Ringside Boxing Report: Rubio and Antillon Win Big in Reading!

Seven bouts out of a scheduled eight went off as planned on Friday night, June 6, 2008, at the sovereign Performing Arts Center, in Reading, Pennsylvania promoted by Marshall Kauffman and Top Rank. Spanish channel Telefutura provided commentary in English and Spanish.

Attendance was spartan at the fight card as high school graduation was taking place in downtown Reading at the same time. Welterweight contender Kermit Cintron was in attendance at the fight card to witness the professional debut of his brother and sparring partner, Harold. Also in attendance was former three time New Jersey Golden Gloves champion Michael Torres, of Newark, currently 11-0 (6) as a professional junior welterweight and being trained by former 1960’s light heavyweight contender Johnny Persol (who beat Eddie Cotton, Harold Johnson and Bobo Olson).

A scheduled bout between Lancaster, Pennsylvania light middleweight Manuel Guzman 6-5-1 (2) and New Jersey’s Alex Perez 9-0 (6) was scratched, as Guzman instead took a different fight on Wednesday night at the Aviator Sports Arena in Brooklyn, New York, and upset previously undefeated hometown favorite, Tommy Rainone 11-1 (3) by a four round split decision.

Promoter Marshall Kauffmann explained in an interview that he is working on a fight card for September that will include a rematch between Guzman and Jorge Delgado, and will include his son Travis Kauffman, now 10-0 (7) as a heavyweight, on the card. Kauffman is billing his son as ‘The Great White Hope’ following the likes of Jim Jeffries, Rocky Marciano, Duane Bobick, Gerry Cooney, and Tommy ‘The Duke’ Morrison. Travis is now hard in training in California.

In the main event of the evening, middleweight contender Marco Antonio Rubio of Mexico moved a step closer to a title shot against World Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik with a fifth round stoppage of fading Alfredo Cuevas. Rubio, now 42-4-1 (37), fighting out of Georgetown, Texas, hardly had a workout with Cuevas, 26-10-1 (17), fighting out of Chicago.

Rubio is 27 years old, Cuevas is 38, and it showed. The first round was an even feeling out round, with Rubio throwing a lot of punches and Cuevas trying to slip them and throw counters. In rounds two and three, Rubio apparently knocked Cuevas down to the canvas, but they were treated as slips. Rubio picked up the pace and began throwing accurate combinations and backing Cuevas up. In retaliation, Cuevas attempted to lure Rubio to ring center and throw bombs, and Rubio countered with combinations that battered Cuevas and made him pay.

In round four, Cuevas landed a few good counter rights, but Rubio’s jab was continuously on target, turning Cuevas’ nose and face into a bloody mess. At the end of round five, Cuevas corner opted not to continue as their fighter was taking too much punishment. Rubio was warned several times for low blows. Rubio weighed 161, Cuevas 161. Scheduled for ten. Referee: Steve Smoger.

In another bout, lightweight contender Urbano Antillon upped his record to 23-0 (16) with a sixth round stoppage of Jose Leonardo Cruz. Antillon pretty much had his own way for all six rounds, using rapid fire combinations to close the right eye of Cruz, backing him up the entire bout.

Cruz showed little offense, but had one bright moment near the end of round two, when a picture perfect right hand lead sent Antillon to the canvas. Antillon got right up and then the bell rang, preventing Cruz from capitalizing on the opportunity. At the end of round six, with Cruz’ right eye swollen shut, the bout had to be stopped. Weights: Antiloon 135, Cruz 134 ½. Scheduled for ten. Referee: Steve Smoger.

In other bouts, super featherweight Luis Del Valle of Puerto Rico, now fighting out of Newburgh, raised his record to 2-0 (2) by stopping winless Emmanuel Roses by first round stoppage. Roses, 0-3 and who has been stopped all three times came off the canvas twice in round one and was getting jabbed senseless, taking a beating. He was not allowed out for round two. Weights: Del Valle 129, Roses 132 ½. Referee: Vic de Wysocki.

Heavyweight Julio Cesar Matthews of Allentown, Pennsylvania, raised his record to 4-0 (3) by blasting out Josh ‘The Juice Harris, 1-2-1, of Youngstown, Ohio, at 2:23 of the first. Matthews had an eleven year gap in his career before coming back earlier this year ‘for the fans’.

