ESPN CARD A WILD-N-WACKY AFFAIR By George J. Elsasser

Couldn't have scripted last night's FNF card from San Antonio town if I lay awake until the sun arrived in the morning ... wild-n-wacky doesn't come close.

For openers, they serve up a Jr. feather ten-rounder between local Erik Rodriguez facing Edmonton, Canada import Jason Adams ... and the Canadian cowboy grabs the attention even before the ring intros - was the hair.

Jason baby enters with a 7-3-1, 6 KOs on the resume ... also displays a bit of insecurity ... not sure if he wants hair dyed black or red ... so settles for half and half ... only thing missing was a guitar and rest of hard rock group doin' the corner thing.

Rodriguez ... undefeated at 11-0-1 with six whacks ... and before I forget, Erik and Jason are both kids at age 22 ... Erik stands 5'5" and Jason a short and squat 5'2".

And then the bell...

Good news for the cowpuncher from the north is a round one inadvertent head butt ... and he ain't the one that comes out bleeding ... bad news is Rodriguez gives nary a hint of being in distress.

Fight goes full ten candles of non-stop flailing with Rod nearly tossing a shutout ... altho' it was anything but easy ... pitch and catch ... think the silly punch stat 'puter crashed long before the final bell.

Doubt either guy grows to something special but must concede both proved they had mucho heart ... and earned curtain calls. Scoring went unanimous 98-92, 97-93 twice for winner Erik Rodriguez.

Main event featured former multi-champ Antonio Cermeno and Joe Morales in another action affair ... both were similar in style ... nothing fluid ... but the punches kept coming ... and even the constant interfering of third man in the ring Rafael Ramos couldn't put a damper on this battle royal.

With the styles unable to mesh, it was pretty much a bam-bam, clinch scenario from the get go ... even with ringside expert Teddy Atlas repeating for us what the taller Cermeno should be doing ... like jabbing and using the ring.

Surprise in this one was seeing the 18-7 with 4 KOs Morales nailing down the win with a strong round 9 and 10 closing finish ... and it didn't hurt getting an assist from ref. Ramos with as silly a point deduction as I've ever witnessed.

Cermeno is now at 41-5 and 27 knockouts ... but is also age 34 and it showed ... reflexes aren't what they once were, and even in a battle that was for the most part waged at close quarters, he never once had Morales in trouble. Scoring went Morales 96-93, 97-92, 95-94.

And that ninth-candle point reduction? Ref described it as a "pushing down on back of neck and hitting" violation ... whew to that!

Semper fi,