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Josh Torres never quite solved the boxing jigsaw puzzle that is Jose Valenzuela.
Nonetheless, let the record show that in the 40th fight of the Albuquerque welterweight’s sterling pro career, he won every round on all three scorecards in defeating Mexico’s Valenzuela by unanimous eight-round decision Friday night at the Embassy Suites.
The Torres-Valenzuela fight, the main event of a five-bout Legacy Promotions card, was somewhat anticlimactic coming after fellow Albuquerquean Cristian Cabral’s exciting victory over Martin Sollano in an eight-round bout for the UBO Intercontinental middleweight title. Valenzuela’s awkwardness and human-knuckleball defensive style made for a tedious eight rounds.
Afterward, Torres (31-7-2, 17 knockouts) said he believed he’d made the best of a difficult situation.
“(Valenzuela) was awkward, man. He was weird,” Torres said. “Swinging with his head down, it was hard to land clean. But we landed the cleaner shots.
“He was grazing with blows that were landing on his end, but we dug deep and we did what we had to do to win.”
Valenzuela (4-29-4), a boxing cipher who almost never wins but almost always makes it to the final bell, was a late-replacement opponent in a fight that was to have been for the UBO welterweight title. Mexico’s Alejandro Frias (21-13-2), the original opponent, withdrew, citing a shoulder injury.
Because of the change and in observation of Valenzuela’s record, the title status was removed
“It was very frustrating,” Torres said, “because it’s not what we prepared for. You prepare for something for months, and to have it change like that last minute, it’s mind-blogging and it threw me for a loop.
“But we dug deep and we did what we had to do.”
All three judges scored the bout 80-72, a shutout. The Journal scored it 79-73, giving Valenzuela the first round.
In the co-main event, Cabral, knocked down in the fourth round by a short left hook, took the fight to Sollano the rest of the way in claiming the UBO title belt.
The judges scored the bout 76-75, 77-74 and 77-74, the two-point round awarded to Sollano in the fourth making the scores closer than they otherwise would have been.
The Journal’s card read 77-73 for Cabral (12-2-2, five KOs).
Sollano, a native of Mexico who lives and trains in Amarillo, Texas, lost for the first time as a pro. He’s 5-1 with three knockouts.
San Felipe Pueblo’s Clinton Chavez, Cabral’s friend and sparring partner, weathered several low blows delivered by opponent Wesley Vanderlinden to win by unanimous decision in a six-round middleweight bout.
Vanderlinden’s relentless pressure earned him the first round on the Journal’s scorecard, but Chavez’s superior boxing skills gradually turned the tide.
Referee Allen Dominguez twice penalized Vanderlinden one point for low blows, once in the second round and again in the third.
The judges’ scorecards read 57-55, 59-53 and 58-54, all for Chavez. The Journal saw it 59-53.
Chavez improved his record to 10-2 with six KOs. Vanderlinden, of Simi Valley, California, is 4-4 with four KOs.
In a lightweight bout, German Orpineda Ponce defeated Mexican countryman David Bedai Quiros by unanimous decision in a four-round lightweight bout. The scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 40-35, one judge awarding Orpineda (2-0, one KO) a two-point round for sheer dominance in the absence of a knockdown.
In the first bout of the night, Albuquerque’s Shaun Henson (3-6, three KOs) defeated Jovan Sauceda of Mexico by second-round knockout.
Sauceda, who accepted the bout with less than a day’s notice, is 0-2.
Continue reading...
Nonetheless, let the record show that in the 40th fight of the Albuquerque welterweight’s sterling pro career, he won every round on all three scorecards in defeating Mexico’s Valenzuela by unanimous eight-round decision Friday night at the Embassy Suites.
The Torres-Valenzuela fight, the main event of a five-bout Legacy Promotions card, was somewhat anticlimactic coming after fellow Albuquerquean Cristian Cabral’s exciting victory over Martin Sollano in an eight-round bout for the UBO Intercontinental middleweight title. Valenzuela’s awkwardness and human-knuckleball defensive style made for a tedious eight rounds.
Afterward, Torres (31-7-2, 17 knockouts) said he believed he’d made the best of a difficult situation.
“(Valenzuela) was awkward, man. He was weird,” Torres said. “Swinging with his head down, it was hard to land clean. But we landed the cleaner shots.
“He was grazing with blows that were landing on his end, but we dug deep and we did what we had to do to win.”
Valenzuela (4-29-4), a boxing cipher who almost never wins but almost always makes it to the final bell, was a late-replacement opponent in a fight that was to have been for the UBO welterweight title. Mexico’s Alejandro Frias (21-13-2), the original opponent, withdrew, citing a shoulder injury.
Because of the change and in observation of Valenzuela’s record, the title status was removed
“It was very frustrating,” Torres said, “because it’s not what we prepared for. You prepare for something for months, and to have it change like that last minute, it’s mind-blogging and it threw me for a loop.
“But we dug deep and we did what we had to do.”
All three judges scored the bout 80-72, a shutout. The Journal scored it 79-73, giving Valenzuela the first round.
In the co-main event, Cabral, knocked down in the fourth round by a short left hook, took the fight to Sollano the rest of the way in claiming the UBO title belt.
The judges scored the bout 76-75, 77-74 and 77-74, the two-point round awarded to Sollano in the fourth making the scores closer than they otherwise would have been.
The Journal’s card read 77-73 for Cabral (12-2-2, five KOs).
Sollano, a native of Mexico who lives and trains in Amarillo, Texas, lost for the first time as a pro. He’s 5-1 with three knockouts.
San Felipe Pueblo’s Clinton Chavez, Cabral’s friend and sparring partner, weathered several low blows delivered by opponent Wesley Vanderlinden to win by unanimous decision in a six-round middleweight bout.
Vanderlinden’s relentless pressure earned him the first round on the Journal’s scorecard, but Chavez’s superior boxing skills gradually turned the tide.
Referee Allen Dominguez twice penalized Vanderlinden one point for low blows, once in the second round and again in the third.
The judges’ scorecards read 57-55, 59-53 and 58-54, all for Chavez. The Journal saw it 59-53.
Chavez improved his record to 10-2 with six KOs. Vanderlinden, of Simi Valley, California, is 4-4 with four KOs.
In a lightweight bout, German Orpineda Ponce defeated Mexican countryman David Bedai Quiros by unanimous decision in a four-round lightweight bout. The scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 40-35, one judge awarding Orpineda (2-0, one KO) a two-point round for sheer dominance in the absence of a knockdown.
In the first bout of the night, Albuquerque’s Shaun Henson (3-6, three KOs) defeated Jovan Sauceda of Mexico by second-round knockout.
Sauceda, who accepted the bout with less than a day’s notice, is 0-2.
Continue reading...
