redmond

October 8th 2011

Ricardo Ibarra and Crystal Ibarra

Report and Photograph the Action

Patrick Ortiz and Ringside Tickets,

Vancouver PAL and Fisticuffs

in Vancouver, WA

A nearly sold-out crowd packed into the Clark County events center in Vancouver, WA on October 8th for a full night of boxing action as Promoter Patrick Ortiz, Vancouver P.A.L and Fisticuffs gym hosted the first professional boxing card in the area since 2007. The event, which was held in support of the Vancouver P.A.L, featured special guest Sugar Ray Leonard and a full line up of both amateur and pro match-ups.

In the six round main event, Vancouver's own Virgil Green (4-0 140 lbs.) claimed the Northwest Jr. Welterweight title with a methodical unanimous decision victory over Chula Vista, California's Jesse Isais (2-2-1 140 lbs.). Green used lateral movement and a good, stiff jab to keep his opponent off balance and on the outside thorough out most of the fight. While Isais pressed forward during most of the six rounds, he landed very little and gave his opponent plenty of opportunities to land solid counter shots. In the final round Green pressed forward, opening up with combinations, giving his local fans an exciting finish to an otherwise slow-paced fight. All three judges scored the fight for Green.

Local crowd favorite Sammy Perez (1-0 134 lbs.) made his professional debut a successful one, winning a four round decision over previously undefeated Danny Ruiz (2-1 134 lbs.), of Riverside, CA. Perez got off to a slow start, allowing his opponent to dictate the pace from the outside, eating a lot of jabs and failing to land a lot of what he was throwing. In the second round Perez stepped up his tempo, though, opening up in frenzied flurries and landing with solid shots on the inside, managing to stun his opponent late in the round. The two fighters fought on mostly event terms thorough out the remainder of the fight, Ruiz effective from the outside and Perez landing with solid combinations on the inside. In the end the judges favored the aggressive Perez, awarding him the four round majority decision.

Gabriel Pineda (1-0 1KO 137 lbs.), of Hillsboro, Oregon, showed some promise in his first foray into the professional ranks, stopping longtime northwest stalwart Nalo Leal (4-12-1 137 lbs.) in the fourth round. Pineda worked well from range behind a stiff jab and opened up with quick straight right and left hook follow-ups, maintaining a solid work rate throughout the fight. While Leal pressed forward even while taking punches, his aggression only left him open for Pineda's quick counter shots. In the fourth round Pineda dug deep to the body and dropped Leal to one knee. Leal made it to his feet at the count of seven and fought back gamely as Pineda pressed, but a series of body shots once again dropped him to his knees. Leal decided not to continue as the referee stepped in for the count, allowing Pineda to claim a TKO at 1:25 of the fourth.

In a heavyweight rematch, Sylvester Barron (4-11KO 236 ½ lbs.), of Anacortes, claimed his second win over Arlington's Matt Kovacs (0-1-1 257 lbs.), scoring a TKO in the third of a crowd pleaser. Both men started out the fight swinging wildly, landing heavy power shots. The fight was very close throughout the first two rounds, but as the pace settled Barron began to land more effectively, staying at range with his jab and finding his mark with big rights. In the third a hard uppercut dropped Kovacs flat on his back. After the eight-count Barron cornered Kovacs along the ropes, landing a series of punches that prompted the referee to step in and stop the bout at 1:39 of the round.

The opening professional bout was a good one between Marcos Cardenas (2-3 128 lbs.) and Kendall Ward (0-4 127 lbs.), two game northwest competitors that always come to fight, yet usually wind up on the losing end. Ward, of Vancouver, began the fight using his boxing skills, moving around the ring and working off his jab. Cardenas, meanwhile, pressed forward with steady offense, cutting off the ring and landing good body shots in close. In the second round a flush right to the chin stunned Ward, buckling his knees and putting him on the defensive. Cardenas seized the opportunity, pressing the action and landing with clean shots to the head and body. After a series of punches went unanswered, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:11 of the round.

The amateur portion of the show featured match-ups between Washington and Oregon fighters. Fisticuffs' Gym's Jorell Reynosa won a decision over Beaverton's Carlos Ariasa.

Knott Street Boxing's Corey Hill took a decision over Tacoma Boxing Club's Jerrell Barbour. Efrain Estrada, of West Portland Boxing, scored a win over Tacoma Boxing's Hector Rendon

Sugar Ray Leonard was the special guest at the boxing event. Leonard and event sponsors helped to raise money for the Vancouver PAL.

