Gomez wins ABO title but fails to stop resilient Aguirre

(All photos by Joseph Gibson) ABOVE, Larry Gomez (in front) and Christian Aguirre embrace after their boxing match in Layton, Utah on May 26, 2018. Gomez captured the regional American Boxing Organization middleweight title via unanimous decision.

Recap by Doug Gibson

Larry Gomez, 7-0, used strong body- and counter-punching skills to take a unanimous six-round decision over Christian Aguirre, 7-1, to earn the American Boxing Organization's regional Middleweight Championship Saturday, May 26, 2018, at the Davis County Conference Center in Layton, Utah.

However, the resilient Aguirre denied Gomez a knockout win, becoming the first opponent to last the distance against the former amateur star and current Utah junior-middleweight champion. Aguirre, who has three KOs, is the state super-middleweight champion. Both fighters are based in Salt Lake City.

The fight between two of the state's top prospects almost ended early. In round one Gomez hurt the aggressive Aguirre with a body shot and then dropped him late in the round with a counter punch.

(Late in round one, Gomez dropped Aguirre to the canvas.)

Aguirre survived more pressure from Gomez in round two and then rallied in rounds three and four, occasionally driving Gomez backwards with his aggression. However, Gomez seized back control of the fight in round five, hurting Aguirre twice during the round and moving the usually-forward-moving fighter backwards.

The less-experienced Aguirre, who only had one amateur fight, showed tremendous heart in the bout, never going down after the first round knockdown despite taking heavy punishment from Gomez. In the sixth round Aguirre survived a final assault from Gomez, who clearly wanted a knockout.

There has been squabbling between both camps as the bout neared but the fighters embraced after the final bell. Although they are unlikely to ever become friends, Gomez did acknowledge Aguirre's heart in the post-fight interview. The judges scorecards were 59-54 twice and 60-53. The blog scored the bout 59-55 for Gomez.

The future looks bright for both these boxers. Gomez appears ready to seek opportunities on the West or East coasts, or Las Vegas or other major fight venues. This blog hopes he gets the chance. Aguirre fought aggressively and rallied several times during the fight. As his career matures, he'll certainly receive other opportunities.

Here are a few more photos from the bout, Aguirre in white trunks:

JUSTIN MORALES SCORES QUICK KO

In the co-main bout, Imperial-managed 147-pound pro prospect Justin Morales scored a quick KO over badly outclassed Anthony Ayala. The fight lasted less than 90 seconds and ended with Ayala, of Pocatello, Idaho, who was making his pro debut, prone on the canvas, where he stayed for a few minutes before rising. At one point Morales went over to check on his opponent.

(Above Top) The ring doctor works over Anthony Ayala after he was stopped in the first round by undefeated Justin Morales. ... Morales, (right) lands a right hand punch against Ayala.)

Morales, who lives in Las Vegas by way of Clinton, Utah, is now 2-0, both KOs. It was announced on Saturday night that he will meet MMA professional-turned boxer James Francis in an Imperial card scheduled for July. Both Morales and Francis met in the ring after Morales' bout.

MARTINEZ DECISIONS NAVA

In a pro preliminary bout over four rounds, 122-pounder Julio Martinez, of Salt Lake City, won via unanimous decision his pro debut over Ogden's Jair Nava, 0-2. Martinez appeared tight the first round, allowing Nava to dictate the pace. But Martinez swept the final three rounds, using his hand speed and well-placed hooks to stun Nava a few times. The judges scored the bout 40-36 twice and 39-37. The blog had it for Martinez 39-37. In the post-fight interview, Martinez said that "next time will be a knockout."

AMATEUR RESULTS:

In amateur bouts, Mateo Holt, 117 pounds, from Louie's Gym in Salt Lake City, used ring generalship to take a decision over Utah's Sergio Ramirez. Tre McCoy, 138 pounds, of Midvale decisioned Utah's Elbert Paul; Elvis Castello, 190 pounds, outboxed Carter Christensen, Louie's Gym, to get the decision; and in a heavyweight, 220 pounds, match, Bishop Lee, West Valley, scored a third-round knockdown en route to winning a decision over West Jordan's Jared Manning.

