Castro Remains Unbeaten

By: Ron Valderrama

Photos: Ronatringside.com

In the main event, Carlos Castro (16-0, 7 KOs) had a short night after defeating Jorge Diaz Jr. (18-5-1) by TKO in the first round of a scheduled 8 round featherweight bout. The official time of the stoppage was 2:18 for round 1. Castro, a solid fighter who has recently returned to his coach and trainer, Andrew Soto blistered Diaz from the first bell. A steady mix of punches by Castro prevented Diaz from mounting any real attack. Diaz, a solid fighter had an off night tonight, he has a legit resume of opponents he has faced, but could not recover as he was stunned early from the constant barrage of punches thrown by Castro. Credit the corner of Castro for having him prepared, Andrew Soto has coached and trained Castro since his amateur days. The featured bout was presented by Iron Boy Promotions and held at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.

Valley Featherweight favorite Francisco C. De Vaca (16-0, 5KOs), faced a tough and crafty Jose Estrella (15-12-1, 10KOs) in a scheduled 8 round co-main event bout. Without a doubt, De Vaca has improved as a fighter and has become much stronger. De Vaca slowly picked away at Estrella round-by-round, utilizing a nice mix of combinations and body shots. The crafty Estrella would not go away, though he actually did well countering back but not with the same power and precision of De Vaca. In the end, the fight goes the distance as the judges score the bout 80-72 X 3 in favor Francisco De Vaca. Trained by Roberto Alcazar, De Vaca has been on a steady pace and is well focused on his quest for World title.

The Undercard:

Lightweight Hector Lopez (3-0, 3KOs), wasted no time attacking Otto Sandoval (0-3) in the opening round, delivering a nice combination of punches that dropped Sandoval for a taste of the canvas. Sandoval beat the count but was clearly hurt as he received another barrage of punches from Lopez that dropped to the canvas for good. The official time of the stoppage was 1:16 of round 1.

In a debut Welterweight match for both fighters, Eben Vargas of Chandler, AZ battled Mexico’s Enriquez Randolph in an exciting toe-to-toe match. Vargas landed some blistering punches on Randolph, but Randolph would not give up, showing a solid chin. The fight went the distance with the judges scoring the bout 40-36 in favor of Eben Vargas. Working the corner of Vargas was the well respected trainer, Pepe Riley. Vargas did very well making adjustments during the fight, dictating the tempo as Riley called out instructions.

An entertaining Featherweight bout between Manuel Manzo (0-2), and Adam Lopez (3-0, 2 KOs) did not disappoint. The two fighters traded non-stop punches that pleased the crowd. Lopez was the more speedy of the two but missed some prime opportunities with the looping hooks he was throwing. In the final round, both fighters kept up the pace as the fight would go the distance. None the less, Adam Lopez looked sharp and has a bright future in the ring. The judges score the bout 40-36 X 3.

A Super bantamweight slugfest match between Daron Williams (5-0, 2KOs) and Israel Valdez 2-0, 1KO had excitement from the opening bell. Both fighters were knocked down in the first round and both survived. Williams displayed amazing speed and movement, making use of the ring as fought off a very impressive Valdez. The fight goes the distance, but not before Valdez takes a shot from Williams, sending him to the canvas in the closing seconds of the round. The judges score the bout 39-36 X 3.

The power of Super flyweight Edgar Ortiz (2-1, 2KOs) was just too much for the winless Pedro Romero (0-4), but one can’t argue that the kid fought with heart. Ortiz pelted Romero with a barrage of punches in round 2 causing Referee Dennis O’Connell to call a halt to the action at 2:29 of the round.

Adrian Servin battled Adrian Perez in a solid and exciting bout and according to many, fight of the night. The two hardcore scrappers traded blows, showing amazing skill and movement in a Flyweight bout scheduled for 4 rounds. Both fighters were making their debut as pro’s and did not disappoint, looking solid from the first bell. In round 3, both fighters went non-stop rampage, throwing a combination of punches on each other that had the crowd on their feet. In the final round, Servin traded punches and went on a rampage in the closing moment of the 4th and final round. The judges score the bout 39-37 and 40-36 X 2 in favor of Adrian Servin.

Luis Espinoza (5-0, 1KO), defeated Rafael Rivera (2-10) in his Super featherweight 4 round bout.

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September 2 2016