8 New UCA Champions Are Crowned

The first title fight of the night featured the Masters UCA Light Heavyweight Champion Mike Hagen, California Highway Patrol putting his title on the line against #1 ranked, Izzy Montes, CDCR, California State Prison, Sacramento. When the bell sounded to start this highly anticipated rematch, Montes was determined to even the score. He came out like a buzz saw throwing punches in bunches. Hagen tried to match the output, but Montes kept throwing and coming forward putting pressure on the champion. Hagen kept his composure and was most effective when he initiated the action. Montes continued to score points with volume punches. When the final bell rang, the results would be left in the judge’s hands to decide. By split decision….And the new…..Masters UCA Light Heavyweight Champion Izzy Montes, CDCR, CSP, Sacramento. It remains to be seen what direction Montes and Hagen will go from here. A trilogy, a different opponent, or retirement? We may never see this age matchup for a title again. Montes is 53 years old and Hagen is 55 years old.

The 2^nd title fight of the night featured #1 ranked Frank Quitugua, California Dept. of Corrections, California Medical Facility vs Jose “Buster” Bustillos, United States Navy, fighting for the vacant Masters Welterweight title. Quitugua started out very patient and calculated in his attack. He didn’t waste any punches; every punch was thrown for a purpose. Bustillos couldn’t seem to find his rhythm and seemed to be out of range to land any punches. As the fight went on Quitugua got better. Bustillos would have his moments in the fight, but he wasn’t busy or aggressive enough. Quitugua’s ability to stay out of range and make Bustillos miss while finding openings to land jabs, hooks, and straight rights, helped him convince the judges to award him the decision. And the new….Masters UCA Welterweight Champion Frank Quitugua, CDCR, CMF.

The third title fight of the night featured the undefeated 2nd ranked Anthony Cross, CDCR, CSP Sacramento taking on undefeated Juan Rodriguez from the Miami City Fire Dept. Yes, that’s correct. Rodriguez and his team traveled all the way from Miami, Florida to square off with Cross for the title. When the fighters came to the center of the ring for their final instructions from professional Referee Tom Taylor, it was clear Rodriguez had a huge height and reach advantage. Would Cross be able to close the distance and get inside Rodriguez reach? Let’s find out. When the bell rang, Cross came forward throwing jabs and right hands with bad intentions. Rodriguez kept his hands high to not get caught by any heavy blows. Rodriguez started to let his hands go in the 2nd round, but Cross used good head movement and footwork to stay out of danger. Going into the 3^rd, Rodriguez needed a big round to change the momentum of the fight. Cross continued to impose his will on Rodriguez not giving him a chance to breathe. This bout would go the distance and Cross’s power and skill over the course of the fight proved too much for Rodriguez, And the new….. UCA Cruiserweight Champion Anthony Cross, CDCR, CSP Sacramento. Cross revealed he is truly a special fighter with unlimited potential. He continues to get better and evolve as a fighter with each win.

The 4th title fight of the night featured a matchup between two of the best fighters in the game: the undefeated #1 ranked Aaron Benoit from the California Dept of Corrections, California Health Care Facility squaring off with the undefeated UCA Jr Cruiserweight Champion Gerardo Serrano, Reedley Police Dept. Benoit and Serrano are special fighters whether it’s their belief in themselves, their focus, determination, hard work and discipline, or all the above. There is just something magnetic about them, you see it when they fight and when you are around them. From the first to the last bell, Benoit and Serrano put everything on the line. They electrified the crowd with fierce exchanges.  When Serrano would land a combination Benoit would erase it with a combination of his own. These warriors brought out the best in each other and refused to back down. As the fight went on the exchanges intensified. When the bell rang to start the 3rd and final round both fighters sensed that their chance to win was well within each other’s grasp. This fight was so close, and someone needed to take a chance. Half way through the 3rd round Benoit unleashed a series of punches that drove Serrano to the ropes forcing the referee to step in and give Serrano a standing 8 count. The bout ended with both fighters on their feet trading leather. UCA Boxing doesn’t get much better than this. When the score cards were added up Benoit would emerge with a split decision victory to become The New….UCA Jr Cruiserweight Champion. Greatness requires consistency, resilience, and the ability to shine from bell to bell, in every round of every fight. That’s what Serrano and Benoit gave the fans.

