Judges in Antonio Orozco-Abner Lopez fight really stunk up the joint in Indio

Antonio Orozco, right, was lucky to win by the wide margin he won by in Saturday’s fight with Abner Lopez/Photo courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions

 

It’s such a shame that we have to deal with bad scoring, even though it has always been part of the sweet science.

Take Saturday’s junior welterweight fight between top contender Antonio Orozco of San Diego and Abner Lopez of Tijuana at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. After 10 rounds, Lopez had done well enough that it would not have been shocking if he had been announced as the winner. At the very least, the scores should have been close.

Yet, veteran judges Lou Moret and Pat Russell came up with the same ridiculous score of 99-91 in favor of Orozco, the house fighter for Golden Boy Promotions. Max DeLuca had it 97-93 for Orozco.

There were more than a few boos when the cards were read. I polled a few of my press-row peers and they all said they thought the bout was close. One veteran writer had it even. Heck, I spoke with someone in Orozco’s camp. I’ll leave his name out of it, but he told me, “It was close.”

So when even someone from Orozco’s camp concedes the bout was close, I’d say that makes it official – the cards just stunk.

You can’t help but feel badly for Lopez (23-6) . He came in with five losses and he was not supposed to be much of a problem for undefeated Orozco (25-0). If anything, this was thought by some to be your proverbial stay-busy fight for Orozco.

For the most part, it was Lopez stalking Orozco. Lopez fought with supreme confidence, and he gave Orozco way more grief than those lousy scorecards suggest.

Shame on the judges. They’ve been around too long to come up with scores like this in an obvious close fight.

 

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Joseph Diaz Jr., Victor Proa make weight for Saturday’s fight at Fantasy Springs

Joseph Diaz Jr./Photo courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions

 

Joseph Diaz Jr. of South El Monte and Victor Proa of Mexico on Friday made weight for their featherweight bout Saturday at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio (on HBO Latino).

Diaz (20-0, 11 KOs) – ranked No. 3 in the world – weighed in at the 126-pound limit while Proa (28-1-2, 21 KOs) came in well under at 123.8 pounds. Proa has fought just once over the past 6 1/2 years and that was this past February.

The co-main event will feature highly ranked junior welterweight Antonio Orozco (24-0, 16 KOs) of San Diego going against Abner Lopez (23-5, 19 KOs) of Tijuana. Orozco weighed 142, two pounds over the 140-pound limit. Lopez came in at 140.

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Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero confident he can still hang with the top guys

Robert Guerrero

Robert Guerrero/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has won world titles in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions, and interim titles at lightweight and welterweight. But he hasn’t even held an interim title for nearly four years, so it’s safe to say he’s looking to get back into the title picture.

Considering he distinguished himself well in his most recent bout – a unanimous-decision loss to Danny Garcia in a welterweight title fight in January – Guerrero has reason to believe he can still get back to the promised land, though it will be difficult to do in the tough welterweight division in which he toils.

Guerrero (33-4-1, 18 KOs) has no doubt he can get there.

“I want to get back in there with the top guys,” said Guerrero, who Aug. 27 will take on David Peralta (25-2-1, 14 KOs) of Argentina in the main event at Honda Center (on Spike). “All the fights are there. I have to get back in that position. I have to get them to stand toe-to-toe with me.”
That was no doubt a shot at Garcia, who moved quite a bit against Guerrero.
“I don’t need to prove anything to myself,” Guerrero said. “I know I can fight. I come in and work hard every day. I have to go and prove it to the fans. The fans are what makes us. I have to prove it to everybody watching that I’m there at the top level.
“We definitely want a rematch with Danny Garcia. If I don’t get that, it’s anyone at 147 pounds. The guys are all there and I’m ready to battle.”
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Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton make weight for Saturday’s showdown

Leo Santa Cruz, left, and Carl Frampton pose after weighing in Friday for their featherweight title fight Saturday in Brooklyn/Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott, Showtime

 

Champion Leo Santa Cruz and challenger Carl Frampton on Friday both made weight for their featherweight title fight Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime).

Santa Cruz, of Lincoln Heights, weighed 125 1/2 pounds. Frampton, of Northern Ireland, weighed 125 1/4. The featherweight limit is 126.

Santa Cruz, 27, is 32-0-1 with 18 knockouts. He’ll be looking to make the second successful defense of his belt. Frampton, 29, is 22-0 with 14 knockouts. The former super bantamweight champion is moving up in weight for this bout.

 

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Alfredo ‘El Perro’ Angulo eager to show he still has goods to fight for title

Alfredo Angulo/Photo courtesy of John Aguon/Spike, Premier Boxing Champions

 

Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo of Mexico was very good as a junior middleweight and once held an interim world title in that division. But a lot has happened since then.

Angulo is now fighting as a super middleweight. He has lost three of his past five bouts – the two victories in there were against journeymen – yet he believes he still has a world-title shot in him.

Angulo on Aug. 27 will take on countryman Freddy Hernandez (33-8, 22 KOs) at Honda Center underneath the welterweight bout between Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and David Peralta (on Spike). At a news conference Tuesday, Angulo spoke about the task at hand as well as what the future might hold for him.

“I want to show people that ‘El Perro’ is back and that I still want to compete in the biggest fights,” said Angulo, 33. “If I work hard, I think that I can have an opportunity by next year for a title shot. I have a great team in training and we’re working hard for this challenge. I want to put on a great show for the fans. I want fans to remember my fights and I think this will be the best fight of the night.”

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Mikey Garcia brimming with confidence ahead of first fight in 2 1/2 years

Mikey Garcia speaks at Thursday’s final news conference/Photo by Ed Diller, Dibella Entertainment

 

Some fighters might be a bit worried about having a fight for the first time in 2 1/2 years. Not Mikey Garcia. He’s brimming with as much confidence as ever.

