State Amateur Open Tournament
By Chris Morris, Ringside
I made it out to the State Open Tournament last weekend and I always come away feeling good about boxing. There is something so pure about amateur boxing that it is refreshing for me, like a battery charge. I also always leave promising myself to make more time to see the amateurs. I hope that I can keep that promise.
Anyway, I was given a seat at ringside by my favorite southpaw, Ric Ericsson, right next to my old buddy, John Ulibarri. Jeanne DePriest got me a bout sheet and I was ready to go.
Speaking of Jeanne she has been selected to work the Golden Gloves in Cincinatti and will have a very tight schedule the week of our Colorado Golden Gloves. She will officiate at our tournament then get on a plane Sunday or Monday to head to Ohio for their tourney. Goes to show you what a great official we have in Jeanne DePriest, she’s being recruited!!
Onto the bouts. The tourney was held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Red Shield Community Center on 29th and High Street. I did attain a level 1 coaching and officiating certification way back when so I tried to judge the bouts within the amateur parameters. Many times fans don’t agree with decisions but they are judging the bouts according to professional rules. Amateurs simply score points. There is no more gained from a knock down than there is from a solid jab, the punches count as a point.
Although I judged the rounds by points I also judged the fight by rounds, which doesn’t matter in the amateurs either so when my results differ from the officials it could be attributed to this. If you score 15 points in the first 2 rounds and only 5 in the next two for 20 total and your opponent doesn’t score any in the first 3, losing the rounds, but scores 25 in the 4th, he wins. So please take that into consideration when reading these results.
Now, it is on to the bouts.
The opening bout of the championship round was at 112 pounds as we didn’t have anyone enter the tourney at 106. This bout featured Richard Morales from D-Town against Timothy Ibarra from the Los Outsiderz. Coach please forgive me, I can’t recall your name from the Outsiderz but what a coach , I will get into that later in the report. Morales has respected trainer Anthony Barela in his corner.
Morales is the more seasoned of the boxers having fought in the National Golden Gloves in ’05 and I believe in ’06 and it shows. Ibarra is towering over him by at least 3-4 inches and is trying to use his height and reach advantage to keep Morales outside with the jab. Morales is a southpaw and he continually darts in and out scoring points and getting away from return fire. Morales bulls Ibarra back to the ropes and lands some slapping shots that I wouldn’t count as points. Ibarra lands a nice right hand lead on the southpaw to end the round. Morales wins it on the RMB card as he is simply busier.
The second stanza both boxers open up a bit more. Morales lands a heavy right hook on the break and gets a warning from Ric Ericsson. Ibarra is winning the battle inside despite his perceived disadvantage at close quarters. Morales has some success with jabs to the body followed by the overhand left but Ibarra is picking his shots and scoring well earning the round on the RMB card.
Morales’ coach Barela calls the fight off between the 2nd and 3rd rounds as Morales has hurt or possibly broken his left hand.
By amateur standards I had Ibarra ahead by a few points before the stoppage.
Your champion at 112 pounds is Timothy Ibarra who wins by retirement.
The next bout of the afternoon was highly decorated and accomplished Shawn Nichol, also from D-Town taking on the other Ibarra, Francisco or Frank. These two are both southpaws.
Ibarra tries to establish the jab early while Nichol uses the lead left and a hard right hook to the body to get Ibarra’s attention. Nichol is playing a version of ‘crouching tiger hidden, punch’ as he gets very low and creeps in picking shots along the way. Ibarra lands a nice lead left of his own. Ibarra really listens to his coach. Coach calls for a punch or combination and here is comes. Once executed the coach yells ‘thank you’. Great relationship there. Ibarra catches Nichol lunging in with two nice shots. Nichols does well the first minute, Ibarra the second. It’s too close to call so it’s even on the RMB card.
Nichols open the second with the lead left and shows some fancy footwork but it’s ineffective as he lands nothing from it. Nichols has the speed advantage over Ibarra and lands the lead left with regularity but Ibarra always seems to finish the exchanges making it very tough to call. In a round that could have gone either way, RMB edges it to Nichol by the slightest of margins.
Nichols looks like he is on a mission in the third. He comes out and immediately traps Ibarra in the ropes and they go toe-to-toe with Nichol getting the better of the exchange with inside uppercuts. When they break apart it looks as if Nichol may have spent himself in the first 30 seconds of the round. They trade hard right hooks midway through. Ibarra has plenty of blood flowing from his nose and Ericsson takes several opportunities for ‘clean up on aisle, I mean Ibarra’s face!’ When the action resumes Ibarra goes to work from the outside picking his shots nicely. Nichol worked hard the first 30 seconds or so and then in spots, but Ibarra was strong the rest of the round and wins it on the RMB card.
