Flores, Alexander, Rodriguez among winners at Rival Series 4 pro boxing card

 

---

OGDEN, UT -- In a packed boxing card at Ogden, Utah's Golden Spike exhibit hall, pro boxers Samuel Flores, Isaiah Rodriguez and Demetrius Alexander were among winners in the nine bouts.

Super featherweight Rodriguez, of Ogden (seen above in photo at right), improved his record to 4-3 with a second-round stoppage over Cruz Guadalupe Carbajal (at left). Rodriguez outpunched Carbajal consistently and had him reeling when the bout was stopped midway through round 2. 

In a welterweight bout Ogden's Flores, one of the top amateur boxers in the nation, won his pro debut with a one-punch KO over journeyman Shane Bridges. Flores boxed carefully for nearly a minute and then threw a hard left hook that sent Bridges into the corner, semi-conscious. The bout was stopped at 58 seconds. 

(Both photos below, of a triumphant Flores on the ring rope, and with trainer Jason Tafoya, are courtesy of Tommy Presnell.)

Flores in the post-bout interview showed charisma, entertaining the crowd with his remarks and enthusiasm. According to Charles Presnell's The Fight Chatter, Flores sold $20,000 worth of tickets for the Rival Series IV event, from All Hearts Promotion. 

From this reporter's perspective, this seemed the highest attending All Heart Promotion to date. (It was announced afterwards that the fight had sold out the arena.)

In an intriguing match between Northern Utah cruiserweights, Demetrius Alexander won a four-round unanimous decision over boxer/trainer Shon Cross. The shorter Alexander, 4-3, was able to occasionally get inside the guard and jab of the taller Cross, 1-2, to have the edge in rounds one, three and four. Cross had a better second round, stifling Alexander and using his strength to score some body shots. 

(Photo below from bout with Alexander, at left, and Cross is courtesy of Tommy Presnell.)

In what may have been the fight of the night, super lightweights Dillan Nguyen, 2-0-1, and debuting Ricky Mamone, fought a four-round draw. Nguyen possessed strong ring generalship, but Mamone was relentless in his pressure. In round four an unintentional butt opened up a bad cut on Nguyen's forehead that bled heavily.

The cards were 39-37 for both fighters and one tally of 38-38. This reporter scored the fight 40-38 for Nguyen. However, during the break this reporter encountered fans who strongly disagreed, feeling Mamone had deserved the win. Hopefully, there will be a rematch for both these fine fighters. 

Another Mamone scored a win. Super welterweight Sergio Mamone, 1-0, gradually took charge over Ogden's John Castro, 1-1, dominating the last two rounds to win a four-round decision.

Undefeated Northern Utah boxer Isaiah Velazco, 2-0, won all four rounds over a tough but outmatched Kaeo Meyer, 0-3. Both were super welterweights.

(Photo from fight below that shows Velazco pressuring Meyer is again courtesy of Tommy Presnell.)

Middleweight Bobby Tabile of Salt Lake City moved to 4-0 with a tough four-round win over awkward but troublesome southpaw Slava Mayzus. The San Francisco boxer landed his share of punches but Tabile was more consistent. Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 twice.

In an exciting bout, super lightweight Zaden Clark of Butte Mont., lost a unanimous four round decision to former noted amateur Utah boxer Emmanuel Aldair Gonzales Secion, 2-0. Gonzales was never in serious danger of losing, but Clark gained fans' respect with his aggressive style and resiliency. On a couple of occasions Clark survived barrages of punches that wobbled him. He also had success with left and right punches that opened up cuts on Gonzales Secion.

In a bout between debuting super featherweights, Eduardo Samarripa Godinez scored a split decision win over Emilio Lopez.

On the March 7, 2026 card, seven of the nine four-round bouts both went the distance and all were competitive in varying degrees. And both Flores and Rodrigues scored entertaining, impressive stoppages. Credit goes to matchmaker Jason DeCarlo and promoter Monica DeCarlo for providing an excellent, quality card for Utah boxing fans.

-- Doug Gibson, at ringside

Talking about the boxing movie Rocky

 

By Doug Gibson

Over the first weekend of 2026, I watched a Rocky marathon on AMC. It brought back pleasant memories of the franchise, which I've enjoyed nearly 50 years. This post will focus mostly on Rocky, the (deserved) Best Picture Oscar winner in 1977. But most of the rest of the films are good. Rocky 2 is a bit derivative, but fun. Rocky 3 is rollicking fun, a combination of the old Saturday morning thrillers and comic books. Rocky 4 is delightful Cold War kitsch; the final half is mostly a series of montage music videos, so very '80s. The less said about Rocky 5 the better, but the much later entry Rocky Balboa is surprisingly good. A scene where Rocky reproves -- with love -- his self-pitying son is among the best in the series. The Creed series is great too, and it's not over yet.

But let's get back to the original, Rocky. I'm amazed at how compelling, well acted and atmospheric it is; shot low-budget in the streets of Philadelphia, its biggest strength is the humility, empathy, and kindness of its protagonist, ham-n-egger boxer Rocky Balboa, (Sylvester Stallone) a lonely athlete who shelved his dreams of fistic fame to be a reluctant "thumb-breaker" for a loan shark. Rocky doesn't like who he is, but he treats other kindly; in fact, he goes out of his way to do so. He effects a tough-guy persona, but it's not him.

