By Jeff Zimmerman
Photos: Porfirio Barron Jr. / Knockout Sports Bar

At the Mesquite Championship Rodeo on Saturday night, hometown fighter and fan favorite, Alexis Del Bosque (17-5, 9 KOs) beat the super tough Eduardo Rafael Reyes (9-16, 6 KOs) out of Mexico over six rounds. It took Del Bosque everything he had to fend off the durable and dangerous Reyes, who despite the upside-down record showed he was up for the challenge.

Del Bosque, at six feet, is tall and slender, like the late, great Diego Corrales and loves to let his hands go, just like Corrales. Reyes, however, showed he was more than game to go toe to toe with Del Bosque at times. Del Bosque set the stage early as he went right to the body of Reyes in the opening frame and landed uppercuts as well, while Reyes countered with big shots in return.

The 2nd through 4th round were much of the same with Del Bosque landing to the head and body early in the round and Reyes countering in the middle and ending with flurries from both fighters that would sometimes go through the bell. On one such occasion Del Bosque got hit by a late blow after the round ended and almost again as Reyes held back with his punch in mid-flight.

Reyes had his best round in the 5th as he landed multiple shots to the face of Del Bosque, but Del Bosque came back in the 6th and final round where he opened with a triple left hand to the body and another one upstairs on Reyes. Reyes showed he was a lot tougher than his record indicated and gave Del Bosque all he could handle in his hometown no less. Del Bosque, as well, displayed lots of grit and a diverse arsenal to win a very tough, competitive fight. The judges scored it unanimous for Del Bosque with scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56. It was Del Bosque 4th win in a row.

Edward Vazquez vs. Alejandro Moreno

Featherweight Edward Vazquez (7-0, 1 KO) out of Fort Worth used a diverse body and head attack against veteran Alejandro Moreno (24-42-3) in the co-main event in Mesquite, Texas. Vazquez opened the fight with a double left hook and a powerful right hand that sent Moreno backwards. Moreno took the punches well but didn’t have enough firepower to keep Vazquez away. In the 2nd round, Vazquez went right to the body and landed an occasional uppercut and overhand right against Moreno. In the 3rd round of the scheduled four, Vazquez put Moreno on the canvas with a vicious body attack but was ruled a low blow by former world champion turned referee, Jesus Chavez. Moreno got back to his feet, but Vazquez continued the assault and landed a flurry of punches that put Moreno back on the mat as the ref counted him out. The time of the KO was 2:28 and was the first one of Vazquez career who remained undefeated in seven pro fights.

Raul Marinque vs. Orlando Collins

Super lightweight Raul Marinque (5-0-1, 3 KOs) out of Dallas used fast hands and a big right to win handily against the game Orlando Collins (0-3). Marinque landed a sold right to top of Collin’s head in the middle of the 2nd round that put him on the canvas. Collin’s survived the knockdown and had his moments over the four rounds but was overmatched by the speed and overall skill of Marinque. All three judges scored it 40-35 for Marinque.

Quaran Barton vs. Joshua Crayton

Middleweight Quaran Barton (1-0, 1 KO) dropped Joshua Crayton (0-2) twice in the 2nd round of the scheduled four, before the referee determined the defenseless Crayton had enough. Barton, a southpaw from Dallas, came out from the opening bell stalking Crayton who had no answer for the tall, lanky Barton. Barton scored an impressive TKO at 1:17 of round two in his pro debut.

Angel Gomez vs. Jose Gomez

In the opening bout at the world-famous Mesquite Rodeo in Mesquite, Texas, it was the pro debut for super welterweights Angel Gomez (0-1) out of Dallas and Jose Gomez (1-0) from crosstown Arlington. It was a scrappy battle throughout as Jose seemed to win the early rounds as the aggressor and Angel came on strong in the latter half. The judges liked the aggressiveness of Jose Gomez throughout the fight as they all scored it 39-37, as he earned his first victory of his pro career.

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There were many fighters in attendance including super welterweight contender John Vera, Sha Metcalf, former U.S. Olympian Luis Yanez plus Hector Camacho Jr., son of the legendary Hector “Macho” Camacho.

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