Who’s Your Daddy in association with Ghosttown Gladiators put on a very good show Friday night at the Boulder County Fair Grounds in Longmont, Colorado.  It was a sold out show with a raucous and rowdy standing room only crowd.  The fight fans were on their feet for the better part of the night cheering on the fighters who put on some crowd pleasing fights.  There was also a live band that played for the round card girls in between rounds, which was a great innovation, that the crowd and I enjoyed immensely.

Santiago Slaughters Byrd

In the main event Denver’s Juan Santiago, 140, kept his knock out streak intact with a 3^rd round destruction of the usually durable Ricky Byrd, 140, from Grand Junction.

The first round saw Byrd come out swinging for the fences and actually using the jab to get there for the big shots.  Santiago commits to the body landing his right to the body behind his own jab.  Byrd decides he will follow suit and tries to bang away at the body.  Santiago is a little bit tentative in letting his hands go, feeling Byrd out.  He also misses badly with a right uppercut and hook from way outside, very dangerous.  Byrd finishes the round with a nice body shot but Santiago answers back with a hard right hand to win it.

Byrd ups the pressure and intensity in the second as he is the aggressor going to the body and landing an occasional slapping right hand upstairs.  Santiago uses a little upper body movement to make Byrd miss and he also makes him pay with a straight right and left hook.  Santiago hurts Byrd midway through the round with a right hand.  He follows up with another right cross that sends Byrd careening around the ring on legs of rubber eventually running into the ropes, which should have been called a knock down.  Godshal misses the call but Santiago doesn’t let Byrd off the hook as he lands a perfect right hand that sends Byrd to the canvass face first.  Surprisingly he beats the count and is allowed to continue.  Santiago swarms him and forces Godshal to step in at the 2:47 mark of round two to put a halt to the slaughter.

Santiago moves to 3-0 with all three wins coming by knockout while Byrd continues to fall landing at 2-6, 0ko.  Santiago is next scheduled on the Airtight Boxing card April 10^th at the Paladium.  Trainer Steve Mestas says that Santiago will move down to a more comfortable weight of 130lbs where the 5’10” fighter should do very well.

Herrera Stops Jihad

Marcos Herrera, 135, began his pro career with a second round TKO over Istafa Jihad, 135 turning heads with his relaxed style, ring generalship and combination punching.  Herrera is fighting out of Denver by way of Taos, New Mexico while Jihad hails from Colorado Springs.

The first round was pretty fast paced with Herrera using a Philly style, left hand low, to make Jihad miss wildly with power shots.  Herrera kept his cool under fire using crisp combinations behind the jab.  He should shoot the jab from the hip in the true Philly style rather than first bringing it up to the shoulder, telegraphing the punch, before letting it go.  He lands a jab and left hook that tangles Jihad in the ropes for a legit knockdown.  Herrera looks for the finish but gets a little wide with the right hand, he’s loading up.  Jihad is now trying to establish a jab of sorts while getting up on the bicycle; Herrera catches him along the ropes and continues the beating.   RMB scores it 10-8 for Herrera.

Herrera is very comfortable and he’s looking for one big shot rather than using the jab and aggressive combination punching that led to the knock down in the first.  Herrera shoots a hard right hand to the body.  He follows with a picture perfect right hand that puts Jihad down and out at the 1:29 mark of the second.

Herrera is trained by Anthony Barela at D-Town Boxing which is run by Matt Casillas and is definitely one to watch.

Buterbaugh Debuts With TKO Win

In an interesting welterweight match up, Colorado Springs, Terry Buterbaugh, 147, stopped Sheridan, Wyoming’s Richard Baldo, 148, in the third round.

The first round is mostly ‘feeling out’ as Buterbaugh adjusts to fighting with pro fight gloves and no head gear.  Buterbaugh, according to amateur official Ric Ericsson, had about 50 amateur fights and his experience proved the difference in the fight.  Baldo is looking for a counter left hook over Buterbaugh’s jab, over and over without success.  Not a lot of action in the first as RMB scores it even at 10-10.

Buterbaugh starts to apply some pressure in the second and lands a clean right hand that nearly puts Baldo down.  Baldo tries to fight out of it but Buterbaugh keeps him trapped in the corner where he eventually lands a hard left hook to the body which sinks Baldo to his knees.  He beats the count but is put down again moments later with a straight right hand.  Baldo beats the count, again, but loses the round 10-7, making a decision win tough in the four rounder.

Both men come out swinging in the third but neither is landing until Buterbaugh lands a nice right.  Buterbaugh should concentrate on the body as the body attack produced the knock downs in the second stanza.   Almost on cue Buterbaugh lands a left and right hook to the body and Baldo is in very bad shape, going down a third time.  He beats the count and shows his mettle as he continues the fight.  Buterbaugh is now relentless in the body attack and puts him down again with body shots including a hard left hook.  Baldo beats the count but is in no condition to continue and Shel Godshal stops the bout and rightfully so.

Buterbaugh gets the TKO win at 2:43 of the third opening his career 1-0, 1ko, while Baldo drops his second in a row slipping to 1-2.  Buterbaugh fights out of the Old School gym in Colorado Springs which is run by Mike Montoya Sr.

Villareal Makes Short Work Of Reyes

The opening bout of the night was over before it started as Longmont’s Victor Villareal, 164, put North Platte, Nebraska’s Roman Reyes away in a mere 24 seconds.

Reyes had no business in a professional prize fighting ring and Villareal took full advantage.  He lands two hard body shots followed by a right hand upstairs and it’s all over.

Villareal moves his record to 6-1-1, 3kos.  Villareal is trained by the head of Ghosttown Gladiators, Raul Utejara who has done a great job with the prospect thus far.

Augustine Bautista was supposed to make his debut as well but was a last minute scratch from the card.

Head of Who’s Your Daddy, Corey Williams, has his next show planned for June or July and will be moving to a bigger venue to stage a title fight between Villareal and Zeferino Entertainment promoted David Medina in what would be a great match up for both fighters as well as Colorado fight fans.  They have certainly found their 'niche' in Longmont.

Overall it was a good night of fights and the capacity crowd, estimated at 600, definitely got their money’s worth.

3-9-08