Here's some examples:

Early in the film, Rocky kindly attempts to mentor a young teen neighborhood girl drifting into street life. He cares about her future and in his unique street-syntac way tries to counsel her. She disses him in the end. It's poignant that as Rocky walks away he only has criticism for himself, not the girl.

Rocky makes daily visits to chat with a shy, wallflower-type woman named Adrian (Talia Shire), who works at a pet store. Her self worth is very low and she lacks the courage to mostly respond to him. Yet, Rocky, in his earnest, clumsy way, is attracted to her, and senses she likes him. As Rocky leaves, Adrian's enthusiastic final goodbye provides a hint of future romance.

Rocky's graciousness extends to his surprise invitation to meet boxing champ Apollo Creed's promoter. He's deferential and humble, asking the secretary for the invitation card back (scrapbook?). The sequence where he works to sell himself as a sparring partner for Creed to a bemused Miles Jergens is powerful. It underscores Rocky's yearning to be more than he is. His initial "no" upon learning the offer is to box Creed for the championship reveals his humble, practical side. At that point in time he knows he'd be slaughtered by the champ.

That leads to the best scene in Rocky, where gym owner and trainer Mickey offers his services to prepare Rocky for the title fight. Until then, Mickey (Burgess Meredith) has been harsh to Rocky, taking away his locker at the gym, and generally being short-tempered with him. But one never senses Mickey hates Rocky; his anger is tinged with disappointment. When Rocky presses him, Mickey erupts. He yells at Rocky, telling him he threw away his potential to become a "legbreaker" for a cheap crook. Rocky's reply is classic in its simplicity: "It's a living." Mickey replies, "It's a waste of life."

Back to the scene. We learn that Mickey's life has been discouraging too. He sees in training Rocky a chance to have his shot. Mickey's humble request brings out repressed resentment from Rocky. In the superb scene, Rocky rebuffs Mickey. As Mickey continues, Rocky, back to Mickey, loses his temper. Rocky's pent-up rant spills out for a long time, continuing as a defeated Mickey leaves his studio apartment and walks the street. The climax of the scene again reveals Rocky's humanity. He follows Mickey down the block and catches him. Mickey flinches for a split second but Rocky puts his arm around him. The audience can't hear but you know he's accepting his help.

Some other scenes include Rocky gently letting Adrian know what a pretty woman she is on their Thanksgiving date. Another is Rocky in the gym, seeing Adrian's jealous but cowardly brother Paulie (Burt Young). Paulie had earlier caused drunken havoc at Adrian's home, threatening Rocky. Rocky had easily repelled him. But it was an ugly scene. At the gym Rocky's forgiving nature again reveals itself, allowing Mickey to earn $3,000 by arranging to have his work place an ad on his entrance robe for the big fight.

More scenes: In the opening club fight, Rocky, in the corner between rounds, takes time to assure a bet-happy bum he can KO his opponent in the next round. In another, Rocky, working for the loan shark, disobeys his boss and does not break the thumbs of a debt-ridden bet loser who hasn't paid. Finally, I like the quiet dignity of Rocky, alone in the arena the day before the fight, telling condescending promoter Jergens that his trunk's colors are wrong on the poster. Jergens feels it's no big deal, telling Rocky he'll "put on a good show."

By the way, my favorite two seconds in the big fight is a camera cut away to Jergens in Round 2. He is puffing on a cigar in Row 1, eyes fixed, with an understated shocked look on his face that the club-fighting underdog has Creed on the ropes and is tagging him right on the chin. 

One more thing: The ensuing bout between Rocky and Creed (Carl Weathers), while over the top, is quite realistic. You can imagine a real fight like that. As the franchise went on, Rocky's ensuing fights became absurd, unrealistic slugfests.

Also, Stallone's Rocky hides his embarrassment at "cheap shots" from insulting TV sports journalists by being blustery and witty at the end of a TV interview. The night before the bout, he confesses to Adrian going the distance is more important than winning. If he does that, he'll know he wasn't just another bum from the neighborhood.

Here's two paragraphs for boxing nerds like me: Rocky calls himself a club fighter to Jergens, and it's true that the opening fight in the film is a club card. Rocky nets less than $40 for the win. But was Rocky always a club fighter? I say no. His record is listed as 44 wins and 20 losses. That is the record of a good journeyman heavyweight. When they choose Rocky as an opponent, although unmentioned, Jergens and Creed are perusing a record book of decent to great heavyweights. Rocky's in there. I think Rocky was until very recently a working, main-bout heavyweight, winning more than not but losing the bouts against contenders and top prospects. To sum up, I think he's given up his career dreams to work for a loan shark but still loves the sport enough to fight in the clubs. That underscores Mickey's irritation at him early in film.