Nichols lands a right hook to open the final round but Ibarra is now timing him on the way in and gets a little fire of aggression under himself. Ibarra is ‘pot shotting’ Nichol with left hands as we get another break for ‘clean up’ and both boxers get a few seconds of much needed rest, the round has been pretty fast and furious to this point. Nichol continues to initiate but Ibarra always finishes. Nichols sets a trap and walks Ibarra into a nice left hand. I score the round and the fight to Ibarra by a few points. The judges see it for Nichol and they will get no argument from me as it was very close and could have gone either way in my opinion.
We have quite a bit of talent at 119 pounds from Ibarra to Nichol and Ricky Lopez. I heard from several sources that the Nichol-Lopez bout the night before was very close and that although Nichol won the decision many felt it could have gone to Lopez.
Also of note Brittany Cruz won by points over perennial champ Amorena Baca at 132lbs.
Robert Rodriguez was a walk-over winner at 125 pounds so the next bout was at 132.
Tyrell “Smoke” Kinard from L.A. Boxing took on Raymond Leyba from the Pueblo Stylers in the 132 pound championship. Kinard comes out in the southpaw stance firing away with the jab. Leyba is very calm and cool, looking for his opportunities. The opening is to the body and Leyba lands and traps ‘Smoke’ in the corner but he is able to fight out. Kinard gets a warning from referee Rob Mullins for a slap as he is throwing fast but not turning his shots over. Kinard is pawing with the jab and fights most of the round in reverse. Leyba wins the round on the RMB card simply landing the cleaner shots.
Kinard opens the second round in a very high guard. Leyba bulls in and forces him to the ropes but doesn’t do any work once there. Smoke again fights out and scores points along the way. He has pretty fast hands, he just needs a little polish. Leyba lands a hard lead right hand and follows up to the body. Smoke is landing shots and scoring points too, making this round close enough to be his on the RMB card. Leyba is looking a bit frustrated and discouraged.
In the third Kinard is flicking the jab and hooks off it nicely. Leyba is reduced to bulling in and trying to dig to the body. Kinard darts in and out scoring single shots here and there. Leyba gets him to the ropes near the end of the round and does good work but is it enough? We have a pause for a clean up as Kinard’s nose has begun to flow blood. Kinard is starting to take over a little in my book winning another round on the RMB card.
Both boxers are winded in the fourth but Smoke is now becoming the aggressor. I little footwork would go a long way for Kinard. Smoke is landing from the outside with the jab-left hand-right hook combination. Leyba is now forced back into the ropes with a right hook and straight left. Kinard is finally starting to use his height and reach and it’s an easier fight now. Leyba lands a hard uppercut left hook but it’s simply too little too late and Kinard wins easily on the RMB card.
Judges ringside award the decision to Leyba, much to my surprise.
Next up was the 141 pounders Ronnie Ream from Old School and Rudy Sierra from North Denver Tigers. Reams is the southpaw in this one. Reams uses the first round for some figuring, not really opening up but throwing enough to keep Sierra honest. Sierra is circling and shooting the jab. Reams lands a straight left to the chest and a right hook to the chin followed by a huge swing and a miss. I would normally say, ‘that was very amateurish’ and it is, but these are the amateurs so it’s quite alright! Reams ekes out the round on the RMB card.
In the second Reams does a bit of switch hitting going from southpaw to orthodox and back but to no real advantage. Sierra lands a hard uppercut to the body that Reams walks through. Reams is starting to open up and he looks good doing it. Soon he is landing the straight left almost at will. Reams has pretty fast hands and he uses them well. He is also using a high low guard with the lead hand low and the left high. Reams is taking over by the halfway point and wins another round on my card. Reams has more of a pro style and honestly could be a diamond in the rough at this point. I know I will be following his career.
The third and fourth are more of the same with Reams landing the lead left. Sierra never stops trying despite being tattooed for his efforts but he is showing some signs of desperation. Reams slips 4 punches in a row and fires back with hard short shots on the inside. If this is a pro bout, which it of course is not, Sierra goes down from that combo.
Reams, despite being very raw, is a pretty good boxer but he is a bit Zab Judah-ish in that he has lapses in concentration and gets caught when he’s not on point.
Sierra knows it’s his last stand in the fourth and he comes out firing and lands doing very well. Reams is standing right in front trying to slip and land his but Sierra is getting the better of the exchange. By the midway point Reams is pot shotting and punishing Sierra. Sierra is game and never stops throwing but at this point he is getting beat up. The round and bout goes to Reams who is one to watch for in my opinion.
The 152 pound bout pitted Terry Buterbaugh from Old School against Jeremy Ramos. This one turned out to be a classic boxer vs brawler match up with Ramos playing matador and Buterbaugh playing the bull. During introductions Ramos runs over and hugs Buterbaugh wishing him luck. Only in boxing does someone wish you well in pounding punches into your face, man I love this sport! Anyway, I thought it was a very classy move seeing how you are not supposed to ‘touch ‘em up’ at the opening bell.
