Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
By Steven Cummings
MAIN EVENT
ERIC PRIEST (15-0, 8 KOs) UD10 over TYLER HOWARD (20-3, 11 KOs)
Official scores – 100-90 X 3
10 Rounds, Super Middleweights
Eric Priest kept his perfect record intact with a masterful 10-round shutout over rugged veteran Tyler Howard. Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) enjoyed a clear separation in skill level as he kept Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) from getting untracked.
It probably wasn’t as spectacular as Priest hoped but it was every bit of a dominant performance. Controlling the action with a busy jab, Priest used movement and potent counter punching to thwart any offense from Howard.
As the rounds went by, Priest dug in more and more with the right hand, but the constant throughout the bout was the precise jab and good footwork.
Despite the lack of two-way action and the fact that Priest never felt any distress, this was good work against a veteran that sets him up to keep climbing the ladder.
RD10 – Priest kept Howard from every getting any sustained attack going.
Smooth and steady throughout, Priest threw a shutout. 10-9 Priest, 100-90 Priest.
RD9 – Another clean round for Priest. Controlling the fight while Howard can’t solve him. 10-9 Priest, 90-81 Priest.
RD8 – More two-way action this round, but Priest consistently getting the better of it. Priest firing big right hands every so often, getting close. 10-9 Priest, 80-72 Priest.
RD7 – Howard tried to step up the attack but Priest either slipped the punches or cracked him back to stop the tide. Another good round for Priest. 10-9 Priest, 70-63 Priest.
RD6 – Same pattern, but Priest turned over a couple of right hands which may indicate he’s working towards turning up the heat. 10-9 Priest, 60-54 Priest.
RD5 – Howard stepped up the offense a bit but Priest is in no danger so far. Howard bleeding from the nose. Not much eye-catching action, but Priest is getting business done and frustrating Howard. 10-9 Priest, 50-45 Priest.
RD4 – Priest playing it smart. Howard can’t reach him and Priest is controlling everything. 10-9 Priest, 40-36 Priest.
RD3 – Priest is working behind the jab and Howard hasn’t gotten untracked. Just isolated power shots coming back from time to time. Priest warming up, bringing combinations behind the jab every so often. Should see more separation as the fight goes on, Priest has clearly better skills. Needs to avoid getting caught with a Hail Mary punch. 10-9 Priest, 30-27 Priest.
RD2 – Priest pumping the jab, Howard not doing anything to start. Still not much action but Priest busier. 10-9 Priest, 20-18 Priest.
RD1 – Cautious start for both, very little landed. Could be even round, I give Priest the slight edge, got a few jabs in and some right hands. 10-9 Priest.
Bout 5
JORDAN PANTHEN (11-0, 9 KOs) UD10 over DEAUNDRE PETTIS (12-4, 7 KOs)
100-90, 98-92, 97-93
10 Rounds, Super Middleweights
So, I missed the first round and part of the second because of technical problems here. When I jumped in, Pettis was rolling. Panthen turned it around. He dug down deep and gutted it out, ending the fight outworking Pettis consistently. Not a great showing for Panthen, but he’s a gutsy fighter who will likely always be in exciting fights.
The scores weren’t accurate but Panthen won clearly from the point where I joined in.
RD10 – Panthen with the work rate again. 10-9 Panthen.
RD9 – Panthen still more consistent. Pettis is effective when he throws but his activity has slowed. 10-9 Panthen.
RD8 – Pattern continues, Panthen outworked him most of the round. 10-9 Panthen.
RD7 – Panthen’s pressure is turning the tide. Pettis goes inactive for stretches. Panthen’s face is bloody but he’s getting a lot done this round. They finish with a great exchange. 10-9 Panthen.
RD6 – Good round for Panthen. Backed Pettis up and fired away. Good combo by Pettis at the end of the round but that one went to Panthen, 10-9.
RD5 – Accidental headbutt on Panthen’s left eye, this one is near the eyebrow. Mostly one-way traffic. 10-9 Pettis.
RD4 – We’ve reached the point where I’m not seeing the fight these announcers are seeing. Panthen’s marked under his left eye and Pettis is getting off more. I gave another round to Pettis but he’s not supposed to be ahead.
RD3 -Panthen is the undefeated fighter but he is having trouble solving Pettis. Not able to sustain an effective attack. The fight is in spurts and seems to be on even terms. 10-9 Pettis.
RD2 – Close round, tough to score. Slight edge to Pettis. Moving in and out well, catching Panthen from time to time.
RD1 – Panthen cut from headbutt on forehead.
Bout 4
GRANT FLORES (8-0, 6 KOs) KO2 over DAVID LOBO RAMIREZ (17-4, 12 KOs)
Official time – 2:59
6 Rounds, Super Welterweights
20-year old Grant Flores showed power and skilled defense in scoring a KO2 over veteran David Lobo Ramirez. A solid right hand to the body followed by an uppercut closed the show.