So why am I ruminating such poppycock? Because I think an excellent prequel series on Rocky Balboa could be a streamer series or movie. We could see Rocky as a young prospect, his early hopes and then the ensuing discouragement of losing to top heavies of the previous decade: Sonny Listen, Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Jimmy Ellis, even Joe Frazier? I heard a Rocky prequel might be in works, but I doubt they'd take this appoach.

A lively night of amateur boxing at Foley's gym

 ---

On October 25th in Ogden, Utah, Foley's gym hosted an amateur fight card. The gym was packed and fans enjoyed 23 bouts, two bouts were walkovers. There are many locations in Utah that host great amateur cards. However, Utah Fight Game was there so here is a list of winners: (Above are photos of the 170-pound bout between Austin Gussie (Foley's gym) and Luis Torres (Fight City. Below are photos of a bout between 180-pounders Luciano Salazar (Foley's gym) and Scott Roberts (Fullmer's). Gussie has a white shirt and Salazar has red trunks).

---

So on with the results:

147 pounds: Ben Zimmerman (Die Standing) decisioned AJ Karali (Louis Boxing)

90 pounds: Joseph Gomez (Gomez KO Boxing) won via walkover

70 pounds: Marcelo Renteria (Razor's Edge) won via walkover

125 pounds: Johnny Gonzalez (Foley's gym) decisioned Korban Green (Southern Utah Boxing)

110 pounds: Eli Preciado (FADN Boxing) decisioned Gasper Gerrero (DEORUM)

135 pounds: Jourdan Gonzalez (Razor's Edge) decisioned David Gonzalez (Foley's gym)

130 pounds: Ryan Cervantes (Deorum) decisioned Christopher Nova (City Center)

162 pounds: Brendan Rochet (Foley's gym) defeated Aaron Lugo (Independent)

112 pounds: Giovani Lopez (Deorum) decisioned Miguel Baristain (Los Gallitos)

135 pounds: Parker Preator (Foley's gym) decisioned Alexi Jimenez (Roots Boxing)

100 pounds: Julian Garcia (Boxfit) defeated Jayden Mirada (Palafox)

180 pounds: Luciano Salazar (Foley's gym) decisioned Scott Roberts (Fullmer's')

180 pounds: Alan Revolorio (Razor's Edge) defeated Alfonso Chavez (Tafoya's)

170 pounds: Austin Gussie (Foley's gym) decisioned Luis Torres (Fight City)

135 pounds: Eli Tinney (Legends Cache Valley) defeated Dujon Sharrer (Foley's gym)

130 pounds: Salvador Rosales (City Center) defeated defeated Dylan Benites (Deorum)0

125 pounds: Alan Gallegos (Deorum) defeated Damien Murdock (Foley's gym). (NOTE: UTAH FIGHT GAME considered this bout "the fight of the night.")

145 pounds: (women's bout) Abby Ferrell (Legends) defeated Dawson Harvey (Legends Cache Valley)

155 pounds: Cesar Garcia (Palafox) defeated Ben Gill (Foley's gym)

155 pounds: Dylan Endo (Fight City) defeated Jordan Weiler (Foley's gym)

110 pounds: Emmanuel Soria (Palafox) defeated Edgar Praciado (FADN Boxing)

185 pounds: Abe Maldonado (Foley's gym) decisioned Cameron Jeppson (Legends Cache Valley)

---

Utah Fight Game missed the final three bouts: 135 pounds: Daniel Star (Gomez KO Boxing) versus Luis Fernando Rios (Fight City); 147 pounds: Juan Maya (Los Gallitos) versus Andrew Christiansen (Gomez KO Boxing); and 170 pounds: Tristan Pinot (Fight City) versus Tristan Carreon (Legends). We will add those results when obtained. We have reached out to the promotion.

Dave Foley hosted and matched the card to a full house. USA Boxing Utah officiated. Pat Nielsen was the announcer. Names of boxers are as listed on card below.

--

Ruiz, Saldana among pros competing in Ogden boxing card June 21

 

Nearly three years ago, Salt Lake City's Julian Ruiz made his professional boxing debut a successful one. Middleweight Ruiz, (in above photo at left) scored a win over Najeeh Belcher. 

Ruiz has enjoyed a professional career in MMA, fighting on Professional Fighters League and Fierce Fighting Championship cards, compiling a pro record of 4-2, with a long amateur tenure.

But he's returning to the boxing ring Saturday June 21, in Ogden. At the Golden Spike Event Center, 1000 N, 1200 West, Ogden, Utah. Gates open at 6 p.m. Fights start at 7 p.m. Ruiz meets debuting William Wirthlin. There are eight bouts scheduled, all featuring prospects and scheduled for four rounds. It's the second fight card from All Heart Promotions. Promoter is Monica DeCarlo. Matchmaker is Jason DeCarlo.

As he returns to boxing, Ruiz told Utah Fight Game there are key differences between boxing and MMA. It can be tougher to throw boxing-quality punches in an MMA bout, he says. "What I mean by that is they get tired and don’t know how to set things up. Some can throw hard and are good punchers. But boxing is a lot more than that. Huge difference, two different sports. I always say you can train boxing getting ready for an MMA fight. But you can’t train MMA getting ready for a boxing match," adds Ruiz.