For the first fight of the afternoon neither man is a southpaw! Ramos is fast as lightning throwing 6-8 punches in bunches. He has, in my opinion, the perfect style for the amateurs. When I see the “Old School” on Buterbaugh’s trunks I can’t help but think that he looks like an old throwback fighter from the 50’s. The kind you hit with a tire iron and they smile and keep coming, that kinda throwback fighter. Buterbaugh is wading into range but gets caught coming in. He looks like he is looking for that one big shot, to slow Ramos down. Not a bad idea in the pros but it won’t get it done in the amateurs as Ramos wins the round easily.
In the second Ramos shows he is ‘fleet of feet’ too as he lands and turns the corner landing a couple more before Buterbaugh can catch up. Ramos speed is just too much as he is beating him to the punch every time. Buterbaugh lands hard shots but only one at a time. Another round for Ramos on the RMB card.
Buterbaugh lands a nice hard left hook to open the third round, his best punch of the fight. Despite having his best round Buterbaugh seems to get increasingly frustrated as he can’t quite catch up to Ramos. Ramos maybe taking the round off or maybe he’s a little winded. Either way Buterbaugh lands a nice little inside counter and wins the round. Ramos is still leading big on overall points on my card.
The fourth is much like the third as it is now apparent that Ramos is very tired. It turns into a race of sorts. Can Buterbaugh catch him and stop him before the final bell or will Ramos survive and win on points? Buterbaugh lands two huge left hooks and Ramos fires right back. Ramos’ legs are fading fast and he becomes a sitting duck for Buterbaugh’s shotgun fire. This was a good fight complete with drama at the finish. Buterbaugh wins another round but Ramos’ point lead is safe and he wins the bout.
The 165 pound bout featured the height and reach of Team Impact’s Adam Gentzler against the experience of Alexander Volkav. Volkav formerly trained at the Red Shield but I noticed he is fighting with L.A. Boxing now as he had Glenn Goodson and local heavyweight hopeful Chris “Da Future” Green in his corner. Team Impact is headed by Alex Trottier.
We are right back to the southpaws as Gentzler isn’t fighting from the orthodox stance. He is very tall and lanky. Volkav is a fairly aggressive fighter when I’ve seen him in the past and he opens up with his favorite combo, the good ol’ 1-2 that he shoots twice scoring well. Gentzler looks like he knows how to use his physical advantages and he lands a nice right hook from the outside. Volkav come right back and it’s a close round.
Gentzler starts using the jab in the second but isn’t finding the mark. Volkav barrels in and lands a nice overhand right. Gentzler land from the outside and then moves to miss the return fire, very well executed. Volkav lands a straight right to the body and a left hook over the top. Another very close round but Volkav edges it on the RMB card.
Volkav is very aggressive in the third picking up the pace but he’s not finding the mark on Gentzler who is using the 6+ inch reach advantage pretty well. Gentzler is landing some from the outside in a round Volkav only works the first 45 seconds or so. Gentzler wins the round.
Volkav lands some heavy leather to open the final round and now it’s turning into a fight. Volkav realizes the speed advantage he has and starts using it to get inside the reach. Gentzler starts to fade badly in the final minute and Volkav wins the round big and the fight by a few.
The final fight of the afternoon was the super heavy or 201+ class, the big boys. The 178 pound bout between Old School’s Mike Montoya Jr. and Brad Stuart was a scratch as Stuart had a family emergency to attend to.
Terrance Perro is a mountain of a man probably close to 6’4” or better while his opponent James Parra, yes Perro vs Parra, is a squat heavyweight maybe 5’9” in his boxing shoes. Perro, from the Red Shield program, uses his jab from the outside to the head and body. He fires a hard straight right that glances off Parra’s headgear. Perro gets Parra trapped in the ropes and digs hard shots to the ample body just like his coach, former local pro, Tito Tovar is telling him. He calls for the uppercut and it lands forcing Parra to take a knee. He gets up and is immediately tagged by a shotgun jab that sends him back into the corner. Perro gets a warning for not listening on the break. It’s a huge round Perro.
Parra decides he’s had enough of the height, reach and punches of the tall Perro and ends the fight by retirement.
It was a great show and I always enjoy the amateurs. These state champions will advance to the regional tournament March 9th & 10th in Utah.
106-Un represented
112-Timothy Ibarra
119-Shawn Nichol
125-Robert Rodriguez
132-Raymond Leyba
141-Ronnie Reams
152-Jeremy Ramos
165-Alexander Volkav
178-Mike Montoya Jr.
200-Un represented
201+-Terrance Perro
Females
110-Victoria Romero
119-Nicole Pasillas