MEXICAN SHOOTOUT
Veteran Soto outpoints Rios in captivating clash of seasoned warriors,
Humberto Soto goes to war with fellow gunslinger Brandon Rios in Tijuana
THEY have seen better days, but receding hairlines, paunchiness and craggy faces aside, Brandon Rios (Garden City, Kansas) and Humberto Soto (Los Mochis, Mexico) put together an engrossing 12-round scrap worthy of their younger selves in front of a packed house at the Auditorio Municipal. In the end, it was the 38-year-old Soto, who resides in Tijuana and entered as the slight underdog, who came away with a unanimous decision win.
The final scorecards, alas, were misleading, as judge Carlos Flores saw a one-sided performance with 119-111, while Esteban Franco and Alejandro Rochin were not far behind with 118112, in what was, in reality, a much closer fight. Nevertheless, the right winner was crowned in the durable Soto, an EX-WBC super-featherweight and lightweight champion who began his career in 1997, at the peak of the dotcom bubble when people were still using dial-up modems. To wit, he has lost only twice in the past decade, with one of these losses coming against a prime Lucas Matthysse.
Early on, it was all Soto, who came out at the opening bell firing with lead straight rights and knifing lefts to the body, while circling away constantly to avoid Rios’ pressure. At the end of the first round, Soto landed a blistering five-punch combination, punctuated by a left hook that buckled Rios. In round four, Soto landed a right uppercut that drew roars from the spectators. Stunned a few times, the 32-year-old Rios, a customary sluggish starter, was never truly hurt and continued to plug away, trying to close the gap. In the fifth, Rios, who lives in Oxnard, California, finally got on track as he began to land his patented short left hook on the inside against a noticeably fatigued Soto. But the ring battles seem to have caught up with Rios, whose punches were shorn of their usual pop.
In a canny move one would expect from someone with over 80 professional fights under his belt, Soto sought to end each round with a flurry of combinations to make up for his relative inactivity in some of the middle rounds. In the 12th, Soto landed a thudding left to Rios’ soft side that drew the crowd’s approval and brought the fight to a close.
Neither Soto nor Rios will be contending for a world title anytime soon, but their efforts were a satisfying reminder of the matchmaking adage that good fights need not consist of topnotch talents. That said, EX-WBA lightweight champ Rios, who has retired before, should seriously consider hanging the gloves up for good. Fernando Renteria refereed.
On the Matchroom Boxing undercard, Mexican-american prospect Hector
Tanajara (San Antonio, Texas) was gaining valuable experience in a step-up bout against Ivan Delgado (Los Angeles) when a headbutt in the third round opened up a huge gash on Tanajara’s forehead. Though his corner was able to staunch the flow of blood by the start of the next round, the ring doctor did not see him fit to continue, which led to referee Christian Curiel halting the contest at the start of the fourth (set for 10). It was a sweep for the well-regarded Tanajara, who remains undefeated, as judges Benjamin Tendin, Sergio Lechuga and Raymundo Perez all had him ahead by 40-36. Up to that point, Tanajara was in a comfortable groove, using his long jab and cross to keep Delgado at bay.
After drawing in a rugged fight a couple of months ago, Tijuana’s Jose Quirino and Mexico City’s Joel Cordova clashed in another heated tussle. This time, Cordova had his arm raised at the end of 10 rounds. Mr Flores and Leo Ibarra scored it for 97-93 for Cordova, while Mr Franco thought Quirino did enough to win by 96-94. In the early sessions, southpaw Quirino outboxed Cordova. But the tide began to turn in the fourth, as Quirino lost some steam and Cordova turned up his pressure fighting. Mr Renteria officiated.
The 2016 Olympian Joselito Velasquez earned a fifth-round stoppage (set for eight) of Kevin Villanueva in a Cancun derby. Velasquez dominated throughout, scoring a third-round knockdown in the process, before referee Renteria, heeding the white towel from Villanueva’s corner, stopped the fight at 1-46.
THE VERDICT As expected, the warmongering Soto and Rios leave it all in the ring.