"There a lot more muscles and body parts involved. That’s why I like to take (boxing) matches because it sharpens your hands which are the most vital weapons you can have in MMA. "(There's)a lot of grappling, kicking, weight lifting. 

"The strength and conditioning is completely different. The timing is slightly different. The pace is not the same. MMA training camp is a lot more brutal, and makes the boxing seem like an active rest to be honest," adds Ruiz.

Also fighting on the card Saturday is Ogden's Jesus Saldana. The super-featherweight makes his pro debut against Mauro Angel Gutierrez, 0-1. Gutierrez lost a competitive decision earlier this year to Ogden's Isaiah Rodriquez, who is also fighting on the June 21 card.

Saldana (in photo below)  has been an amateur fighter for more than a decade. Utah Fight Game asked him if he has a long-term boxing goal, which he enthusiastically answered with a yes.

Saldana, who jusggles a career in real estate with the "sweet science," saw his opponent's fight earlier this year and with his trainers has a game plan he intends to follow. 

"My training schedule consists of a lot of running, 5-6 miles daily, and lots of sparring with the best boxers from Ogden to Salt Lake City. My love for boxing started 13 years ago when I first stepped foot inside a boxing gym (Marshall White). Some of my favorite boxers include Marvin Hagler, Manny Pacquiao, Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales," said Saldana.

TRAINING

Ruiz is training hard for the bout. "Right now I have Gary Gomez and Sione Pouha as my head coaches. And I train with both pretty much every day, so I’ve been training twice a day. But I work and get help from others, guys that are close friends, even like family to me. Jalel Lopez, Joe Bish and Aaron Garcia have been helping me a lot."

Ruiz' main sparring partner is Isaiah "Chais" Velazco -- also fighting on the card -- but he also spars with boxers Jon Bryant and Aaron Garcia Jr.

"I got so much love for each one of these guys and I look up to each one of them, on top of that they know there stuff. That’s why this is an opportunity to really level up and elevate my game!" Ruiz adds. 

As for his opponent Wirthlin, Ruiz has trained with him in past and says he respects him.

OTHERS ON CARD

There are some intriguing matchups on the Ogden card. Shon Cross, trainer at Factum gym, makes his pro debut at age 33 in a light heavyweight bout. He meets Erik Lopez, 0-1. Also, an interesting heavyweight bout matches Bishop Le'i (3-0-1) versus Trevor Kotara, 4-4-1. 

Isaiah Velazco, debut, meets Dakota Highpine, 0-1, super welterweights; Emmanuel Aldair Gonzales Secion, debut, meet Cruz Guadalupe Carbajal, 0-4, super lightweights; Middleweight Bobby Tabile, 1-0, -- who won on an earlier card this year from All Heart Promotions, fights Jacob Diaz, 0-3. 

As mentioned, featherweight Ogden pro boxer Isaiah Rodriguez, 3-3, also fights Saturday. He meets Jeremiah Lozano, 0-3.

"We are ready for war. Training hard to make the fight easy," Rodriguez said.

Ruiz has shown lots of talent in the cage and ring. He's optimistic about a boxing future.

"I do see myself building my record and having a big super-fight down the road. And I would love to be back on for November (All Heart Promotions card), I already have an opponent in mind. But I have to play it by ear and just see how everything goes!"

Tickets can be bought on fight day or earlier by contacting boxers on card or visiting All Heart Boxing gym, 1968 N. 2000 West, in Farr City, Utah. The boxing event is titled Rival Series II.

-- Doug Gibson

Rodriguez, Alexander, Tabile among winners at Syracuse pro boxing card

 

Recap from Doug Gibson

On Friday night, Feb. 21 at Warehouse 22 in Syracuse, Utah, All Heart Boxing Promotions put on its inaugural professional boxing card. A healthy crowd packed the small arena for 7 bouts, all scheduled for four rounds. There was excellent matchmaking, as six of the seven bouts were competitive.

In the main event, debuting middleweight Bobby Tabile, West Valley City, used consistent pressure to wear down game debuting boxer, Erick Sanchez, of Salt Lake City. It was an accumulation of punches that halted the fight 41 seconds into the third round.

In the semi-main bout between light heavyweights, Demetrius Alexander, Sandy, scored a unanimous decision over Slava Mayzus, of Phoenix, Ariz. The unorthodox Mayzus, 1-2-1, often fighting from a southpaw stance, gave Alexander, 3-3, trouble for two rounds. But Alexander took the last two rounds, scoring a knockdown in the fourth. Scores were 40-35, 39-36 and 38-37. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 39-36 for Alexander. (Above is a photo of Alexander after the bout.)

Ogden super-bantamweight Isaiah Rodriguez improved to 3-3 with a majority decision of debuting Mauro Angel Gutierrez. Rodriguez used ring generalship, a good jab, counterpunching and strong body shots to keep a consistent edge on his aggressive opponent. Scores were 39-37 twice and 38-38. Utah Fight Game, noting it was a competitive match, scored it 40-36 for Rodriguez. (The photo below shows Rodriguez (at left) and Gutierrez in action.)

