Matthysse and Molina steal the show in Carson!
It was a cold, windy Saturday night at the Stub Hub Center in Carson California but things finally heated up when Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse and John Molina took the stage. An all out bloody brawl in the co-feature would steal the show from a disappointing main event and will no doubt be tossed in as a fight of the year candidate.
Matthysse (34-3, 32 KOs) would hit the deck twice before stopping a game Molina (27-3, 22 KOs) in the eleventh round of a scheduled twelve. Molina got the party started with two straight right hands that rocked the Argentinian slugger in the opening round. An overhand right in the final thirty seconds of round two put Matthysse on the canvas but able to continue. The drama thickened when an accidental clash of heads got the blood flowing over Matthysse’s left eye and ever Molina’s left ear. The two came out swinging for the fences in round four but it was a right hand shot from Molina that sent Matthysse down for the count in the fifth. Matthysse shook off the cobwebs and went to work in the sixth and seventh and though Molina held his own, it was Matthysse who seemed to be more active. This brutal battle shifted in the eighth when a barrage of heavy shots, assisted by a push sent Molina stumbling to the canvas. Matthyss went full steam ahead in tenth and a brutal barrage of shots sent “The Gladiator” crumbling to the canvas. Molina was up on his feet my the count of seven and barely survived the round. Not giving Molina anytime to revover, Matthysse came out in the eleventh determined to end it and series of shots did just that. Referee Pat Russell would step in to save a defenseless Molina following a series of crushing blows. Official time was :22 seconds into the eleventh.
“It was really a war and it got very complicated for me at the beginning of the fight” said Matthysse “Molina is really a tough fighter, he took some big punches from me but I finished him”
“I’m fine, I’m just disappointed. We gave the fans a good fight and that’s what I wanted to do” said Molina “I’m just disappointed that I didn’t get to finish Lucas. I think I’m the only one to have him hurt like that but It’s a learning experience for me.
In the anticlimactic main event, undefeated welterweight Keith “One Time” Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs) scored a third round TKO victory over Julio “the Kid” Diaz (40-10-1, 29 KOs) in a welterweight clash scheduled for twelve. Thurman rattled the Coachella fighter with a series of punches in round one and dropped him in the second with an over the top left hook that landed just above the temple. A blistering right hand by Thurman sent Diaz into warrior mode and for a few moments we had a firefight. The two traded shots in the final minute of round three but unfortunately Jack Reiss would be forced to call a halt to the action before the start of the fourth at the request of Diaz’ corner who sited a rib injury as the cause.
“I felt the body shot and I wondered if he was going down” said Thurman “He was a tough dog, he suffered a cut and turned on the heat. He was here to fight. He’s a true warrior.”
“I got caught with a good body shot” said Diaz “I’m not ashamed of my work. I’ve never given up in a fight but I’m human, I got hurt today and this guy has some power”
On the undercard,
WBC lightweight title holder Omar Figueroa (23-0-1, 17 KOs) edged out Jerry Bellmontes (19-3, 5 KOs) to retain his title. The fight had his highs and lows but ended as it began, a close careful chess match. Figueroa stalked Bellmontes for most of the fight while the Texan chose to box and used every inch of the ring to stay out of harms way. The two brawled it out in the middle rounds and exchanged punches in close quarters but Bellmontes felt more comfortable and did his best work on the outside and while moving. After 12 rounds, one judge would see it for the elusive Bellmontes with a score of 115-113 but he would be overruled by the deciding two who had it 116-112 and 118-110 for Figueroa.
Undefeated Jr. Middleweight Jermall Charlo (18-0, 14 KOs) stopped Hector Munoz (22-13-1, 14 KOs) after four dominate rounds. After punishing Munoz for four straight rounds, Munoz did not answer the bell to start the fifth round.
South El Monte’s Joseph Diaz Jr. (10-0, 7 KOs) won his tenth straight with a dominate performance over rugged veteran Luis Maldinado (38-11-1, 29 KOs). Diaz controlled the action to earn scores of 60-54 all around.
Super welterweight Terrell Gausha (9-0, 5 KOs) won an uneventful eight round unanimous decision over Charles Whitaker (40-14-2, 24 KOs). Gausha would score a knockdown in the third but allowed Whitaker to go the distance. Scores were 80-71 all around.
East L.A’s Frankie Gomez (17-0, 13 KOs) stopped Puerto Rico’s Orlando Vasquez (12-4-1, 6 KOs) in the second round of a scheduled ten. Vasquez would hit the deck twice before being counted out by referee Russell Mora.
Lightweight Sharif Bogere (24-1, 15 KOs) scored a fifth round TKO over Arturo Urena (26-16-1, 22 KOs). A barrage of punches ended it at the :50 mark of the fifth round.
Welterweight Bryant Perella (3-0, 2 KOs) wasted no time in stopping Robert Crespo (4-3) in the opening round of a scheduled four. Official time was 2:30.
Middleweight Yamaguchi Falcoa (1-0) won his professional debut by defeating Francisco Najera (0-2) by unanimous decision after four rounds. All three judges were in agreement with scores of 40-36.