By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Mike Blair/Boxingprospects.net
Claiming the vacant NABF super flyweight title, undefeated Filipino Jade Bornea (15-0, 10 KOs) took a split decision win over Dallas’ Ernesto Delgadillo (11-1-2, 2 KOs) on Thursday night at Legends Casino in Toppenish, Washington. The fight was a close one, with Delgadillo building up a slight edge in the first few rounds and scoring a knockdown in round six, but Bornea came on later in the fight, landing the heavier shots to pull away with the win.
Delgadillo maneuvered around the ring well in the early going, using his lateral movement and stiff jabs to set up sharp combinations in close. Boxing out of a southpaw stance, he connected more often in the first three rounds with the busier and more accurate punching.
Bornea, who had continued to stalk forward throughout the early portion of the fight looking to land, began to tighten the range in the fourth round, getting in close more often and digging in with hard shots to the body. He continued to work in close in the fifth, switching from orthodox to southpaw and trading in the pocket with his opponent.
In the sixth, Delgadillo scored a knockdown after Bornea’s glove touched the canvass as a result of a right hook connecting to his head, though the punch appeared to be more of a cupping shot than a flush connection.
Bornea upped his tempo in the seventh, unloading with hard one-twos and drilling Delgadillo to the mid-section. He continued to work at the busier pace in rounds eight and nine, landing the harder punches as Delgadillo slowed.
The final round was close, with Bornea pressing forward and landing hard in the pocket as Delgadillo worked at a busy pace. The final judges’ tallies read 96-93 twice for Bornea and 96-93 for Delgadillo, giving the nod to the fighter from the Philippines.
Undefeated Irish middleweight Connor Coyle (12-0, 5 KOs) scored a quick victory in the co-feature, taking a stoppage win over Mexico’s Miguel Dumas (12-3, 8 KOs). Coyle worked well behind his jab in the fight’s opening round, stalking forward and connecting with solid follow up right hands. Late in the round a one-two from Coyle seemed to catch Dumas on the arm, drawing a grimace. In between rounds, on advice of the ringside physician, referee Joel Scobie called it, giving Coyle the TKO victory. After the fight, Dumas stated he had injured his shoulder.
Seattle light heavyweight Richard Vansiclen (8-0, 4 KOs) added his eighth victory as a pro, scoring a first-round win over Abraham Martin (5-1, 5 KOs), of Medford, Oregon. Vansiclen buckled Martin early and proceeded to tee off, slamming his opponent with a vicious assault for most of the remainder of the three minutes, leaving him a bloody mess at the end of the opening round. Referee Jack Reiss stopped it in the corner in between rounds, giving Vansiclen the TKO victory.
Pitching a four-round shut-out, eighteen-year-old William Hernandez-Gomez (4-0, 2 KOs), of Burien, Washington, scored a unanimous decision win over Vancouver, Washington’s Abdul Kamara (1-2). Working at an aggressive pace from the start, Gomez dropped Kamara in the opening round with an over-hand right. He went on to control the next three rounds with a consistent attack, rocking Kamara in the third with a left hook and again buckling his knees in the fourth with a left uppercut, appearing to have him in serious trouble. All three judges scored the fight 40-35 for Hernandez-Gomez. The bout was contested in the Jr. welterweight division.
Fighting in a rematch of their thrilling draw that took place last October, Wapato, Washington’s Margarito Hernandez (1-0-1) pulled out a unanimous decision win over Josh Wheeler (0-1-1) in what turned out to be another exciting encounter. The two got off to a tentative start, with Wheeler maneuvering from range and Hernandez stepping in with sporadic right hands in the first round. But in the second, Hernandez began to press, cutting the distance and forcing exchanges. Half-way through the round a big over-hand right sent Wheeler to the canvas. Hernandez pounced as the action resumed, unloading with heavy hooks inside, but Wheeler did well in weathering the assault and rallied back late in the round. In the third, Hernandez found his mark again, slamming Wheeler with another big right and dropping him for a count once more. Following the knockdown, Hernandez continued to stalk, slamming his opponent with thudding hooks in close. The momentum began to shift as the round neared the end, though, with Wheeler repeatedly tagging Hernandez with hard shots of his own. Wheeler continued to unload in the fourth, connecting with solid combinations to the head and body. A minute into the round Wheeler rocked Hernandez with a right and sent him reeling. Wheeler continued his assault, slamming Hernandez along the ropes, and closing out the round unloading on his hurt opponent. The scorecards read 39-35, 39-35, and 38-36, awarding the victory to Hernandez. The fight took place at the 140 lbs. limit.
Former decorated Pacific Northwest amateur Jerrell Barbour (1-0) made a successful entrance into the paid ranks, taking a four round unanimous decision victory over Vancouver, Washington’s Kendall Ward (0-6). Barbour, of Tacoma, had to contend with an early assault from Ward, who came out swinging with a barrage of wide, looping punches. Past the mid-way point of the round, Barbour began to time his opponent, tagging him repeatedly with short one-twos. Barbour found his range in the second, moving well and connecting with sharp counter shots as Ward tried to cut the distance. Barbour worked at a controlled pace for the remainder of the fight, moving in and out of the pocket and slamming Ward with left hands and right hooks. By the final round, Barbour was getting off consistently, catching his tiring opponent with effective combinations. All three scorecards favored Barbour at 40-36, and 39-37 twice. The bout was fought in the featherweight division.
In the evening’s opener, Glen Hagler, Jr. (4-1-1, 2 KOs), of Daytona, Florida, and Portland, Oregon’s Charon Spain (1-13-2) battled to a split draw in a four round middleweight contest. The contest got off to a slow start with both combatants feeling each other out early on, Hagler stalking while Spain boxed from range. The bout picked up steam in the second as Hagler stepped into the pocket more often, tagging Spain with strong left hooks and right hands. Spain rallied back in the third, connecting early with counter shots, but Hagler again upped his output as the round progressed, unloading with effective combinations. The two traded momentum in the final round, with Spain boxing early and Hagler coming on mid-way through. Late in the round, Spain connected with a flush right hand the momentarily stunned Hagler. The Florida fighter rallied back, finishing the round trading with Spain in what was a close and fan-friendly fight. The judges were split, with one scoring the fight for Hagler at 39-37, one seeing it for Spain at 39-37, and the final official seeing it even at 38-38.
The nearly sold-out event was promoted by Roy Jones Jr Boxing Promotions and streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. RJJ Boxing will return to Legends Casino on April 23rd.
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