Ferguson KOs late-sub Roundstone in one

Report and photos by Ricardo Ibarra

A series of unfortunate events almost led to the cancellation of Thursday’s pro/am card at the Boxing and Bulls Outdoor Grounds in Hays, Montana, with three fighters not showing up for the weigh-ins, two pulling out the day of the fight, and intermittent rain storms sending the Silver Wolf Fight Promotions crew scrambling to salvage the show. In the end, a few last-minute replacements held most of the pro portion together and, after a three-hour delay allowed for the rain to pass, the show went ahead.

In the main event Spokane, Washington’s Patrick Ferguson (8-0, 8 KOs) scored a knockout of Ruben Roundstone (0-2) in the first round.

Ferguson was originally scheduled to face former European champion Zoltan Petranyi, but after a dispute erupted between the two camps over the weights and weigh-in time, Petranyi pulled out, leading to Roundstone stepping in to fill the spot hours before the fight.

Ferguson quickly went to work behind his jab as the fight got underway, stepping in aggressively and finding his mark with crisp shots to the temple. The first hard right hand that landed sent Roundstone down for a count. Ferguson pressed as the action was allowed to resume, clearly looking to finish the fight early. Roundstone tried to cover up as the assault continued, but Ferguson simply shifted his target area downstairs, digging with hard shots to the body. A series of debilitating hooks to the mid-section sent Roundstone down for a final time. Referee Ford Jones hit the count of ten at :46 of the first round.

Ferguson claimed his eight consecutive knockout win, although not against the opponent he had hoped it would be against.

“I was really disappointed,” said Ferguson of the situation with Petranyi. “I thought it was a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills and go a couple rounds. I was really disappointed when it didn’t happen.”

“I was a little upset, I guess I took it out on my opponent,” Ferguson continued. “I’m happy with the win. I’d like to fight more often against guys that box a little better. Better opponents is what I need. Hopefully we get back in there soon”

The bout took place in the heavyweight division. A total of six fights made up the entire card with three of the five scheduled pro bouts remaining intact.

In a Jr. middleweight bout, Burlington, Washington’s Steve Villalobos (5-0, 4 KOs) was forced to the go the distance for the first time as he scored a four round unanimous decision win over tough Montana journeyman Daniel Gonzalez (12-42-2, 4 KOs), who took the fight on a few hours’ notice after Villalobos’ original opponent pulled out the morning of for still unclear reasons. Villalobos dominated the fight from the start, going to work behind his jab and unloading with precision. Villalobos rocked Gonzalez late in the first round with a right cross and stepped up his output in the second, seemingly looking to score the knockout. The game Gonzalez took everything that was thrown his way and continued to try and make a fight of it, pressing forward but not throwing enough to make it competitive. The durability of Gonzalez forced Villalobos to slow his all-out aggression and show different facets of his boxing abilities. As Gonzalez refused to give, Villalobos began to snap his jab more and use the ring to set up power shots and catch his opponent as he moved forward instead of aggressively pressing into the pocket. Villalobos thoroughly dominated the remainder of the fight, leaving Gonzalez a swollen and battered fighter at the end of it. All three judges scored the bout for Villalobos with scores of 40-36, 40-36, and 40-34.

Billings, Montana’s Melvin Weaselboy (2-0, 2 KOs) scored a second round stoppage win over Casper, Wyoming’s Billy Martin (0-2) in an entertaining heavyweight match-up. Both fighters opened up from the start, unloading with wild, heavy shots in close. Weaselboy seemed to be getting the better of the exchanges and building some momentum in the middle of the first round, but a hard left hook-right hand combo in the pocket caught him on the chin and sent him down for a count. Weaselboy returned the favor moments later, cornering Martin and dropping him with a left hook. Towards the end of the round Martin found himself on the canvas again, this time courtesy of a right hook.

The two traded on even terms early in the second round, with Martin appearing to regain his bearings and find a target for his right hand as Weaselboy pressed the fight. A frustrated Weaselboy lost a point for a blatant intentional headbutt half-way through the round and drew a stern admonishment from referee Ford Jones. As the action resumed, Weaselboy settled down a bit and again cornered Martin, snapping his head back with a right uppercut and dropping him for a count. Weaselboy pounced as the fight was allowed to continue, administering a sustained volley as Martin covered up. Martin was dropped again as the round neared the end, prompting the referee call a stop to the fight, saving Martin from any further damage. Martin was upset with the stoppage, but he was taking a lot of punches and not defending himself. The end came at 2:46.

The remainder of the card was made up of two amateur bouts.

Late sub Lozano destroys Carmona
Weights from Durango

Top Boxing News

PLEASE READ
We have a few rules to make our comment section more enjoyable for everyone.
1. Keep comments related to boxing.
2. Be respectful, polite and keep it clean.
3. Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
Offending posts will be removed.
Repeat offenders will be put on moderation.
>