Both men continued to let it fly in the second round, never giving quarter and side stepping as opposed to taking a backward step. It was high level stuff as Agbeko pressed forward looking to land that one good right in the midst of his body assault and peppering jab. Perez, usually more of a mover, merely took small steps to the side and fired away with jab and right hand followed by an increasingly effective left hook. A jab hook landed flush for Perez and he followed up with a flurry. Agbeko would come back with a hook of his own but backed off when Perez yet again caught flush with a hard one-two. Down the stretch, Agbeko would get in a hard left hand but Perez took it very well. After two it was looking like a long night for Agbeko who had come into the bout predicting a knockout.
Perez continued to have success behind his jab in the third as he used it to set up a counter left hook and the heavy right hand. Each man took turns backing the other up and taking control. The action ebbed and flowed and flowed some more as Agbeko got in a hard right hand and Perez answered with a combination of his own.
Agbeko tightened up and straightened up his game in the fifth, landing hard right hands and seemingly wearing down Perez to the body. But the resilience of Perez cannot be overstated as he ate some world class power punches and still remained poised enough to continue on and dole out punishment of his own. The savagery would continue through the middle rounds as they seemed to trade control moment to moment. Agbeko would dip in and land to the body then the head and Perez would take it, step back or sideways and lob in a heavy jab and right hand or a jab left hook combo. It seemed only a matter of time before someone went down.
As with most Agbeko fights, head butts were inevitable. An accidental head butt in the sixth opened up a cut over the right eye of Perez but it was never a factor as the veteran pressed forward behind solid defense and jab, jab, right hand.
In the latter stages of the fight, Perez seemed to tire a bit, Agbeko coming on and seemingly taking control behind a vicious body assault. But it was not to be as Perez and Agbeko began to trade round after round. First one would take a round dominantly, landing at will with the other looking like he was finally succumbing. But then the other would come back in the next round and do the same. Back and forth they went throwing an endless combination of off-speed punches and hard fastballs.
In the tenth a clash of heads caused Agbeko, who was having a solid round, to turn away in pain only to have Perez jump on him and capitalize on the momentary loss of focus. Perez would land a flurry and send Agbeko to the canvas. He would rise unhurt except for what was surely a throbbing head and continue on into the violent storm.
Perez pressed his advantage into the 11th but Agbeko was right there with him with what must have been a tenth wind. Both men were exhausted on into the twelfth round. The constant storm of punches never passed as both men landed sharp shots with Agbeko doing most of the chasing with the fight on the table. Fittingly, they traded all the way to the final bell.
This was as hard a fight to score as they come. I had two even rounds that could have gone either way with a hard combo here or there. While the judges had it wide (and granted, it was probably one point wider due to the knockdown), the fight’s score does not show how closely contested this fight of the year candidate actually was.
“I knew I was winning the rounds and I deserved to get the victory,” said Perez afterward. “I trained to throw a lot of punches. I know Agbeko likes to throw a lot of punches, so I knew I had to be better conditioned. All the hard work and preparation paid off. This is a dream come true. (On the knockdown) I don’t think he was in good shape. I think he went down to catch his breath. I felt I was more consistent, more active and I pressed the fight throughout.”
“He head butted me in round 10,” said Agbeko. “I don’t think that was fair. The reply clearly shows what happened. I was fighting well to that point. I thought I was winning the fight. Perez seemed energized after being awarded the knockdown and I was never the same after his head hit mine. We will never know what would have happened had there not been a head butt.”
It should be noted that under the Nevada rules, instant replay was available in the fight but only if an accidental injury caused the fight to end. The replay would decide whether the injury was accidental or an intentional foul. It does not cover moments like this one. In a close fight like this, isn’t that what instant replay is for? I’m not calling robbery by any means. I felt Perez won. But it seems like if they are going to have it then it should not have such a narrow focus.
DEMARCO PITCHES A PERFECT GAME THEN TKO’S ALFARO IN 10
In the co-feature, Antonio DeMarco (22-1-1 with 16 KOs) put on his most complete performance in shutting out the stopping Jose Alfaro (23-5 with 20 KOs) in the tenth round of their scheduled 12 round WBC interim lightweight title fight. DeMarco was impressive as he controlled his normal brawling tendencies and boxed with discipline and skill mostly from center ring keeping the hard hitting Alfaro on the end of his jab and solid left hand.
The fifth was expected by many to be like many of DeMarco’s fights: all action with some scary moments from the 23 year old from Tijuana. But he had other ideas. A long jab set the tempo early on; a slow languid pace controlled by that punch and the movement of DeMarco which was smart and economical. Alfaro, known for a solid right hand, tried to get it in early but was picked off, blocked or slipped by DeMarco who saw his slower opponent’s punches coming from a mile away.
DeMarco’s wife, who was sitting at ringside, decided to leave early on due to nerves. Too bad because she missed watching a young future champ grow up before fight fans’ eyes.
While DeMarco had a few scary moments along the ropes as Alfaro forced him there and got in a right or two, he always resisted the urge to go to war and instead fired back, stepped out to either side and reasserted his position at center ring.
As the fight wore on, DeMarco pulled more and more tools out of his bag. Uppercuts off right hand misses from Alfaro and left leads to the body or right hooks upstairs busted Alfaro up. He began to wince or bend over every time a body shot landed solid which was becoming often in the middle of the fight. Twice DeMarco wobbled or stunned him but when it was clear a flurry was not going to get him out of there, DeMarco backed off and went back to boxing.
Coming into the tenth, Alfaro looked worse for wear. He had never knocked out anyone after the eighth round and he was going to need to if he wanted to win this one. But it was not to be. As he backed to ropes, DeMarco would land an uppercut followed by a one-two followed by a right hand that turned Alfaro around and sent him bending over through the ropes. It was not ruled a knockdown but soon after DeMarco swarmed in and dropped Alfaro on the seat of his pants.
Alfaro was brave as he rose and tried to defend himself against the now unleashed DeMarco but it was to no avail. DeMarco dropped him again in the opposite corner. Alfaro showed unusual guts as he rose yet again. DeMarco was intelligent as he boxed his way into Alfaro and landed some sharp shots that forced him to a knee and prompting ref Joe Cortez to call a halt to the action. The time was 2:08 of the tenth round.
DeMarco was ecstatic as he fell to his knees and cried tears of joy.
The ringside physician came over and asked him if he was ok.
DeMarco, his wife having returned to see him put on an exclamation point on a brilliant night, replied “Never better.”
“It’s something I can’t explain,” DeMarco said afterward. “I came out of my house today seeking this and I got it.”
With the win, DeMarco is now set for a showdown with Edwin Valero who holds the WBC lightweight belt. Should Valero be unable to defend it he will default to DeMarco.
Questions/comments? Email Gabriel at maxgmontoya@gmail.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/gabriel_montoya