In a middleweight bout, Eligio Hernandes Jr. 1-1, was more agressive in outpointing Jacob Diaz, 0-3. The fourth round started with a rally from Diaz, of Salt Lake City, but Ogden's Hernandez finished strongly. Scores were 40-36 twice and 38-38. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 40-36 for Hernandez.

In an action-packed fight between lightweights, Dyllon Cervantes Alvarado, of Salt Lake City, 4-4-1, scored a majority decision over Michael Allredge (AKA Castle Noir), 1-1, of West Jordan. The first two rounds were even, but Alvarado controlled the third, scoring a knockdown. Allredge, to his credit, fought on near-even terms in the final round. Scores were 38-38, 39-36, and 38-37. Utah Fight Game scored the bout 40-37 for Cervantes.

In a super-middleweight bout, Clearfield's Joshua Pirela, 2-0, received a TKO win after the first round when his opponent, Keithon Turner, 1-5, Las Vegas, Nev., retired. Pirela controlled the first round.

In the opening bout, Jesus Marin, 1-3, of El Paso, Texas, wore down debuting Gianni Madrid, Salt Lake City. In the bout between lightweights, Marin used his experience advantage with effective aggression. Madrid fought gamely, but the fight was stopped after a left hook dropped Madrid in round four.

According to Jason DeCarlo of All Heart, the promotion plans pro boxing cards on June 11 and November 22. They will be at the Golden Spike exhibition hall in Ogden.

Ogden's Rodriguez among boxers at seven-bout pro card in Syracuse Feb. 21

Ogden pro boxer Isaiah Rodriquez is among 14 boxers who will compete in seven bouts on Friday, Feb. 21 at Warehouse 22 in Syracuse, located at 1068 W 350 South STE A. 

It’s the first promotion for Ogden-based ALL HEART Promotions, although more bouts this year are scheduled. All Heart also has a boxing gym in Farr West.

“Fights start at 7 p.m.,” said Jason DeCarlo of All Heart. The arena opens at 6 p.m. Ticket prices are $65 general admission and $85 VIP." The complete card can be viewed at the BoxRec website.

“We will also be having a show June 21 and November 22. Both will be held at the Golden Spike exhibition hall (in Ogden). The plan going forward is three to four shows a year,” DeCarlo added.

In his young pro career, super bantamweight Isaiah Rodriguez has fought bouts in Utah, Arizona and California. He meets debuting Mauro Angel Gutierrez on Friday night. (In the photo above Rodriguez (at right) is shown winning a decision over Chris Bojorquez on Sept. 9, 2023 in Glendale, Ariz.)

Utah Fight Game chatted with the young prospect prior to this weekend’s bout.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: How is your training going for the bout?

Rodriguez: Training has been great, rough and tough so we are ready for whatever tactics or adjustments we need to make.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you know about your opponent? Any strategy you can share?

Rodriguez: (I don’t know) too much on our opponent. He is also a pro MMA fighter, so we know he will be durable and ready to put up a fight. He seems to be a shorter fellow so we need to utilize our range and really use our boxing to our advantage.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What are your boxing plans after this bout?

Rodriguez: We plan to keep training hard, staying busy by getting more fights this year and give not only ourselves but the next up-and coming-fighters a light into the reason why we need to work hard in life and in the ring to make all these dreams that we have come true.

Another pro boxer on the card is light heavyweight Demetrius Alexander. The 29 year old fights out of Salt Lake City. He fights Slava Mayzus Friday night. 

Utah Fight Game also interviewed Alexander. (Above is a photo of Alexander (at right) after his Nov. 22, 2024 stoppage win, in Salt Lake City, over Cruz Guadalupe Carbajal.) 

UTAH FIGHT GAME: How is your training going for the bout?

Alexander: My training for this bout has been the best for any bout I’ve ever had. I’ve been locked in for this camp and it’s helped that this is my third fight in six months so I’ve just been staying sharp.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you know about your opponent? Any strategy you can share?

Alexander: I know he’s coming up a couple weight classes but I know he comes out aggressive. I’m prepared to box but I’m also prepared to bang if I have to.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What are your boxing plans after this bout?

Alexander: I’ll be (taking a) little break from boxing. My first child is due at the end of June and I’ve been training and fighting consistently so it’s time to take a break and spend some time with my family. I do plan on fighting again by the end of the year but I want to take some time to be a good dad.

Tickets are available at the door Friday night. Fighters on the cards can be contacted to get tickets earlier, said DeCarlo.

“The goal is to bring boxing back to Ogden. Ogden’s a great fight town and I’d like to get it there regularly," he added.

Top of Utah heavyweight Gary Cobia to fight former world champ Oliver McCall

 

Despite turning 51, Top of Utah heavyweight boxer Gary Cobia has stayed fit. He's 6 foor 4 inches tall and weights 260 pounds. His last professional fight was in 2015; that same year he scored a win on the undercard of the Mitt Romney versus Evander Holyfield exhibition "boxing match." 

Gary earned a decision win that night, knocking his durable opponent, Fred Spitzenberg, down. After his next fight, a loss to fellow Utahn Jesse West, Cobia retired. He'd enjoyed an extended amateur and pro career. But the fight game never left him and, as mentioned, he was looking for another chance.

