Artemio Reyes Crushes Francisco Reza in 2!
Thompson Boxing Promotions closed out their 2013 season with Artemio “King” Reyes (20-2, 16 KOs) taking on Francisco Reza (12-8, 9 KOs) in an eight round bout at welterweight and it was no surprise that the end would come early and as a result of a body shot.
He may have made some changes to his corner but not much has changed inside the ring. Known for his brutal left hook to the body, Reyes once again left an opponent at the Double Tree Hotel in Ontario Ca. unable to continue due to a crippling liver shot. Reyes came out gunning for head shots but you knew it was coming and a minute into the second round, that signature punch landed right on the button and Reza went down. Surprisingly he managed to make it to his feet and was allowed to continue but a few follow up shots and a second knockdown left referee Jack Reiss no option but to call halt to the action at 1:15.
San Diego welterweight Giovanni Santillan (11-0, 6 KOs) scored a second round TKO over Hawaiian Michael Balasi (10-2, 7 KOs) in the co-featured bout of the night. After a pretty even first round, Santillan stunned Balasi with a body shot at the end of the second. A follow up barrage of head shots would signal the end as referee Pat Russell stepped in and saved the clearly hurt fighter from having to hit the canvas. Official time was 2:41.
Jr. welterweight Jose Roman (15-1-1, 11 KOs) brutally dismantled Tijuana brawler Hector Zuniga (13-4, 8 KOs) on his way to a one-sided unanimous decision. Zuniga came out and pressured but was technically picked apart by pin-point accurate counter punching. In the fourth, a right hand stunned Zuniga and a follow up shot sent him to the canvas. Zuniga would survive the round and kept the pressure on but Roman continued the punishment into final two rounds. Scores were 60-53, 60-53 and 58-55.
Undefeated heavyweight Javier Torres (6-0-1, 3 KOs) was awarded a unanimous decision over Kevin Howard (3-12-1, 1 KO) after four rounds. The Long Beach heavyweight learned that an eleven loss record can be deceiving as he was forced to eat multiple right hands. Torres pressed forward but never seemed to find his rhythm or distance. The Alabama fighter kept Torres at bay with a strong jab and follow up right hand. However, in the end, all three judges would see it 39-37 for Torres. Standnfight.com had it 38-38.
Watsonville’s Oscar Godoy (11-2, 6 KOs) won a split-decision victory over South El Monte’s Ricky Duenas (12-2, 6 KOs) after eight rounds. In the opening rounds, a cautious Duenas was offensive in spots but allowed the more accurate Godoy to get off first and land in bunches. Godoy ripped off combinations while Duenas waited to counter, often times without much success. Duenas would rally late as he pressed the action and threw combinations when he had Godoy pinned in the corner or against the ropes but in the end, only one judge would see Duenas ahead with a score of 77-75. He was overruled by the deciding two who had it 77-75 and a wide 80-72 for Godoy.
Heavyweight Justin Davenport (1-0-1) destroyed previously unbeaten Justin Goslee (2-1, 2 KOs) in the opening round of a scheduled four. Goslee was pressing the action for the first minute but was giving up ground when he caught a straight left to the face that sent the 6’9 heavyweight crashing to the canvas. Referee Pat Russell immediately waved it off as a motionless Gonlee laid in the opposite corner. Official time was 2:00.
Colombian Oscar Torres (1-0) was successful in his pro-debut, scoring a unanimous decision over Cory Muldrew (1-5) of Arizona. A barrage of shots in the third round had Muldrew on shaky legs but Torres could not finish the job. After four rounds three judges would see it for Torres with scores of 39-37, 39-37 and 40-36.