A Holm in the Head
Holly Holm dominant over Brakache, but cut from head-butt ends bout in 7th; Gomez ekes out win over Hernandez

Ringside report and photos by Chris Cozzone

Opening up 2008 for New Mexico, undisputed women’s world champion Holly Holm defended half of her significant belts at 147 with a less-than-significant win over overmatched Miriam Brakache, of Atlanta, Ga.

The Fresquez Productions card marked yet another sold-out show for the Isleta Resort & Casino.

On paper, the fight should’ve been a breeze for Holm-and, for the most part it was—but the combination of fouls presented by a frustrated Brakache, and the straight left hand rushes of Holm, which were led by her head, made an awkward, if not dangerous, fight that culminated in the seventh round when a clash of noggins resulted in a cut alongside Brakache’s left eye.

Holm’s trademark straight left—and not-so-trademark head-leading rushes—easily won the hometown favorite all of the rounds, but the much shorter, slower Brakache tried to even the score by dirty boxing in the clinches, hitting and holding, pushing, shoving and rabbit punching.

“Let her walk into it!” were the directions screamed at Brakache, who sought to catch Holm coming in with her quick attacks. They might’ve worked for a quicker fighter, but Holm’s snappy lefts landed first, staggering Brakache for the first time at the end of the second.

Continuing to outbox the increasingly frustrated Brakache, landing mainly lefts, Holm did not take a clean shot until early in the fourth round when a big overhand right crashed into her cheek. Revving up her crowd, Holm took the shot well and fired back, driving Brakache backward with a flurry of punches.

“She thinks you’re sh--!” Brakache was yelled at between rounds, in an attempt to fire her up, though, to no avail, for, beginning with the fifth, Holm began to pour on the punishment.

Warned for shoving by Referee Rocky Burke, Brakache started to slow down while Holm warmed up for the sixth round. In what was to be the last full round, Holm gave Brakache her worst round yet. Unable to apply pressure, or counter well, Brakache could do nothing but mock Holm by imitating the war cries that accompanied the many left hands Holm bombarded her with.

Then, in the seventh, after more domination by Holm, the two clashed heads (see photo), opening up a cut on Brakache. Though the gash was not large, the initial gush of blood prompted Referee Burke to call time for the ringside doc to check things out. The cut was OK’d but, not ten seconds later after the fight resumed, after seeing Brakache’s face awash in crimson, Ref Burke changed his mind, stepping in between the two fighters and halting the contest at 1:40.

Though boxing rules call for a tallying of the scorecards, past round four, should a bout end prematurely due to damage caused by an unintentional head-butt, the win was incorrectly ruled a TKO win for Holm.

“How in the world could you call that a TKO?” Brakache asked backstage, nursing a cut that had already nearly disappeared.

“It was a hometown decision—she intentionally head-butted me.”

After the winner was officially announced, Brakache approached Holm in her corner.

“She blamed me for head-butting me,” said Holm, shaking her head, more annoyed than angry.

“I told her, ‘Let’s finish the three rounds,’ but she didn’t answer. She did all the complaining but I won every round on the cards.”

Through the first six rounds, Holm won every round on all three judges’ scorecards—all tallying 60-54.

“I just wish I would’ve picked up the pace earlier,” said Holm. “We just didn’t know what to expect from her—there weren’t any tapes at all. I wanted to feel her out in the early rounds and, as the fight wore on, I just wanted to finish her.

“She was a dirty fighter. She’d hit me on breaks, hit me behind the head, every chance she could. I’m just glad it’s over.”

With the win, Holm racks up her 20^th win while defending her IFBA and WBC belts, moving to 20-1-2, 6 KOs.

Now 1-4 in her last five bouts, Brakache falls to 5-6, 1 KO.

Holm’s next fight has already been lined up—but, at least on paper, the opponent does not appear to be any more difficult than Brakache. In what will be her first fight out of the local arena, Holm will take on the much-lighter Belinda Laracuente (23-19-3, 9 KOs) on a fight televised on “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” Feb. 7 from the Pechanga Casino in Temecula, Calif. Laracuente, who fights from 126 to 140, has won but one fight in a two-and-a-half years.

Gomez escapes 'Shotgun' blasts

In the best fight of the night, Bloomfield welterweight Joe “Ironman” Gomez suffered his worst pummeling since his fight against Vicente Garcia, but, likewise escaped with a narrow, narrow victory at the capable hands of San Antonio’s Rudy “Shotgun” Hernandez.

It was Hernandez all the way, in the opening round. Though generally a slow starter, Gomez shelved his superior footwork in order to stand in front of Hernandez, who was only too happy to hammer him with several big rights and lefts. Finally, in the last 30, Gomez, somewhat warmed up and puffy-eyed, was able to return Shotgun’s fire, landing a couple big rights.

Round two was a better one for Gomez, who kept to plan and outboxed Hernandez on the outside. Dropping hte effective forward pressure seen in the opening stanza, Hernandez allowed Gomez to pile up points with his jabs and occasional hook downstairs. Gomez continued his groove through the third, now loading up on power punches—mainly big right uppercuts buried in Hernandez’s chin—while evading the San Antonian’s dangerous overhand right.

Momentum swung back to Hernandez in the fourth frame. Suckering Gomez into trading at close quarters, Hernandez landed big left hooks up and downstairs. It wasn’t until the final half-minute that the Bloomfield hopeful—ignoring his corner’s pleas to box—was able to fire back effectively.