If Matthews is 38 years old, he didn’t show it. From the opening bell, Matthews began landing right hand leads, Harris was reeling and out on his feet. Harris offered no offense and tried to survive, but Matthews landed continuous nonstop combinations with picture perfect accuracy and decked Harris twice. Upon going down for a second time, the bout was immediately stopped without a count. Excellent stoppage by veteran referee Art Bayliss, who saw that Harris was out and protected him from serious injury at that point. Weights: Matthews 191, Harris 195. Referee: Art Bayliss.

Light welterweight Harold Cintron of Reading, Pennsylvania, (the older brother of welterweight contender Kermit Cintron) almost didn’t make his professional four round debut. Harold, who’s been a sparring partner for his brother and a lot of other fighters for over five years, had never had an amateur or professional bout before. At Thursday’s weigh-in, his scheduled opponent, Ahmed Voskovic, was a no-show. By Friday night, a last minute substitute, Gustavo Delli, now 1-2, had been located. Delli is still listed by the Boxrec as a super featherweight.

Round one was a route for Cintron, who battered Delli with left uppercuts and right hooks. Round two started the same way, until Delli changed tactics and started butting. Delli head-butted Cintron three times. From ringside the butts looked intentional, but whatever the case instead of a disqualification or a no-contest declared, the butts were treated as accidental. Bleeding from cuts on the forehead and above the eyes, Cintron had to change tactics and shut down into a defensive fight and just try to survive. Delli took advantage of the situation and scored points with combinations to win the last three rounds of the bout.

In a post-fight interview outside the arena before going to the local hospital for stitches,

Cintron said he had no problems with his opponent or the referee, and would not appeal the outcome to the Pennsylvania Boxing Commission, but said he would seek a rematch later in 2008. Weights: 139. Scores: 38-38, 39-37, 39-37 Delli. Referee: Art Bayliss.

In a wild featherweight matchup, Lucian Gonzalez of Puerto Rico, 6-4-1, now fighting out of Reading, Pennsylvania, won a split decision over six rounds against Castulo Gonzalez in Lynn, Massachusetts, 9-7 (3) in an unexpected exciting six round war.

Castulo kept coming forward and threw a lot of punches for all six rounds, and sprinkled his offensive arsenal with various low blows, head-butts, holding and hitting, and holding behind the head at every opportunity. Castulo was warned infrequently but wasn’t penalized for his infractions, and that had Marshall Kauffman, trainer in the corner of Lucian, shouting and hopping mad.

What made it interesting was that Lucian fought the entire fight backing up and moving side to side from left to right with fancy footwork, good jab combinations and crisp counterpunching. The difference in this fight was that although Lucian did not throw as many punches as Castulo, Lucian landed more often, and when he did, he landed power shots that did damage.

Castulo hung tough and kept coming forward and the contrasting styles of the two fighters brought those in attendance to their feet. The nonstop action became a tactical war, and as there was no holding, both Gonzalez’ really went at it for the full six rounds.

For Lucian Gonzalez, all eleven of his bouts have gone the nail-biting distance. Despite the split decision, the bout did not appear as close as the scoring indicated. From ringside, Lucian was landing the power shots, Castulo was throwing a lot of punches coming forward, but the majority of them were missing the target, and he could have had points deducted but didn’t. Weights: 125. Scoring: 59-55-58-56 Lucian Gonzalez, 58-56 Castulo Gonzalez. Referee: Steve Smoger

In the final bout of the evening, unbeaten super featherweight Argenis Mendez, a Dominican fighting out of Brooklyn, won a six round split decision over Jose Navarette, a Mexican fighting out of Chicago. Mendez, now 12-0 (8) had his hands full with the game Navarette, who proved to be far more dangerous than his record might indicate.

Trial horse Navarette took Mendez to school for all six rounds, coming forward and pressuring Mendez from the opening bell with a lot of punches and trying to lure Mendez into heated exchanges in center ring. Mendez fought smartly though, avoiding ring center and counter-punching along the ropes, picking his left and right hand leads, combinations and power shots, and landing them effectively. Still, Navarette was the aggressor, while Mendez was content to drop his hands and taunt his opponent and try to draw him in.

The bout appeared hard to score. The first round looked like Mendez won, the second round was very close, the third round was even, the fourth and fifth were very close, and Navarette appeared to win the sixth. Though Mendez won a split decision, from the ringside view there appeared to be ‘no way’ one of the judges could have given Mendez every round as the fight was too close. Weights: 130. Scoring: Argenis Mendez 60-54, 59-55, Jose Navarette 58-56. Referee: Vic de Wysocki.