And got an extraordinary opportunity. On Tuesday, February 4, in Nashville, Tenn, at the Texas Troubadour Theater, Cobia, who lives in Clearfield, meets former world heavyweight champion Oliver McCall. Thirty years ago, McCall shocked the world by scoring a second-round TKO over Lennox Lewis. He defended the title once before losing it to Frank Bruno. McCall stayed in the heavyweight picture for a couple of decades before retiring. Now, at the age of 59, he is attempting his own comeback. A few months ago he stopped veteran heavyweight Stacy Frazier.

I recently interviewed Cobia, (Seen above, at left, with his trainer, Denys Chernei, a former Ukrainian amateur boxer.) We talked about about his upcoming bout with McCall.  

---

How did this opportunity to fight Oliver McCall come about?

Cobia: The opportunity came up when I reached out to his manager, Jimmy Adams, to see if Oliver had opponents. I watched his last fight with Stacy Frazier and after the fight Oliver stated he was going to fight regularly.

When did you start thinking, I'd like to start boxing again?

Cobia: I went through a rough divorce and was dealing with raising my children and I always wanted to redeem myself from my last fight in Wendover. My children are older and in a better place, so that provided a better opportunity now!

Tell  us about your training, and your trainer? Where are you training? 

Cobia: My training consists of alternating days endurance and strength, and then boxing techniques and boxing stamina! A lot of times we just train at VASA in the aerobics room or ar my house in the garage! (I have seen live footage of Gary training with Denys, and the photo above was taken at another gym, Junction City Boxing, in Riverdale.)

Do you have a particular strategy against McCall?

Cobia: Yes, we do have a strategy for McCall. It's' to let him be the aggressor in the first three rounds, I need to move and counter off his punches and just win by (scoring) more points. We're hoping him being (near) 60 years old, after three rounds he may start to tire and then start making mistakes. I'm hoping to capitalize on those mistakes. But, at the end of the day, anything can happen. (The bout is scheduled for six rounds)

---

Despite being the younger fighter in the upcoming bout, Cobia acknowledges 51 is a late age for boxing. But the LDS Church Sunday School teacher is in shape, and boasts an impressive physical appearance.

"But I look like I'm 30 because I keep the Word of Wisdom," he said with a smile.

Collard, Raddon, Garcia score fighting wins, update on future cards, fights

 

Last weekend brought some success to local fighters. In a nationally televised MMA bout on ESPN2, Utah native Clay Collard stalked and wore down Bellator veteran Patricky Pitbull at PFL 2 card in Las Vegas on April 12. The 155-pounders competed in the first round of a yearlong tournament. Pitbull knocked down Collard in the first round but by the end of the round Collard was in control of the bout, frequently cutting off his opponent. The bout ended roughly 90 seconds into round two, with Collard pummelling a near-defenseless Pitbull. Collard recently attended an MMA card in Ogden.

In Atlantic City on the same day, in a bout of 155-pound MMA pros, former local fighter, Kaecy Raddon, who now fights out of Denver, scored a submission early in the third round over Armando Gjetga. A rear naked choke ended the bout. The card was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

In boxing (also on Friday), standout Payson boxer Aaron Maximus Garcia, who was consistently a top-ranked national amateur, made a successful pro debut in Ensenada, Mexico, stopping Moises Cortez in round 2. 

---

Upcoming fight cards in Northern Utah include Fierce Fighting Championship on April 24 at UCC  Center in Orem. Fights start at 5 pm. Headlining in separate bouts are established pros Mike Jones and Jarome Hatch. More information on card, tickets, address, is here.

On April 27 SteelFist Fight Night will have a card at The Union Event Center in Salt Lake City. It's a 7 pm start. Main bout matches 170 pounders Justin McDonald versus Rusty Pearson. More information, including tickets, address, card, is here.

On May 25, 801 Productions is having a pro/amateur boxing card at The Great Salt Air in Magna. It starts at 7 p.m. I learned recently that Ogden featherweight pro boxer Isaiah Rodriguez is scheduled to fight on the card.

---

More jabs and hooks: Utah pro 135-pounder MMA Thomas Prestriedge, on a three-bout winning streak, travels to Phoenix, Ariz., this Saturday to fight undefeated Amari Sensavanh. More info on the card is here. ... Jesus Haro, a California/Nevada-based pro boxer who is related to former world-ranked featherweight Jose Haro, travels to Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico to fight Wilfredo Mendez Saturday night for the 105-pound World Boxing Association Gold Title. ... And former Utahn, veteran super middleweight boxer Christian Aguirre, lost a six-round decision to undefeated Justin Figuerora in San Antonio on March 30.

Johansson boxing biography hearkens back to a different culture

 

Review by Doug Gibson

It’s probably a safe bet that if you’re not a pretty strong boxing fan, the name Ingemar Johansson will escape you. He’s mostly forgotten today, but nearly 60 years ago he was more than a sports star. He was a cultural icon. A husky, 200-pound Swede who swooped into staid America for a couple of years with an estranged wife in Sweden and a girlfriend, Birgit Lundgren, on his arm … and in his bedroom suite.

