The Boxing Examiner

Results From Rumble at Rama X!

By Rick McLean and Donald Wambolt, ringside at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario

Photos by Durell Wambolt

 

Sonsona and Hernandez Battle to a Split Draw!

 

 

In the Main Event of the evening Philipino sensation “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona (14-0, 12 KO’s) took on WBO Junior Bantamweight #1 contender Alejandro “Payasito” Hernandez (22-7-1, 11 KO’s) of Mexico in what was to be Sonsona’s first scheduled defence of his WBO Junior Bantamweight championship however Sonsona was unable to make the 115lbs weight limit and lost his title on the scale.  If Hernandez won the bout he would have become the new world champion however this was not the case tonight. 

Both fighters gave their all as Sonsona controlled the first half of the fight however Hernandez turned the tables in the second half and took the fight to the “Marvelous One” who seemed to fade down the stretch.  After the final bell both fighters raised their arms believing they had won the fight however the judge’s scored the bout 115-113 for Sonsona, 115-113 for Hernandez and 114-114 even as the fight was declared a split draw!

 

    

 

Sonsona faded in the late rounds due to a left hand injury suffered in the third round as well as the weight issue as he had grown two inches since September and had only eaten crackers and drank water in the last two weeks as well as some grapes two days before the weigh in trying to make the 115 pound limit. 

Sonsona came out on fire in the first round attacking Hernandez right off the bat trying to punish his Mexican opponent.  Hernandez was pressed to the ropes and nailed with head and body punches.  To his credit Hernandez weathered the storm and tried to pressure Sonsona with clubbing punches of his own.    

Much of the same action took place in rounds two and three with Sonsona putting the pressure on Hernandez and landing the cleaner combinations to the head and body.  Hernandez was game and fought back but could only land one punch at a time.  

In round four Sonsona was effective on the outside using his jab to set up more head and body combinations that stunned Hernandez and pinned him on the ropes and the corner.  Hernandez tried to fight his way off the ropes but Sonsona used good footwork and head movement to weather the storm.  Hernandez’s come forward and lunge in style caused multiple clashes of heads with Sonsona however there was no cut caused.  

The fifth was Hernandez’s best round thus far in the fight as he punished Sonsona throughout to the head and body keeping him on the retreat. Sonsona started out the sixth round strong using his height and jab but mid way through the round the momentum changed as Hernandez pressured and pounded away at Sonsona moving him backwards however Hernandez was only able to land one punch at a time.  Hoever from this point on in the bout it seemed as though Hernandez was getting stronger while Sonsona started to fade.

 

 

In the seventh round Sonsona kept Hernandez at bay mixing up his combinations while stepping just out of range.  Hernandez continued his “lunging in” style but again was only able to land one punch at a time and couldn’t follow up when he had Sonsona trapped on the ropes.

Hernandez throughout the eighth round pounded on Sonsona punishing him to the head and body with short crisp combinations.  Sonsona was unable to work his combinations effectively and was frustrated by Hernandez’s inside slugging style. 

In the early minutes of the ninth round the fighters clashed heads again forcing the referee to stop the action and check on both fighters.  Hernandez  turned the tide of the round as he was able to put hard combinations together and keep the “Marvelous one” frustrated and on the defensive however at the end of the round Hernandez was cut on the corner of his right eye.

Again Hernandez fought an excellent tenth round and had Sonsona on the defence throughout.  He was able to mix his left uppercut effectively with his right hook that caught Sonsona’s attention on a few occasions.

In the eleventh round Hernandez once again kept the pressure on Sonsona and used effective head and body combinations that hurt and frustrated him.  Sonsona was on the defensive for most of the round and seemed to be fading down the stretch.

 

 

Both fighters went toe to toe trading punches in the twelfth round trying to secure the victory.  Hernandez seemed to get the better of the slugfest as the bell sounded. 

 

   

 

 

 

Molitor Decisions Saez!

 

 

In the Co Main Event of the evening former IBF Junior Featherweight champion Steve “The Canadian Kid” Molitor (30-1, 12 KO’s) fought Argentinean Jose “Pamperito” Saez (17-8-4, 8 KO’s) in a scheduled eight round Featherweight bout.  After eight rounds of action the judge’s scores were 79-73, 78-74 and 78-73 giving Steve Molitor the unanimous decision victory.  Throughout the fight Saez’s awkward lunging style seemed to frustrate Molitor and took him off his game plan.              

 

 

Molitor came out looking sharp in round one landing effective shots from the outside as well as using effective defence and landing good combinations to close out the round.  Saez came out strong in round two pushing Molitor back to the ropes however Steve quickly turned the tide by using very effective defence on the inside and landing counter punches.

 

 

In round three Molitor used his jab effectively as well as good feints to draw out his opponent for counter punching.  The fourth was a great round for Molitor as his opponent stayed on the ropes and allowed Steve to land many hard combinations to the head and body.  However, Saez seemed unfazed from Molitor’s combinations.

 

 

Mid way through the fifth round as Molitor seemed to be gaining momentum he was tagged by what seemed to be a left hook to the temple and dropped as he was off balance however Molitor argued that it was a push.  Molitor was able to hang on for the rest of the round.

