High Drama at the Quiet Cannon

The Fight for Life Event is in the books and it closed out the year with a great night of fights highlighted by two of the top ranked middleweights in the state Erik Ramirez, LASD and Quincy Mirage, LAPD. Each fighter on the card was looking to finish out 2013 with a great performance and they did just that. Huge credit to event organizers, Jorge Caamal, Mike Young, Hank Nagamine, Al Fraijo, of Team LASD and Rudy Barragan, John Negrete, Frank Diaz, Robert  Morales, of Team LAPD.

The first fight of the night featured Sergio Trejo, LASD taking on hard hitting 2^nd ranked Brendi Ponce, LAPD. Ponce has power in both hands and uses his ultra-aggressive style to close the distance and end the fight with one shot.  Trejo showed good technical skills, good movement and good defense throughout the fight.  This was a close fight but what earned Ponce the decision was he threw the harder shots and was the more aggressive fighter. Ponce would pick up the victory and stay perfect bringing his record to 3-0.  Ponce may be the most dangerous challenger at light heavyweight because of his power. At any given time he can end the fight with one punch.

Bout 2 featured a battle between two fighters stepping into the ring for the first time. Robert Lim, LASD vs. Daniel Ramirez, LAPD. Ramirez demonstrated good technical skills, keeping his hands up, throwing straight punches and good footwork.  Lim was aggressive, coming forward trying to land punches, true signs of a beginner. Ramirez must have put in a lot of time at the gym before the fight. The clear difference in the fight was the skill level of Ramirez. Ramirez showed a lot of maturity in the ring and is definitely a fighter to keep an eye on. Ramirez winner by decision.

Bout 3 featured a back and forth war between Lamar Wilson, LASD and William Neal, LAPD. Wilson was clearly the flashier, faster fighter while Neal was the stronger more aggressive fighter. In a very close action packed fight the decision would be left up to the judges. Neal would edge out a split decision win.

Bout 4 featured 6th ranked Remin Pineda, LASD taking on 5th ranked Ruben Rosas, LAPD. Rosas comes from a fighting family and has been around boxing his whole life and is full of talent.  Rosas fights with a relaxed style and knows how to control the pace of a fight. Pineda is a pressure fighter who does his best work on the inside and did have his moments going to the body.  When Pineda pressed forward Rosas would anticipate his movement to stay out of danger. Pineda showed a determined effort and gave a good account of himself but it wasn’t enough. Pineda would be on the wrong end of a judges’ decision due in large part to Rosas dominate footwork and movement. Rosas winner by unanimous decision.

Bout 5 featured the only female fight on the card, 3^rd ranked Roxanne Chavez, LASD vs. Vanessa Siordia, LAPD. Neither fighter held back and fought with heart and courage all three rounds.  It was a close back and forth battle between two evenly matched fighters. Siordia came forward and initiated the action throughout most of the fight and could have been the difference in the judge’s eyes.  Siordia winner by decision.

Bout 6 featured two fighters representing their Department in the ring for the first time, Jose Corral, LASD vs. Nestor Escobar, LAPD.  Corral is very polished technical fighter who does everything well. He displayed good movement, balance, timing and combination punching. Escobar would have his moments in the fight but the difference was Corral had too many weapons in his arsenal.  Corral winner by decision. Corral is an ultra-talented up and comer with limitless potential. Expect Corral to make waves in the Welterweight division.

Bout 7 featured  9^th ranked Matthew Pereida vs. 2^nd ranked  Aurelio Vasquez, L APD. When the bell rang, Vasquez stormed forward, overwhelming Pereida with punches. Then a war broke out and Pereida and Vasquez were trading shots going toe to toe. Anyone that thinks Pereida’s babyface looks take away from his toughness is sadly mistaken. Pereida is a fighter through and through. Vasquez and Pereida went at it full speed from the sound of the bell exchanging thunderous shots throughout the entire bout. Fights like this are what make great fighters. Pereida and Vasquez went through fire to prove to themselves and everyone else they are warriors. The fight ended in dramatic fashion with both fighters looking to land a combination or heavy shot to give them the edge in a very close fight. This was a high octane tough physical fight that pushed both fighters to the brink. In the end Pereida would pick up the split decision victory and Vasquez would suffer his first defeat. For their efforts they received “Fight of the Night” honors. Pereida and Vasquez are made of something special.

The co-main event, featured red hot 3rd ranked Alan Rojas, LASD who was looking to remain perfect but standing in his way was battle tested 4^th ranked Alex Perez, LAPD.  Perez looked impressive in his last fight against the best uncrowned fighter in California, Chris Barrios, LASD.  Rojas is under the tutelage of renowned trainer Mando Guzman and is a stablemate of the undefeated Cruiserweight State Champion Brian Stevens. On paper this fight had the makings of a high level competitive fight and it lived up to expectations.  Rojas and Perez would have high light moments throughout the fight, landing big shots upstairs and down stairs. Both fighters have a solid defense and were never in trouble in the fight. The difference in the fight was the work rate by Rojas. With the win Rojas would extend his undefeated record to 5-0. After the fight Rojas was quick to show his interest in fighting the pound for pound king Chris Barrios, LASD for the UCA Super Cruiserweight Title.

The Main Event featured 4th ranked Erik Ramirez, LASD taking on 6th ranked Quincy Mirage, LAPD in a much anticipated rematch. Ramirez started the fight putting together nice combinations and using good footwork to avoid any retaliation from Mirage. When Mirage did close the distance Ramirez did a good job of letting his hands go. But Mirage was hungry for revenge and continually pressed the action not giving Ramirez a rest and forcing him to fight every second of every round. Ramirez hasn’t been in the ring since November 30, 2012 and the long layoff seemed to take its toll in the 3^rd as Mirage outworked and outlanded him. This fight was fought at a fast pace and was not easy for either fighter.  It was a great main event fight between two top ranked middleweights. In the end it was Mirage who would pick up the hard earned victory and cement himself as a top Middleweight.