And, of course, he had a strong right cross punch, one he used to KO Floyd Patterson in the third round and briefly hold the world heavyweight boxing championship. Ingemar was extremely likeable, and America warmed to him. He was on TV often, on “What’s My Line,” Jackie Gleason’s show, and more; he even had substantial roles in a couple of motion pictures. 

As author Ken Brooks reminds readers in “Ingemar Johansson: Swedish Heavyweight Boxing Champion” (McFarland), 1959, the year Ingemar KOd Patterson, was an era where a heavyweight boxing championship fight was the biggest event in sports. It was global, bigger than an NFL championship. There was an electricity of excitement that moved through crowds, radio broadcasts, closed-circuit telecasts, newsrooms and wire services. As Brooks notes, for older sports fans, the night Ingemar won his title was the first time Howard Cosell was a broadcaster for a fight. Forget Ingemar for a moment; who remembers Cosell?

Continue reading this review at the Standard-Examiner StandardNET website. 

Willard Bean, Mormonism's 'Fighting Preacher,' attracted the attention of the curious press

 

Above is an 1899 news clipping from The Boston Globe. I apologize the text is mostly unreadable. It's a feature, however, on a "preacher," Mormon no less, named Willard Bean. He was a very good prizefighter out of Utah 100 years plus a generation ago. I first blogged about Bean several years ago. Here's a  link. And below is Cal Grondahl's fantastic cartoon that accompanied the blog post.

Bean has an "official" 8-5-3 record with one no decision and one no contest on BoxRec between 1897 and 1902 but he likely had more wins unrecorded. He would be tagged a near world-class boxer, in my opinion. The reason I say that is his no decision fight of 10 tough rounds with Joe Choynski in 1899. Choynski is one of the greatest early pugilists; a Hall of Fame boxer. A small clip from a Quincy, Ill. newspaper is below that mentions the bout.

Bean also fought, and went the distance -- 20 rounds -- with the world-class heavyweight title challenger Fireman Jim Flynn, who fought Jack Johnson for the world heavyweight championship. Flynn also knocked out future heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey in one round a few years before Dempsey won the title. Dempsey avenged the loss about a year later with a first-round KO of Flynn. Below is a recap of the decision win by Flynn. 

Below are some long ago clips of recaps of a couple of bouts Bean won by knockout.

Most people know of Bean today due to his enthusiastic missionary skills and temple work later in life. A popular film on Bean and his wife's missionary efforts, "The Fighting Preacher,"' was released a couple of years ago. I reviewed it here. It's available on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime. The next clip exemplifies his missionary spirit. It is from The Salt Lake Tribune in 1899. 

One more picture of the Fighting Preacher, Willard Bean. I do not know the source.

Some quick local MMA notes: Mountain Force MMA had an all amateur card Friday, Jan. 8 in Logan. In the main event, a great fight, Alan Rea stopped Aaron Boothe in Round 3. Fighting Out of Utah MMA has results on its Facebook page. Also, Utah professional welterweight Weston Wilson traveled to Knoxville, Tenn, on Saturday, Jan. 9 and knocked out Christian Sanchez in the first round.

Utah's Lamar Clark went from 44 straight knockouts to being KO'd by Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)

Ever heard of heavyweight boxer Lamar Clark, of Utah? Probably not, but 60 plus years ago Clark, born in Cedar City, Utah, was briefly a hot commodity in the sport. The heavyweight, who fought mostly in Northern Utah, including Ogden, scored 44 consecutive knockouts, including six in one night! Not all the KOs were sanctioned, although most likely shouldn't have been as Clark, after scoring a decision win in his first bout, fought a long array of novice fighters whom he destroyed. His official record was 43-3 with 42 KOs. He was managed by Marv Jenson, who helmed world middleweight champ, Gene Fullmer, and his brother, contender Don Fullmer. I often wonder why Jenson allowed Clark to fatten his record with nop-hopers, but perhaps Jenson knew Clark was overhyped and wanted to give him a big payday. The great Jack Dempsey is in the above photo with Clark.

Unfortunately, the Clark hype ended at 42-0 at Weber High School, in Ogden, on April 8, 1960. In a nationally televised bout, designed to introduce Clark to the nation, the undefeated was stopped in the ninth round by New York City's Bartoli Soni, 12-2-1, a prospect who had just lost in Madison Square Garden. Clark started well but ran out of gas late. 

A couple of months later Clark, seeking to rebound, invited former Olympics heavyweight champion Pete Rademacher, who had unwisely challenged current heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson in his pro debut. The battering Rademacher received affected his entire career, and he faced the 42-1 Clark with a shaky 6-3-1 record. It was a rare easy bout for Rademacher as he battered the way overrated Utah slugger around the ring, flooring him early toying with Clark through the bout before stopping him late in the final round 10. (Photo and article on the fight is below)

At this point, most boxing observers gave up on Clark. To his credit, though, Lamar attempted a comeback, scoring a KO win in Las Vegas in March 1961. In April 1961, Clark traveled to Louisville, Ky., to face Olympics champion turned young pro Cassius Clay, who would later of course change his name to Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. 

