is saving his fight for this Saturday, when it counts.

On more than a few occasions, I have witnessed Margarito peak in the gym literally two weeks before his scheduled fight. Sometimes the 30-year-old former two-time title holder burnt himself out completely by sparring double-digit rounds on back-to-back days with strong young sparring partners who were 154-pound/middleweight prospects, and then going numerous intense rounds on the mitts with his taskmaster of a trainer, Javier Capetillo.

Even when Margarito left most of his fight in the gym, his toughness, conditioning, relentless workrate and iron will enabled him to pull through most of his fights and win despite not being at his peak. However, that hardnosed mentality was not enough when he faced fighters who were bigger, taller, rangier and could either match his punch output in close or out-box him from a distance as Paul Williams and Daniel Santos – the only two fighters to beat Margarito in the last 12 years – were able to do.

The fact that both Santos and Williams are lefties hampered Margarito in those closely contested bouts, but what really hurt the Tijuana resident in my not-so humble opinion was that he overtrained for both fights.

I’m not trying to take anything away from the victories that Santos and Williams – two current title holders that I respect very much – scored over Margarito, and I’m not necessarily saying that a fresher version of the TJ Twister wouldn’t have lost to the rangy southpaws. Both Williams and Santos possess styles that will always trouble the aggressive volume puncher.

However, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t relay to the many boxing fans that aren’t able to view their favorite fighters train exactly what I observe in the gyms here in Southern California. And what I saw with Margarito in the final weeks leading to his rematch with Santos and his showdown with Williams was an overtrained fighter.

Engaging in hard sparring day after day after day going into to those tough bouts didn’t help Margarito. That’s something his management now realizes. Co-managers Francisco Espinoza and Sergio Diaz reeled in “General” Capetillo during the camps for Margarito’s last two fights – a first-round blowout of Golden Johnson and repeat mid-rounds stoppage of Kermit Cintron – both of which were impressive, sharp showings.

For this most recent training camp in preparation for Cotto, Espinoza and Diaz have capped most of Margarito’s sparring at eight rounds (with two sparring partners going four rounds each) and also cut back on the number of sparring days in the week.

“Tony used to spar Monday through Saturday, and by mid-camp it was normal for him to go 10 to 12 rounds every day that he sparred,” Diaz said this past Saturday. “For this camp we cut back a little bit on the days, and we mixed it up a bit, so he wouldn’t get stale.

“Tony would spar Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then be off on Thursday, and come back and spar on Friday and Saturday; then he’d do Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and be off for both Thursday and Friday, and come back on Saturday. The most rounds he’d go was eight rounds, four and four with two sparring partners. There was one 12-round day a few weeks ago, just to see where he was.”

The main sparring partners for this camp were Sebastian Lujan, Alfred Angulo, Ariel Espinal, Javier Jauregui and Octavio Narvaez.

Lujan, who Margarito stopped in 10 bloody rounds in a nationally televised title defense three and half years ago, is a welterweight fringe contender who provided a stick-and-move style backed by a powerful frame that Diaz says helped his fighter immensely.

“He’s still as tough and awkward as he was back in 2005, but now there’s more movement from him, which we needed,” Diaz said of the tough Argentine, who has a similar build and frame as Cotto. “Lujan gave us five weeks of solid sparring. Every sparring session, he was in and out, moving right to left, tapping and moving, like we expect from Cotto.”

Lujan was often paired with Angulo, a strong junior middleweight prospect who “put on the pressure and went to the body the way Cotto does” as Diaz put it.

Espinal, a middleweight from New York City (by way of the Dominican Republic), was brought in solely for his reputation as a vicious body puncher with a mean left hook.

“He’s a left-hooker alright,” Diaz said of the journeyman, “to the body and upstairs.”

Former lightweight title holder Jauregui and Narvaez, a journeyman lightweight from Nicaragua, were brought in for their speed.

It’s kind of strange watching Margarito, who rarely spars with
welterweights because of his punishing ways, go rounds with guys who look half
his size. But according to Diaz it’s been a good exercise for Margarito
to hold back a little bit and concentrate on his defense and strategy
more than his offense.

“Keeping him to eight rounds, only having two sparring partners per session and having the little guys help acclimate him to speed has worked out great,” he said. “We didn’t want Tony to burn himself out and we didn’t want him to burn out his sparring partners and that hasn’t happened.”

Jauregui, a cagey 34-year-old veteran who turned pro more than 20 years ago (that’s right, at age 14), made for a few interesting rounds with Margarito the day I dropped by the gym.

In the first round, Jauregui, who has 69 pro bouts under his belt, got on his toes and jabbed Margarito to the body from the outside. “Chatito” let quick three-punch combinations go as soon as he was able to step in close, but Margarito blocked most of these shots except for a very sneaky left to the liver.

Margarito’s answer to that nasty shot was to press Jauregui to the ropes where he attempted to swarm the smaller man with wide hooks and looping rights but the crafty vet leaned and ducked under most of the winging punches. Still, the sheer volume Margarito put forth took its toll.

