Eveling Ortega’s strength and endurance were put to the test Friday at Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua, where she defeated Karol Gonzalez on points to defend her country’s cruiserweight title.
Ortega (8-5, 2 KOs) from Nicaragua and Gonzalez from Mexico were the main pillars of the fight between Roman Gonzalez and Robert Barrera.
Judges scored the eight-round fight 77-75, 78-74, 79-73 in favor of Ortega.
The fighters began trading blows from the opening bell, with Ortega landing more blows and forcing Gonzalez to retreat. Gonzalez landed a left hook during the exchange in the second round, which seemed to give Ortega a moment of respite and likely win her round based on the judge’s score.
If Ortega and Gonzalez had made a blood pact before the fight, vowing that neither would throw a single punch, it might explain a few things. The fighters were shining their boots, making windmill moves and otherwise hitting the fence with virtually every punch, although Gonzalez’s punches proved more direct and effective in the middle rounds.
Ortega sliced at her opponent’s body in the fourth round, but the approach left her head exposed for Gonzalez to land her own strikes. Ortega seemed to think more strategically in the second half of the round, ducking and countering to show more science and sweetness than mindless striking.
Although Gonzalez showed more power, Ortega likely outdid her in a fight that was close and hard-fought from start to finish. Ortega’s left hook in the fifth could have secured her the win in the round, and Gonzalez’s left hook and uppercut looked like they would have secured her the win — but there was no way to know that at this point.
Despite being weakened and failing to do significant damage, Ortega managed to rally in the eighth round and put in the more productive work of the two fighters. Gonzalez, already tiring, couldn’t find the power punches she landed earlier in the fight to get the knockout she needed to finally take her down.
In a thrilling junior flyweight fight, Azael Villar defeated Kevin Vivas by unanimous decision over eight rounds.
Villar (21-3-4, 15 KO) took control from the start, landing ponderous punches with both hands, changing levels and stepping energetically to avoid the return fire from Vivas (7-3, 2 KO). Although Vivas engaged and showed stunning resilience, Villar mostly pounced throughout the rounds, signaling a surprise decision at worst – or an early night.
In the fourth round, the 30-year-old Villar from Panama landed a series of uppercuts on Vivas towards the end of the round, seemingly closing the show. The 26-year-old Vivas from Nicaragua, who was shaking on his feet and had already taken as many punches as the fight had amounted to, was saved only by the bell.
In the sixth round, Vivas somehow tapped into reserves that no one in the building could have imagined. Landing punches, several of which landed squarely and powerfully to Villar’s head, Vivas changed the lively and stirred up the crowd.
Villar began to regain the advantage towards the end of the round and extended his advantage in the seventh round by landing several powerful right and left hooks.
In the eighth and final round, the action – back and forth throughout the fight, though Villar won most of it – was halted by three stoppages to attend to the tape and mouthpiece. But the pace and quality of the punches did not drop, and although Vivas’ face was bloodied in the final round, The defeated fighter showed incredible determination, finishing the fight standing after the final bell.
In a fight scheduled for eight rounds, strawweight contender Edwin Cano knocked out Michael Carmona in the fourth round.
Carmona (5-1, 3 KOs), a 20-year-old from Nicaragua, made his presence known early on, landing a right hook-straight left hook in the first round that brought a smile to the face of the 26-year-old Mexican Cano (13-2-1, 4 KOs). Moments later, Carmona landed another firm left hook and a combination on the bell that seemed to give him complete control.
But early in the second round, something clicked in Cano’s mind. He began closing the distance, darting in and out of the pocket and working Carmona’s midsection. Escaping, blocking and countering the long, loping punches of Carmona – a lanky left-hander – Cano continued to hammer away at the body, dulling his newborn opponent’s aggression.
Midway through the fourth round, as Carmona removed his gloves to protect his flanks, Cano shifted his efforts to the top. He worked his way through a barrage of punches that Carmona tried to counter. Instead, Carmona was caught in the chin by a precise right hook from Cano and went down. Referee Ramon Gonzalez did not call a count, ending the fight with 30 seconds left in the round.
In a live televised bout, Billy Aceituno defeated Alexander Hernandez in the third round of a scheduled four-round junior middleweight bout.
In the first, Guatemalan Aceituno (3-3-1, 1 KO) landed a one-two in the first minute that wobbled Miami’s Hernandez (6-1, 3 KO), then wobbled him in the final minute with a right hook in the corner. Hernandez was the busier of the two, but he didn’t strike with conviction or power.
Aceituno pounced on Hernandez as he was pinned against the ropes in Round 3, landing a right hook from above and then attacking the body. With Hernandez crouched, Aceituno landed two right hooks and a left hook to the elbows, the latter of which dropped Hernandez to his hands and knees. When Hernandez was sluggish to react, the referee ended the fight at 1:57 of the third round.
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