It was a dreadful mismatch, Clay, 5-0, stopped Clark 97 seconds into the second round. YouTube claims to have a partial recording of the bout, but I'm skeptical it is Clay versus Clark. The broadcast claims there is a fourth round. However, that could be a video typo. In the fight, "Clark" seems game but is hopelessly overmatch. In the comments, a Dave C says he knew Clark in the late 80s and describes the retired boxer as "a cheerful, kind man who spoke highly of Ali."

Clark retired after the Ali bout. There was talk of him moving to light heavyweight to compete but that never occurred. He died at at age 72 in 2006 in South Jordan, UT. 

Enjoy this montage of newspaper clippings, courtesy of NewspaperArchives.com, of Clark's career. Three, of course, are placed above. The Utah Fight Game blog hopes to do a series of prominent Utah boxers periodically over the next year. 

 

Gomez decisioned by Ceballo in welterweight title bout

 

(UPDATED WITH CLAY COLLARD OPPONENT FOR DEC. 12) West Jordan, Utah professional boxer Larry Gomez, (shown above at left in a bout earlier in his career), traveled to Los Angeles, Calif., on Dec. 3 for a nationally televised (NBCSports) bout against Brian Ceballo, of New York City.

After 10 rounds, Ceballo, 12-0, won the WBO Intercontinental welterweight championship, with a unanimous decision over Gomez, 10-2. 

Ceballo, started strongly, winning four of the first five rounds, according to this observer. He dictated the pace, with head movement, an effective jab and some strong left hand shots to the body, particularly in round four. Gomez rallied to make the second half of the bout even, scoring with the left hook and right hand more often. I gave him rounds six and seven and the final round.

I scored the bout 96-93 for Ceballo, as did one judge. Gomez was docked a point in the final round for losing his mouthpiece for the fourth of fifth time. Two other judges over-scored the bout for Ceballo, giving him eight and nine rounds. Ceballo earned the win, but a tally giving him six or seven rounds is a more fair assessment.

The fight was a grueling, hard-fought affair, the most competitive one on the card. We hope to see Larry back in the ring soon.

NOTES ... We reported that Utah/Idaho middleweight boxer Clay Collard will be fighting on Dec. 12, presumably in The Bubble in Las Vegas on the Shakur Stevenson title defense card. It's not listed on Collard's boxrec.com page yet. UPDATE: Collard ,9-2-3, will face Quincy LaVallais, 9-0-1. The pair fought a draw in June 2019 when Collard was 1-1-2 and LaVallais 7-0.  ... As we updated in our last blog post, the Grantsville, Utah boxing card planned for Dec. 12, has been postponed due to Covid-19 related issues. ... SteelFist MMA is planning to resume MMA cards after Covid-19 stalled the promotion the final nine months of 2020. Jan. 23 at the Union Event Center is the plan. 

Siler meets King in FFC MMA title bout; Hardman fights on XFC card

 

Update: Due to the uptick in Covid-19 cases in Utah, it was announced on Nov. 12 that the FFC card has been postponed: Assuming Covid-19 doesn't stop things, this is a big week for MMA action locally. On Saturday, Nov. 14, at The Maverik Center, Steven Siler meets Bobby King in a featherweight FFC title tilt. King has been winning of late, but UFC and PFL veteran Siler will be a tough test. Look below at the matchups. Several of these fights would be excellent main events on any local card. The card can be streamed for I think $20. Info is here.

HARDMAN TO FIGHT ON XFX 43

Update: Hatdman, 9-2, scored a first round stoppage win via strikes. His opponent was Steven Newell. 9-2, who stepped in as a sub for Bradley Desir. Also, Utah County professional MMA fighter Carson Hardman fights in XFC 43 on Wednesday, as part of a tournament. He fights Bellator veteran Bradley Desir. Here is the card, a portion of which is televised on NBCSports TV network at 7 p.m. (Xfinity 34). The card is in Atlanta. I assume there will be streaming for earlier bouts. 

Finally, Mountain Force MMA had a card in October in Logan. Montell Williams scored a decision win over Ogden's Eric Munoz in the pro main event. Card results are here. 

BOXING

Two weekends ago in Tijuana, Mexico, professional prospect Jesus Haro scored a decision win over Uziel Pinto Jimenez. Haro boxed very well, winning every round. By the way, Haro has several pro wins, more than the two Boxrec.com claims. Haro's stablemate, Miklo Arnold, scored a TKO win over Alejandro Leon Martinez. Arnold also has wins not acknowledged by Boxrec.com.

On Oct. 24, previously undefeated Salt Lake City pro boxer Brandon Douglas suffered his first loss in Agua Prita, Mexico. Douglas (9-1), lost a 10-round decision to veteran Juan Jimenez, 28-19-3. 

West Jordan welterweight pro boxer Larry Gomez, 10-1, who upset then-undefeated Brian Mendoza late last year on a Top Rank card, will fight undefeated, 11-0 Brian Ceballo on Dec. 3 in Los Angeles. The bout will be televised by NBCSports network.