By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Mike Blair/Boxingprospects.net

Punctuating what had been an action-packed fight, undefeated Pacific Northwest prospect Cris Reyes (8-0, 7 KOs) scored a brutal tenth round knockout win over the previously unbeaten Manuel Monteiro (7-1, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.

In the welterweight main event of Brian Halquist Productions’ 123rd installment of the ‘Battle at the Boat’ series, Reyes used a non-stop attack to out-work the game Monteiro over the course of the fight before finally dropping him twice and ending matters in the final round.

Both fighters set a fast pace early in the fight, with Monteiro working off his jab and following up with busy combinations, while Reyes pressed forward with hard hooks to the head and body. The first round was close, with Monteiro maintaining the busier work-rate, and Reyes landing the harder shots, but in the second Reyes upped his output and began to take control of the fight. Digging hard to the mid-section, Reyes pushed his opponent back consistently in the round, pressing his way into the pocket and unloading with a relentless barrage.

Reyes, switching back and forth between a conventional and southpaw stance, continued to land the more effective shots throughout the middle rounds, hurting Monteiro in the third with a straight right hand. Monteiro had his moments, rallying back in spurts and engaging in some vicious exchanges, but Reyes was clearly landing the heavier and more accurate blows

In the seventh round, Reyes again hurt his foe, this time buckling his knees with a right and sending him reeling to the ropes. Reyes tried to seize on the opportunity, slamming Monteiro with a vicious volley of punches, but the Las Vegas fighter again showed his toughness, withstanding the assault and firing back with his own counter-offensive. Late in the round, Reyes was again teeing off on Monteiro, buckling his knees once more with a right hand. As the round ended, Monteiro was visibly spent and pouring blood from his nose.

At the start of the eighth, the referee called the ringside doctor into the ring to examine Monteiro, but the fight was allowed to continue. Reyes again went on the attack, cutting down the distance quickly and peppering his opponent with hard shots in close. The tempo continued in the ninth, with Reyes unloading at a frenetic pace and Monteiro gamely firing back, yet unable to land anything of consequence that could hamper his opponent’s buzz saw attack.

Reyes pressed with intensity as the final round got underway and soon found his mark, slamming Monteiro with a monstrous right hand that sent him flailing to the ring mat. Monteiro rose to his feet quickly, but he looked badly hurt and on wobbly legs. Reyes wasted little time, delivering another vicious right hand that snapped back the head of Monteiro and sent him crashing to the canvas. Referee Louis Jackvony was waving the fight off before Monteiro had hit the mat. The end came at 1:47 of the tenth round.

This was the seventh consecutive win inside the distance for Reyes, and the most impressive performance to date for the Renton, Washington fighter, who before this fight had never been past four rounds. Monteiro, meanwhile, suffered the first defeat of his career.

Five additional fights made up the remainder of the card, courtesy of promoter Brian Halquist and matchmaker Andy Nance. In a five round welterweight bout, Puyallup, Washington’s Kevin Davila (4-8-2, 1 KO) claimed his fourth win in fourteen professional fights, taking a unanimous decision win over Andres Garcia Abarca (2-3). Davila racked up points early in the fight, pressing forward with quick spurts of offense while Abarca tried to find his range. Abarca began to find some success in the third, working off his jab and maintaining a longer distance. The pace slowed as the fight progressed with both fighters curtailing their output. Down the final stretch of the fight, Davila fired sporadic combinations while Abarca tried to work off his jab. All three judges had the fight for Davila with scores of 50-45 twice, and 49-46.

In a wild back and forth heavyweight battle, Renton, Washington’s Nick Mills (2-0, 1 KO) eked out a split decision win over Olympia’s Dylan Potter (1-1). Mills looked like he might be in for a quick night after pummeling Potter with an early barrage and dropping him with a series of heavy shots along the ropes. Mills, though, seemed to punch himself out as he looked to end the fight after the knockdown, allowing for Potter to recover and rally back late in the round. Potter continued to find success in the second as Mills, though still pressing forward and throwing, appeared to be slowing. The two traded heavy punches in the third, both appearing to tire but still landing big shots. Mills continued his forward assault in the fourth, though he looked visibly worn, while Potter, who looked to be the fresher of the two, worked well with one-twos. The final tallies read 38-37 for Potter, and 39-36 twice for Mills, giving him the win in a very close fight.

Eighteen-year-old local favorite William Hernandez-Gomez (2-0, 1 KO) claimed his second victory as pro, taking a four round majority decision win against the tough Hamilton Ash (0-4) in a welterweight contest. The fight was closely contested, with both combatants opening up early, but it was the more polished boxing skills of Hernandez that allowed him to pull away as the fight progressed and score at a more consistent rate throughout. Two judges agreed, giving Hernandez the nod with scores of 40-36 and 39-37, with the last seeing it a draw at 38-38.

Making his professional boxing debut, mixed martial arts pro Sua Tuani (1-0, 1 KO) made short work of Nick Coughran (0-2) in a cruiserweight bout, knocking him out in the opening round. Tuani buckled his opponent’s knees seconds into the fight with a jarring right hand. He then proceeded to pepper him a relentless barrage, battering Coughran with heavy power shots. Coughran tried to weather the attack, but it proved to be too much. A thudding left hook to the torso sent Coughran to the canvas, where he would stay. Referee Bobby Howard hit the count of ten at 2:04 of the first round.

In the card’s opening bout, Tri-Cities, Washington’s Luis Alvarado (1-0) made a successful entrance into the paid ranks, taking a unanimous decision win over William Parra-Smith (3-4, 3 KOs), of Anchorage, Alaska. The action got off to a brisk start, with Parra-Smith closing the gap early and letting his hands go. Alvarado, a southpaw, returned fire, making for a close opening round. The pace continued into the third, but Alvarado’s counter-punching began to give him a clear edge in the fight. He repeatedly caught Parra-Smith coming in with solid left hands and right hooks. Alvarado continued to land the more effective punches in the fourth, working off his jab and countering as Parra-Smith engaged. All three judges had the fight for Alvarado with scores of 39-37.

Brian Halquist Productions will return to the Emerald Queen Casino for the next ‘Battle at the Boat’ November 9th. Tickets are available now at the EQC box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.

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