MORE FROM FIGHT NIGHT:

In a no-decision exhibition amateur boxing bout of three two-minute rounds, Jon Bryant, of Lights Out Gym in Clearfield, met Nate Owens of Ogden. Bryant recently won the Rocky Mountain open Golden Gloves titles. Owens is a regional amateur MMA champion, although he has boxing experience. The pair's three rounds were entertaining with both acquitting themselves well. Bryant, who controlled the majority of the action with boxing skills and a longer reach, received a "win" after fans' opinions were solicited by ring announcer Brad Davidson.

... West Jordan's Jose Haro, the United States Boxing Association professional featherweight champion, told fans that there's a good chance he'll defend his title in New Orleans on an ESPN card. We certainly hope that occurs. No one merits a big fight more than Jose. Haro also told the fans he hopes to eventually fight on another Imperial card.

... Boxer Francisco Alcantara was scheduled to fight on Saturday. But his opponent fell through. It was announced on Saturday that Alcantara will box on the Imperial card in July against Top of Utah's Sean Powers. It will be Powers first boxing match. Both he and Alcantara are well known as MMA pros.

Several hundred fans filled a ballroom at the conference center. More details on the planned July Imperial card will likely be revealed in June.

Steven Siler readies for WSOF MMA bout, more fight news

Just a note to our readers: Utah Fight Game blog has a lot of offerings over the next few weeks. We've conducted several interviews and have several more planned for the future. Our goal is to prepare fight fans for local cards. I've interviewed individuals associated with the upcoming South Valley Slam in May, Fitcon and SteelFist in April and Flash Newman's boxing card on April 1. You'll see some of that effort in today's blog, and more in the weeks ahead. Thanks for your support.

And now, on with today's "show." We start with an interview with Ogden MMA pro Steven Siler, who has a World Series of Fighting 35 bout scheduled for March 18 in Verona, N.Y.  Siler  (seen below) will meet undefeated Hakeem Dawodo in a featherweight preliminary bout. The card will be televised, with Siler's bout either online or on the main TV card.

I chatted with Siler earlier this week:

WHY WAS THERE A LATE OPPONENT SWITCH? (SILER WAS ORIGINALLY TAPPED TO MEET ALEXANDRE ALMEIDA). 

SILER: I couldn't tell you why I  had an opponent switch, I was driving home from practice and looked in my email and saw I had a new bout agreement. I  figured Alexandre got hurt but then a few days later saw he was fighting someone else. No one told me anything I just signed the new one. 

ON HIS OPPONENT: Hakeem is much different than what I was training for but also I think (he) works better for my style so I'll just go in do what I do and get the win.

ON TRAINING: I've had an awesome camp with Court McGee and Josh Burkman who is fighting this weekend. I've also been working up with the Ultimate Combat Training Center fight team to help me prepare.  ... (Sparring) depends on how far into the camp I'm in, usually 5x5 rounds but I also went a few weeks with no sparring and just kept it to drilling.

LONG-TERM:  Original goal when I was fighting Alexandre was a number 1 contender fight so I'm hoping it's the same with Hakeem. But either way I'm gonna take as many fights as I need to get that belt.

 Thanks Steve, and good luck on March 18. As Siler mentioned, Salt Lake City MMA pro Josh Burkman is fight this Saturday on a UFC card in Fortaleza, Brazil. He meets Michel Prazeres in a featured preliminary bout that will be on Fox Sports.

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ON TO BOXING: The big local news is that two fighters, Jose Haro and Larry Gomez, are slated to fight April 1 in Salt Lake City. Opponents are still unnamed so keep your fingers crossed that the fights occur. I chatted with Gomez and Ignacio Chairez, both undefeated Utah pros who are tabbed as good prospects. (Gomez seen below after scoring a recent win).

