The
Events
Center at the Plaza Mayor in

Medellin,
Colombia played host to the ten bout card headlined by the battle for the vacant WBA Interim Super Featherweight title. Several WBA regional titles were also scheduled as part of the 88th WBA annual convention festivities. A crowd of approximately 500 locals and convention delegates were on hand to enjoy the fisticuffs. Local hero Likar Ramos took on Venezuelan veteran Angel Granados for the vacant WBA Interim Super Featherweight title. The shorter Ramos caught the 35 year old Granados quickly in the opening moments or a flash knockdown.

Seemingly unhurt, Granados finished the round in good shape. Granados began to use his long left jab in rounds two and three, keeping Ramos at bay, but in the fourth, was dropped again by flashy combo along the ropes. Again he rose and fought back. Granados kept his cool, going back to the jab and digging body shots to Ramos in the middle rounds. In round seven, Granados seemed to hurt his right ankle coming out of a break. Referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. allowed a brief rest period to see if Granados could continue. Continue he did, as the fight turned into a cat and mouse game. In the tenth, Granados tagged Ramos with a massive right, causing Ramos to clinch with all he had. Ramirez tried for several moments to peel Ramos off of Granados. In the final two rounds, Ramos joined the Tour De France and rode his way to the finish line, refusing to exchange along the way. Judges Sylvestre Abainza and Ignacio Ramos both had it 115-111, while Ted Gimza had it 116 – 110, all for Ramos, who claims the vacant interim strap and rides to (21-2, 15 KOs), while Granados sags to (18-7, 8
KOs).

Opening the show was a light heavyweight bout between Jhonatan Ricard and Jose Antonio Cervantes Jr. Sadly, “Kid Pambele” Jr. showed none of the skill of his legendary father. Ricard stalked and pounded his prey until referee Ezequiel Suarez Castro mercifully stopped matters at 1:15 of round two.

Ricard goes to (3-0), while Cervantes Jr. slips to (7-3).

Next up was a female super featherweight attraction between Ogleidis Suarez and Angela Marciales. The super fit Venezuelan Suarez had too much height, skill and aggression for the soft looking Colombiana Marciales. For her part, Marciales showed brief sparks of effort which drew partisan cheers from the crowd. Referee Uriel Aguilera deducted a point in the fourth from Suarez for going low after a previous warning against doing so. It didn’t matter as all three judges agreed- Grzegorz Molenda scored 59-54, Luis Rivera had it 57-56 and Lahcen Oumghar had it 59-55, all for the now (9-1) Suarez. Marciales evens out at (2-2).

In an all action welterweight bout that displayed a nice mix of boxing skill and power punching, Venezuelan Charlie Navarro and Colombian Emilio Julio Julio thrilled the crowd while it lasted. A crushing right to the jaw dropped Julio midway through the second and a followup barrage forced referee Guillermo Perez to rescue a wobbly Julio from further punishment at 2:32 of the round. Navarro moves to (18-3, 13 KOs), while Julio slides to (17-5-1, 10
KOs).

In a thrilling bantamweight encounter, lanky Colombian Jhonatan Romero and Venezuelan buzz saw Hermin Isava duked it out in a war. In round two, Isava suffered a cut over his right eyebrow and then went down from a wick right cross. Not only did he survive the round, he went at Romero with all he had, though falling short with many a lunging over hand right. In a dramatic fourth, Romero was playing it cool along the ropes when an Isava overhand right rocked his world, forcing Romero to hold on for dear life. As the referee broke the clinch, Romero got on his bicycle and eventually regained his senses, lasting the round. The fifth brought even more drama as each man took turns rocking the other. Romero seemed to get the better of it though, as Isava seemed ready to go on more then one occasion, though somehow remaining on his feet. In the seventh, Isava once again hit the deck, yet bounced back up to rip into Romero along the ropes again. In the eighth and final round, Isava went for broke and incredibly dropped Romero on his butt with a huge right hand. Romero barely beat the count and again back pedaled to escape the onrushing Isava who was going for the finisher. It wasn’t to come however, though each man landed several more bombs in the remaining two minutes of the round. In the final tally, scores were as follows: Sergio Caiz and Jean Louis Legland both saw it 76-73 and Manuel Garcia Reyes saw it 77-72, all for the still undefeated Romero, now (11-0, 5
KOs). The hard luck Isava drops to (9-5, 5
KOs).

In what looked like a mismatch on paper, Humberto Martinez followed the script, relentlessly pounding Elvis Morelos for four punishing rounds. After spending nearly the entire fourth round in

Martinez’ corner getting mugged, Morelos’ corner mercifully removed his gloves during the rest period in surrender.
Martinez improves to (19-4, 14
KOs). Morelos needs a new line of work as he slumps to (0-3).

Opening the televised portion was Darley Perez vs. Patricio Pedrero for the Fedelatin lightweight title. It was quickly apparent that despite having half as many fights, Colombian Perez wasn’t in awe of his Venezuelan opponent. The first punch of the fight, a right hand five seconds in dropped Pedrero like he was shot. A follow-up barrage caused Pedrero’s glove to touch the canvas, though referee Ramon Peña ruled it a slip. After landing several more stinging shots, Perez dropped Pedrero in a heap again. Again, Pedrero beat the count, only this time Perez poured it on against the ropes. Forcing referee Peña to jump in and end matters at 1:55 of the round. While picking up his belt, Perez also rises to a gaudy (11-0, 10
KOs). A stunned Pedrero heads back to Venezuela at (20-2, 9 KOs).