Lozano destroys Galaviz in Tampa

By Christopher P. Cook at ringside

Tampa, FL – Unbeaten WBC USNBC titlist Daniel “El Alcaran” Lozano easily handled Manuel Galaviz in front of a capacity crowd at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa, Florida Friday night. Fight Night Productions’ “Ker’s WingHouse Fight Night” event was dedicated to the memory of Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee. In a somber day for boxing with the burial of Angelo Dundee in nearby Clearwater, the young fighters put on an exciting spectacle, showcased by numerous knockdowns and knockouts.

In the main event of the night, Bowling Green, Florida’s Lozano (11-0-0, 8 KOs), 112.2 lbs, had little trouble with Mexican challenger Galaviz (5-8-0, 2 KOs), 111.6 lbs. Lozano started poised, working his way towards his opponent. A sharp left to the body of Galaviz followed by a right to the head dropped him early in the first round. Galaviz was able to beat the count barely and met flurries from Lozano as he continued. Just as the ten second bell rang, Lozano landed a pulverizing short body shot to the same location as the early knockdown, dropping Galaviz again. Galaviz was unable to rise before the ten count. The young 22-year old title holder from Bowling Green remains unbeaten through eleven bouts, and with stunning performances like tonight’s, a bright and bigger future may lay in his path.

Local favorite Charlie Serrano (14-2-0, 4 KOs), 125.6 lbs, squared off against Mario Lacy (9-21-5, 7 KOs), 126.2 lbs, in the co-main event. The Tampa native, Serrano, put on a show of power not seen in any of his prior contests. Serrano landed a flush shot to the gut of Lacy early in the first round, forcing the outmatched opponent to drop a knee. The disciplined Serrano took note of the weakness, and attacked the gut of Lacy, dropping him to a knee two more times in the first and winning via TKO at 2:49 of the first. Serrano is now unbeaten in his last nine contests.

The opening bout of the card witnessed the debut of former world champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy’s brother Kenny Lacy, 237 lbs, as he met fellow debut Todd Bradley, 227 lbs. Lacy opened the bout showing patience and accuracy, allowing Bradley to over-exert himself early in the match. Lacy was able to withstand the infighting that Bradley tried to effectively proceed with in the opening two rounds. Lacy’s patience paid off in the third, as an overhand right crushed into Bradley’s head. Sensing weariness in Bradley, Lacy landed three flush left hooks following by a powerful right hook to back him to the ropes. Lacy then landed a solid left hook that even Jeff might have been jealous of, as it forced the referee to waive off the fight for Bradley at the 1:33 mark of the third round.

In by far the shortest bout of the card, newly signed Top Rank Boxing talent Bryant Perrella, 151.6 lbs, did not disappoint in his debut. In less than thirty seconds, Perrella was able to dispatch his opponent, Michael Wicker (0-2-0) with a solid right hand to drop him once, and a flurry of shots culminating with a right hook to drop him a second time. The referee was forced to waive off the contest at the 0:30 mark of the opening stanza.

The card showcased a battle of veteran heavyweights as Willie Chisolm (6-14-0, 3 KOs), 240 lbs, squared off against Jason Barnett (13-14-0, 6 KOs), 230.8 lbs, in a four round bout. The battle of big men saw a shutout thrown by Barnett as he was able to dictate the pace of the match and land cleaner shots. Conditioning became an issue as the rounds continued, but Barnett never let go of the reigns as he won on all three scorecards 40-36.

The Serbian wildcat Radioje Kaladjic (5-0-0, 4 KOs) remained unbeaten as he finally met someone able to take him to the distance, formerly undefeated Eliseo Durazo (3-1-0, 3 KOs). Kaladjic, 174.6, blew through his first found opponents, knocking out three in the first and one in the third, but was able to display poise and confidence in his ability to outbox Durazo, 177 lbs, over rounds and not just rely on his knockout ability. Kaladjic was credited with a knockdown in the first, although it appeared to be a slip on Durazo’s part. The Serbian kept the fight at a distance for much of the match, utilizing his reach advantage to its fullest. Durazo found it difficult to move in on Kaladjic, and the times he was able to back him into the ropes, Kaladjic rolled the punches off his shoulder and slide out at ease. Durazo showed heart in the bout, withstanding barrages from Kaladjic, as well as his dancing in and out potshots that kept Durazo outside of a range to land. Judges scored the contest 40-39 twice and 39-36, all in favor of Kaladjic.

St. Petersburg’s Alphonso Black (2-0-1, 2 KOs), 153.6 lbs, met stiff competition in Victor Pacheco (1-0-1, 1 KO), 156.8 lbs, as they battled to a majority draw. The opening stanza started quickly, as both boxers let their hands fly. Pacheco came to fight against the local boxer, and showed his Mexican heart and determination in the match. Black landed with greater accuracy in the early part, hurting Pacheco with pummeling body shots. Pacheco turned the tide a bit in the second, landing jabs and straights at will to the head of Black. Black landed more effective punches, planting solidly and attacking the body. In a very close third round, both fighters drew a standing ovation as they traded constantly. Black appeared to land the telling blow, backing Pacheco into his corner and landed flurries of shots. Surprisingly, Pacheco weathered the storm and reversed the course of the round as Black apparently punched himself out. After a back and forth final round, the judges could not come to an agreement on the fight, scoring the match a majority draw. Judges scored the back and forth bout 38-38 twice and 39-37 for Black, resulting in the majority draw.

Earlier this in the Tampa Bay area, legendary trainer Angelo Dundee was laid to rest in Clearwater. Among the hundreds in attendance to pay their respects were numerous boxing greats, promoters, fellow trainers, and members of the boxing community. The great Muhammad Ali was able to attend the funeral service, along with Bob Arum, Pinklon Thomas, and many more. Fightnews along with Fight Night Productions, Ker’s WingHouse and the entire Tampa boxing community would like to pay our respects to Angelo Dundee for all he did for boxing, and send our condolences to his family in their time of grief.

February 11th, 2012

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