Juan Bustamante, LAPD had an opportunity to talk with and give Shane Mosley a UCA shirt at Shane’s recent USA Boxing event June 1st in Pomona, California. Shane Mosley’s son was featured as the main event on the card and he won.

Mosley began boxing as an 8-year-old and by the mid-1980s he emerged onto the national scene. He became the U.S. Amateur Champion at lightweight in 1989 and earned a silver medal in that year’s world junior championships in Puerto Rico. In 1990, he won another U.S. Amateur title at lightweight and represented his country at the Goodwill Games, where he earned a bronze medal in the 132-pound weight class. Seen as a strong professional prospect as an amateur Mosley turned pro in 1992. As an amateur he had 260 amateur fights with a record of 250-10.

Mosley is a former four-time world champion at 135, 147, and 154 pounds and future Hall of Famer. Mosley was named the Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association in 1998.  Mosley has been considered among the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters. Shane Mosley is a class act in and out of the ring and a great role model for young amateur boxers.

The Sacramento Battle of the Badges UCA Championship poster hangs in Freddie Roach’s world famous Wild Card Gym, home to Manny Pacquiao. Manny is facing a tough and hungry opponent in Timothy Bradley, 28-0  June 9^th, 2012.  There will definitely be fireworks in this Super Fight. The light guys are always exciting to watch. They are faster, have higher cardio, and throw a higher volume of punches. This should be a good one.

The LASD Boxing Team is training hard under LASD Coach Mike Young for the upcoming LA Battle of the Badges. The event will take place July 27^th at the Quiet Canon in Montebello, California.

The card is stacked with Top Ranked fighters. The most intriguing fight on the card has to be the much anticipated rematch between UCA #1 ranked David Bermudez, East Bay Regional Parks PD and  2nd ranked Jorge “The Baby Face Assassin” Caamal, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. Bermudez and Caamal met for the first time in the 2006 Police Games, in San Diego. They were fighting for the 156lb open class Gold Medal. They put on one of the best fights in Police Olympic history. For 3 rounds it was flawless crisp combinations, counter punching, and best of all, the body attack. Caamal picked up the split decision win.

Also on the card will be Juan “Bad Blood” Bustamante, LAPD dropping down another weight class to take on the highly skilled, 2011 Police Olympic Silver Medalist, UCA 5th ranked Erik Ramirez, LASD at 165lbs.  Rumor is, Bustamante will be turning pro after this fight.

Another great fight is 8^th ranked Chris Martinez, Avenal PD vs. 7^th ranked Angel “The Natural” Vasquez, LASD. Martinez lost a tough fight to Neil Tremethick, U.S. Army in March and has his sights on getting back in the win column. Vasquez is coming off two great battles with Ray Encinas, LAPD.  This match-up has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.

In the Heavyweight division the fighter with perhaps the best nickname in boxing, UCA 2^nd ranked Mike “I will Amaze Ya” Frazier from LASD will be taking on Kannon Lariba, CDCR CMC Prison.

These are just a few of the fights on this exciting card. More info to come.

Is it time for boxing to have open scoring? Football, baseball, basketball, wrestling and nearly every mainstream sport has it. Why not boxing? If there were open scoring you could keep track of who is ahead. You could root for the underdog and become more involved in the fight. Open scoring could attract more boxing fans and help improve the integrity of the sport.  If a boxer knew he was behind on the scorecards it would force him to press the action and make the fight more exciting. With open scoring a fighter couldn’t claim he thought he was winning.  If a fighter knew he was losing he could put it all on the line to turn the tide back in his favor, win the remaining rounds or go for the knockout.

Boxing fans are expected to sit through a whole fight with no clue of what the outcome will be, other than their own opinion. As of late the opinions of boxing fans oftentimes ends up being completely different from the judges scoring the fight. When the fight is over, the cards are tabulated and the decision is announced. The fighters, fans, and trainers have no option but to accept the decision of the judge’s scorecards. The judges are not held accountable and are guaranteed a paycheck regardless of how they scored the bout. Maybe the judges should have to explain why they scored the fight the way they did before they get paid. The judges should be held accountable for their performance just like the referees and boxers are.  Until there is open scoring in boxing everyone will be kept in the dark. The score is a secret and sometimes it’s a nasty secret.

The UCA #1 ranked Jr. Middleweight wrapped up his two week mini training camp this week. David Bermudez, East Bay Regional Parks PD trained and sparred with open amateur boxers at Newcastle’s Ringside Gym. Ryan Kotey the 2 time National Collegiate Champion from University of Nevada, Reno was brought in for Bermudez and proved to be great work for the #1 ranked fighter. Bermudez is preparing for perhaps his toughest challenge in Jorge “The Baby Face Assassin” Caamal, LASD. Bermudez will step into the ring with Caamal for the second time, July 27^th, in the Los Angeles Battle of the Badges Boxing Event.  Both guys are gifted athletes and eager to prove they are #1 at 154lbs.

The LA Battle of the Badges Event is shaping up to be a good one. With 8 ranked fighters and new fighters looking to break into the top ten this is a card you don’t want to miss.

On July 27^th at the Quiet Canon, Montebello California the #1 ranked Jr. Middleweight David Bermudez, East Bay Regional Parks PD will face 2^nd ranked Jorge “Baby Face Assassin” Caamal, LASD. When the bell rings rest assured these guys will engage in a Jr. Middleweight war.

Also featured on the card will be 2^nd ranked Mike “I Will Amaze Ya” Frazier, coming off Fight of the Night honors in his last fight against Josh Skeber, LAPD. Frazier will be facing the tough and athletic Kannon Lariba from CDCR CMC Prison.

