After being canceled due to the conflict in Iraq, Tuto Zabala's All Star Boxing's offering was also moved from the Kissimee Civic Center near Orlando, Florida this past Friday to the Palladium Athletic Village in the Broward county city of Davie on March 28th. Telemundo aired the main event live and although not to a packed house as it is customary for a Zabala effort, there was enough support in the venue to let the fighters and promoter know they were appreciated.

In the opener, Kili Scott-Madrid from Maui, Hawaii with a spotless 4-0, 2 KOs record faced Wilfredo Rios, 0-1, from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Madrid weighed in at 147, while Rios tipped the scale at 150 lbs. It was a quick one that ended in a first round TKO, 1:14 was the official time and Scott-Madrid remains virginal after this effort.

Colombian José Leonardo Cruz, 135 lbs., undefeated in two fights, with one KO, was next against Juan Figueroa, from Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico, who weighed in at 138 lbs. in this his pro debut. Figueroa forced the action in the opening stanza, but the Colombian came on strong in the second round, dishing out a lot of punishment to the Puerto Rican's head, forcing him to quit on the stool at the end of two.

Heavyweights followed, with Daniel Santos' brother, Edgardo, meeting Willie Herring, 5-1-1, 1 KO, from Mascotte, Florida in a four rounder. Herring weighed in at 212-1/2 while Santos came in at a trimmed 200 lbs.

Santos is no stranger to the Miami fans; he earned a lot of support in previous performances at the Miccosukee Gaming venue based on his grit and granite chin. He didn't disappoint the Davie fans, putting on a street brawl against a dirty fighting opponent, who chose to use elbows, forearms and even teeth in an attempt to subdue the Puerto Rican fighter.

Punishment was dished out to both men by referee Bill Connors, who did seem to miss the biting incident that took place in the second round. Santos lost a point in the opening candle for hitting late and Herring lost a point in the fourth assault for hitting behind the head.

All in all, it was a slugfest, one which Santos refused to lose. The official's reached a split decision after four rounds, 38-36 Herring, 38-36 Santos twice. On a lighter note, Santos was seen ringside chatting on his cell phone with brother Daniel, and mingling with all the fans, much to their delight.

Colombian Carlos Maussa, undefeated in 12 fights, all won by the short route, faced Dominican via the Bronx, New York, Henry Matos, in a 6 rounder in the Junior Welterweight division. Matos' record spoke for itself, at  8-17, 3 KOs, and on this evening, we saw him quit after two rounds. He acted out protests over phantom low blows, which cost his opponent a point, but in the end, Maussa prevailed, improving his record to 13-0, all by way of knockouts.

Carlos "Baby Sugar" de León, Jr. returned to action for Zabala, having fought on the same card that brought us Roberto Duran's son this past December. I was impressed with "Baby Sugar" then and now. A resident of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, with a 6-0, 5 KOs record, Carlos Jr. squared off against fellow Puerto Rican Roberto Felix, with "Baby Sugar" coming in at 163 lbs., and Felix at 160 lbs.

With a beauty of a jab setting up the rest of his arsenal, Carlos started a bit cold, winning the first round effectively, boxing and jabbing but without the explosiveness that his right hand brings to the table. Come round two, he found the range, and unleashed several combinations behind the piston like jab, hurting his opponent and warranting a stoppage 2:07 into the 2nd round.

We spoke to the young man after the fight, questioning the slow start in the bout, as well as what seemed like a bit of a restraint in the use of his right hand. Carlos Jr. did tell us that he started slowly due to his inactivity, it took him a bit to find his range and timing, and he also admitted that his right hand was on the mend, having hurt it prior to the December fight that was held at the Miccosukee venue.

He assured us that he intends to stay very active, hoping for a world title fight before the end of the year. He wished to thank the South Florida fans for their support and also expressed special thanks to promoter Tuto Zabala, Jr.

Last but certainly not least, the main event of the evening. A twelve rounder for the WBC FECARBOX Junior Bantamweight title owned by Cecilio Santos, from Mexico, with a 14-2-2, 8 KOs record, rated #4 by the WBO, versus challenger Colombian Luis Bolaños, 37-0, 28 KOs, who is rated #1 by the WBO, #3 by the WBC and #5 by the IBF.

The old cliché 'action-packed' doesn't even begin to do this fight justice, as Cecilio Santos showed up not only to fight and defend his title, but he came in tip top condition. He stayed on his toes for the length of the bout, stamina and conditioning were just amazing on this young fighter. Bolaños, the seasoned veteran, utilized his power and picked his shots, but even in victory one has to question how much does he have left.

This was not an easy fight to score, a typical case of the boxer-puncher dilemma. Santos boxed and counter punched very well, the busier of the two without question, and it's a shame that we didn't have the benefit of Compubox, because a lot of leather was thrown in this match.

For the most part of the fight, it was Bolaños to the head and Santos to the body, and although his fans clamored for a KO the Colombian fighter was unable to end it early.

I thought that Santos closed the show strongly, boxing beautifully and fighting from the outside, while Bolaños chased and tried to take it out of the judges' hands. In the end, we had a unanimous decision, with Bolaños getting 116-112, 117-111, 115-113 on the scorecards. Not meaning any disrespect to the judges, but, in our humble opinion it was never 117-111, we even have a bit of a problem accepting 116-112. Judge Peter Trematerra's 115-113 score was the closest to our own assessment of the fight, although it was disheartening to see the busier man lose.