Recap: Victor Ortiz vs. Josesito Lopez & Humberto Soto vs. Lucas Matthysse - SHOWTIME Boxing

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is starting to look impressive... a little.

By Scott G

After watching the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs Andy Lee title fight that occurred in El Paso last night, I was actually impressed with Chavez Jr for really the first time in his much heralded career of facing hand picked tomato can opponents. Although Lee was a fighter who once again seemed to be right in Chavez' wheel house for his strengths, Slow, stands right in front of you, not huge power etc.. And despite the fact that the ring was probably the smallest ring I've seen since I bought the WWF play set for my sons for Christmas 20 years ago, he did very well against an Emanuel Stewart trained fighter. Lee isn’t the caliber of a Sergio Martinez, but, Chavez did impose his will on Lee and ultimately knocked him out with a perfectly timed right during a barrage of punches. Chavez also showed a good chin which he will undoubtedly need as he steps up his competition since his defense is woefully lacking. I Think a bit more time with Freddy Roach will help him a lot and pay dividends down the road.

Rocky's Ring: Burke an El Paso Hall of Famer

By Jason Groves jgroves@lcsun-news.com
Posted:   06/11/2012 06:17:57 PM MDT
Courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News
Original Article: Here


LAS CRUCES - A good boxing official goes unnoticed during the course of a fight.
Throughout the course of a career is a different matter.
Rocky Burke has made his living in the ring, earning induction into the El Paso Boxing-Martial Arts Hall of Fame on Saturday.

"I'm really proud of my brother," said trainer Louie Burke, Rocky's brother and also inducted on Saturday. "I think he is one of the best referees in the world. Being from Las Cruces, it's hard to break into the big megafights. The thing about a good referee is that you don't see them. You get a lot of these referees that think they are part of the show."

Rocky Burke has been officiating fights for roughly 20 years, finally finding a way to stay connected to the sport that defines the Burke family.

Burke got off to a 7-0 start as a professional before life got in the way. He worked for his father, Sammy Burke, for Burke Outdoor Adverting and was also working for Newman Outdoor Advertising.

"I had three stressful fulltime jobs and it was too much, more than ever before," he said.

Burke stepped out of the ring as a fighter in 1981, just as Louie Burke's career was on the rise.

Burke helped train and manage his younger brother's career as well as other fighters from the area.

"Rocky knows the fight game as good an anyone out there," said Lorenzo Saiz, a fellow referee from Las Cruces who has been in the ring for 20 years. "No. 1, he was a fighter. He was also my manager when I was fighting professional and now he's an official. Everything to do with the business, he has done it."

Rocky Burke continued in boxing as a judge before finally returning to the ring as an official, where he has traveled the world and refereed several world title fights.

"I have been fortunate to travel to different countries, a lot of fights in Mexico because I speak Spanish," Rocky Burke said. "As a boxer, I know what fighters go through. I can look in their eyes and see if they are hurt or if they have something left."

Among the memorable fights Burke has officiated was Johnny Tapia's fight against Javier Torres in 2000 at the Pan American Center on Showtime.

Gaining entry into the El Paso Boxing Hall of Fame was significant for the Burke family. Rocky Burke's officiating career continues on Saturday as he will officiated an undercard bout on the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.,/Andy Lee card at the Sun Bowl.

"It's special that our neighbors to the south have given us some recognition because I don't think the northern part of the state likes to recognize us in any sport," Rocky Burke said.

Sammy Burke, Louie Burke and Rocky Burke were each inducted on Saturday, marking a special day for a family that continues to contribute to boxing in the area.

"I started coaching kids before I even turned professional," said Louie Burke, who was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame last summer. "My dad felt for me to improve as a boxer, it was important for me to learn how to coach. My dad (Sammy Burke) had a lot of stories on the old timers who were inducted into the Hall of Fame who I was there with Saturday. They were guys who I tried to emulate and copy and a lot of them voted for me to be in the Hall of Fame."

Jason Groves can be reached at (575) 541-5459. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

Manny Pacquiao vs Tim Bradley...... Another Controversy!

Photo Courtesy of John Bardelli

By Randy De La O

The Associated Press

I thought Tim Bradley was going to win the fight last night. My reasons were sound and I wasn't picking one fighter over the other for personal reasons, or likes or dislikes. It didn't quite happen the way I thought it would. Officially Bradley won the fight but they gave the fight to the wrong guy. Pacquiao should have won that fight. At best, he lost one round. Bradley was never seriously hurt but he was out worked by Pacquiao. We've seen it before. it's not the first time this has happened but it is one of the most blatant. Still, it was hard for Manny to complain too much since he has been the recipient of at least three gift decisions (in my opinion).

It's not enough to say "Well, that's boxing". That's not boxing! There needs to be a complete overhaul of the judging system and the judges. Someone should be tarred and feathered or worse.

Bradley's win probably does more harm than good for him on a personal level. Had he lost the fight we would have been focusing on his big heart and willingness to keep fighting despite having hurt his ankles (or feet) early in the fight. Instead his reputation took a hit.

Still, both fighters showed a lot of class last night. Though he did express himself, Manny never whined about what has to be one of the worst decisions in recent boxing history and we should applaud Bradley's integrity in not feeling satisfied with the win. He offered, with out being asked, a rematch for Pacquiao. and that says a lot about his character. Bradley has proven himself to be a true ring warrior.

But let's keep things in perspective. it was not a great fight. It was a good fight and nothing more. Still, the fight belonged to Pacquiao and I hate to see this type of ending to a fight..

Boxing is still the greatest sport of all. It will survive this bad decision and somewhere out there is a fighter training away ready to become the next Pacquiao, De La Hoya, Duran, Hagler, Chavez, Leonard or Ali. That's boxing!

