(APR 7) Last Saturday night
on the "Battle at the Boat" card, Promoted by Halquist
Productions, took place at the Emerald Queen Casino, in Tacoma, Washington. I decided at the last moment to
cover this event after I had found out that there would be a female
bout on the card, featuring Sarah Pucek and
Lisette Medel on the undercard. I was also pleasantly
surprised to find out that Ray Lampkin Jr., son of Ray
"Lightening" Lampkin who was a top-noted boxer in the past, and
who had fought the likes of Roberto Duran was making his pro
debut. To throw a
little icing on the cake at the event, Halquist had a special
feature with Danny Bonaduce making an appearance as an MC.
Hernandez vs. Oluoch |
In the main event for the evening
Jose "Loco" Hernandez, 136, of Fort Worth, Texas, now 13-5-1
(5KO), took another step in moving up in the sport, when
he won by a unanimous decision over Peter Oluoch, 137.5,
now 11-6-2 (6KO).In their fight Hernandez threw slick
combinations and picked his spots firing vicious shots every time he moved his hands. Oluoch had his moments and hung in tough, but Hernandez’ hard
punches ultimately earned him the victory.
Hernandez, of Fort Worth, TX, improves to 13-5-1 with 5 wins by
knockout. Oluoch, a Kenya native, is now 11-6-2 (6 KO’s).
In a highly anticipated bout
between the female boxers, Sarah Pucek, 126, fought Lisette Medel,
130,
in a five round bout. It was well-worth taking a trip up
to Tacoma, Washington to see these two fight. Both Pucek and
Medel displayed excellent skills in the ring, and the fight was
very close throughout the five rounds. It was nice
to see a female bout added to the Halquist card.
Medel vs. Pucek |
In the co-featured bout of the evening, crowd favorite and
retired marine Nate Serrano, 145, got back in the winners circle by
stopping 6’2 Nick Balestra, 146, in the second round of their
welterweight affair.
Serrano vs. Balestra |
The towering Sacramento, CA native briefly silenced the
pro-Serrano crowd by scoring a flash knockdown in the second,
but the tides quickly turned. Serrano, who hails from nearby
Yakima, WA, popped up immediately and decked Balestra. Balestra
made it back to his feet but had no time to recover, meeting the
canvas seconds later after being tagged by Serrano. The game
visitor attempted to make it back to his feet but fell through
the ropes, which forced the referee to stop the bout at 1:54.
Serrano raises his professional ledger to 4-1 with 3 knockouts.
Balestra slips to 2-2-1 (1 KO).
Lampkin vs. Hamilton |
In one of the best bouts of the night, Ray Lampkin Jr.,
144 1/2, won his pro debut, against Hamilton. Lampkin did not
seem to be fazed that this was his first pro debut. Lampkin was fast, throwing lightning combos throughout the bout,
and he was very impressive in his pro debut. I am sure we
will be seeing more of this "talent" in the ring.
Fernandez vs. Zumudio |
In a four rounder, William
Fernandez, 140˝, of Kelso, Washington lost to Jonathan
Zumudio, 141, of San Francisco, California. Zumudio won by
a majority decision of 40-36, 39-37, and a "what were they
watching score of "38-38".
Tadio vs. Uhde |
In another bout, Isaac
Tadeo, 153, of Kent, Washington, and also making his pro debut,
had an impressive win against Jesse Uhde, 152 1/2, when he
stopped Uhde in the third round by TKO.
In a special treat for boxing
fans, just prior to the first fight beginning for the night,
Danny Bonaduce was introduced to the audience, with music
blaring and an announcer giving a quick overview of Bonaduce as
he entered the ring. The crowd roared as Bonaduce made
center stage in the ring. Bonaduce was well received by
fans as he talked about the fights for the night. Bonaduce
then left the ring, and the ring announcer entered the ring to
announce the first fight.
In a surprise visit at the
casino, I had the opportunity to meet "in person" female boxer Tammy
Johnson, who is still actively fighting and "Looking for fights"
(hint, hint) to promoters. It was very nice to finally
meet JohnsonMarlen Esparza, Tiara Brown and
Claressa Shields Win Semifinal Bouts at the 2012 Women’s Continental
Championships
by Julie Goldsticker
April 7, 2012.
|
Another unexpected sighting of
the evening was when I was sitting ringside, and looked up at
the "red" corner to see retired boxer Shelly Burton working the
corner.
In a press release, Halquist said, "“This was a very good event. None of the fights were boring, Danny was awesome as the MC and
most importantly, the fans had a great time.
The next edition of “Battle at the Boat” takes place June 2 at
the Emerald Queen. ”
About Halquist Productions...
During the last 23 years, Halquist Productions built a
reputation in the boxing world for their loyalty, honesty and
integrity. In 1997, Halquist Productions ran their inaugural
“Battle at the Boat” series, which remains successful to this
day. Halquist Productions promoted many world title bouts and
their fight cards have been seen on ESPN, HBO and Showtime.
Other source/Press Release, Ringside, Photographer Richard
Baker, Ringside with WBAN/Sue Fox