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Boxing Returns to San Francisco: Karim Mayfield earns lopsided TKO in SF ‘Civil War’

SF'S KARIM MAYFIELD DROPPED DE LA TORRE TWICE IN 2ND, EARNS 5TH ROUND TKO

FORMER RAIDER/SABRECAT TONY HIRSCH OVERWHELMED JOVANNI RUBIO

UNLIMITED'S BRUNO ESCALANTE DIGS TO THE BODY VS JONATHAN ALCANTARA

Saturday night at Kezar Arena saw the first professional boxing return to San Francisco in 6 years according to the SF Chronicle. A flamboyant Karim Mayfield (13-0-1, 8KOs) dismantled well traveled journeyman Sergio Joel De La Torre (11-14-3, 1KO) en route to a perfunctory 5th round TKO. The 4-fight card was supplemented by cameos from three rap groups and a ringside drum line.

In front of 1500 fans, Mayfield flipped a switch early in the first round and staggered De La Torre back into the ropes with a heavy overhand right. Able to move in and out with ease, Mayfield set up his opponent at the end of his jab and proceeded to pick him apart. De La Torre was stunned by a right hand, and wobbled with a left for a standing eight count in the second round. The southern California native gamely came back at Mayfield, but he was hit twice on the way in and once on the way out by a lightning quick “Hard Hitta”. De La Torre would suffer another knockdown, ruled a slip, and a third where he rose before a 10 count and was quickly saved by the bell.

De La Torre kept more of a safe distance in the third round, but with his lead left hand low and slower reflexes he was a glorified heavy bag for long stretches. Short, clubbing left hooks inside, and looping overhand rights from a distance peppered him throughout. In the fourth round, Mayfield backed De La Torre up against the ropes and landed a series of chopping right hands that nearly had De La Torre out on his feet several times. An extended combination with De La Torre propped against the ropes in the 5th caused referee Jon Schorle to step in and stop the fight. Mayfield jumped on the top rope in celebration and was clearly moved to fight in front of his hometown fans. The fans, in turn, spilled into the ring to join him.

Three fights were removed from the card as opponents for Cynthia Talmadge, Richard Hargraves and Miguel Lopez dropped out without enough time to schedule replacements. 2006 San Francisco Golden Gloves gold medalist Tony Hirsch (12-3-1, 6KOs), once a SJ Sabrecat and briefly an Oakland Raider, fought Jovanni Rubio (6-12, 5KOs) of Santa Rosa in the semi-main event. There was a brief scuffle between the much shorter Rubio and Hirsch at Friday’s weigh-in at Gussie’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant in the Fillmore district of SF.

After a brief staredown in the center of the ring, Hirsch used his dramatic height and reach advantage to completely overwhelm Rubio. The Oakland-based Hirsch, normally a jr. middleweight, tee’d off on his opponent from outside. He walked through the heads down almost blind effort from Rubio. Hirsch is an athlete turned boxer who can can use ringtime. Against Rubio, the fight was a foregone conclusion. The two biggest punches of the night came in the second from a lunging three quarter left uppercut from Hirsch that landed flush, followed by a right that almost toppled over Rubio like a sack of potatoes. Hirsch cornered Rubio with a swarm and the fight was stopped in the second at 2:34.

The undercard saw a former 2-time Sharkspage fight-of-the-night winner in Jonathan Alcantara (4-2-1) drop a controversial split decision to Hawaiian Bruno Escalante (1-0-1). Alcantara split a pair of tough wars against the hard hitting Juan Tepoz at HP Pavilion in San Jose, and earned an entertaining win over Aaron Alafa in a subsequent fight. Escalante, a former National PAL amateur boxing champion at 112 pounds according to Mario Ortega Jr. of 15rounds.com, was supported ringside by WBA Super Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire and cornered by former ISKA kickboxing champion Brian “The Mad Stork” Schwartz.

Alcantara’s early fights were entertaining from an anything goes aspect. A more fluid and finesse boxer than several of his opponents, he was not against standing toe-to-toe and trying to slug it out. Saturday night against Escalante he took a more measured approach early. Alcantara managed the ring well in the third, and landed the cleaner and harder punches. In the fourth, Alcantara backed Escalante into the ropes with a hard right hand, and then he started trying to land haymakers. Escalante responded, and backed his opponent off with volume punching, but nothing that did damage. At the end of the round Escalante picked Alcantara up with a double leg takedown attempt seconds before the bell rang. There was no warning from the referee. Fight was scored 37-39, 37-39, 39-37, a split decision win for Escalante. Sharkspage scored it 39-37 Alcantara.

The final undercard bout saw Ben Rivera (1-3) earn a 4-round unanimous decision over the unorthodox and heavily afro’d Shawn Wate (0-5).

A photo gallery from the event is available here.

[Update] Boxing by the Bay: Mayfield Stops De La Torre – Ryan Maquinana for MaxBoxing.com.

“It felt great to have my friends and family behind me,” exclaimed Mayfield, 13-0-1 (8), beaming with pride. “In camp, we worked on getting distance with the jab to set up my right hand, and it all worked out perfectly.”

The featured bout put an exclamation point on a night of professional pugilism at Kezar Pavilion, a building that has hosted the likes of Rocky Marciano and Bobo Olson in the past.

“For a long time, San Francisco was the boxing Mecca of the West Coast,” added Mayfield’s trainer, Ben Bautista. “We’re doing our part here to make it a fight town again.”

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