“I have better skills than any fighter put in front of me,” said Garcia, who Saturday will take on Elio Rojas in a junior welterweight bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime). “This will be the beginning of the next stage of my career, the most memorable part of my career.

Garcia, who was speaking at Thursday’s final news conference, has not fought since January 2014, when he defended his super featherweight title with a wide decision over Juan Carlos Burgos at Madison Square Garden.

Garcia (34-0, 28 KOs) then got into a contract hassle with his then-promoter, Bob Arum, and has not fought since. Garcia, who has won titles at featherweight and super featherweight, is now a free agent.

Rojas (24-2, 14 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, is expecting to beat Garcia.

“In this fight, I know I’m being brought in as an opponent,” said Rojas, a former featherweight champion. “But I’m going to let the fans know that I’m not just an opponent.

“I know who Mikey Garcia is. I have all the abilities to win on July 30. I’ve always been a boxer who was never protected. I always prepare to win the fight and this will be no exception.”

Rojas has had a layoff of 23 months.

Garcia-Rojas will fight underneath the featherweight world-title fight between champion Leo Santa Cruz of Lincoln Heights and Carl Frampton of Northern Ireland.

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Carl Frampton confident he can leave ring with Leo Santa Cruz’s title

Carl Frampton/Photo by Ed Diller, DiBella Entertainment

 

Carl Frampton will have his hands full Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn when he challenges Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) of Lincoln Heights for his featherweight world title (on Showtime). But the former super bantamweight champion from Northern Ireland who is moving  up in weight has no doubt he can emerge with Santa Cruz’s belt.

“Leo is a great fighter,” Frampton said. “He’s world class. Easily the toughest opponent that I’ve faced so far. But I think I’m Leo’s best opponent as well. I think this has all the ingredients to be a top quality fight. I’ve had a hard training camp and I’m ready to leave everything in the ring.
“I’ve got a game plan. I’m not going to blink. We’re hoping that game-plan ‘A’ will work. But if not, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
The way Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs) sees it, he has nothing to lose in this one.
“All the pressure is on Santa Cruz,” he said. “Everyone is expecting him to win. I’m going to come in there and upset him. I’m here to put on a great performance and bring the belt back home.”

 

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Carl Frampton wants to ‘win it back’ for manager Barry McGuigan, who once held title Leo Santa Cruz now holds

Carl Frampton/Photo courtesy of Ed Diller, DiBella Entertainment

 

Carl Frampton of Northern Ireland has accomplished quite a bit in his career. He is 22-0 with 14 knockouts and has won a world title in the super bantamweight division.

Frampton on Saturday will try to add another belt to his collection when he challenges Leo Santa Cruz of Lincoln Heights for his featherweight world title at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime).

 

Winning a title in a second weight class provides Frampton with plenty of incentive. But there is another driving force. It has to do with Frampton’s manager, former featherweight champion Barry McGuigan of Ireland.

“Obviously, I have enough motivation on my own, but it would be nice to bring back the title that Barry once owned,” Frampton said. “It feels a bit like destiny for me. It’s my turn to win it back for him. I’m doing this for my whole team. I’m doing this for my family and I’m doing this for my entire country.”

McGuigan once held the WBA featherweight title, the same one Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) currently holds.

 

 

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Leo Santa Cruz seems to have nothing but respect for Carl Frampton

Leo Santa Cruz/Photo by Amanda Westcott, Showtime

 

Leo Santa Cruz didn’t get to where he is today by taking victories for granted. Therefore, even though Carl Frampton is moving up in weight to challenge Santa Cruz for his featherweight world title Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime), Santa Cruz will stick to his credo of regarding every opponent as an equal.

“People think Frampton is the underdog because he’s moving up in weight,” Santa Cruz said Wednesday at a workout in New York City. “But I (previously) moved up in weight, too. I never take an opponent lightly. I’m going to come really hungry. I respect every fighter and I train for my opponent to be at his best.”

Santa Cruz intimated Frampton – a former super bantamweight champion from Northern Ireland – is as real as a fighter gets.

“I have a lot of respect for Frampton,” said Santa Cruz, of the Lincoln Heights section of Los Angeles. “He has everything you need to be a great fighter. Excellent footwork, great power and good punches. Once he’s in the ring with me, I’m fighting for my future.”

Santa Cruz is 32-0-1 with 18 knockouts. He has won titles in the bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight divisions.

Frampton is 22-0 with 14 knockouts.

 

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Leo Santa Cruz stoked that his ailing father made trip to New York City

Leo Santa Cruz, left, and Carl Frampton pose here on the observation deck of the Empire State building in Manhattan. They will fight Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn/Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott, Showtime

 

Leo Santa Cruz of Lincoln Heights was in a good mood Tuesday. One reason was because he and Carl Frampton were able to spend some time on the observation deck of the Empire State building in Manhattan. The biggest reason was because Santa Cruz’s ailing father – Jose Santa Cruz – will be in his corner Saturday when Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) defends his featherweight belt against Northern Ireland’s Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime).

The elder Santa Cruz helps train his son along with his other son, lead trainer Antonio Santa Cruz. Jose Santa Cruz has been battling spinal cancer and although he has been improving, there was still a question as to whether he was going to be able to make the cross-country trip to New York City.

“I am so happy my father is here with us,” Leo Santa Cruz said. “We thought he might not be able to make it, but thank God he is here with us. Not having my dad here in New York with me would have been hard. It actually brought tears to my eyes.
“But I am very happy that he is here and will be in my corner for my fight.”

 

 

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