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Boxing: Holm's victory impresses champion Sanders
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
Tribune
Holly Holm had another successful night at the office Wednesday. As about 2,000 fans cheered her on in Tingley Coliseum, Holm jabbed and hammered at Chevelle Hallback, earning a dominating win and her sixth major world title. The bout was beamed across the country on ESPN2, and may have put Holm in line to face undefeated boxing champion Mary Jo Sanders.
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
Tribune
Holly Holm (right) presses against Chevelle Hallback. Holm got the Tingley crowd revved with long, furious exchanges Wednesday night, and she won all 10 rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards.
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
Tribune
Ray Joe Mascarenaz gets an autograph from Holly Holm after the Albuquerque boxer whipped Chevelle Hallback to run her record to 19-1-2. Holm earned her sixth major world title Wednesday night with the nationally televised win at Tingley Coliseum. Women's boxing's biggest name - Laila Ali - has been too occupied with reality-TV dancing to schedule a fight, so undefeated champion Mary Jo Sanders is eyeing Holm as her next opponent.
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
Tribune
Fans cheer for Holly Holm as she enters the ring to face Chevelle Hallback. Undefeated women's champion Mary Jo Sanders was a guest at Tingley on Wednesday night, and could be Holm's next opponent. "She (Holm) did a great job, throwing nice, clean, straight punches," said Sanders. "I was impressed."
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After Holly Holm's dominating performance at Tingley Coliseum - her second big TV fight and sixth major world title - a super showdown with undefeated champion Mary Jo Sanders is finally looking like a real possibility.
Holm (19-1-2, 5 KOs) appears headed for a megafight against Sanders after earning a lopsided, unanimous decision over highly-touted Chevelle Hallback (25-5-1, 11 KOs) on ESPN2's "Wednesday Night Fights."
Holm's win came in front of less than 2,000 fans at Tingley but with a larger cable TV audience as she jabbed and hammered a straight left to Hallback for 10 impressive rounds to win the IFBA junior welterweight title in the main event.
The victory earned Holm her ninth title - six, if you count world championships in the four major boxing organizations.
Even Holm admitted that the endless titles were beginning to lose some of their significance.
"I take pride in all the belts," Holm said after Wednesday's bout as the arena was being cleared out. "But it's really not about (the titles) - it's about the fighter across the ring."
That next fighter could be Sanders, a Detroit native who was a guest at the Holm-Hallback fight.
"It's a fight that's definitely being talked about now," said Holm. "It's finally being considered."
Before the Hallback fight, negotiations had never quite gotten serious for a Holm-Sanders match. Fights offered by Holm's promoter, Lenny Fresquez, had been turned down in the past, the Holm camp said.
The undefeated Sanders (24-0, 7 KOs) had vacated her titles at welterweight to target Laila Ali - the most well-known name in women's boxing. Ali, who recently has been spending her time performing on "Dancing With The Stars," hasn't talked about her future in the ring.
"Nobody knows what Ali is doing, so this fight against Holm only makes sense," Sanders said at ringside. "We're definitely talking about it."
Sanders also praised Holm's performance against the game Hallback.
"She (Holm) did a great job, throwing nice, clean, straight punches," said Sanders. "I was impressed."
Against Hallback, Holm had her best showing yet, not only winning the tactical game in the ring but also revving the crowd up with long, furious exchanges.
Hallback, a Tampa, Fla., fighter, tried to press the action, but she couldn't overcome the size disadvantage against the taller and heavier Holm.
Judges Levi Martinez of Las Cruces and Jesse Reyes of Texas scored the bout 100-90 in favor of Holm. Judge Anita Sanchez of Albuquerque scored it 98-92 for Holm.
The Tribune gave Hallback two rounds, also scoring it 98-92.
"I couldn't let my hands go," said Hallback. "It wasn't me in there. I felt sluggish."
Hallback had her best rounds - the fourth and eighth - when she stepped up the pressure and trapped Holm against the ropes, or countered with left hooks and straight rights.
"She came forward at me, but I thought it was going to be tougher than she was," said Holm. "I stayed with my game plan and used a lot of side-to-side movement."
Hallback said she was never hurt in the fight and says that Sanders, whom she lost a decision to three years ago, is a harder hitter than Holm.
The Duke City didn't fare well in the co-main event.
Taking the fight on five days' notice, Albuquerque's David Martinez (17-3-2, 3 KOs) lost a 10-round unanimous decision to former World Boxing Association champion Clarence "Bones" Adams (43-6-4, 19 KOs). Adams picked up the vacant World Boxing Council Continental Americas featherweight belt.
Fighting for the second time in four years, Adams' vast experience and more precise, harder punches outweighed the pestering boxing strategy of Martinez.
"I thought it was closer than the cards," said a disappointed Martinez.
"I'm not going to give up. I wanted to show Albuquerque a good fight and thought the risk was worth it."
All three judges scored it 98-92 for Adams. The Tribune also scored it 98-92.
In other bouts:
Featherweight Matthew Esquibel (6-0, 3 KOs) of Albuquerque and Houston's Angel Rodriguez (2-1, 2 KOs) traded knockdowns in the first round, but Esquibel came back to take the decision with scores of 38-36, 39-37 and 39-39.
Albuquerque junior lightweight Willie Villanueva (6-0, 1 KO) dominated Ramiro Torres (2-7-1, 1 KO) of San Antonio with scores of 40-36 on all three cards.
Albuquerque welterweight Daniel Gonzales (2-1, 2 KOs), former brother-in-law to Danny Romero, was outclassed by late sub Cornelius Schuler (1-0) of El Paso, who punished Gonzales through four rounds for a unanimous decision with scores of 40-36 and 39-37 and 39-37.
Santa Fe featherweight Clara de la Torre (1-0, 1 KO) won her pro debut by first-round TKO over Ashella Moody (0-2), who threw in the towel between rounds.
El Paso's Miguel Torrecillas (17-6-1, 8 KOs) ended a two-year layoff with a punishing, fourth-round TKO (2:10) win over Belen's Jeremiah Torres (7-15-1, 1 KO).