For more information on how you can help Vancouver P.A.L and upcoming boxing events in Vancouver visit http://vancouverpal.com/PAL_Programs_7QTQ.html

October 8th 2011 Ricardo Ibarra and Crystal Ibarra Report and Photograph the Action	Patrick Ortiz and Ringside Tickets, Vancouver PAL and Fisticuffs in Vancouver, WA
A nearly sold-out crowd packed into the Clark County events center in Vancouver, WA on October 8th for a full night of boxing action as Promoter Patrick Ortiz, Vancouver P.A.L and Fisticuffs gym hosted the first professional boxing card in the area since 2007. The event, which was held in support of the Vancouver P.A.L, featured special guest Sugar Ray Leonard and a full line up of both amateur and pro match-ups. In the six round main event, Vancouver's own Virgil Green (4-0 140 lbs.) claimed the Northwest Jr. Welterweight title with a methodical unanimous decision victory over Chula Vista, California's Jesse Isais (2-2-1 140 lbs.). Green used lateral movement and a good, stiff jab to keep his opponent off balance and on the outside thorough out most of the fight. While Isais pressed forward during most of the six rounds, he landed very little and gave his opponent plenty of opportunities to land solid counter shots. In the final round Green pressed forward, opening up with combinations, giving his local fans an exciting finish to an otherwise slow-paced fight. All three judges scored the fight for Green.
	Local crowd favorite Sammy Perez (1-0 134 lbs.) made his professional debut a successful one, winning a four round decision over previously undefeated Danny Ruiz (2-1 134 lbs.), of Riverside, CA. Perez got off to a slow start, allowing his opponent to dictate the pace from the outside, eating a lot of jabs and failing to land a lot of what he was throwing. In the second round Perez stepped up his tempo, though, opening up in frenzied flurries and landing with solid shots on the inside, managing to stun his opponent late in the round. The two fighters fought on mostly event terms thorough out the remainder of the fight, Ruiz effective from the outside and Perez landing with solid combinations on the inside. In the end the judges favored the aggressive Perez, awarding him the four round majority decision.
Gabriel Pineda (1-0 1KO 137 lbs.), of Hillsboro, Oregon, showed some promise in his first foray into the professional ranks, stopping longtime northwest stalwart Nalo Leal (4-12-1 137 lbs.) in the fourth round. Pineda worked well from range behind a stiff jab and opened up with quick straight right and left hook follow-ups, maintaining a solid work rate throughout the fight. While Leal pressed forward even while taking punches, his aggression only left him open for Pineda's quick counter shots. In the fourth round Pineda dug deep to the body and dropped Leal to one knee. Leal made it to his feet at the count of seven and fought back gamely as Pineda pressed, but a series of body shots once again dropped him to his knees. Leal decided not to continue as the referee stepped in for the count, allowing Pineda to claim a TKO at 1:25 of the fourth.
	In a heavyweight rematch, Sylvester Barron (4-11KO 236 ½ lbs.), of Anacortes, claimed his second win over Arlington's Matt Kovacs (0-1-1 257 lbs.), scoring a TKO in the third of a crowd pleaser. Both men started out the fight swinging wildly, landing heavy power shots. The fight was very close throughout the first two rounds, but as the pace settled Barron began to land more effectively, staying at range with his jab and finding his mark with big rights. In the third a hard uppercut dropped Kovacs flat on his back. After the eight-count Barron cornered Kovacs along the ropes, landing a series of punches that prompted the referee to step in and stop the bout at 1:39 of the round.
The opening professional bout was a good one between Marcos Cardenas (2-3 128 lbs.) and Kendall Ward (0-4 127 lbs.), two game northwest competitors that always come to fight, yet usually wind up on the losing end. Ward, of Vancouver, began the fight using his boxing skills, moving around the ring and working off his jab. Cardenas, meanwhile, pressed forward with steady offense, cutting off the ring and landing good body shots in close. In the second round a flush right to the chin stunned Ward, buckling his knees and putting him on the defensive. Cardenas seized the opportunity, pressing the action and landing with clean shots to the head and body. After a series of punches went unanswered, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:11 of the round.
The amateur portion of the show featured match-ups between Washington and Oregon fighters. Fisticuffs' Gym's Jorell Reynosa won a decision over Beaverton's Carlos Ariasa.	Knott Street Boxing's Corey Hill took a decision over Tacoma Boxing Club's Jerrell Barbour. Efrain Estrada, of West Portland Boxing, scored a win over Tacoma Boxing's Hector Rendon
	Sugar Ray Leonard was the special guest at the boxing event. Leonard and event sponsors helped to raise money for the Vancouver PAL. For more information on how you can help Vancouver P.A.L and upcoming boxing events in Vancouver visit http://vancouverpal.com/PAL_Programs_7QTQ.html