Next up was the most anticipated fight of the night. Those in attendance got an eye-opening treat when the reigning and defending UCA Super Heavyweight Champion Chris Dubiansky, Camp Pendleton Fire Dept. squared off with the only fighter to hold two titles simultaneously, the undefeated 2 division UCA Champion Marqus Blevins, Kings County Sheriff’s Dept. in a Champion vs Champion showdown. As the bout began, both fighters came out patiently looking for openings. Dubiansky quickly started to pressure and back Blevins up not giving him a chance to set up an offensive attack. Blevins would find his openings but Dubiansky kept the pressure on. It was a back and forth battle between two highly skilled big men. As the fight went on, the action got better. Dubiansky kept backing Blevins to the ropes.  He consistently threw punches whether they landed or not. It kept Blevins busy trying to avoid punches and throw punches of his own.   These guys went to war full speed.  It was a spectacular performance by both fighters. Down the stretch, Dubiansky and Blevins fired off shots until the final bell rang.  When the score cards were added up, Dubiansky had done what no one has done before. He handed Blevins his first loss and lifted his UCA Heavyweight Title. The victory made Dubiansky only the second fighter in UCA history to hold two titles in two separate weight classes, simultaneously,

Next up was a Police vs Fire matchup. #1 ranked Aurelio Vazquez, Los Angeles Police Dept vs #2 Jack Rivera, Sacramento City Fire Dept. 3 rounds for the Masters UCA Jr Cruiserweight Title. This was a war from bell to bell between two evenly matched fighters. Rivera’s style is to come forward and make you work every second of every round, and Vazquez is more of a boxer puncher who can fight on the inside or the outside. When the first bell rang Rivera came forward and stayed in Vazquez’s face. Both fighters stayed busy trying to match each other’s output. Vazquez came forward in the 2nd round taking the fight to Rivera. Vazquez would box at times, then brawl, and switch between orthodox and southpaw. Both fighters had their moments in the fight, but Vazquez seemed to be the more active and accurate fighter. Throughout the fight, Vazquez and Rivera tried to land heavy shots to turn the tide but neither fighter was able to land anything meaningful. They just kept throwing and throwing. Tough fight to score. In the end, there had to be a winner. And the new…Masters UCA Jr Cruiserweight Champion Aurelio Vazquez, Los Angeles Police Dept.

The 7^th title fight of the night was a clash between two of best in their division fighting for the vacant UCA Jr Welterweight Championship Title. UCA 2^nd ranked Devon Dejoie, United States Navy (San Diego) vs #1 ranked BJ Adkins from Raleigh County Sheriff’s Dept. who traveled all the way from West Virginia to compete for the UCA title. When the bell sounded, Adkins came forward and took control of the center of the ring. He stuck to the basics, kept his hands up, threw straight punches, and stayed busy to win the first round. The second was more of the same from Adkins. Dejoie started to open up and was effective when he came forward. Tough round to score. Adkins may have squeezed it out by landing a few more punches. Here we go. Third and final round. Dejoie came out of his corner taking the fight to Adkins and backing him up with punches but it may have been too late. For 3 rounds it was a tug-of-war battle between two fighters with identical skills. Dejoie and Adkins displayed good composure and good fundamentals throughout the fight. Tough fight to score. When the score cards were added up it was split. But there had to be a winner. And the new….UCA Jr Welterweight Champion, all the way from West Virginia, BJ Adkins, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Dept. 

We saved the best for last. The final fight of the night featured the former UCA Champion DJ Vargas, Hanford Police Dept. who looks to reclaim past glory and prove to everyone he still has what it takes to be a champion. Having overcome the disappointment of losing his UCA Super Middleweight title to Quincy Mirage, LAPD. Vargas then set his sights on the vacant UCA strap that Mirage was forced to vacate due to inactivity. This was an opportunity that Vargas could not let slip through his hands. Standing across the ring from Vargas is the hungry undefeated 3^rd ranked Sterling Ingram, United States Navy who has been waiting for his chance to prove he’s the best in the division. Ingram came into the fight with confidence riding the momentum of a 3-fight win streak. Vargas vs Ingram is a matchup between two fighters with similar skills. They both have great footwork and would rather move and box than stand and go toe to toe. For three rounds Ingram brought the fight to Vargas and landed the more effective punches. Vargas showed good movement and looked for opportunities to land punches. However, he just didn’t do enough to make a case to the judges scoring the bout. The scorecards were unanimous. And the new….UCA Super Middleweight Champion Sterling Ingram, U.S Navy, The statement victory reaffirmed Sterling Ingram’s place as the best in the Super Middleweight division. He has the potential to do some big things and he is in the perfect division for him to start doing so.

The momentum that Public Safety boxing has found over the past 8 years must be used as a springboard to ensure it’s maintained. By building Champions, promoting fighters and keeping them in the public eye. The Central California Battle of the Badges event produced 15 total fights, and 8 bouts were UCA Title fights. This is something which had never happened in one night before in the history of Public Safety boxing. Upcoming events SoCal Battle of the Badges June, 29, 2019 Pechanga Resort and Casiono, 911 Fight Night August 17, 2019 Pomona, CA, NorCal Battle of the Badges October 5, 2019