A Few More Photos

A few more photos from last week at the Torrance Marriott in Torrance, California. It was the hub for the media and boxing community, as well as the participants in "Four Warned" the multi main event at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Louie Burke, me (Randy De La O), Jeri De La O, Randy "Moose" Gomez

Bob Spagnola, Louie Burke, Jeri De La O, Randy "Moose" Gomez,
a friend of the Trout family and Austin Trout's mother.

Al Bernstein, Me, Steve Farhood, and  friend.

1976 U.S. Silver Medalist Charles Mooney, Louie Burke,
1976 Gold Medalists Howard Davis and me.

Louie Burke: Abie Han Media Day!

ABIE HAN Media Day!

2:00 Thursday, June 7th at the Sammy Burke Youth Boxing Center.
Las Cruces, New Mexico
700 N. Solano

Abie is in preparation to fight against Bloomfield, New Mexico’s Joe Gomez, 18-5-1, 8 ko’s at the El Paso Sun Bowl, June 16th on the undercard of Julio Ceasar Chavez Jr. and Andy Lee.

Austin Trout Defeats Delvin Rodriguez: 12 Rounds

Austin and Team Trout making their way to the ring at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California

By Randy De La O

Last Saturday, June 2, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Austin Trout successfully defended his WBA Light Middleweight title, winning a unanimous decision against the always tough Delvin Rodriguez. The fight was shown on Showtime Boxing and was part of four main events, entitled “Four Warned”, also  featuring; Leo Santa Cruz vs Vusi Malinga, Winky Wright vs Peter Quillan and Antonio Tarver vs Lateef Kayode.

Austin Trout vs Delvin Rodriguez at The home Depot Center, Carson, California

The first few rounds were fought mostly in a defensive mode. It was expected that Rodriguez would come out aggressively but that never happened. Austin, an excellent defensive fighter made good use of his superior jab and hand speed. Still, Delvin is a stubborn fighter and one with a good chin and was determined to make a fight of it. In the middle rounds Trout began to pull away and began to dominate the fight. Delvin seemed to tire in the later rounds. Trout, always in top shape, stuck to his game plan, gave a workmanlike performance and pulled out a victory.

Las Cruces fight fan showing his support for Trout.

The win was critical for Trout. With Saul “Canelo” Alvarez sitting ringside, Trout wanted to send a message that he was more than ready to unify the title. During the post fight interview he called out Alvarez, respectfully and without the usual braggadocio seen by today's fighters. Alvarez was scheduled to fight Paul Williams in September but that fight is no longer an option due to Williams recent motorcycle accident and severe injuries which may leave him paralyzed from the waist down (We wish him well).

Will they fight? I hope so. Personally, I believe that Austin Trout  has the right stuff to beat Alvarez. We'll see.

Congratulations to Austin Trout, trainer Louie Burke, assistant trainer Randy “Moose” Gomez and manager Bob Spagnola, on their victory.

Austin Trout vs Delvin Rodriguez: The Complete Fight

Showtime Boxing : Weigh In: Antonio Tarver, Lateef Kayode, Winky Wright, Peter Quillin, Austin Trout

Four Warned: Austin Trout vs Delvin Rodriguez

Austin Trout winding down training camp.

By Randy De La O

Jeri and I drove over to the Torrance Marriott South Bay yesterday evening. My cousin Louie Burke, along with his fighter Austin Trout, and the rest of Team Trout, all from Las Cruces, are in town this weekend for Austin's title defense against Delvin Rodriguez. Austin's family are also in town and we had a chance to sit and talk with them for a while. Great people.

I've been a fan of Austin for a while now but yesterday was the first chance I had to meet him. To use the words of my old trainer Mel Epstein "He's a deserving guy". There was a certain humbleness and quiet confidence about him. Two qualities that I like in a fighter. We got to watch his final workout in his preparation for Saturday's fight with Rodriguez at the Home Depot Center. It was a light workout with a few rounds each of shadowboxing, hitting the mitts with Louie and skipping rope. Just enough to work up a good sweat and keep him sharp. Austin looks loose, relaxed but very sharp and ready.

Austin will be defending his WBA World Light Middleweight Title against Delvin Rodriguez as part of the "Four Warned" card at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Also headlining Saturday's card will be Antonio Tarver vs Lateef Kayode, Winky Wright vs Peter Quinlon and Vusi Malinga of South Africa vs Leo Santa Cruz from Lincoln Heights, California. The fights will be shown on Showtime Championship Boxing.

For me though, the real main event will be the Trout vs Rodriguez fight. Rodriguez, who has been an ESPN mainstay, is a proven contender. Since 1999 he has racked up 26 wins, with 14 KO's and 3 draws. He has lost five fights with all but one going the distance. His lone KO came at the hands of Jesse Feliciano back in 2007. Rodriguez has had  a total of 34 tights.

Austin is undefeated in 24 fights with 14 KO's to his credit. He won the vacant WBA Light Middleweight title by fighting tough Rigoberto Alvarez in Alvarez' home country, winning a hard fought 12 decision.. He returned to the lion's den a year later to defend his title against David Lopez, also of Mexico, again winning a 12 round decision.

Both Trout and Rodriguez have the potential.to produce a great fight and steal the show. Here's hoping for a controversy free fight with a straight forward and honest decision, or better yet a KO win by Austin Trout.

Austin Trout
Hometown Las Cruces, NM
Age 27
Height 70 in.
Weight N/A
Reach 72 in.
Record 24-0, 14 KOs

Delvin Rodriguez
Hometown Danbury, CT
Age 32
Height 72 in.
Weight N/A
Reach N/A
Record 26-5-3 (14 KO's)