Ringside Boxing Report: Hector Leyva – Osvaldo Sarabio

Ballroom Brawl – Not For The Elegant Or Faint Of Heart

For the twenty second season, the Irvine Marriott hosted the “Battle in the Ballroom” this past Thursday night. The successful boxing show, put on by Roy Englebrecht Promotions and the first of six fightcards planned for 2006, kicked off the new boxing season with a sellout, standing room only, crowd of 1,500. “This should be a good fight, tonight,” said Mike Hart, announcer for the evening’s entertainment. “We

© Parimal Rohit Saddo Boxing

have fighters coming in from all over to compete, and the fans know they are getting their money’s worth. We have many season-ticket holders who are repeat customers and expect a great fight each time. So far, Battle in the Ballroom has always delivered, and we don’t expect tonight to be any different.”

The night’s main event featured two strong lightweights, Hector Leyva and Osvaldo Sarabio, squaring off. Overall, it was a lackluster fight, with both combatants swarming each other most of the time. Both fighters landed their share of body shots, jabs and crosses, but neither did much to truly dominate the contest. Hector was more active and aggressive, leading him to win a split decision in an otherwise lukewarm bout. Leyva, of Los Angeles, moves to 9-3 (5) while Sarabio drops to 4-1 (1).

While the second bout was canceled due to medical reasons, the fans still enjoyed the four remaining bouts on the undercard. The first contest featured Manuel Mada against Tyson Schwieger. The parity in this fight was obvious, as both fighters exchange similar body shots and jabs throughout the bout. The four round affair in this middleweight clash was so equal that the result was a draw. Mada, of Bell, CA goes to 3-12-5 (2) while Las Vegas based Schwieger evens things out ay 1-1-1 (1).

The California Commission did not allow the second bout between Beto Ibarra (0-2) and John Allen (0-4), due to health concerns of Beto Ibarra. “[Ibarra] came here to the facility but was not able to fight. The commission deemed the fight could not go on,” stated an official at ringside, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The third bout was by far one of the most dominant fights of the evening. Oxnard’s Alphonse Rocha beat Ivan Stoval after the referee called the match in the third round. Rocha was very aggressive, landing several consecutive blows while Stoval did little to defend himself, leading the officials to call the fight. Rocha improves to 6-3 (3) and Stoval, of Pomona, CA gets a loss for the first time in his career to fall to 3-1 (2).

Perhaps the bout that received the loudest roars from the crowd was the following contest, which paired two women against each other. Fans chanted the name of Kina Malpartida, from Peru, making her boxing debut in the United States. She fought against Lisa Martin of Oceanside, CA. Malpartida was aggressive from the outset, not letting her fans down. Throughout the four rounds, the native South American kept the audience out of their seats as she attacked Martin with numerous combinations and jabs. It proved enough as she beat the Californian by unanimous decision. Malpartida, now based out of the Gold Coast region of Australia, improves to 6-0 (1) while Lisa Martin drops to 2-4 (0).

The fifth bout featured two fighters who were virtually even in the ring; Jorge Sanchez Leon against Riverside southpaw Jose Reynoso. Both men fought hard and tough, each one withstanding solid blows from the other fighter. The decision went to the judges, who voted in favor of Reynoso, now 6-2 (1). Sanchez Leon, of Mexicali, Mexico falls to 4-2 (1).

“This was a good fight, overall, and I liked seeing some local boxers,” remarked boxing fanDavid Kabbani, who drove from La Palma, CA to watch the action. “The woman’s fight was real competitive, as well. I think these boxers all have potential. It isn’t the best boxing I’ve seen, but “Battle in the Ballroom’ is entertaining and gives these boxers a chance to show their stuff and an opportunity to move up one day. It was fun.”

“I think its cool having a boxing match in a hotel instead of an arena. Its more intimate, and the atmosphere makes the fights more interesting and exciting. The fan involvement can’t be beat,” stated Jason Nhim, boxing fan from Buena Park, CA.

Indeed, these fights are good entertainment for the predominantly Orange County crowd. The boxing here is above average, overall but what makes these shows work is the atmosphere. For twenty two years, only two promoters have bought and sold this show; Don Fraser and Roy Englebrecht. Both promoters put a premium on fan involvement; having raffles, giveaways, interaction with ring-girls and a small facility that makes the crowd appear perceptively larger. Many even come just to watch the female bouts. But its the local boxers who have potential, when combined with the atmosphere, that bring people coming back for more.

© Parimal Rohit / Saddo Boxing