The main event Friday night at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert between Raul Curiel and late replacement Jordan Panthen was a moral victory for both fighters and for Golden Boy Promotions just for taking place, after original opponent Alexis Rocha withdrew on Wednesday due to health issues.
Curiel of Tampico, Mexico (17-0-1, 14 KOs) used his superior boxing skills and a good dose of aggression to get the win in his unexpected first fight at middleweight against Panthen of Honolulu (11-2, 9 KOs). Curiel won by unanimous decision with scores of 98-92, 98-92, and 97-93.
“I think we got a tremendous fight for the people,” said Curiel, who admitted he felt the weight, and complimented Panthen as a warrior. “I enjoyed the fight, every fucking round.”
Size Matters for Curiel, But So Do Skills
Panthen fought hard to leverage his size advantage against Curiel, who didn’t need to risk his record after preparing for the rematch, but said he agreed after trainer Robert Garcia assured him he could be successful thanks to a strong training camp. But he admitted after the fight the weight got to him.
“With this support, I can get a world title – but in my weight class,” he laughed. “Going toe to toe with him, I could feel the weight. He’s a warrior, man. I tried to do the best I can. Robert told me to go to the body and keep moving my head. But he’s a warrior, and he fought all ten rounds.”
Panthen took a big step up to take on Curiel, especially after coming off his first loss. He made it competitive. Ultimately, Curiel held him off with plenty of aggression and some power of his own, hurting Panthen in the ninth round with well-placed body shots
It was a grueling fight waged with uppercuts and body shots, with plenty of toughness on display by both men. It made for a competitive fight that was more entertaining than anyone had a right to expect.
Curiel plans to return to welterweight. He said he would be willing to reschedule the rematch with Alexis Rocha. “I will be here whenever he wants to fight me. I respect him, and I’m here to fight anyone.”
Jorge Chavez Defeats Manny Flores, Wins California State Title
The co-main was the fight most of the devoted Coachella Valley boxing fans came to see, as super bantamweights Manny “Gucci Mane” Flores of Coachella and Jorge Chavez “El Niño Dorado” of San Diego fought in a rematch of their sensational July bout, which ended in a draw.
Sweetening the outcome, the California State title belt was at stake. The regional title was resurrected upon a suggestion by California State Athletic Commissioner Ron Fiore. CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster learned that such a belt had been issued as recently as the 1990s and led the effort to bring it back.
Whether it was the enthusiasm of the fans, the score to settle, or the titles at stake, Flores and Chavez delivered a slugfest as promised. Chavez (15-0-1, 8 KOs) got the better of Flores (20-2-1, 16 KOs) in the best performance of his career. Scores were 98-92 (Villareal), 97-93 (Barragan) and 96-94 (Reiss).
Chavez kneeled awaiting the scores, and leapt to his feet learning he’d won.
Post-Fight Interview with NY Fights
Jorge Chavez: ‘I Was The Tougher Fighter’
“To me, it was the equivalent of winning a world title, despite all the adversity I’ve been through life. I gave myself the title of being a hard worker, being an immigrant that went through hell. I’ve become a (effing) phoenix at this point,” smiled Chavez.
Flores came out strong, winning early rounds with every solid punch getting cheers. But the tide turned in round three. It appeared Chavez scored a knockdown as Flores’s glove touched the canvas. Referee Thomas Taylor ruled no knockdown. Even without the knockdown, there was a psychological boost for Chavez.
“I just realized I was the tougher fighter, with my technique and faster twitch,” said Chavez. “I thought, I can turn it up a notch and beat him to the punch every time, and that’s exactly what I was doing. I was beating him to the punch, and it showed later down the road when he realized he couldn’t get to me first.”
Chavez roared out of his corner in the fourth, and began battering Flores to the body, who was caught by surprise. Suddenly with Chavez on the front foot, it was a different fight. Chavez was timing Flores well, catching him coming in and landing with consistency.