In the second round, Jauregui did not appear to have the legs to stick and move from the outside. The gutsy little fighter immediately backed to the ropes and dared Margarito to hit him, which the bigger man happily obliged. Again, Jauregui leaned back to avoid most of the incoming punches but this time the tricky little imp countered with uppercuts, most of which Margarito blocked before trying to land uppercuts of his own. Midway through the round, Jauregui attempted to move the action to the safer area of the middle ring, but Margarito’s pressure quickly forced him to the ropes again. This time, Jauregui did more covering up than punching although he did land a nice right cross before slipping out of danger.

Jauregui looked exhilarated to be in the ring with such a physically imposing foe and having to rely on his wits to survive. He also appeared to enjoy being able to punch with 100% effort, but to my eyes nothing he nailed Margarito with got any respect.

In the third round, Margarito was finally able to impose his size and strength on the veteran. Jauregui let out a loud “Whooh!” as he fought back with all his might while pinned to the ropes under a Margarito fusillade. Margarito’s form and hand speed improved in this round. His punches had less “loop” to them and he was able to drop combinations in close. With 30 seconds left in the round, he backed off his game sparring partner and actually got on his toes (seriously). Margarito moved surprisingly well, almost gliding around the ring as he fired a crisp jab at a bewildered but forward-marching Jauregui.

And that was all the sparring there was to report. Three rounds with Jauregui, followed by three rounds of quick mitts with Jesus Armando Perez-Cortez followed by and three rounds of hard mitts with Capetillo, and then situps, and Margarito was done for the day.

The hard work has been done. Now Margarito is tapering down and saving his strength for Cotto.

“I’ve had two months of excellent preparation,” Margarito said after signing autographs for a group of fans who gathered inside the gym towards the tail end of his workout. “The sparring partners I had for this camp were a great help. Many were the same height as Cotto but they actually moved around more than he does, so I feel ready.”

I asked Margarito if he expected Cotto to do a lot of moving (which I certainly hope doesn’t happen).

“I don’t think so,” he replied. “He’ll mix it up. He’ll punch and he’ll move at first, but I think he’ll eventually have to move more than he punches. That’s OK. Cotto is quick with his hands, but not as quick with his feet. I’ll catch him if have to.”

And he’ll have the legs and energy to do so, because he hasn’t overdone it in the gym.

“Thank God everything has gone so well in this camp,” Margarito said. “There’s no injuries, no sickness, there’s absolutely nothing wrong. I’m 100% healthy.”

He’ll need to be.

GIOVANNI AND “CHINO”

I arrived to the Montebello PAL at noon this past Saturday, in time to catch the third round of sparring between young puncher Giovanni Segura and savvy veteran boxer Isidro “Chino” Garcia.

Segura is a 26-year-old 108-pound contender who will fight Colombia’s Cesar Canchila for the WBA’s “interim” title on the HBO Pay-Per-View-televised portion of the Cotto-Margarito undercard. Garcia is a 32-year-old former flyweight titlist who will face undefeated 115-pound prospect Raul Martinez in the 10-round main event of a non-televised card at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California this Friday.

Both flyweights are going into must-win fights.

Segura’s bout with Canchila is the realization of all the hard work he’s put in the gym and in the ring since he first put on a pair of boxing gloves eight years ago.

Garcia’s bout is an opportunity to earn one more payday, or even another shot at a major world title, if he can outbox the powerful youngster. If he loses, he knows he his status in the sport will be regulated to that of a “stepping stone”.

Segura was in full search-and-destroy mode when I approached the ring and started taking notes. Four pounds away from his fighting weight at 112 pounds, he was little bit slower than he usually is in a real fight but his punches – which are hard for junior flyweight – were delivered with more power. But “Chino” was not an easy target. The veteran utilized nice footwork and effective counterpunching to keep Segura reaching and off balance, though he couldn’t discourage the unbeaten switch hitter.

In the fourth and fifth rounds, Garcia was emboldened by the ease in which he evaded most of Segura’s lunging attacks and tried to mount an offense of his own. The two traded nasty body shots whenever in close, but from a distance Garcia’s ring generalship ruled.

“I like to have Giovanni spar with Chino before a tough fight because he’s not just going to trade punches, he’s going to make him think,” said Ricardo Mota, Segura’s manager.

Garcia, who holds a 25-4-2 (8) record, is a near complete fighter (he can do everything except punch) who makes most of his opponents think. He’s lost to three fighters in this decade – a seventh-round stoppage to Fernando Montiel, a 12-round decision to Eric Morel in a WBA flyweight title shot, and a seventh-round TKO to Abner Mares at bantamweight – all of whom were special.

Is Martinez, a powerful former U.S. amateur standout with a 22-0 (13) record, special enough to pass the “Chino” test?

“I don’t think so,” said Garcia’s co-manager William Torres. “The way Chino is looking now, with his movement, his flexibility, his reflexes; I think he can beat Martinez as long as he can stay as sharp as he is now.

“We’re not overlooking Martinez. This is a real challenge for Chino, but he can handle it as long as he’s patient. The key is to box, strategize and frustrate this kid.”

