CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’
Davis uses his size and skill to dispatch Ruiz in the opener, writes Sean Nam
Action from three big shows in the Golden State, including Davis vs Ruiz
Gervonta Davis (129 3/4lbs), 21-0 (20), w rsf 1 Hugo Ruiz (129 1/2lbs), 39-5 (33); Mario Barrios (142 1/2lbs), 23-0 (15), w rsf 4 Richard Zamora (141 1/4lbs), 19-3 (12); Javier Fortuna (135lbs), 34-2-1 (23), w pts 10 Sharif Bogere (135 1/2lbs), 32-2 (20);
Erickson Lubin (155 3/4lbs), 20-1 (15), w rtd 3 Ishe Smith (155 3/4lbs), 29-11 (12);
Juan Heraldez (141 3/4lbs), 16-0 (10), w rsf 7 Eddie Ramirez (141 3/4lbs), 17-3 (11);
Xavier Martinez (131 1/2lbs), 13-0 (9), w ko 5 Deivi Bassa (132lbs), 20-8 (12); Angelo Leo (125 1/2lbs), 16-0 (8), w pts 8 Alberto Torres (124 3/4lbs), 11-2 (3); Maurice Lee (139 3/4lbs), 9-1-2 (5), d pts 6 Lennard Davis (142 1/2lbs), 4-1-5 (3);
Francisco Ochoa (132 3/4lbs), 14-0 (8), w pts 6 Luis May (132lbs), 21-12-1 (8); Israel Luna (117lbs), 2-0 (1), w pts 4 Angel Carvajal (117 1/4lbs), 2-11; Jose Balderas (117 1/4lbs), 6-0 (1), w rtd 3 Jerrod Miner (117 1/4lbs), 1-3-2 (1); Lorenzo Simpson (163 1/2lbs), 2-0 (2), w ko 1 Derion Chapman (168 1/2lbs), 3-3-1 (2);
Ladarius Miller (138 3/4lbs), 19-1 (6), w ko 1 Daulis Prescott (138 3/4lbs), 32-11 (24); Ava Knight (111 1/4lbs), 17-2-5 (5), d td 3 Luna del Mar Torroba (111 1/2lbs), 12-9-3 (2);
Emmanuel Medina (146 1/2lbs), 16-0 (9), w pts 8 Carlos Winston Velasquez (149 1/4lbs), 26-34-2 (16); Genisis Libranza (113lbs), 18-1 (10), w pts 8 Gilberto Mendoza (112 3/4lbs), 11-7-2 (4). WITH plumes of smoke spurting from the ground and a crew of background dancers jiving to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Baltimore’s Gervonta Davis entered the ring at the Dignity Health Sports Park looking less like a boxer poised for battle than a pop star on the first leg of a world tour.
Not even the pre-fight histrionics, however, could disguise the apparent mismatch of the fight itself. In the other corner was Glendora, California-based Mexican Hugo Ruiz, a 32-year-old former super-flyweight who was rushed in at short notice to replace Davis’ original opponent, Abner Mares (who suffered a right eye retinal detachment). Davis, a WBA super-featherweight beltholder, wasted no time in bullying the smaller Ruiz around the ring en route to a brisk and commanding first-round stoppage win in front of a reported soldout crowd of 8,048.
For as long as the fight lasted, Ruiz simply had no answer for the 24-year-old Davis, whose unique blend of power and speed figures to trouble any elite fighter a division north of him. Moreover, this was the first time Ruiz had competed at 130lbs – and it showed. Toward the end of the opening round, Davis connected with a crunching right hook that snuck through Ruiz’s high guard. After a delayed reaction, the EX-WBC super-bantam champ, his nose bleeding like a faucet, took a knee. Though he would rise to his feet before the count, it was clear he no longer wanted to continue, leaving referee Jack Reiss no choice but to stop the contest at 2-59.
After a protracted dispute with his promoter Floyd Mayweather that contributed to his relative inactivity for the past two years – this was Davis’ second fight in 18 months – the southpaw appears ready to move on with his career, though it is unlikely he will face an elite-class opponent anytime soon. A hometown defence in the summer appears to be next. “We’re coming to Baltimore,” Davis said after the fight. “We’re going home, baby.”
On the Tgb/sampson Boxing undercard, promising super-lightweight Mario Barrios (San Antonio, Texas) battered Richard Zamora (Matehuala, Mexico) along the ropes in the fourth round (set for 10), forcing referee Ray Corona to intervene at 2-16. For all the head-snapping punches Barrios, 23, was landing, Zamora was clearly responsive, throwing (albeit missing) with hardswinging punches of his own. Still, this fight was only going to go one way. Having fought only twice in 2018, Barrios should make activity a priority this year.
In a sloppy, mind-numbing fight in which there may as well have been as many headbutts, headlocks and clinches as total jabs thrown by either fighter, Dominican lightweight Javier Fortuna, a spoiler if there ever was one, came away with an ugly unanimous decision victory over Las Vegas-based Ugandan
Sharif Bogere. All three judges – Max Deluca, Fernando Villarreal and Zachary Young – turned in scorecards of 96-93. Astonishingly, considering the cumbersome action, every round was scored identically. Afterward, southpaw Fortuna, who fights out of Braintree, Massachusetts, called out Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko. For viewers’ sake, hopefully those matchups will never materialise. Edward Collantes officiated.
Seeking to erase the memory of a devastating one-punch knockout loss at the hands of Jermell Charlo in 2017, 23-year-old super-welterweight portsider
Erickson Lubin (Orlando) thrashed 19-year veteran Ishe Smith (Las Vegas), dropping him four times en route to a stoppage victory after three rounds and in doing so became the first man to stop the sturdy gatekeeper. Referee Reiss consulted with Smith’s corner during the break and decided to wave the scheduled 10-rounder off. Smith, who won the IBF 154lb title in 2013, looked every bit his 40 years of age and announced his retirement after the fight.
In a solid back-and-forth scrap, North Las Vegas super-lightweight
Juan Heraldez earned a KO win over Chicago’s Eddie Ramirez at 2-30 of the seventh (slated for 10). It looked as though Heraldez would pull away in the fifth after scoring a pair of knockdowns, but Ramirez roared back with thudding body shots. The momentum was shortlived, however, as in the seventh Heraldez uncorked a booming straight right that dropped Ramirez once more. Though Ramirez wanted to continue, referee Corona, noting the wobbly legs, thought otherwise.
THE VERDICT A simple night’s work for Davis, who needs to keep busy in 2019.