GOMEZ: I had fights coming up but these guys passed me up so now I'm trying to get an opponent to come here on April 1. (Gomez is referring to a Chicago boxing card that he hoped he would be included in.)

THE SLC CARD: "... We're having a hard time getting someone here ... so I'm waiting on a word."

Ignacio Chairez, undefeated lightweight, is also struggling to find fights locally.

CHAIREZ: I'm not satisfied with how my career has unfolded because of how inactive it's been. Hopefully this year that all changes and I can get busy and get in the top 10-15 in my weigh class. 

FUTURE: I got a few fights in the works here for the next upcoming month or so. I'm just waiting on confirmation and seeing how I heal. 

TRAINING: I'm in training right now. I'm always in the gym working out. It's where I feel at peace. My brother, Gabriel, is my main training partner. We've trained each other since we've been in boxing and we're each other's main sparring partners when we are getting ready for fights. (Chairez also thanks his teammates Luis and Uriel for their help).

MORE "... When we have a fight scheduled and confirmed Matt Pena takes control of camp and starts to go over the game plan. He's coached me my last three fights.

We wish the best of luck to Haro, Chairez and Gomez. They are among Utah's best pugilists and we'd love to see all, and others, in the boxing ring often.

ABO TO COME TO UTAH

I chatted with Juan Curiel of the American Boxing Organization, and he says that the ABO will take it efforts to boost boxing in cities to the Salt Lake area in May. He says Haro, who is an ABO regional title holder, will be there lending support. 

Curiel said that they hope to have human services professionals and government authorities at the events, which will include a boxing card, amateur or pro, with ceremonies during intermissions and an after party as well. The ABO recently had a fundraising event in Illinois.

As Curiel notes, the events are designed to raise money for local gyms to keep them financially healthy ad making sure that young boxers have locations to learn the sport and be mentored.

We'll have more on the SLC event as it draws nearer. The ABO, by the way, has regional title belt fights scheduled in Texas and North Dakota the next few weeks.

ONE MORE THING:

I mentioned that we've had several interviews that will soon be published on the blog and others I'm preparing for. Fighters we plan to publish chats with include Jon Neal and Skyler Frazier, Daniel Stratton and James Russell Francis, Kerry Lattimer and Jordan Chandler, John Valentine, and Rowdy Akers and AJ Garcia. This weekend will provide an update on how Josh Burkman's UFC bout went.

Jose Haro closer to boxing date; Munoz to fight in SLC

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I chatted with featherweight boxer Jose Haro, of West Jordan, Utah. He's an American featherweight champ of the American Boxing Association. Haro's training after being on the mend from foot surgery. It looks like he maybe fighting later this month or in April. (The photo above of Haro (left) in a bout is courtesy of Justin Hughes).

Haro: "I'm supposed to fight March 25 in Kansas. If not, I should be fighting April 7 in California."

Haro added that the April promotion, he thinks, may be with Thompson Boxing Promotions, and it may involve his connection with the American Boxing Association.

Speaking of the ABO, Juan Curiel, chief executive officer of that organization, told me that the ABO has future plans in Utah. Hopefully, we'll have more about that next week.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Locally, MMA amateur 185-pounder Eric Munoz, who trains at Foley's gym in Ogden with Pat Reeves' team The Pack, will fight Scott Foster in the Salt Palace on April 21 at a Jeremy Horn's card. I asked Munoz to comment on his preparation:

Munoz: "Always props to Pat Reeves and Dave Foley as well as The Pack, Ben Guymon, Giovani, and Justin Roberts." (Below, Munoz (at left) is seen training with Guymon and being coached by Reeves at Foley's gym.)

Ogden professional MMA featherweight Steven Siler will be fighting in April on a World Series of Fighting card. Whom he will fight is still to be released but we expect to have a chat with Siler in next week's blog.