Grant Flores is tall and rangy and he had Lobo Martinez at exactly the perfect distance for most of the bout. Another young phenom passes his test tonight.
RD2 – Flores drops him at the end of the second round and that’s it.
RD1 -Taller Flores working behind the jab. Flores is very rangy, will be hard for Lobo Ramirez to get inside. 10-9 Flores.
Bout 3
CAYDEN GRIFFITHS (3-0, 3 KOs) KO2 over MARC MISIURA (3-7-1, 1 KO)
4 Rounds, Super Welterweights
18-year old Cayden Griffiths of Lake Havasu City, AZ kept his perfect KO record intact with his third stoppage in three pro outings. Griffiths pressed forward throughout the brief contest and kept Marc Misiura from mounting any sustained attack.
There isn’t much to criticize here, but some of the power right hands were looping shots that came up a bit short. Other than that, Cayden Griffiths is a phenom with crowd-pleasing skills and he showed how entertaining he can be.
RD2 – Griffiths drops him with a lethal left to the body. Fight’s over.
RD1 -Griffiths pressing forward, throwing power shots. Misiura not throwing a whole lot. Nothing significant landing so far. Griffiths turned southpaw for a bit and got tagged. 10-9 Griffiths.
Bout 2
JORDAN FUENTES (3-0) UD4 over BRANDON BADILLO (0-3-1) 4 Rounds, Super Bantamweights
Official scores – 40-35 X 3
Jordan Fuentes has pretty slick skills from the southpaw stance and will have success counter punching. I don’t like the hands-down posture but that appears to be part of the style. At this point it isn’t much of a problem. At age 19, the sky is the limit for Fuentes, so let’s see how he develops.
RD4 – Fuentes cranked up the offense and landed his heaviest shots of the fight, except for the knockdown punch last round. Attacked more, rather than just picking his spots from the defensive posture. 10-9 Fuentes, 40-35 Fuentes.
RD3 – Right hand drops Badillo just before the bell. Badillo came out more offense-minded, Fuentes responded with counter shots as the action picked up. Good counter right from Fuentes as Badillo was lunging in. 10-8 Fuentes, 30-26 Fuentes.
RD2 – Badillo lands a few shots from the righty stance, then goes back to southpaw. Fuentes is scoring with the right jab and the counter left. Took a big shot to the chin while moving back. Fuentes lands a big left at the bell. 10-9 Fuentes, 20-18 Fuentes.
RD1 – Both fighting lefty. Cautious start. Measured attack from Fuentes, hands down, jabbing and looking to counter. Close round, Fuentes got there with his right jab a few times. 10-9 Fuentes.
Bout 1
LEONARDO SANCHEZ (8-0, 6 KOs) UD6 over JOSEPH CRUZ (10-12, 6 KOs)
Official scores – 60-54 X 3.
6 Rounds, Super Featherweights
Leo Sanchez (8-0, 6 KOs) was relentless throughout and landed solid shots with both hands, upstairs and down. Joseph Cruz (10-12, 6 KOs) is tough and weathered the storm somehow.
While Sanchez won every minute of all six rounds, he did get hit cleanly throughout the bout, albeit infrequently and none of the shots were enough to slow him down. Going forward, he will need to be more defensive-minded to climb to the championship level. His all-offense style has been more than enough to beat the fighters he’s faced so far, but there’s room for improvement. Hard to say if it is a concern that he landed so many power shots and wasn’t able to drop Cruz.
RD6 – Cruz makes it to the final bell. Sanchez had his foot on the gas the whole time and clearly won every round. 10-9 Sanchez, 60-54 Sanchez.
RD5 – More of the same. Looked like a possible stoppage in the middle of the round but Cruz threw some shots and the referee backed off. 10-9 Sanchez, 50-45 Sanchez.
RD4 – Sanchez marches on, a two-fisted punching machine. Cruz tries to avoid the damage with movement but keeps ending up pinned to the ropes. 10-9 Sanchez, 40-36 Sanchez.
RD3 – Cruz doesn’t have the offense to keep Sanchez off. Sanchez punching around and through the guard, working both the head and the body. 10-9 Sanchez, 30-27 Sanchez.
RD2 – Sanchez overwhelmed him with an extended rally on the ropes. Cruz covered up without punching back for long stretches while Sanchez unloaded with both hands. 10-9 Sanchez, 20-18 Sanchez.
RD1 -Southpaw Sanchez coming forward, working the body. Cruz on the move to start. Heavy hands from Sanchez. The taller Cruz getting in with a few uppercuts. Sanchez won the round, very busy and heavy shots with both hands, but he got hit cleanly quite a bit. 10-9 Sanchez.
I’ll be posting results and analysis of the Golden Boy Promotions fight card at The Commerce Casino and Hotel tonight. Main event is Eric Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) vs. Tyler “Hercules” Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in a middleweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds.
First up is super featherweights Leonardo Sanchez vs. Joseph Cruz in a six-rounder.