 

 

Molitor bounced right back in the sixth round with effective combinations and movement that seemed to stun Saez and force him to retreat to the ropes. Steve controlled the pace through round seven with good combinations from the outside.  Later in the round Saez landed a big left hook on Molitor however he was able to shake it off.  Steve continued through the eighth round with much of the same strategy and nailed Saez with a big left hook with roughly a minute left in the fight closing out strong.  

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Morales Edges Out Gonzalez in a Classic!

 

 

Rising Philipino star Ciso “Kid Terrible” (13-0, 8 KO’s) of the Philippines clashed with Mexican Miguel “Ranita” Gonzalez (10-1, 4 KO’s) in an eight round Junior Featherweight fight.  In a classic slugfest Morales walked away with a 78-74, 77-75 and 76-76 majority decision victory.

Both fighters started the opening round out at a slow pace looking for openings however it was Gonzalez who was able to land two big right hands over the top on Morales.  Gonzalez was able to land a big overhand right as well as consecutive straight right hands which forced Morales back in the dying seconds of round two.

Both fighters traded combinations at the start of round three.  At the mid point of the round both fighters exchanged right uppercuts and body shots.  Near the end of the round Ciso Morales was very effective on the inside landing solid combinations to the body. 

Ciso Morales started round four out aggressively landing body shots and uppercuts on the inside.  A slugfest ensued at the mid point of the round with Ciso Morales seeming to get the better of the exchanges however Gonzalez mounted a comeback which resulted in a very close end to the round.

 

 

Morales was more effective on the inside in round five making Gonzalez miss the majority of the punches he threw.  To close out the round both fighters absorbed big shots as they exchanged combinations in close.               

Ciso started out the sixth round stepping in and out with counter shots making Gonzalez miss.  Through the mid way point of the round both fighters seemed to rest on the inside however in the last ten seconds both fighters tried to steal the round by exchanging big combinations.

Gonzalez came out aggressively in round seven landing the bigger and more effective punches however near the mid way point of the round Morales mounted a comeback landing big combinations from the outside.  In the last thirty seconds both fighters traded flurries with Gonzalez seeming to get the better of the exchanges.

 

 

Both fighters showed the heart of a warrior in the eighth and final round by exchanging heavy shots throughout the round however Gonzalez seemed to get the better of the exchanges while Ciso Morales showed the effects of seven gruelling rounds of action.

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Kielsa Decisions Bergman!

 

 

Canadian Heavyweight champion Greg “The Steel Pole” Kielsa (10-0, 5 KO’s) took on Jason “Hoag” Bergman (9-8, 6 KO’s) of Adah, Pennsylvania in a scheduled 6 round bout.  The bout was fought at a moderate pace however all of the judges final scores were 60-54 giving Kielsa the unanimous decision victory.

Both big men are southpaws and traded jabs throughout the first round however Kielsa was able to land hard left hands from the outside.  However Greg was more effective with his jab on the outside.  Kielsa was effective from the outside with his jab controlling the distance and pace of the fight.  Greg landed the occasional left hand and moved effectively to make Bergman miss in round two.

 

 

In the third round Bergman was able to catch Kielsa with a left and right hand that caught his attention.  This seemed to light a fire under Kielsa who came right back with two left hands and two body shots to close out the round.

Rounds four and five saw much of the same action as Kielsa controlled with his jab from the outside however Bergman started moving his head effectively making Kielsa miss from the outside.

 

 

In round six Berman came out of his corner with noticeable swelling under both of his eyes.  Both fighters came out aggressively trading big left hands and body shots.  

 

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Fountain and Abbiw Declared a Majority Draw!

 

 

The second fight of the night was a scheduled four round Welterweight rematch between Hamilton’s Justin “The Matrix” Fountain (6-1-2, 2 KO’s) and London’s Frankie “Valentine” Abbiw (4-3, 1 KO).  Fountain won their first bout in September at Rama by unanimous decision.  Abbiw was obviously out for revenge however Fountain pressed the action in round one landing solid right hands and left hooks to Abbiw’s head.  In addition, Fountain was able to nail Abbiw with good body shots and a right hand to the head at the end of the first round.

Round two saw much of the same action as Fountain kept up the pressure and continued the land solid body shots and right hands to the head of Abbiw.  Abbiw was able to throw a lot of punches however they were not effective.  Fountain came out aggressively in round three forcing the action with effective aggression backing Abbiw up with head and body combinations.

 

 

Fountain continued to put the pressure on Abbiw landing several big right hands and left hooks throughout the round ending the fight strong.  The final judge’s scores were 39-37, 38-38 and 38-38 declaring the fight a majority draw however the audience in attendance booed the judge’s scores as it was clear that Fountain took the fight.     

 

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Mercedes Knocks Out Furler in the Third!

 

 

Welterweights opened the show for Rumble at Rama X with Felix “El Destino” Mercedes (3-0, 2 KO’s) of Buffalo, NY defeating Todd Furler (0-1) of Calgary by TKO at :59 seconds of the third round in a scheduled four rounder.  The pace was slow early on however Mercedes picked up the pace nailing Furler with solid body shots, stiff jabs and hard right hands over Todd’s low left hand.

 

 

Much of the same action continued throughout round two with Mercedes pounding away on a tired Furler with solid body shots and effective right hands to the head until in the final few seconds of the round Mercedes nailed Furler with four big right hands in a row dropping him at the bell. 

Mercedes came out strong looking to end the fight quickly and was successful as he pounded on Furler until the referee stepped in and stopped the bout at :59 seconds of the third round.

 

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