Also, former main-bout MMA professional Daniel Stratton of Vernal announced on social media that he will be back in the cage on May 13 at the South Valley Slam, which will be at Sand Hollow in Hurricane. He'll fight James Russell Francis. It'll be a rematch of a bout Francis won.

And ,,, Here's a link to the upcoming events on the state athletic commission. It looks like Flash Academy will have a pro boxing card in SLC on April 1. We'll find out more about that and report.

The February SteelFist MMA card; about the American Boxing Organization

UPDATE: We just learned that Farmington fighter Trever Bradshaw is fighting a professional boxing match in Phoenix tonight at the Celebrity Theater. Trever will be boxing Texan Adrian Taylor at 185 pounds. MORE BELOW

The American Boxing Organization is a regional organization that has been very active of late, trying its best to bring boxing to many cities and develop a sort of farm system for up and coming fighters to gain a title and hopefully move up further. Utah's Jose Haro won an ABO title in Layton last year.

The photo above is of the newest ABA champion Achour Esho, 13-0, who won an ABO junior middleweight title Jan. 21 in Chicago. They have fights planned next month as well. I chatted with Juan Curiel, the CEO of the ABO, and asked him to tell our readers a little about the organization:

CURIEL: All we want to do is make a difference. I have the only organization in the world with former Olympian, world champions and hall of famers on the board. We have a program that will help indigent fighters and at-risk youth get back into society with relationship in social services and law enforcement. ...

("Among those involved are) Ernie Brown former amateur boxer, Leeroy Murphy former Gold Medalist and former IBF Cruiserweight World Champion Luis Mateo."

MORE FROM CURIEL: "Achour Esho fought Anthony Abruzzesse for the American ABO region Jr. Middleweight Championship crown January 21st at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago Illinois in front of great boxing fans. Future cards are  February 10th in Tijuana Mexico, with Ron Cruz from California fighting for the American ABO InterContinental Super Middleweight Championship crown. Also, February 24th Austin, Texas, to be announced."

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The ABO championship fight card in Layton with Haro last year was a great night for boxing. Also, we forgot to mention, as a reader commented, that former Olympic medalist and world champ pro boxer Montell Griffin is also associated with the ABO.

MMA news: The next SteelFist MMA card is Feb. 18 in Farmington, There's three pro title bouts: Trever Carlson versus Eric Wahlin, Anthony Johnson versus Jeremiah Guzman, and Carl Dieckmann versus Ed Whitmore. Dieckmann is making a comeback after a while off and Whitmore is a very tough opponent. All three bouts are excellent matchups. A couple of amateur title bouts include Justin Oswald versus Cole Shafer and Derrick Bates verses Michael O'Laskey.

Ben Guymon, a Top of Utah amateur, faces Kyle Frazier, and a women's amateur bout matches Lyza Hermosillo versus Heidi Wollebaek. There's several more scheduled bouts. More information at the promotion's website. I'll try to interview a couple of the fighters as the date draws near.

ONE MORE THING: MMA amateur woman Aubree Thompson, who used to fight out of Utah, has been in Salem, Ore., a while and has remained successful in the cage. She fights this Saturday in Eugene, Ore., in an amateur title fight against Cheyanne Vlismas. The 130-pound Thompson is hearing impaired and goes by the nickname The Silent Assassin.

BACK TO THE UPDATE NEWS: I chatted with Trever Bradshaw today. This will be his second boxing bout, although MMA is his main concern. "My focus is clearly on MMA but I like to stay active," he told me in a phone conversation from Phoenix. In his sole boxing match earlier this year, Trever stopped Utahn Mike Crisman in Layton, a veteran MMA fighter who has also boxes professionally. Taylor is 3-0 as a pro.

Bradshaw is a striker in MMA so moving to boxing is not difficult for him. He was offered the fight only about 24 hours ago and after blood tests hopped on a plane for Phoenix. We wish him the best of luck tonight.