JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ MADE HIS FAREWELL TOUR APPEARANCE AGAINST IVAN ROBINSON ON MAY 28, 2005 AT THE LOS ANGELES STAPLES CENTER.  HE'S NOT WORLD CLASS ANYMORE BUT YOU CAN SEE WHAT MADE HIM SO TOUGH EARLIER IN HIS CAREER.  COMBINATION PUNCHING, BODY PUNCHING AND STRENGTH.  ROBINSON FOUGHT BACK IN SPURTS AND PUT SOME MARKS ON CHAVEZ'S FACE AND WAS THE PERFECT OPPONENT FOR CHAVEZ AT THIS POINT IN HIS CAREER; WILLING BUT NOT TOO HARD PUNCHING.

OTHER FIGHTS COVERED INCLUDED RAFAEL MARQUEZ/RICARDO VARGAS, JESUS CHAVEZ/CARLOS HERNANDEZ, BRIAN VILORIA/RUBEN CONTRERAS/ VANES MARTIROSYAN/JOVANNI RUBIO/ ALBERT SOSNOWSKI/ORLIN NORRIS, JESUS GONZALES/DEWEY WELLIVER AND YOUNG JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. AGAINST OVERMATCHED ADAM WYNANT.  MY RUNNING COMMENTARY ACCOMPANIES ALL PHOTOS (LIKE IT OR NOT.)

ALL PHOTOS FOR SALE. 8X10'S ARE $15. 5X7'S ARE $8.  SMALL ORDERS ARE MAILED US MAIL/$5 CHARGE.  LARGER ORDERS ARE MAILED VIA UPS/$8 SHIPPING CHARGE.  

Home Page  



1.  National anthems of both the US and Mexico  were played before the beginning of the fight.
2.  Another crowd shot.  Gives you a chance to look around you and see who is joining you for the night.
3.  Supporting their man.

4.  But this is not a party but a fight.  Chavez looks Robinson over.
5.  Robinson looks Chavez over.
6.  Robinson's jab is blocked.

7.  Chavez begins to work the body.
8.  In close.
9.  Still in close.

10.  No pitty pats but punching for real.
11.  Hmmm, maybe this one will get through.
12.  Robinson fought in spurts.

13.  Keeping that jab out there.
14.  Hard left hooks exchanged.
15.  Chavez looks determined.

16.  Both men land.
17.  A hard lead right drops Robinson.
18.  Robinson gets up.  I noticed the ref failed to put Chavez in the furthest neutral corner.

19.  Robinson fights back.
20.  Looking for those hard hooks to the body.
21.  Upstairs with the hook.

22.  Coming down the middle.
23.  Robinson is not that easy to find.
24.  And when you do find him he's no amateur.

25.  The winner.
26.  Outside the ropes, for the crowd.

In a card rich with good fighters, RAFAEL MARQUEZ successfully defended his IBF bantamweight crown with a 12 round unanimous decision win against a quality opponent in RICARDO VARGAS.


1.  Marquez (on left) comes out and does what
any gentleman would do, looks over the man sharing the same quarters with him.
2.  Maybe he doesn't like what he sees and paws at him just to see what the beast may do.
3.  Well, the beast wants to hit him.  Touche!

4.  Picking off that right hand.
5.  Looking for that opening.
6.  Working him into a corner.

7.  Hooking him.
8.  Two educated lefts.
9.  Vargas is staying low against the rangier
champ.

10.  Almost, but not quite on the mark.
11.  Pressing the action.
12.  Even the best fighters catch one square
on the nose.

13.  Vargas has his back to us but the position
of his gloves, says something landed.
14.  Vargas is dropped.
15.  It's the 12th round.  I'm sure he's tired.  He's ahead but I wonder what else he's thinking?

16.  Vargas is hurt enough that his right glove
is holding the rope for support.
17.  It's over.  Vargas survived but Marquez got his deserved win.

In another co-feature, and a very good fight, JESUS CHAVEZ eked out a decision win over CARLOS HERNANDEZ in a WBC Super Featherweight elimination bout.


1.  Hernandez looks over Chavez.
2.  Chavez looks back and paws with the jab.
3.  Chavez's jab and speed and durability added up to a win.

4.  Making Chavez cover up.
5.  Chavez comes down the middle.
6.  Up close and personal.

7.  Chavez's punch volume had Hernandez doing a lot of gloves in front of face.
8.  When Hernandez came out of his shell it was with some right hand bombs.
9.  Trying to find that head.

10.  Old faithful--the left jab.
11.  On the ropes, Herndez's strength cost
Chavez.
12.  But Chavez was resourceful--bringing the fight back to ring center.

13.  The ref is reaching for Chavez's hand to
raise in victory.  Both men fought well.


In other fights, presented here in the order they occurred--ALBERT SOSNOWSKI won a 6 rd. decision over former cruiserweight contender, ORLIN NORRIS.


1.  Sosnowski looked a little quicker
than the aging Norris.
2.  Thick arms and gloves held tight makes for
a hard target to hit.
3.  A little inside work.

4.  Norris tries to press the issue but a left jab
throws him off.
5.  Right uppercut finds the mark.
6.  Maybe if I hold his head still I can hit it.

7.  Charge!


The next fight was between BRIAN VILORIA and  RUBEN CONTRERAS.  As Contreras was severely hurt and as of this writing, in a coma, I've decided not to run photos of the fight.  If he recovers, I shall put them up.  Let's hope that Mr. Contreras recovers.

In the next fight local boy and ex US Olympian VANES MARTIROSYAN scored a first round stoppage of JOVANNI RUBIO.  Rubio never went down but the referee decided he was showing no resistance.


1.  As a Jr. Middleweight, Martirosyan looks
 strong.
2.  Rights over the top did their job.
3.  Again.

4.  Rubio backs away.
5.  Rubio's look says it all.
6.  The ref has seen enough.  Martirosyan is happy.

Undefeated JESUS GONZALES pounded out a unanimous decision against DEWEY WELLIVER in a 8 rd. middleweight affair.


1.  Gonzales is a rangy southpaw.
2.  Has he dropped something on the canvas?
Looking for a slippery spot?  I don't know.
3.  Sticking him.

4.  Welliver tries to find him.
5.  Looking in.
6.  Gonzales looks amused.  It's good to see a man that has a sense of humor in the ring.

7.  I SEE YOU!
8.  Welliver is determined.
9.  Unfortunately, determination alone does not
block punches.

10.  Those pesky lefties--always at a difficult
angle.


In a father son night, JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. made quick work of overmatched ADAM WYNANT.  Chavez Jr. is rangier and taller than his dad.  I couldn't tell by this fight where his progress has taken him.


1.  Chavez studies the opponent.
2.  Wynant studies the opponent.
3.  Wynant shows a little aggression.

4.  Chavez digs the body.
5.  That hook to the body dropped Wynant and
the ref had seen enough.