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KO-victors: Vera, Kirkland victorious at Fight Night in Frisco
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@acnpapers.com
Summer days at Dr Pepper Ballpark are usually reserved for the Frisco RoughRiders, a Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
However, Friday night was a different story as the venue was home to professional boxing for a six-fight event presented by Golden Boy Promotions.
“Overall, as a boxing event, I think it went very well,” said Lester Bedford, head of sports management and marketing for the event.
Looking as if there might be an upset brewing, Vera overcame a slow start and eventually prevailed with a devastating left hook to Suarez’s side that put the San Antonio native down for the 10-count.
“My plan was to box and show my skills,” Vera told ESPN after the fight. “He never hurt me, but he surprised me that he was able to keep standing after taking a couple of punches.”
In Friday’s co-main event, middleweight prospect James Kirkland (28-1) continued his professional dominance and began to make up for his first loss by disposing of New Jersey’s Dennis Sharpe by way of knockout in the opening round. Kirkland’s aggressiveness and body attack led to the knockout, eventually landing a shot just above Sharpe’s waist that put the fighter down for good at the 2:18 mark of the first round.
“I think the fans really enjoyed it,” Bedford said. “With it being on such short notice, I was real satisfied with the way everything turned out.”
Bedford said Dr Pepper Ballpark was a great venue selection for the fight night and should be home to future fights.
“It's a good venue for any kind of event,” he added. “Whether it’s baseball, concerts or boxing, I think it’s a perfect place.”
In earlier action during the six-fight event, Dallas native Manuel Rojas improved to 2-0 during his professional career by working an impressive unanimous decision over Fort Worth's Alex Lopez.
Rojas earned scores of 40-36 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Jose Rodriguez, another Dallas native, made a lasting impression in his pro debut. Rodriguez KO’ed Martin Camarillo in the opening round after landing a few head shots that proved too costly for Camarillo. Following a left hook from Rodriguez, Camarillo managed to get back on his feet after going down, but couldn’t keep his footing and eventually fell to one knee to get a 10-second count.
In the night’s opening fight, Maurice Hooker took advantage of Wilbert Mitchell's over-aggressiveness and scored his first professional victory by knocking out Mitchell in the first round. The KO took Hooker only 1:43 to achieve.
“He had a hard head because it hurt my hand,” Hooker said.
The Hooker KO was followed by a bout between Vernon’s James Freeman and Garland’s Joshua Burns. The two fighters went six rounds, with Freeman (8-4) eventually earning a unanimous decision that featured knockdowns from both boxers. Burns saw his record fall to a Glass Joe-like 3-11-5 with the loss.
With the first Fight Night in Frisco officially in the books, Bedford said he wouldn’t be surprised if the venue is home to a similar event in the future.
“It's a nice setting,” he said. “Most of the old fights in (Las) Vegas were outdoors. It’s not unusual for fights to take place outdoors.”
Action from Golden Boy Promotions will continue next week at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., with a doubleheader featuring East Los Angeles’ Frankie Gomez and Hesperia's Kadaphi Proctor in an eight-round main event. Undefeated Coachella Valley star Randy Caballero will face Phoenix’s undefeated Alexis Santiago for the vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental Super Bantamweight Title in the eight-round co-feature.
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