3rd ranked Rahsaan “Mr. Nice Guy” Harrison, will face Craig Hamblin, CDCR Solano Prison. Harrison is not looking past Hamblin but he is looking to get a rematch with the #1 ranked Casey Johnson, Oakland PD. Hamblin will be taking on a more experienced fighter in Harrison but is up for the challenge.

4^th ranked Juan “Bad Blood” Bustamante, LAPD will take on 7^th ranked Erik “Lone Wolf” Ramirez, LASD. Both fighters are well rounded and not afraid to go toe to toe.

8^th ranked Chris Martinez, Avenal PD will face 7^th ranked Angel Vasquez, LASD in a defining bout. The winner of this fight will definitely shake up the welterweight division and be knocking on the door for a title shot.

Jeff “The Silent One” Flotree, LASD will take on George “The Veterano” Lopez, LAPD.  These fighters are both seasoned vets and have more fights than everyone on the card combined. These guys have been through many adverse situations in their boxing career and nothing is really going to faze them. This fight may simply come down to who is in better shape.

New fighters stepping into the ring looking to make an impression are Roxanne “The Little Natural” Chavez, LASD vs Tysheanna Alewine, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Roger “Powershot” Garcia   LA Co. Court Services vs Jesus Cerda, Fresno PD and Remin “MMA” Pineda, LASD vs Juan Avila, Fresno PD.

More details to come as the fight approaches.

Juan with Coach Maurice Ferguson

The rumor is true. Juan “Bad Blood” Bustamante, LAPD will be turning pro.  July 27th will be the last time LAPD Officer, Juan Bustamante will be fighting as an amateur. Bustamante will be entering the professional boxing circuit following his fight with LASD Deputy, Erik Ramirez.  Bustamante has fought some of the biggest names in Public Safety (Chris Barrios, Jamaal Brathwaite, and James Davis). As a member of the Los Angeles Police Department Boxing team, Bustamante fought in many main events. Most current, his 4 round battle with James Davis, CDCR for the UCA State title.  Bustamante has been fortunate enough to fight for Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions on the

Shane Mosley Boxing Gym

under card fight for Golden Boy presents Nokia Fight night (vs. Chris Barrios, LASD). Bustamante has fought for numerous amateur titles, Battle of the Badges and Commander Cups. When asked about transitioning to the pro level, he replied “I’ve been blessed with fighting some of the best Peace Officers, Firefighters and Military Personnel in the nation. I’ve won some exciting, high profile fights and lost some hard fought battles. My road to the professional circuit has not been an easy one and that’s why I think I will do well. When I step into the ring for my pro debut, I’m not going to just represent myself, my family, my boxing club and Police Department. I will be representing every Peace Officer, Firefighter and Military brother/sister that has ever put on a pair of boxing gloves and tested themselves in the boxing ring.” When asked if he had any details about his pro debut, he said simply “My coach (Maurice Ferguson) has me in the gym training hard everyday and, we gotta look good for Suga Shane (Mosley) on July 27th”

Five Fighters are training hard under Bryan Williams at www.12roundsoftraining.com for the upcoming LA Battle of the Badges July 27^th. You can expect his fighters to be in great shape and well schooled in the sweet science. Williams knows what it takes to compete at a high level and instills that discipline and dedication in his fighters.

Also on the card is CMC Correctional Officer and CMC Spartan’s offensive guard Kannon Lariba. He will be squaring off with Mike Frazier from LASD. Lariba is looking forward to the challenge and training hard at Santa Maria Boxing Club. Preparing Lariba for his fight with the #2 ranked Heavyweight is Terry Cook, Makani Sarellano and Will Cheatle.

Craig Hamblin, CDCR Solano will be taking on the 3rd ranked Super Heavyweight Rahsaan Harrison, LASD. Hamblin is being trained by Anthony Alexander at Elk Grove Muay Thai & Boxing. www.norcalmuaythaiboxing.com.“This is the lightest I have been. I am in the best shape since I started boxing 4 years ago” Hamblin said.

Brian Stevens with Coach Armando Guzman

The contracts have been signed, the fight has been approved and the belt has been made. The second UCA mega fight this year will take place at the SoCal Battle of the Badges, Agua Caliente Casino and Resort on Saturday July 21^st.  #1 ranked Brian Stevens, LASD vs. 2nd ranked Jamaal Brathwaite, Orange Co. Sheriff’s Dept for the UCA Cruiserweight Title. This matchup has the makings of being one of the most highly skilled competitive fights of the year. Both fighters will finally have a chance to show everyone how good they really are. Jamaal Brathwaite, Orange Co. Sheriff’s Dept is a terrific fighter and poses a tremendous challenge for the #1 Ranked Brian Stevens, LASD. There is no doubt both fighters will put it all on the line when they step into the ring. If Stevens expects to win against the more experienced Brathwaite he must take chances. Stevens can not sit back and wait for an opening. He must engage early. Stevens has to be the hunter. Brathwaite will be looking to land heavy bombs as soon as the bell rings. Stevens and Brathwaite face their toughest challenge in each other. It is going to be a tough fight; both fighters are going to be pushed harder than ever before. The one who can endure the pain, not break and push through, will come out on the other side as the UCA Cruiserweight Champion.

Great meeting with great people last week in San Diego at the United States Police & Fire Championships. The main topic of discussion was the future of boxing in the Police and Fire Games and the Battle of the Badges. Pat Russell, Hank Nagamini, Al Fraijo, Mike Young.