RESULTS FROM DTLA FIGHTS

By: Jonathan King From The Clinch Report, Courtesy of Bash Boxing

Photos courtesy of Kyte Monroe/Bash Boxing and Willie Romero/Team Estrada

As donations poured into one room during a silent auction to raise money for fallen fighter Daniel Franco, the sweet science was on display in the other at Exchange L.A. Nightclub in Downtown Los Angeles for another installment of Bash Boxing’s DTLA FIGHTS. With six of the eight scheduled bouts reaching the judges scorecards, the hotly contested fights kept the crowd engaged and on their feet for pretty much the entire evening.

Here are the results: 


In the main event of the evening, undefeated prospect Jessy Martinez (7-0) survived an early knockdown to continue his undefeated reign against a very tough Vincente Guzman (3-6-1). But it was one heck of a back and forth war.  Guzman came out firing, looking to teach the boxer how to brawl. And for at least one round, Guzman was giving the Outlaws Boxing Gym prospect an education in the finer arts of dirty boxing. At range, Martinez dazzled with his jab and worked nicely behind several punch combinations. However, when Guzman closed the distance, his power shots scored heavily up against the ropes. 

Late in the fight, a tiring Guzman kept being tagged by Martinez in the pivotal 4th round. Guzman’s response was to keep holding and pushing Martinez around the ring, prompting several warnings from veteran referee Lou Moret. 

In the 5th round, Guzman was showing more fatigue as he clinched Martinez and escorted him from one end of the ring to the other. Then it appeared Guzman kneed Martinez in the groin. Referee Lou Moret raised his hands and signaled that the fight was over. While it first appeared the referee disqualified Guzman, after an explanation, Moret declared Martinez the winner via knockout due to Guzman’s lack of competitive effort.

Winner: Jessy Martinez via Knockout 2:34 of Round 5

French import Jaber Zayani (9-0) started the evening off, picking up a clear unanimous decision over Mike Fowler (5-9). After a rather back and forth first round, Zayani came to life in the second and sent a statement with a huge left hook that sent Fowler’s mouthpiece flying. 'Money Mike' (Fowler) did his best to get inside for the rest of the bout, but the reach of Zayani was just too much to overcome.

Winner: Jaber Zayani via Unanimous Decision (40-36 on all three scorecards)

Crossing over from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in a la Conor McGregor, Derion 'DC' Chapman stepped between the boxing ropes for the first time to face off with fellow debuting fighter Kevin Vasquez. Neither one of them wasted any time feeling the other out as punches in bunches came from both fighters early and often. A second round flash knockdown by Chapman planted Vasquez momentarily. But the young upstart from Wildcard Boxing Club was eager to get back at Champan as he quickly rose and stormed forward aggressively after the referee’s count. As the third round came to a close, the surging Vasquez began to find his range and continued his scoring in the final round, however Chapman had already built up enough credit with the judges to win the fight.

Winner: Derion 'DC' Chapman via Unanimous Decision (39-36, 39-36, 40-35)

Local fan favorite Bryan Flores (6-1) returned to the Bash Boxing ring after suffering his first professional loss in his preceding bout to take on Jordan Marriott (1-2-1). Early on it became apparent that Flores was looking to throw heat and a straight right hand found Marriott’s chin flush before the back of Marriott’s trunks found the canvas. Quickly rising on unsteady legs, Marriott was able to survive the round and the fight, mostly relying on defense, counter punching, and movement to stay away from the oncoming Flores. In the final round, a surging Flores seemed to be off balance and fell, but the referee scored it a knockdown as Marriott did appear to be throwing a punch at the time. Making the judges math that much more complicated in this interesting 4 rounder, Flores nevertheless cruised to a majority decision victory.

Winner: Bryan Flores via Majority Decision (38-36, 38-36, 37-37)

Ruben Campos (2-0) made it 2-for-2 at DTLA FIGHTS as he followed his sizzling pro debut KO of Gary Michaels on the March DTLA show with another solid performance. This prospect out of the same South El Monte gym as Bash Boxing favorite Arnold Barbosa showed the same eagerness as his pro debut as he charged across the ring to meet his opponent Paul Huguez (0-3) with immediate heavy leather to the body. As the fight continued, Campos seemed to settle down but the sound of his punches told a much different tale than that of his opponent’s. Each punch landed with an echoing thud that elicited a huge crowd response as the sound reverberated throughout the Exchange LA. Nightclub. While Campos continued to pick Huguez apart, the huge weight gain overnight by Huguez allowed him to hang in there. The finish evaded Campos as Huguez proved to be a tough customer despite Campos securing the unanimous nod from the judges.

Winner: Ruben Campos via Unanimous Decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37)

In one of the co-featured events of the evening, Wildcard Boxing product and local legend for both good and bad reasons, Zachary “Kid Yamaka” Wohlman (10-2-2) made his return to Los Angeles to take on tough and durable Matthew Murphy (2-13-3). Although his record may say differently, Murphy came to fight and Wohlman found that out early on in the first round. For all four rounds, the back and forth battle featured the classic boxer vs brawler match up. Over time Wohlman would find pugilistic success with a repetition of jabs while Murphy would storm back and make it a dogfight with his continued aggression. As the bout came to a close the judges couldn't seem to agree, with one seeing the fight for Wohlman, another scoring the bout for Murphy, and the third seeing the fight as a draw.

Decision: Split Decision Draw (40-36 for Murphy, 39-37 for Wohlman, and 38-38)

Undefeated rising female star Seniesa Estrada (9-0) made extremely quick work of her overmatched opponent, Rachel Sazoff (0-3), dropping her twice inside of the first minute of the first round. The skill differential was clearly obvious as Estrada rushed across the ring and blitzed her foe with a blurring combination. To her credit, Sazoff, who lasted all four rounds in her previous bout versus Marlen Esparza, rose from the first knockdown and looked to exchange. Sazoff quickly found herself horizontal again as an Estrada hook removed all equilibrium. The second knockdown was all the referee needed to see as two hands were waived and Estrada earned her easiest victory to date. 

Winner: Seniesa Estrada via KO :38 of Round 1

In the last swing bout of the evening Miguel 'Mickey' Alcantara (2-0) danced his way around Javier Cepeda (0-6) coasting to a unanimous decision victory. Cepeda did his best to turn the battle into a dogfight, but the footwork of Alcantara proved to be the key ingredient of his destructive recipe. Alcantara continually cut angles to create openings, often leaving Cepeda with no answer. The win keeps the young prospect Alcantara’s record pristine.

Winner: Miguel Alcántara via Unanimous Decision (40-36 on all three scorecards)

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