Rivals Collide for Charity

All eyes were on the squared circle Friday night at the Quiet Cannon for the 21st annual Fight for Life charity boxing event. The near capacity crowd got their money’s worth as fighters from LAPD and LASD displayed their talent, heart, grit and will to win until the final bell.

Results provided by #1 ranked Aurelio Vasquez, LAPD.

Bout 1 (154lbs) David Chung, LASD vs Aldo Rodriguez, LAPD. A more experienced Chung kept Rodriguez on the outside throughout the fight by landing jabs, left hooks, & the occasional right hand. What Rodriguez lacked in experience, he made up for with persistence & courage, and kept coming forward. Both men showed great sportsmanship throughout the fight. Chung winner by decision.

Bout 2 (168lbs) Hector Mendoza, LAPD vs. Jonathan Virgen, YAL (Ponce De Leon Gym). Mendoza displayed really good skill, switching up from orthodox to southpaw, confusing Virgen at times. Mendoza fought a tactical fight and landed the cleaner, harder shots. But Virgen was the busier fighter of the two; throwing punches in bunches all through the fight. This fight could’ve gone either way, but Virgen would get the nod from the judges due to his volume punching. Virgen winner by decision.

Bout 3 (175lbs) Mike Hernandez, LASD vs Brendy Ponce, LAPD. Both fighters came out displaying much skill & experience. Ponce would look to land his killer right hand while Hernandez moved and boxed, catching Ponce on the way in with a well-timed jab & left hook. Ponce would have some success early on landing some solid 1, 2’s and using effective head movement, but the difference in the fight was Hernandez’ quick combinations and footwork. Both fighters would earn each other’s respect & that of the crowd’s. Hernandez winner by split decision.

Bout 4 (190lbs) Mario Perez, LASD vs. Louis Garcia, YAL (Ponce De Leon Gym). Garcia would win the 1st round by keeping the power-punching Perez on the outside with his jab & his footwork. Perez would come back to land the cleaner combos & harder punches the rest of the fight. Perez winner by decision.

Bout 5 (175lbs) Remin Pineda, LASD vs. Chris Andrade, LAPD.  Pineda showed experience & boxing skills, and flustered a very green Andrade with clean combinations. Andrade who is taller & has a longer reach seemed more intent on mixing it up with Pineda…to his detriment. A standing 8-count would be given to Andrade in the beginning of the 1st. In the 2nd round, Andrade came out applying his jab & 1, 2 combo. He utilized his height & reach advantage over a shorter, yet confident Pineda. LAPD corner must’ve urged Andrade to do so during the 1 minute break. Andrade would finish the round by keeping an aggressive Pineda at the end of his punches and landed more shots. At the start of the 3rd, Andrade came out with a renewed sense of confidence…being cheered on & pumped up by the sizable crowd there to see him. Chants of “Metro! Metro!” (Division) heard. Both fighters started out with some flurries & went toe to toe for a bit, but Andrade had more in the tank. Andrade then caught a slower & more winded Pineda with a solid straight right that sent him back into the ropes. Standing 8-count given to Pineda. Though fatigue had set in on both fighters, they went at it full tilt to end the 3rd. The fight would end with loud crowd approval. It could’ve easily gone either way. Early “Fight of the Night” candidate. Pineda winner by split decision.

Bout 6 (175lbs) Jake Ching, LA Co. FD vs. Gerardo Pachuca, LASD. Both fighters would have their moments. Pachuka was game and gave it his all, but the difference was Ching’s cleaner boxing combinations, footwork, and conditioning. Ching winner by decision.

Bout 7 (132lbs) Dre Fonseca, LAPD vs. Marina Lizarraga, LASD. An action-packed fight from the get-go! Both fighters flew out of the gate, firing fast & furious 1, 2’s at each other for the entire first 20 seconds of the fight! Fonseca ducked, used quick lateral movement, & angles to avoid Lizarraga’s longer reach. Fonseca would then land the stiffer jabs & cleaner right hands all through the 2nd. Very loud chants of “Li-za-rra-ga!” & “Dre! Dre! Dre!” heard throughout the ballroom. Lizarraga would have her best round in the 3rd, landing hooks & uppercuts as Fonseca made her way in. These ladies set out to prove they were warriors and fought fast & hard to the end. The amount of heart they displayed was tremendous! At the final bell, the crowd rose to their feet. Their roar was loud & deafening. Both fighters brought with them their fair share of fans, and would make many more by the time the fight finished. Fonseca winner by decision. This bout would receive “Fight of the Night” honors.

Bout 8 (154lbs) Eddie Montano, LAPD vs. Brandon Manning, LASD. Two fighters with contrasting styles. Manning used his mauling, brawling style to stay busy in the clinch and tie Montano up all fight long. Montano wasn’t able to shake Manning off him to get the space he needed to get off his combinations. Manning winner by decision.

Bout 9 (230lbs) Bert Castaneda, LAPD vs. Manny  Amaya, LASD. Puncher vs. boxer. Castaneda tried to land some hard right hands & left hooks early on.  Amaya used his range to keep on the outside & tied Castaneda up on the inside to stay out of danger. Amaya was the busier fighter. He used good footwork and landed more punches. Castaneda would land a few good bombs of his own in the 3rd, but it wasn’t enough to catch up. Amaya winner by decision.