Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Chavez retains IFBA title

Los Chavez native beats challenger by split decision

Mike Hall Albuquerque Journal Associate Sports Editor

San Juan Pueblo Los Chavez native Jackie Chavez retained her International Female Boxing Association super bantamweight title with a 10-round split decision victory over Audrey Vela of Austin, Texas, on Sunday night at Ohkay Casino near Española.

Chavez (9-0, 3 KOs) said she knew her bout with Vela (5-1, 1 KO) was close.

"If anything, I would have been surprised if it had been a unanimous decision either way. A split decision or a draw I would totally agree with."

Most of the bout could have been held in a telephone booth, the two fighters in close and fighting for room to throw punches.

Referee Russell Mora said he could hear the fighters' heads bumping.

"You could hear it, like, ..." he said, knocking on a wooden post for emphasis.

Judge Larry Chavez, who along with Jim Bagshaw, scored the bout 97-94 for Chavez but admitted it was tremendously difficult to score. Judge Levi Martinez held the dissenting vote, giving Vela the bout by a 97-93 count.

Chavez, who sported a blackened left eye and a bump on her forehead, said she tried to back away from Vela and find some range to fire. But the Texas fighter bent over and just kept coming.

"I should have stepped aside and countered," Chavez said.

Chavez said she thought the turning point, at least in the minds of two judges, was that Vela tired.

"She was leaning over, and that's what did it for me. It looks bad to the judges to do that."

Chavez, 22, fought Vela in a kickboxing match when she was 16.

That, however, did not prepare her to see Vela bounce into the ring with finely-tuned legs encased in bicycle shorts, bare-and-taut, and biceps bulging on her arms.

"Yeah, that intimidated me," she admitted. "Even at the weigh-in when I saw her arms. I told my mother she had more muscle."

Also on the fight card, Jeremiah Torres of Belen was knocked out in the second round by Vincent Garcia of Albuquerque. The loss dropped Torres' record to 7-8.

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