Big-fight feel in Brownsville

Rio Grande Valley residents were treated to a night of hard-hitting action Saturday by boxers from across the nation at the Brownsville Sports Park. Brandon “Heartbreaker” Figueroa headlined the night.

Figueroa versus Chacon

Figueroa, 19, continued his undefeated streak in a bout with Raymond “Bad Boy” Chacon, 29, who went into the match with a record of 6-21.

Although Chacon’s win-lose-draw record may be less than stellar, the California native has never been knocked out during a boxing match. However, knocking people out is what Figueroa is known for.

“I heard he was knocking people out and for me to last with him, that’s a big up,” Chacon said about his match with Figueroa. “For my next fight … I’m going to prepare a little bit better. I wanted to throw more jabs, so I think I’m going to work more on that, too.”

The first round started off slow as they both tried to get adjusted to one another and their fighting style. The second round quickly picked up but was slowed down by the third round, when the referee deducted a point from Chacon for holding.

This did not sit well with the audience as many fans began cursing Chacon and even recommending he take Figueroa out to dance if he wanted to hug him so much.

“Ni mi novia me abraza tanto,” said one fan out of frustration.

“He was a tough fighter. He came to fight and every time I hurt him, he was holding me,” said Figueroa, a Weslaco native.

Figueroa’s strategy to combat the holding was to hit body shots so Chacon would put his hands down and he could go up.

“I had to do what I had to do,” Chacon said. “If I felt he was going to pressure me, I had to hold. So, whether the refs liked it or not, I’m in there. I got to do whatever I got to do to protect myself. So, you know, the refs can take points away from me. That’s fine, but my life is on the line, not his. I’m the one getting hit, so, I got to do what I got to do to survive.”

The highlight of the fourth round occurred when Figueroa let out a parade of hooks and jabs onto Chacon, who backed up into Figueroa’s corner. During the fifth round, Figueroa slipped; Chacon argued it was a knockdown, but it was not marked by the referee.

The six-round match ended in a unanimous decision, adding another victory to Figueroa’s record (10-0, 7 KOs).

“It was amazing,” Figueroa said about the match. “Third time fighting here in the Valley, first time in the main event and I’m under my brother’s promotion. So, he did, you know, a really good job and I’m proud to fight here, in front of my home crowd.”

Figueroa will take some time off from boxing as he is scheduled to undergo nose surgery for the second time.

The event was part of the first annual Fall Festival and presented by Omar Figueroa Jr.’s Panterita Promotions.

Omar Figueroa is a former World Boxing Council lightweight who vacated his title when he moved up to the light welterweight division.

The promotion showcases local boxers, while bringing in top-tier fighters from across the globe.

Mosley Jr. versus Rojas

Before the main event, was the heart-stopping match between California’s Shane Mosley Jr. (8-1, 5 KOs), 25, and Kingsville’s Omar Rojas (5-5, 3 KOs), 24.

What started as a one-sided crowd for Rojas, quickly became split down the middle as Mosley Jr. knocked down his opponent in Round 2.

By Round 4, the spectators were at the edge of their seats, cheering for both fighters as they exchanged jabs in the middle of the ring. In Round 5, Rojas fell again.

The match also ended in a unanimous decision.

“I just got a little bit tired after the final three-week notice; way overweight to come down this fast.” Rojas said. “I just want to thank everybody. It was a good experience, a good learning experience. Like I said, of a three-week notice but that’s all right.”

“Sugar” Shane Mosley Sr., 45, a former three-weight world champion with a 49-10-1 record said both fighters fought a good match as he made his way back to the locker rooms.

In a post-match interview with The Rider Mosley Jr. said, “It was a great fight. The guy that I fought was very tough, very game. I appreciate him coming out to fight.”

Lynch versus Houston

Brandyn Lynch (1-0, 1 KO), 25, of Los Angeles, dominated in his professional ring debut against Nubion Houston (0-5,), 21, of Shreveport, La.

Lynch ended the match with an uppercut at the 53-second mark in the fourth round as the crowd erupted. The referee stopped the match, ruling it a TKO.

“Best feeling in the entire world, that’s how I’m feeling. It’s amazing,” Lynch said about winning his pro debut. “You know, we’ve done a lot of preparation for the fight and there was days where I was like, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can do this,’ but it really, really works. The preparation, the stand ready, be ready, it shows in the ring, and I’m just overwhelmed that we got the knockout.

Asked how he felt about making his professional debut in Texas, Lynch replied: “It’s hot; hot as hell, that’s how I’m feeling. Nah, it’s beautiful out here. The Figueroas have been nothing but amazing. They’ve shown us nothing but the best hospitality.”

The Louisiana native said they both had a good match and hopes to readjust his strategy for the next fight.

“The fight went good. We was out there competing. It was my fault, not protecting myself at the end of that fight and that’s the reason they stopped it,” Houston said. “He was catching me with too many clean blows. Long story short: He done good, I done good. At the end of the fight, he was the better man.”

Santomauro versus Hayes

Following the match was the controversial fight between 27-year-old Darryl Hayes (5-9, 1 KO) of Houston and 28-year-old Rocco Santomauro (14-1, 1 KO) of Las Vegas.

The crowd quickly turned on the match as both opponents clinched to one another. Fans began screaming at the boxers to stop hugging and continue fighting. Even ring announcer and comedian Raymond Orta joked at the end of the third round that the fight was “brought to you by neighborly love: Remember to hug your neighbor and love yourself.”

Orta did, however, try to do crowd control as he told the screaming fans to remember to take their blood pressure medication.

“He was a slick guy; the canvas was very slick. Our styles didn’t make for a good fight. I apologize to all the fans, completely, I hope this gets out to them,” Santomauro said in a post-match interview. “But, you know, we had to do what we had to do to fight this guy. He’s crafty. No disrespect to him. He fought a good fight.”

The match ended in a unanimous decision, giving Santomauro his 14th victory.

Woodall versus Thomas

Twenty-two-year-old Steed “The Stallion” Woodall (13-1, 10 KOs), formerly of Birmingham, England, and now residing in Miami, faced off against “King” David Thomas, (10-7, 8 KOs) of Evansville, Ind.

The match ended in a TKO after Thomas’ team threw in the towel as soon as it became apparent Thomas could no longer defend himself. Woodall knocked him down twice in the third round.

Orta said this was his favorite match of the night.

“The guy from Birmingham, England, Steed Woodall, he fought real hard; and out of all the fights, that was the best-looking fight, as far as boxing goes. It looked natural,” Orta said. “There was some fights there that were sloppy. There was a lot of holding. It looked like they were going to make out, but that middle fight was probably the best one—the best-looking fight.”

Vargas versus Lozano

The night kicked off with 26-year-old Arturo “El Maromerito” Lozano (0-3), of Los Angeles, and 23-year-old Angel Vargas (1-1, 1 KO).

During the second round, Vargas knocked down Lozano with a right hook. The match ended by TKO after two rounds.

Carrizalez versus Salazar

David “The Combat Kid” Salazar made his professional debut against Leonardo Carrizalez (3-1-1).

Carrizalez won the match by the three-knockdown rule, earning his first TKO.