Gomez’s footwork was back in the fifth. Continually jabbing and several lead rights earned him the round, though, in the final minute, Hernandez snapped to, and, applying pressure, hurt Gomez with a big right.

The see-saw momentum favored Hernandez in the sixth. Despite a cut near his left eye, Hernandez plowed forward, shellacking Gomez with big right after big right.

Fighting with increased stream of blood oozing from his cut, and with a bulging, swelling forehead now, Hernandez kept the advantage through the seventh. Both landed their best punches of the night—big rights landing within ten seconds of one another. While Gomez re-discovered his jab in this round, it was Hernandez’s clean, crisp rights that left the crowd gasping, every time they landed.

In the final round, Gomez continued to offer up his head to Hernandez’s big right hand, at least for the first half of the round. In the second half, Gomez woke up and, between his jabs, landed a near-equal number of big right hands, making the round a flip-a-coin choice for winner.

As expected, the judging wavered between several very close rounds. Judge Garcia had it 78-74 for Gomez; Judge Perez scored it 77-75, Hernandez; while Judge Burke saw it 78-74 Gomez, giving the Bloomfield welter a win by split verdict.

NewMexicoBoxing.com/Fightnews (NMB/FN) had it 76-76—a draw.

“I thought I was ahead,” said Gomez, rising to 14-1-1, 7 KOs.

“But, yeah, I know I was fighting his fight, and trading shots like an idiot. But, I guess, I got caught up in the hype and wanted to please the crowd.”

Locally, there is much talk and demand of welterweight showdowns, between Gomez, Joaquin Zamora, Hector Munoz and Ray Sanchez III, who, in December was KO’d by Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. In top demand is a Gomez-Zamora fight.

“I’m just trying to show New Mexico what I can do,” says Gomez, whom many believe is the best 147-pounder in the state.

Ending a near-year’s layoff, following a seven-year absence, Hernandez drops to 14-7-1, 5 KOs.

Backstage, after the fight while pacing the hallway, Hernandez, his forehead swollen like a Frankenstein monster and a visible dent on the side of his head, like he’d gotten stuck in a doorway, appeared frustrated with the loss.

“He’s a very good boxer,” said Hernandez.

“But I thought my aggression should’ve won me the fight. It was a hometown decision.”

Willie's hand jive topples Elvis

In a six-rounder at featherweight, unbeaten Duke City fighter Willie Villanueva (8-0, 2 KOs) scored his best-yet punch of his career: a beautiful counter right hand off the ropes that quickly dimmed the lights of San Antonio journeyman Elvis “El Burrito” Martinez (11-24-2, 5 KOs).

The more experienced Martinez tried to walk down Villanueva through most of the round, but quick Willie kept the fight on the outside, jabbing and moving. Then, after the ten-second warning, Martinez trapped Villanueva against the ropes and, after a successful flurry, was countered by the right hand that had him falling to the canvas like a dropped 2” x 4”.

Referee Rocky Burke did not waste time counting, quickly waving off the fight at 2:59.

Martinez, eyes crossed at first, slowly got up and, walking back to his corner, shook his head and muttered profanities en Espanol.

Not a “Ghost” of a chance for Cruz

Rio Rancho’s southpaw welterweight Lucas “The Ghost” Galle showed his growing fan base that he is more than just a straight left hand, by dominating Joe Cruz (2-2, 1 KO), of Albuquerque, through four rounds.

Instead of capitalizing on his well-known left, Galle’s newfound right hooks and short body blasts—not to mention his superior footwork, reach and height—made an easy fight against the big-hearted-but-lesser-skilled Cruz.

It was all Galle in the first. Keeping Cruz at arm’s length with his jab and his footwork mystifying his pressuring opponent, Galle’s stinging left found an easy target on the too-square Cruz. After the first, Galle traded in his left for big right hooks, which found the mark just as easily.

Galle dominated the third round, blasting Cruz with hooks and, when pressured, scoring more shots on the inside with a bent-arm body attack. Footwork kept Cruz where he wanted him and, at the round’s end, a crisp right hook had Cruz tumbling into the ropes. Though ruled a knockdown—it could’ve been a tangle of feet—Cruz was up as the bell rang.

Cruz had his best round in the final round, and he came out swinging desperately. For the first minute, Cruz looked like he’d finally found something that worked—pure, unadulterated pressure—but after weathering the storm, Galle took over, outboxing Cruz down the stretch.

The scorecards read 40-35 twice and 39-36, all for Galle.

NMB/FN scored it 40-35.

Knight crowns Esquibel but has to settle for draw

In the curtain-raiser, a four-round strawweight bout, Albuquerque’s Jodi “Li’l Thunder” Esquibel (5-2-1, 2 KOs) was fortunate to score a draw with Ava Knight (2-0-1), of Chico, Calif.

It was all Esquibel in round one—at least for the first 1:30. Bouncing in and out range and landing overhand rights, Esquibel set the pace until, with 30 seconds remaining, Knight decided to open fire, hurting Esquibel with a body shot. Round two was close—but Knight appeared to edge the round by scoring more damage in the pocket with body blows.

Finally applying pressure and bloodying Esquibel’s nose, Knight dominated the final two rounds, pressuring her opponent, drawing more blood and scoring with big left hooks that had Esquibel a mess by the time the final bell clanged.

The judges’ scores ranged from 38-38 (Burke and Garcia) to 39-37 Knight (Perez).

NMB/FN scored it 39-37 Knight.

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