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Randy Caballero Shines in his Comeback

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By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña (At Ringside)
Photos By Cynthia “Cindy Lou” Saldaña (At Ringside)

Friday night at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California A sold-out crowd of 1,814 was on hand as Golden Boy Promotions brought fight fans a night of non stop action, that was headlined by hometown favorite Randy” El Matador” Caballero. Randy who was stripped of his title after coming in 5.5lbs overweight in a scheduled title fight against Lee Haskins has not fought since defeating Stuart Hall in Monte Carlo on Oct. 25, 2014.

In the first night of the evening local fighter Jesus Sanchez made his pro debut against Gibran Gutierrez 0-1, from Santa Ana, California, and even before my seat was warm Jesus ended the fight with a barrage of punches pinning Gutierrez in the corner before the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.

In the second fight another local fighter Light Heavyweight, Alberto Fundora, 6-0, 2 KO’s took on Cesar Ruiz, 2-2, 1 KO from Nacozari, Mexico. From the start Alberto used his reach to pop his jab from distance easily winning the 1st round. Round two was much of the same for Fundora as he ended the fight with a big right hook knocking out Ruiz at 1:56 mark of the second round.

Next up from Palm Desert, California was undefeated Neeco Macias,10-0, 5 KO’s as he battled Paul Mpendgo 8-13-4, 4 KO’s from Kampala, Uganda. Macias controlled the action the whole fight connecting with several combinations and hurting Mpendgo during a vicious attack in the 5th. The corner of Ugandan stopped the fight after the 5th not allowing Paul to come out of the corner to finish off the fight. Neeco remains undefeated and moves to 11-0, 6 KO’s.

Moving on to the 4th fight, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada but representing Los Angeles, California, Rocco Santomuro, 12-0, 1 KO who is trained by the legendary “Sugar” Shane Mosley took on Jose Estrella, 14-9-1, 10 KO’s from Tijuana, Mexico. In a back and forth Featherweight barnburner Santomuro and Estrella went toe to toe. The fight went all six rounds and kept boxing fans entertained throughout the bout as both fighters traded blows equally. However, Santomuro was more effective and was given the decision and another victory on his record.

In the T.V. Co-Main Event , the undefeated Welterweight Frankie “The Pitbull” Lopez 19-0, 13 KO’s took on Silverio Ortiz 26-16, 15 KO’s from, Merida, Mexico. Frankie came out banging with heavy right hands to the body of Ortiz. Though the second round it was much of the same for “The Pitbull” as he continued to pressure his opponent, landing heavy shots at will to the face and body of Ortiz. Throughout the fight it was much of the same as Frankie had total control landing punches at ease. Ortiz was a resilient fighter as Gomez constantly cornered and used his speed against Ortiz to land effective shots. By the ninth round Ortiz took a knee to recuperate after an attack from Gomez but was able to recover and continued on to go the distance with Gomez. In the end, Gomez was awarded an unanimous victory with a score of 100-90 by all three judges. “I felt very strong in the ring and felt in complete control throughout the fight,” said Frankie Gomez. “I am glad with the decision, it’s another victory on my record. Ortiz was a tough guy, he was taking a lot of hits and didn’t go down until the ninth round. He definitely earned my respect, but I am here to win and become a world champion.

In the main event of the evening Coachella’s Randy “El Matador” Caballero, 22-0, 13 KO’s made his much anticipated return to the ring in a Featherweight matchup against Ruben Garcia, 15-1-1, 6 KO’s from Mexico City. Randy from the jump was clearly the more technically sound fight hitting Garcia with hard combinations and jabs from the outside. As the fight continued Caballero began to work the body as Garcia continued to hold on the inside. In the 7th Randy knocked Garcia down twice, Garcia who was clearly defeated stayed in his corner and refused to come out for the 8th round. “It feels so great to be back,” said Randy Caballero. “I felt strong and in control the whole time and glad I was able to shake off some of the ring rust. I am glad I was able to share this victory with my hometown and have them witness my return to the ring. I know I delivered a great fight, and I am ready for the next challenge. I want to become a world champion again, and I know the opportunity is coming soon.”

In the swing bout of the night, which streamed live on Ring TV, San Antonio’s rising super featherweight Hector “El Finito” Tanajara Jr. 5-0, 3 KO’s won an entertaining fight by unanimous decision over Clay Burns 3-1-1, 3 KO’s of Alexandria, La. Tanajara won by the scores of 60-53 by all three judges in a fight that included a fifth round knock down of Clay.

Also on the card was Shane Mosley, JR., 4-1, 4 KO’s. Mosley, JR. battled Azamat Umarzoda, 2-8-2, 1 KO in a 4 round Super Middleweight bout. From the start both fighters went battled it out with Umarzoda landing the heavier, cleaner shots. In the 3rd Mosley caught his opponent with a looping right sending him to the canvas. Umarzoda beat the count and eventually made it out of the round. To start the 4th Mosley continued to attack with combinations, stunning Umarzoda several times in the round. Mosley went on to win the fight by unanimous decision.

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