By Cliff Rold

After failing in his official Light Heavyweight debut, 29-year old former WBC Middleweight beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (49-2-1, 32 KO) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, brought journeyman Middleweight Marcos Reyes (33-3, 24 KO) up to a 170 lb. catchweight and used every pound of it in a mediocre performance to win a unanimous ten-round decision on Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. Chavez’s win was met with a chorus of boos and chants for Reyes late in the fight. It was Chavez’s first fight since being stopped by Andrzej Fonfara in April.

Chavez, who moved the weight for the fight from 168 to 170 lbs. earlier in the week, came in over even that limit at an official 170 ¾. Reyes weighed 168 ½. Chavez refused to be weighed for his rehydration weight prior to the fight but appeared much larger than Reyes in the ring. The referee was Jose Guadalupe Garcia.

The busier Reyes looked to carry the first round but the heavier hands of Chavez were apparent whenever he let them go. Chavez rocked Reyes in the second but a low blow gave Reyes a breather. Reyes used activity to win the first half of the third but the size of Chavez was telling, allowing him to do nothing and wait for spots where Reyes slowed down and just blast away.

Reyes, his left eye showing a swelling underneath, continued to show bravery in the face of what looked like a tremendous size disadvantage in the fourth. Moving, throwing in combination, Reyes was able to make it close in both rounds four and five even if every time Chavez landed it clearly blasted him backwards. A low blow combination from Reyes drew a warning at the bell for the fifth.

Chavez again lagged in the sixth but closed strong, battering Reyes with a series of hard shots. He continued to press Reyes in the seventh, raking him with power shots as Reyes moved repeatedly to the ropes. Standing still for much of the eighth, Chavez was easily outworked only to mount a rally in the ninth. A series of belt line shots from Chavez led to a retaliatory shot from Reyes and a clash of heads that cut Chavez. Chavez threw a fit and after a prolonged stretch Reyes had a point deducted. It iced the fight as Reyes could do little more than try to play even.

The scores came in probably too one-sided at 97-92, 98-91, 96-93 but the win wasn’t what mattered. The performance did nothing to advance Chavez, who said after the fight he’s still gradually moving back down the scale. When he arrives at Super Middleweight is anyone’s guess.

The chief support bout looked like a corker going in. It turned out to be fan unfriendly as the styles never clashed. The heads did and it made all the difference. 29-year old 2008 Olympian McJoe Arroyo (17-0, 8 KO), 114 ¾, of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, won a unanimous technical decision over ten rounds after the fight was halted for a cut suffered by 26-year old Arthur Villanueva (27-1, 14 KO), 114 ¾, of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Villanueva lost a point in the fight for leading with the head and the fight was marred all night by too few exchanges and too much grappling inside. The lopsided scores in favor of Arroyo betrayed the closeness of the contest.  With the win, Arroyo captures the vacant IBF title at 115 lbs. The IBF title was left vacant after former titlist Zolani Tete was unsatisfied with a purse bid for a mandatory challenge from Arroyo.

The referee was Rafael Ramos.

Round one was a tactical affair, Villanueva working more while Arroyo landed a stunning single left from his southpaw stance about halfway through. Round two was more chess, Villanueva controlling the first half at range before Arroyo found a way inside off the jab to the body. The third was all Villanueva, the Filipino setting the pace and space for most of three minutes while Arroyo was left to flurry in spots.

Villanueva stayed in front through round four but slowed a bit in the fifth and Arroyo landed some single power shots to shade the frame. Villanueva was deducted a point for head clashes in the sixth and both men were warned after a low blow landed on Arroyo. Another head clash opened a cut over the right eye of Villanueva in the closing seconds of the round.

The cut led to an early break in round seven, the ring doctor allowing the fight to continue. They took another long look after three more awkward minutes and the fight kept on. Arroyo had a better eighth round, landing the cleaner shots but the fight remained an eyesore.

Arroyo appeared to land slightly better again in a ninth. The tenth saw an early explosion from Villanueva but it was Arroyo who appeared to be edging the frame when the ring doctor was summoned again and ultimately halted the fight on the severity of Villanueva’s cut.

After a bad fight, bad scorecards followed with Arroyo picking up an absurdly wide unanimous decision at 97-92 and 98-91 twice. It was a fight that appeared far closer but the judges disagreed.    

In opening Jr. Welterweight action, 24-year old Amir Imam (18-0, 15 KO), 140, of Albany, New York, got some tough rounds before lowering the boom in round four on 34-year old Fernando Angulo (29-10, 16 KO), 140, of Caracas, Venezuela. It was Angulo’s first knockout loss since 2002 and only the second of his long career. The referee was Jon Schorle.

Angulo struck first, landing a heavy shot over the top, but it was Imam quickly establishing the jab. It was the jab that kept the fight in control even as the veteran Angulo pressed Imam and found space for some decent offense in the first three rounds. It was all moot in the fourth, Imam landing a crushing right hand and sending an unconscious Angulo face first to the floor. Angulo was officially counted out at :56 seconds of round four.

Imam came into the bout rated #11 by the WBO at 140 lbs. and in post-fight comments called for any of the “fake” champions at Jr. Welterweight, specifically naming Danny Garcia, before moving on to challenge lineal Welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather as well. As the knockouts continue to multiply, Imam will get closer to a day when those names become realistic for him.

The card was webcast in the US on Showtime as part of its “Championship Boxing” series, promoted by TGB Promotions and Warriors Boxing.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com