Garcia was able to do that to an extent with Segura, but Martinez is a lot bigger than Segura and with more technique and experience due to his amateur background.

I wish I could say “we’ll see” what happens Friday night, but we won’t since this Roy Englebrecht-promoted card is off TV.

Too bad, it has the makings of a pretty good scrap.

“It’s a good fight,” said Torres, “perfect I think for a Telefutura main event. Martinez is a Top Rank fighter and it could have been on a Top Rank show, either the Cotto-Margarito undercard or on Telefutura this week, but they only offered Chino $10,000. I have to give Roy credit. He offered us $15,000. The only drawback is that it’s not on TV, but if Chino wins, I think his next fight will be. Eric Ortiz, Travieso Arce, even the Filipino champ, [Nonito] Donaire; Chino matches well with all of them, especially Arce.”

Segura and his team are focused on only one fighter, Canchila, a 26-year-old boxer-puncher who has never fought outside of his native Colombia.

“I’ve seen tape of him, he’s a complete fighter,” said Segura. “He fights well inside and outside. He has a good jab, good footwork, he hits hard, he’s gone the distance a few times, but this will be the first time he’s fought in the U.S., we’ll see how he deals with that.”

Until two and a half weeks ago, Segura was prepared to travel to France this Saturday to fight for the WBA’s 108-pound title. However, the title holder, Brahim Asloum, pulled out of the bout when he learned he would not receive as much money as he was originally promised by his promoter, thus cancelling the card.

Segura never lost faith that he’d get his shot, and now he’s being rewarded with what he believes is an even greater opportunity.

“This fight is by far bigger than the fight in France would have been,” he said. “The whole world will be watching this card. I’m going to make the most out of this opportunity and put on a great fight. I have to be careful with Canchila, but I think my power and my pressure will eventually catch up with him.

“I’m satisfied with the work I’ve put in for this title shot. I feel really strong and confident. I don’t like to make predictions but I’ll be surprised if I don’t knock him out.”

TELEFUTURA TOUGH GUYS

I have no idea who will win this Friday’s Telefutura-televised battle between welterweight fringe contenders Jesus Soto-Karass and David Estrada at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

All I know is that it should be a good appetizer for Cotto-Margarito. Any betting man who is still not sure who he should back in “La Battala” might want to tune into Karass-Estrada because it’s kind of like a poor-man’s Cotto-Margarito.

Karass, who holds a 20-3-3 (14) record, is trained by Javier Capetillo and sort of fights like Margarito (only he lacks the TJT’s size, power and workrate). He’s a regular Margarito sparring partner who can be formidable (because he’s got a good set whiskers) when he’s in shape. Estrada, who recently joined Evangelista Cotto’s stable in Puerto Rico, has been in with more quality opposition, but he’s coming off a rather punishing 11th-round stoppage to Andre Berto, a fight he could have been more competitive in had utilized a jab and little footwork.

It will be interesting to see if Miguel Cotto’s trainer can instill some of the patience and technique that the WBA welterweight champ is known for into tough-and-always-game Chicagoan who holds a 22-4 (13) record.

The questions: will Karass be in shape and motivated? (He wasn’t for his last fight, a close decision over Chris Smith that I thought he deserved to lose.) Have late-stoppage losses to Kermit Cintron and Berto aged Estrada prematurely?

GREAT SCOTT! HE SCORED A KNOCKOUT!

Heavyweight dark horse Malik Scott improved to 31-0 (11) with a seventh-round stoppage of Canadian journeyman Arthur Cook on the undercard of the ESPN2-televised Gamboa-Seeger fight from Primm, Nevada last Friday.

The Scott-Cook fight would have made the Friday Night Fights broadcast had the generator at the Buffalo Bill’s Star Arena not blown out for 45 minutes, eliminating all the time normally given to swing bouts.

I’ve been keeping my eye on Scott, who I believe has the skill, intelligence and physical tools to emerge as the best big man from the U.S., so the Philly native’s trainer, Joe Goossen, gave me a call yesterday to tell me that his 27-year-old heavyweight project is coming along well.

“He absolutely dominated Cook and stopped him with a right hand,” Goossen said. “He punished the guy, who I think had only been stopped once before in his career. Malik hit him with every punch he threw and only got hit with one grazing punch.

“Even with Everlast gloves on, Malik closed his right eye, cut him over the left eye, cut him over the bridge of his nose, and dropped him before he stopped him.

“He’s turning his punches over now; he’s sitting down on them.”

It’s been a gradual, six-bout, year-and-a-half long process turning Scott from a safety first jab-artist to a complete boxer-puncher, but Goossen – who was able to transform Michael Nunn and Joel Casamayor from slapping amateur stars to professional style fighters with damaging punches – is beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel with Friday’s stoppage, the first KO Scott has scored in almost four years.

“Malik told me in the dressing room after the fight, ‘Joe, I had a shock that went from my knuckles all the way up to my shoulder when I landed that punch’,” Goossen said.

Hopefully, Scott liked the feeling.

For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Doug Fischer at dougie@maxboxing.com

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