Canvas Talk with “Cindy Lou”: Boxing on Social Media, Boxing Fans & Drunk Boxing Fans Need to Be Banned! – MUST Read Commentary

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By Cynthia “Cindy Lou” Saldaña

Hey fight fans, after an enjoyable weekend of boxing and big knockouts at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California, I’m back with another edition of Canvas Talk. This week I’ll be discussing the social media and fan reactions to the fights and something I witnessed that really struck a nerve, drunk asshole fans!

First the fights… To kick off the televised portion of the PBC show former 5x world champion and the always tough Mexican warrior Fernando Montiel from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico took on an unknown Mexican fighter in Jorge Lara. Montiel who has had a rough year inside and out of the ring was no match for the younger, hungrier Lara. Sitting in the suite shooting photos, it was hard not to think that Fernando’s incident with the Mexican Federal Marines and being a unknown neighbor to “El Chapo” was still sitting in the back of his mind. Fernando was not his focused self, and from the jump Lara was all over him. The crowd erupted into cheers after the 1st knockdown. Then there was a 2nd, a 3rd, and then a brutalizing KO. Montiel laid motionless while referee Ray Corona waived off the fight.

For me it was Deja Vu of the Donaire fight all over again. The majority of Facebook and fans reaction, one word “retire” and for the first time in a long time I agree. Fernando has given us 20 great years of boxing, has achieved all profession ambitions and has nothing to prove. Montiel is a father to three young children, and after the beating he took at the hands of Lara should put heavy thought into his family and just walking away from the sport to live out his personal aspirations. With big names like Santa Cruz, Lomachenko, Gary Russell, JR. and prospects like Oscar Valdez and “JoJo” Diaz roaming the featherweight division retiring is the wisest choice for Fernando.

Moving on… Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez entered the ring to take on Thomas “Top Dog” Williams, JR. As Rodriguez enters the ring he makes eye contact with the man who handed him his lone defeat Andre “SOG” Ward who is sitting in attendance. The bell sounds, and in the first few seconds I know this fight isn’t going the distance. Wide looping shots, no defense, and a whole lot of wild hay-makers made for a quick fight. In the 2nd round “Top Dog” kept his promise he ended the fight by knockout. At the presser Williams, JR. said “Rodriguez is running his mouth and digging his hole, and I’m going to bury him in it, don’t blink” As the fight ended fans began throwing objects at Williams in the ring and as I later found out by “Stacks” it was by angry drunk Rodriguez family members.

Williams tried to go after the family members sitting ringside but was held back by his team along with officials from the state athletic commission. I was bracing myself for a wild night as the beer garden kept the alcohol flowing, the Metalachi band (yes Metalachi, a Metallica and mariachi fusion band) and these all action wild fights in the ring had the majority of the crowd in a seemingly rowdy mood. Again nothing new for those of you that have had the opportunity to take in a live event at the “Stub”. Now to the social media reaction. Quotes such as “Wild” “That Bomba was a dud” and “I’ve seen straighter punches in West Hollywood” were just a few. OK, now was it was wild? Yes, it was, but Rodriguez is definitely not an Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev or an Adonis Stevenson. It was entertaining and I hope the best for “Top Dog” but his style only gives him a punchers chance against the elite from the division.

Skipping over the TV Swing Bout, which was also a big KO, we move to the Main Event. “Vicious” Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto battled in a rematch 5 years in the making. In 2011 Victor handed Andre his first ever defeat, so everyone knew this was a perfect opportunity for Berto to avenge his earlier loss to Ortiz. As both fighters entered the ring, the cheers from the large Latino fan base roared for Ortiz and booed as Berto made his entrance. The first round was slow and technical, a feeling out round. The boo birds were out heavy as the action from the earlier fights had set a tone for what the fans wanted “fast action and a knockout”, In the 2nd Ortiz nailed Berto with a straight right dropping Andre and the war was on for the next two rounds.

In the 4th Berto caught Ortiz with a big uppercut flooring him, Ortiz beat the count and was tagged with a barrage of punches by Berto dropping him again. This time as Ortiz beat the count he failed to respond to the instructions given by the referee, forcing him to wave off the fight. The crowd absolutely went crazy screaming and yelling “quitter quitter” as I checked Twitter and other social media outlets it was flooded with the exact same thing people calling Ortiz a “quitter”. With that being said, I respect Victor for the time and effort he and every boxer put into their profession. As far as fans being angry, well my experiences and being around drunk Mexican family members watching boxing, I believe many in our culture expect a Mexican boxer to be “Guerrero” a “Warrior” in the ring, but at the end of the day to each their own.

As Victor left the ring he continued to get booed, then something that should have never happen, did. A fan threw an object into the direction of Ortiz causing a mini riot between Victor’s team and the drunks in the crowd. That act by that coward that night made me sick. It doesn’t matter what type of feelings fans have toward fighters, there’s a line between voicing an opinion and being ignorant. If you’re that damn drunk maybe you shouldn’t be drinking because you definitely can’t hold your liquor. I’m all for having a few drinks, enjoying a boxing match and even voicing out my frustrations. In closing I’ll leave you with what Andre Berto stated as he took to social media and said it best “I couldn’t believe how the crowd turned on Ortiz, there is no place in boxing for that type of fan”.

“Last night, I watched Victor Ortiz walk to the ring to nothing but cheers and exit to boos and things being thrown at his head,” stated Berto. “There’s no place in the sport for that. I want to show love and respect to Victor Ortiz and all fighters. This sport is not a game and we put our lives on the line, not just for money but our love of the fans.”

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