As opposed to the first fight, which only lasted 33 seconds, the main event went the full six rounds of back and forth of fists flying by both fighters in the ring, to the delight of another full house at the annual "Night To Fight" at the Frontiers Of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas.
For the last several years, the "Night To Fight" boxing event which raises funds for the Ring Of Hope boxing gym was a success again by not only bringing professional boxing to Dallas, but also by helping a good cause.
The fight card consisted of five action packed bouts and concluded with a great main event that went the distance between Dallas' Oscar Mojica (10-2, 1 KO) and Houston's Josue Morales (4-6-3).
Both fighters entered the ring in great shape after making weight on Wednesday and it was evident as they went after each other in the first round. Mojica came out pressuring the southpaw Morales as they traded fast and furious punches to establish ground in the middle of the ring.
In the second round, Mojica began to land punches to the body as he let his hands go against the game Morales. But it was evident that Morales came to fight and he countered well as he landed some good combinations to the oncoming Mojica. After a warning from the referee to Mojica for a low blow, the referee followed it up by taking a point away towards the end of the round.
Despite the continued pressure of Mojica in the third round, Morales continued to counter back and landed a right hook. Mojica then had Morales in the corner for a few seconds but Morales quickly maneuvered himself out of harms way. Mojica followed this up with a good uppercut but Morales countered with a good punch to the body of Mojica and then he stuck his tongue out and smiled. This was a better round for Morales, but Mojica landed the last punch at the end of the round.
In the fourth round of the fight, Mojica landed a big punch to the body of Morales that momentarily backed him up. Morales then came back in the round and landed a hard straight left hand to the head of Mojica and continued to counter and hold his own until the bell sounded.
After constant pressure by Mojica in the beginning of the fifth round, Morales was able to block most of the punches until Mojica landed a nice right hand that got the crowd excited.
In the final round, both fighters still looked fresh and Mojica came out by launching several right hands to the head of Morales and followed it up with punches to the body as he backed him up around the ring. Morales kept his distance and he pawed his jab towards Mojica as he backed up in the ring from all the punches that Mojica was throwing.
In the latter part of the round, Morales began to connect with his jab, but Mojica kept up the pressure and attempted several times to land his right hand and close out the fight as the crowd chanted his name. Mojica finished up by landing several body punches just before the bell sounded and Morales attempted to land the last few punches at the end of the round.
Unfortunately it was not enough for Morales as the judges declared the close fight to Dallas' Oscar Mojica by a split decision for the ABO Super Flyweight Champion belt. 58-55, 59-54, 58-55.
SEE FINAL ROUND at the following link:
In the Co-Main event, Fort Worth's Jesse Angel Hernandez (9-1, 7 KO's) made quick work of his opponent Artrimus Sartor (3-2) from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Hernandez, who is a natural southpaw, came out jabbing and looking to land the big KO punch as Sartor backed up around the ring. Hernandez' constant pressure in the first round had Sartor on his heels as he landed punches to the head and body. At the end of the round, he pounded his opponent in the corner and kept up the pressure until the bell sounded.
The second round was similar to the first but this time Hernandez caught Sartor early into the round with an overhand right that sent him reeling across the ring into the corner. Hernandez followed him into the the corner and landed several more punches before the referee broke them up.
As he did in the first round, Hernandez switched stances against Sartor and began to land punches from all angles including landing several good body punches. Finally, in what appeared to be thirty seconds, Hernandez backed up Sartor in the corner and pounded him to the body and to the head and switched stances at the same time. After landing several more punches to the body and several consecutive punches to the head of Sartor, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. The official time of the TKO was 2:35 of the second round and Hernandez went on to win the ABO Super Bantamweight Title.
SEE FINAL ROUND at the following link:
Undercard Fights:
Featherweights:
Arnold Alejandro (3-0, 2 KO's) v. Antonio Solorzano (1-8). This was the first fight of the night and if you weren't at your seat, you missed the fight. Solorzano came out of the corner swinging for the fences but Alejandro landed a left hook that dropped Solorzano to one knee, but he got up quickly. After a few more seconds of punching by both fighters, Alejandro landed a huge left hook that sent Solorzano to the mat and the fight was over. The TKO was at 33 seconds of the first round.
Lightweights:
Abraham Torres (3-1-1) v. Edward Vasquez (1-0-1). In one of the best fights of the night, the methodical and hard punching Torres rocked Vazquez early in the first round but Vasquez took it well and came back with some hard punches to survive the round.
In the second and third rounds, both fighters were connecting as they went back and forth trading equal punches. Vasquez recovered well from the first round and it was evident as the fight went on. Both fighters, who came into the ring in tremendous shape, never backed up and held their ground.
In the beginning of the fourth and final round, Torres connected with a right hand punch but Vasquez followed that up with a flurry of punches as they stood in the middle of the ring. Both fighters came to fight and it was evident from the beginning of the fight to the last round. Although some may have felt that Torres might have had the edge on the cards because of his first good round, the judges decided that the fight would be declared a draw. 38-38, 38-38, 38-38.
Dustin Southichack (4-0, 1 KO) v. Kenny Grammer (3-1, 1KO). This match was the return of the talented Kenny Grammer, who had been away from the ring for a little over two years. Despite that, he held his own against the undefeated southpaw Southichack who had three fights in 2016. In the beginning of the first round, Grammer put the pressure on early and had Southichack on the defense. But as the round went on, Southichack used his height and reach to connect with some good left and right hand punches. Grammer continued to work and was able to land some good body punches toward the end of a competitive first round.
At the beginning of the second round, Grammer continued to force the action, but Southichack was connecting with lots of counter punches and occasionally landing the straight left hand. In the third round, Grammer's nose began to bleed which certainly didn't help his cause, but he continued to hold his ground.
Early on in the fourth round, Grammer's nose began to bleed again but he continued to throw punches and move forward. In the middle of the round, Southichack landed a punch that snapped Grammer's head back but he kept coming forward. After what appeared to be a low blow by Southichack, it gave Grammer a spark and he went after him and landed a barrage of punches.
In the fifth and final round, Southichak used his reach and southpaw stance to get the better of Grammer. The unanimous decision went to the southpaw Southchack who continued his winning streak to four fights. A rematch in the future would be interesting for these fighters after the young Grammer gets a few more wins under his belt.