After several successful rounds, trainer Hector Lopez told Chavez, “You’re a Tijuana dog!”
Chavez paced himself as Flores was not ready to give up, peppering Flores with left hooks and uppercuts. Referee Thomas Taylor showed admirable restraint by not jumping in to stop the fight, and the pair made it to the final bell.
Chavez said taking control was the edge this time. “It was different when I took it to him. Last time, he took it to me. I let him build momentum too much.
“I can do anything in the ring. You put me in there with a world contender. I proved I can do anything, I don’t care how hard it is,” said Chavez.
Abdullaev Gets Second Pro Stoppage Win
Super lightweight Ruslan Abdullaev of Uzbekistan (4-0, 2 KO) took Eduardo Javier Abreu of Uruguay (14-2-2, 10 KOs) to the woodshed, delivering a thorough drubbing across five rounds with two knockdowns before getting the TKO win at the very end of round five. Referee Gerard White was forced to step in at 2:59 of the round, with Abreu taking too many shots.
Abdullaev landed 126 of 340 punches thrown (37%), against just 40 of 210 punches thrown for Espino (19%).
Griffiths Goes the Distance Against Espino
Welterweight prospect Cayden Griffiths of Indio (7-0, 6 KOs) went the distance for the first time against a tough-as-nails veteran in Lesther Espino of Nicaragua (10-8, 8 KOs), It wasn’t the fight Griffiths wanted, but he got the shutout win of 60-53 on all three cards.
Griffiths scored a knockdown early in the second round on a clubbing left hook, sending Espino flying. The firefight was on. Espino made Griffiths pay for defensive lapses by landing wicked uppercuts. Griffiths took them well, but after the fourth round, trainer Antonio Diaz told Griffiths to be more defensively responsible.
In the last two rounds, Griffiths hurt Espino. It seemed he might get the job done, but Espino stood tough. Although he lost, he saluted the crowd and got an appreciative round of applause as he left the ring.
Griffiths expressed disappointment at going the distance for the first time as a pro.
“I made a few mistakes I shouldn’t be making. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board. At least we dropped him. We’ll take it as a learning experience,” said Griffiths, who added he needs to improve his shot selection. “I didn’t look for the right shots … not just what I think is there, but seeing what is actually there.”
Prelim Results: Ramirez, Guzman, Rubalcava Get Wins
John “Scrappy” Ramirez of Coachella (15-1, 9 KOs) put on a show for his devoted fans in their seats early. Veteran and former world champion Byron Rojas of Nicaragua (29-5-3, 12 KOs) forced Ramirez to grind out all ten rounds to earn his win by majority decision. Scores were 98-92, 97-93, and 95-95.
Middleweight Fabian Guzman of Santa Ana, California (9-0, 8 KOs) added another stoppage to his record, forcing the referee to step in as Jose Rodriguez of Ecuador (3-2, 2 KOs) had taken too much heat, including a knockdown. Time was 2:36 of the eighth round.
In the opening bout, welterweight Richard Rubalcava of Ventura (15-0-1, 10 KOs) got in some valuable rounds, winning by unanimous decision over Jonathan Eniz of Buenos Aires, Argentina (37-25-1, 17 KOs). Scores for Rubalcava were 80-72 twice, and 79-73, denied a shutout by just one round.
Iriarte vs De Los Santos Fight Called Off
The scheduled bout between welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte of Bakersfield (9-0, 8 KOs) and Jireh De Los Santos of Welasco, Texas (14-2-2, 5 KOs) was called off at the last moment when De Los Santos decided to withdraw. Iriarte told me he was already gloved up when he learned the fight would not go forward.
Iriarte had come in three plus pounds over the weight limit but De Los Santos didn’t make a decision to withdraw until Friday night. De Los Santos said he prayed on it, and determined it was not safe for him to proceed.
Iriarte hopes to be back as soon as the February 21 Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia card in Las Vegas.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.