Hard knocks coverage

Courtesy of David Finger - fightnews

Boxing fans in New Mexico were faced with a pleasant problem or a delightful dilemma on Saturday night as two exciting fight cards took place in both Mescalero and Albuquerque. For the fans who elected to stay in the southern half of the state, they witnessed an absolute dominant performance from a fighter widely regarded as the one of the hottest young prospects in the Southwest. Undefeated Rolyn Nez made a statement as he demolished journeyman Aaron Martinez in less than one round in a scheduled six round welterweight fight. Although Martinez was not expected to come out on top against the 6'0 tall power puncher, the dominant nature of the win was eye opening. Martinez did show considerably more durability against other highly regarded New Mexico prospects in the past. Against Alex Holguin, Martinez was able to go the distance, and it took undefeated prospect Abel Navarrete four rounds to stop him and undefeated DeMichael Harris six rounds. But against Nez, Martinenz was throughly and completely outclassed from the opening bell. Nez used his long reach to rattle Martinez with right hands and, recognizing that Martinez had no answer for his power, began to unload on the Santa Fe native. After throwing numerous shots to the head, Nez cleverly went downstairs and felled his opponent with a hard body shot a minute into the round. Martinez was able to rise, but Nez continued to pummel him and sent him back to the canvas seconds later with a looping left hook. It was enough to prompt referee Edgar Lopez to waive the fight off at 1:27. With the win Nez improves to 4-0, 3 KOs while Martinez falls to 5-4, 3 KOs.

In the co-main event, talented undefeated prospect Javier Fernandez, 142, scored a impressive knockout over former stablemate Frank Brown, 142. Both Fernandez and Brown hailed from San Antonio and use to fight out of the same gym. Although Brown was a decisive underdog against Fernandez, there was an assumption that the durability of Brown coupled with his familiarity with his opponent would lead to a moderately competitive fight, or at least one that would go to the judges. And for one round it appeared to be the case as Brown was more than willing to stand inside and trade heavy shots with Fernandez. But if Brown though he already knew everything Fernandez had to offer, the prospect showed him a new weapon in his arsenal when a perfectly timed body shot sent Brown to the canvas in a heap inside of a minute in round two. Referee Rocky Burke counted Brown out at 1:01 of the second round in what would be the first and only stoppage loss in Brown's career. With the win Fernandez saw his record improve to 17-0, 8 KOs. Brown saw his record slip to 3-9-2, 1 KO. Fernandez wasted no time in getting the fans excited about his next potential match in the Southwest, calling out world ranked Abel Mendoza (41-0, 30 KOs) of El Paso, who has been nipping at the heels of the WBA top ten for several months (Mendoza was ranked as high as #12 in the world by the WBA back in September but has since slipped out of the rankings). Fernandez indicated a willingness to fight Mendoza anywhere, be it Mescalero, San Antonio, or even in Mendoza's hometown of El Paso. Mendoza, who was in attendance, stepped into the ring to discuss the challenge, but due to time constraints the response was cut short and fans in attendance were left to wonder if Mendoza-Fernandez would be coming to a boxing ring near them in 2025.

Former collegiate football standout and current social media influencer Dominic Barry brought his undefeated record to Mescalero as he took on Ronnie Baca of Gallup, New Mexico in a six round bridgerweight fight. Although perhaps best known for his popular Instagram and TikTok pages, Barry is not just some kid with a online following looking to get some "likes" on his feed. He is a dedicated and athletic young man with some of the raw talent that could translate into a successful career in time. But against Baca, he was taking on one of the cagiest and most difficult journeymen in New Mexico. With limited experience in the sport, Barry had padded his record after turning pro in March of this year, scoring five knockouts over limited opposition. But in Baca, Barry was facing a former heavyweight who has fought some of the toughest fighters in New Mexico and Colorado in a career that spanned over ten years and seventeen fights. Baca, who had fought as high as 294-pounds, whipped himself into incredible shape as he stepped into the ring at a svelte 199-pounds, the same weight as Barry. But Barry's athleticism seemed to carry him in the early rounds, as he boxed behind a high guard and seemed to apply pressure effectively. Baca seemed susceptible to the overhand right and the uppercut of Barry. By round three Baca was sporting a bloody nose and a cut on his left ear, and it looked like Barry was doing a good job of breaking down the veteran. But in round four Baca dug deep into his veteran bag of tricks just as Berry's fuel tank began to run low. Baca began to up the pressure on his end and by round six it was clear the Barry was struggling with his endurance. Baca had Barry close to hitting the canvas in the final minute of the sixth round and it was clear as the bell rang ending the fight the the momentum had very much shifted and that Barry was lucky that this fight wasn't an eight rounder. In the end, two of the judges (Ray Armendariz and Ester Lopez) scored the fight 57-57 while one judge (Daniel Sandoval) scored it 58-56 for Baca. With the draw Barry sees his record now stand at 5-0-1, 5 KOs while Baca sees his record now stand at 9-4-5, 3 KOs. Both fighters expressed a willingness to fight in a rematch again,

"I'll take this fight before I take another fight" Baca told the audience in attendance, indicating that we may see an immediate rematch in the near future.

Rounding off the card, Hobbs New Mexico's Yhourhighness Rezzaq (3-1, 2 KOs) scored an impressive second round stoppage over Zlatcko Ledic (2-7-1, 1 KO). Julio Dos Santos also scored a second round stoppage over Joshua Bahe in a battle of debuting heavyweights. And super-middleweight Elijah Sweat (4-4, 1 KO) snapped a two fight losing streak with a stoppage over Robert Lartigue (2-4, 1 KO).