-Photo Credit: Mario Cabrera-
Oleg Maskaev's road back to the heavyweight
title made a pit stop in Sacramento, CA on Friday night
for, what was thought to be, a "tune-up" for the former
WBC heavyweight champion before a proposed bout with
Cleveland's own heavyweight contender, Ray Austin.
The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium was the
site for the former WBC heavyweight champion Oleg
Maskaev's return bout against the Dominican Republic's
own twenty-three year old Nagy Aguilera. The largely
untested Aguilera was thought to be a safe fight for the
more experienced Maskaev, and talks were already
underway for a bout that was to take place next year
with number one rated WBC heavyweight contender Ray
Austin. The heavily favored Maskaev, amidst his adoring
Sacramento fan base, appeared undaunted and focused from
the time he took the stage at Wednesday's press
conference all the way up until the sharp, defining
sound of the bell for the first round sounded,
signifying the beginning of what was sure to be an
impassioned and stirring bout.
Amid an audience of acclaimed pugilists
that included Lou Savarese, Juan Lazcano, and Toney "The
Tiger" Lopez, Aguilera made a steadfast entrance into
the ring. Aguilera's ardent demeanor conveyed a clear
message to Maskaev and the audience alike that he was
here to fight. With Russian flags hanging from the
balconies of the auditorium, Aguilera entered the ring
to heavy jeering from the pro-Maskaev crowd. Aguilera,
seemingly unfazed by the reacting of the audience, had
the type of swagger that only a pugilist with something
to prove could be capable of displaying
Two things became immediately apparent as
the opening bell rang. Number one, Aguilera was clearly
the more expeditious of the two combatants. And number
two, the Dominican Republic native would be playing the
role of the aggressor. Maskaev appeared foreboding
throughout the course of the bout as Aguilera peppered
the former champion with a consistent stream of jabs
before unloading on Maskaev with a combination to his
head that sent him soaring to the canvas. Maskaev,
clearly confounded by the sudden turn of events, arose
to his feet with all the gusto of a fighter who had
quickly realized that his presence in the ring was
rapidly coming to an end. As the fight continued,
Aguilera pounced on Maskaev with a devastating left hook
that obliterated any and all chances of a Maskaev
victory, and dropped him back down to the canvas. By
this point, referee Lou Moret decided that Maskaev had
had enough, and ended the quickly contested bout at 1:54
of the very first round.
Upon being questioned after the fight had
come to it's shocking conclusion, Maskaev's trainer
stated that Oleg was not paying attention, and that he
had let Aguilera "throw too many punches, and let him
determine the course of the fight too soon". Aguilera's
corner, on the other hand, was ecstatic after the
unforeseen victory. When asked to give a statement, the
clearly delighted Aguilera stated "I was younger,
faster, and fitter," and concluded by saying, "I'm a new
breed of heavyweight, and it's my time now." Although
Aguilera still has much to prove in his young and
promising career, Friday's bout clearly demonstrated to
the boxing community that Aguilera truly is a force to
be reckoned with in the heavyweight division. Friday's
bout also clearly demonstrated that perhaps it is time
for Maskaev to hang his gloves up and call it a day. And
while Maskaev might not be exactly jubilant with how the
fight played out, what he can be pleased with is that at
one time in his career he was the heavyweight champion
of the world, and some unlucky ringside observer can say
for the record that Hasim Rahman ended up in his lap one
night, courtesy of "The Big O."
In addition to Friday's main event, the
preliminary bouts included an amassment of local up and
coming fighters, as well as a few pugilists making their
professional debuts. From bell to bell, the fighters who
made up Friday's undercard showed heart, skill, and
determination that made their showing in the ring worth
far more than the price of admission.
In the opening light middleweight contest,
John Dunham of nearby Stockton, CA was first knocked
down, and then out in the first round by SFC Boxing's
debuting professional, Richard Hargraves of San
Francisco, CA. The fight dropped Dunham's record to 0-5
The second bout of the evening, a
lightweight contest, saw Maximillio Becerra of
Vacaville, CA improve to 4-0 (2 KO's) with a unanimous
decision victory over Thomas Herrera of Tuscon, AZ. The
loss for Herrera brought his record to 2-4-1.
The third contest of the night, in the
super middleweight division, saw the debut of two
professionals. Mike Guy of Sacramento, CA knocked out
Ayo Olorunsola of Oakland, CA at 1:32 of the very first
round with an assortment of haymakers that Olorunsola
had no answer for.
Bout four, a light middleweight contest,
ended in the fourth and final round when Geraldo Lopez
of Vacaville, CA 4-0 (2 KO's) knocked out Yuba City's
Kyle Dundas with a straight right hand that forced
Dundas to take a knee. Referee Lou Moret waived the
fight at 2:36. The loss dropped Dundas' record to 0-2.
And in the final preliminary bout of the
evening, light heavyweights Ernesto Castaneda of
Sacramento, CA and Denis Grachev of San Diego, CA
battled to a majority draw. The bout moved Castaneda's
record to 11-8-2 (4KO's), while Grachev's record moved
to 8-0-1 (5 KO's).
