Filipino pugilist Aston “Mighty” Palicte (22-2-18 knockouts) made his American debut successful by winning a split decision verdict (by scores of 98-92, 96-94, 92-98) over an elusive Oscar Cantu (14-1-0 knockouts)) at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center on Saturday, December 17 in their action packed 10 round headline bout.
Palicte, a member of the Roy Jones Jr. boxing team, entered the arena promoted as the dominant puncher in the contest and he wobbled Cantu (a light hitting boxer) on at least three occasions; but the rough and tough Texan (Cantu) refused to go down and the gathered crowd had his back. The hardy and constant cheers for Cantu may have persuaded the one judge to favor Cantu; but, my scorecard sided with Palicte, without reservation, due to his throwing harder shots and connecting with more meaningful punches.
My qualm with Cantu, though entertaining, was his frequent leaning forward with his head down at times and taking a few cheap shots off the break and on several occasions, he delivered blows below the belt that eluded warnings. Cantu does deserve praise for his grit and heart. By the 6th round, both fighters had developed an intense dislike for each other and their obvious contempt added drama to a very spirited contest.
With the win, 25 year old Palicte earned the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super flyweight title and the vacant NABF super flyweight belt. In a post-fight interview with the Manila Times, the confident fighter took a verbal swipe at the 25 year old Texan by describing his style as “amateur.” The victor went on to say he was ready for a world title fight and he hopes to get a shot next year. He doesn’t lack confidence and his performance should make his boxing fans in Cebu City, Philippines – where he resides – very happy.
Palicte has been described as the next Manny Pacquiao; that is a stretch but he does have talent and is fun to watch. Cantu entered the contest ranked #4 (WBC flyweight division) and NABO has him listed as #5. The victorious Palicte held an IBF #11 ranking and the WBO considered him the 15th best super flyweight in the world. Based on his performance, those numbers will undoubtedly change.
The “Knockout Night at the D” series is a novel concept presented by the Las Vegas Downtown Events Center and promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Promotions. CBS Sports Network broadcasts the series pairing WWE announcing legend Jim “JR” Ross with Joey Varner at ringside. And once again, the always energetic Jeff Huston handled the role of ring announcer and Master of Ceremonies. There is a mention of my brief conversation with Ross in the boxing news section in this column, please search for and read.
I talked to the tree men before the event started and informed them that junior middleweight fighter Nathaniel Gallimore (co-main) was wearing a patch on his boxing trunks that read RIP: Ed Brown, a tribute to his friend and fellow Chicago boxer who was shot on December 3 and died the following day at Mount Sinai Hospital. After the briefing, the broadcast team went into action quickly and produced an appropriate acknowledgement of Brown’s life and ring accomplishments. Most scribes thought Brown (20-0-16 knockouts) was on the brink of fighting for a world title. Once again, we send our condolences to his friends and family members and hope Chicago PD catches his murderer.
Gallimore (16-1-1-13 knockouts) was definitely pumped for his match with Chilean junior middleweight champion Angelo Baez who entered the ring with a record 15-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Nathaniel “No Problem” Gallimore dedicated the bout to the memory of his friend and he pursued the backpedaling Champion (15-1-1) until a vicious liver shot delivered by a left hand ended the contest midway through the first round. After the fight, some arm chair quarterbacks thought Baez entered the match overrated, perhaps, but it was Gallimore’s night to shine. The bout was scheduled for 8 rounds.
In the first of three televised fights, Californian Flavio Rodriguez (6-0-5 knockouts) ended Mexico’s Dilan “El Terrible” Loza’s night with a liver shot in the third round of a bout scheduled for six. It was a bizarre contest that saw Loza get whacked by an “accidental” shot to the base of his head in the third round. Referee Jay Nady halted action and walked the wounded warrior over to his corner for a respite and a quick exam from the ring doctor. According to two writers who had a better vantage point, Loza was throwing up. The doctor declared Loza ready to return to action although the Mexican pugilist didn’t look as if he was fully recovered. Within less than 30 seconds after action was resumed, Rodriguez popped Loza (5-1-3 knockouts) with a liver shot and a jubilant Rodriguez was declared the winner by TKO. If it were my call, I would have stopped the welterweight contest in the 3rd round and declared a no contest verdict and then suggested a future rematch. The contest was very competitive until the deliverance of that controversial blow.
