On a surprisingly chilly summer night in Ogden, Utah, a healthy crowd at the Gold Spike Exhibition Hall saw six professional boxing matches on Saturday, June 21.
The main bout matched Bobby Tabile, 2-0 against 0-4 Jacob Diaz. Middleweight Tabile pressured Diaz from the outside, forcing him to the ropes and frequently landing left and right hooks. Diaz tried to keep Tabile off him with a jab but was overwhelmed. The referee stopped the bout at 2:04 of round two. There were no knockdowns.
Charles Presnell, of the Fight Chatter Substack, also covering the fights, suggested to this reporter that a Tabile match with veteran middleweight Christian Aguirre would be an action fight, give the aggressive styles of both. Something to think about if Tabile wins his next couple of bouts.
In another middleweight bout, Julian Ruiz, moved to 2-0 with a second round TKO over debuting William Wirthlin. Ruiz (seen in top photo at left against Wirthlin) overpowered his game opponent, who despite not being knocked down, was defenseless when the fight ended midway through round two.
Two featherweight prospects fought a competitive opening bout, with Mauro Angel Gutierrez, 1-1, winning a unanimous decision over Ogden's Jesus Saldana, making his debut.
After an even first round, Gutierrez (seen at right against Saldana in the above photo) swept rounds two and three, keeping Saldana off balance with feints and side to side movement. Gutierrez scored several body shots, particularly during the third round. Saldana rallied the final 90 seconds of round four. Scores were 40-36 (twice) for Gutierrez, and 39-37 for the unanimous decision. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 40-38 for Gutierrez.
Super welterweight Isaiah Velazco, who trains and spars with Ruiz, floored Dakota Highpine three times enroute to scoring a second-round TKO (2:26). Velazco, 1-0, counterpunched very well against the aggressive Highpine, 0-2.
A sloppy but entertaining slugfest resulted in debuting Emmanuel Aldair Gonzales scoring a majority decision over Cruz Carbajal, 0-5. This was a back-and forth even match with good moments for both boxers. Gonzales received 40-36 nods from two judges with another calling the bout 38-38, which matches Utah Fight Game's tally.
Shon Cross, 33, trainer at Factum gym, made his pro debut as a cruiserweight, winning a four round decision over Erik Lopez, 0-2. Cross fought a cautious but effective bout, narrowly winning round one with just his jab. Cross (seen in the photo above, at right, greeting Lopez prior to bout) gradually upped his offense against his wild-swinging opponent, adding right crosses and body shots to his tiring opponent. Cross nearly stopped Lopez, who was battered into the ropes at the end of round three. Lopez, to his credit, lasted the distance, even landing a solid right at the end of the bout. The tallies were 40-36 twice and one call of 39-37. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 40-35 for Cross.
A scheduled heavyweight bout between Bishop Le'i (3-0-1) and Trevor Kotara, 4-4-1, was a late scratch.
The All Heart Promotions team, promoter Monica DeCarlo, and matchmaker Jason DeCarlo, plan another card in Ogden in November.
-- Doug Gibson
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In other fight news, Jarome Hatch, a Texas MMA and bareknuckle fighter with Utah ties, scored a stoppage win on June 21 in Nashville, Tenn., over Cody East, previously No. 1 contender. It was voted Fight of the Night.
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According to former pro boxer and trainer Tim Carroll, there will be a 12-bout Fullmer amateur card Saturday, June 28, at 10960 South Park Road, South Jordan, UT 84095. The bouts start at 7 p.m. What's very interesting is Carroll, who is also a standup comedian, will entertain the crowd, along with other comedians. The comedy sets will take place between bouts with a top comedian honored at end of night. The above address is where the Fullmer Legacy Center is located.
And on Saturday, July 5, at Crossfit gym in Clearfield, boxing trainer Pablo Padilla's birthday will be celebrated. There are lots of activities planned. All information is on flyer below.
