By Jeff Zimmerman
In the main event Friday night at the Southern Junction Nightclub in Irving, Texas, local fan favorite light heavyweight Rafael “Listo” Gaitan (7-0, 5 KOs) from nearby Grand Prairie, blasted out former Muay Thai fighter turned boxer Joel “El Chapo” Guzman (0-1), out of Fort Worth stopping him in the third round of the scheduled four to the delight of the packed house.
It was apparent from the opening round the difference in ring experience as Gaitan, a former amateur star and 7x Golden Gloves winner, had over Guzman who was 6-0 as a Muay Thai fighter coming into his first fight as a professional boxer. Gaitan attacked from the opening bell to the head and body behind a straight jab and Guzman did his best to protect himself. In the third round, Gaitan landed a massive right hook to the body that sent Guzman to the canvas. Guzman reluctantly got to his feet as Gaitan pounced on him with several combinations that dropped Guzman a second time and forced referee Laurence Cole to waive it off. The official time of the stoppage was 1:41 of the third round as Gaitan remained undefeated with the technical knockout win.
Gaitan was very gracious after the fight.
“Thanks to everyone for the support and all my sponsors. I personally give thanks to Sweat Boxing,” said Gaitan. “Thanks to my opponent, he didn’t have to take the fight. He came in with the power and confidence and is a tough guy and I applaud him on his future career.”
The Boxing Showcase promoted the six-fight card.
Dominique Griffin vs. Ramiro Martinez
In the co-main event, bantamweight Dominique Griffin (4-0-1, 2 KOs) out of Irving, TX and built like a bull, stormed right after the southpaw Ramiro Martinez (2-2-2, 1 KO) out of Hurst, TX over four rounds. Griffin had his most success when he got inside the lanky Martinez and landed his straight right hand, while Martinez was most effective on the outside and let his hands go from time to time to land his right, left combo. The judges preferred the aggressiveness of Griffin as he earned the majority decision with scores of 39-37 twice, 38-38.
Angel Gomez vs. Benjamin Gurment
In a spirited battle of DFW fighters, Benjamin Gurment (4-0-2, 2 KOs) from Fort Worth pulled out the tough win against Angel Gomez (0-3) from crosstown Dallas. Gomez and Gurment spent most of the fight in the pocket exchanging blows. Gomez was warned by referee Laurence Cole for spitting out his mouthpiece a couple of times. Gurment, a southpaw, clearly won the last round with the cleaner shots and good defense against the relentless Gomez. The judges gave Gurment the majority decision by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.
Daniel Keith Bailey vs. Jake Ysasi
Former amateur star, welterweight Jake Ysasi (1-0) out of Grand Prairie, TX was energized by his hometown fans as he swarmed Daniel Keith Bailey (0-2) out of Fort Worth from the first bell and cruised to an easy unanimous decision in front of the raucous crowd chanting his name throughout the fight. Ysasi dropped Bailey with a body shot in the fourth and final round and went for the knockout, but Bailey hung tough to the end. Ysasi showed a diverse arsenal with a solid jab and quick combinations to the head and body in his pro debut. The scores read 40-36, 40-35, 39-36.
Robert James Rees vs. Malik Calhoun Khalil
In a battle of southpaws, super middleweight Malik Calhoun Khalil (1-0, 1 KO) fighting out of Fort Worth, TX, showed his left hook packed the bigger punch as he knocked out Robert James Rees (0-2) with a left hook at 2:04 of round two of the scheduled four. Both guys loaded up in round one and landed heavy shots on each other. The second round started out much the same as both guys were clearly looking for the KO, before Khalil landed the left hook that ended the fight. Referee Laurence Cole took a good look at Rees lying flat on his back, before he waived it off, without a count. Khalil got the 2nd round knockout in his pro debut. Calhoun is trained by Ray Ray Barrera, brother-in-law of former 2x world champion Paulie Ayala.
Luis Fernandez vs. Aryton McArthur
In a back-and-forth slugfest in the opening bout at the Southern Junction Nightclub in Irving, TX, Aryton Mcarthur (0-2) from Arkansas went toe to toe with Luis Fernandez (0-1) from Austin over four entertaining rounds. Fernandez got the better of Mcarthur in the first two rounds as he landed big shots to the head and body, but Mcarthur came on strong in the third and fourth to close the gap. In the end, the scores read 39-37 twice and 38-38 for Fernandez who came out with the majority decision in his pro debut.
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