San Diego Union Tribune, CA
Dec 29 2004

Vazquez KOs Simonyan in first defense

By Jerry Magee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 29, 2004

Israel Vazquez was wearing black gloves when his fight began last
night and red gloves when it ended. With the gloves of both colors,
he was equally destructive.

With the black gloves, the stylist from Mexico City knocked down Art
Simonyan in the third round, inflicted a cut below the Armenian’s
left eye and had him bleeding profusely from the mouth.

In the fourth round, Vazquez had to change to red gloves after a
slash developed in one of his black gloves. Vazquez kept the red
gloves on for only 99 seconds – the 40 seconds remaining in the
fourth round when he put them on, and the 59 seconds of the fifth
that he required to stop Simonyan.

Vazquez (37-3, with 28 knockouts) thus made a successful first
defense of his IBF junior featherweight championship before what a
Sycuan spokesman said was a sellout gathering of 460 at the Sycuan
Resort and Casino.

For Simonyan (14-1-1, seven KOs), this was a first defeat. The
Armenian was in the scheduled 12-round fight through the first two
rounds, but in the third Vazquez reached him with a thunderous right.
A following left hook deposited Simonyan, clearly dazed, in his
corner.

Simonyan received a three-minute break in the fourth round while
Vasquez was changing gloves, but his reprieve was brief. In the
fifth, the champion got across another right that caused his rival to
sag.

Although Simonyan did not go down, Dr. James Jen Kin, the referee,
gave him an eight count. In concluding, Vazquez went on the attack
again and Jen Kin moved in to spare Simonyan additional punishment.

Frank Espinoza, Vazquez’s manager, said this was one of his man’s
best fights. The winner’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said he had
anticipated that Vazquez would be able to take Simonyan out, but not
this quickly.

“Art just couldn’t handle Israel’s power,” said Roach.

>From sparring with Simonyan, Vazquez said he had gained the
impression that his opponent did not possess a strong chin.

“I didn’t feel my strength,” said Simonyan. “My punches were not
there. I had no energy. I felt stiff.”

The undercard was made up of six scheduled four-rounders. For
punching power in these bouts, there was the sweeping right with
which Shawn Ross, a 254-pound heavyweight from Murrietta, knocked out
Bernard Gray of Oakland at 32 seconds of the third round.

For brevity, there was Crystal Hoy of Las Vegas stopping Sara Huntman
of Los Angeles at 31 seconds of the first round in the evening’s only
women’s match.

For class, there was Eddie Mapula, a junior welterweight from Tijuana
who would seem to have a future. He had too much in every area for
Hector Rivera of Michoacan, Mexico, and referee Raul Caiz Jr. wisely
called off matters following the third round.

For Mapula, 20, this was his fifth knockout in as many appearances.

For excitement, there was the cruiserweight go between Moses Matovu
of Las Vegas and Shane Johnston of El Cajon. Johnston, dropped in the
opening round of his first pro bout, rallied and had his rival
reeling in the second, but Matovu was able to gather himself and win
a unanimous decision.

In the other bouts, welterweight Francisco Maldonado of Guadalajara,
Mexico, outpointed Mauricio Borques of Caliacan, Mexico; and
heavyweight James Horton of Pomona knocked out James Harling of Las
Vegas with a counter right in the opening round’s final second.