Kirkland, Angulo win in Chumash slugfests

SANTA YNEZ - Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland did not come to Santa Ynez to box. They did not come to dance around the ropes, outpoint their man, smile for the fans, get a tour of the ring.

They came to punch. They came to end things quickly.

And for opponents Archak Ter-meliksetian and Allen Conyers, the end came hard and early.

It took a combined 4 minutes, 15 seconds for both boxers to do their damage Friday night in Santa Ynez during Gary Shaw's Showtime production of ShoBox: The New Generation. The two TV events - coming after a full-slate of undercard events - ended on thrilling knockouts. For that matter, all but one of the night's seven events ended in knockouts.

The night's main event matched Kirkland (21-0), a 152-pound bruiser from Austin, TX, with Conyers (11-3), another brawler with hopes of earning a “one-punch-ends-all” hit to the odds-on favorite - Kirkland, a man who has hopes of a world title. The fight was a scheduled 10-round super welterweight bout.

He nearly did it.

With the opening bell still reverberating throughout the Samala Showroom, Conyers and Kirkland flew at each other like two bar patrons crashing through a swing door and into a streetfight. Conyers entered the match having knocked out his last three opponents within two rounds. He is the New York State welterweight champion, capturing the crown on Nov. 3, 2006. And in his last ShoBox fight, he made easy work on the undefeated Derek Ennis with a second-round TKO in Miami.

It was all very impressive considering he had taken an 18-mouth layoff before re-entering the ring in Feb. 2006.

Friday, he came out and knocked the WBC No. 11 contender, Kirkland, to the canvas. But Kirkland knows a thing or two about early knockouts, having KO'd 17 of his 20 opponents, including a second-round knockout against Mohamad Said in his last fight.

In previous ShoBox fights, Kirkland defeated Billy Lyell on Feb. 2 at Chumash and had a rare 10-round decision against Ossie Duran.

He responded by knocking Conyers to the canvas, to the delight of the crowd. And a short time later, with Conyers wobbling back and forth - still trying to regain his senses, off in another world - he sent a left-right cross combo his way - ending the main event in just 2 minutes, 56 seconds.

Then again, Angulo - the night's first TV fighter - did his dirty work in just 1 minute, 19 seconds. His fight was a scheduled eight-round super welterweight bout.

Angulo entered the ring with an “El Perro” collar around his neck and Atomic Dog jacket. Only one thing was missing. His pit bull. According to Angulo, he often has a pit bull attend him to the ring. Angulo got the nickname “The Dog” while training at an Olympic camp in Mexico.

Of his opponent, Ter-meliksetian, “I didn't think he would go toe-to-toe with me from the start. I was surprised. I thought he was going to box me.”

Instead, Ter-meliksetian - an Armenian who entered with a 16-5 record and 13 KOs - connected two quick right hooks.

“I was surprised he hit me a couple times,” Angulo said. “But it didn't hurt me.”

Angulo's final punch sure hurt Ter-meliksetian, a left cross that sent him to the canvas. The ref called the fight, to Ter-meliksetian's puzzlement, prompting him to throw his towel angrily into the crowd.

So will Angulo get a chance to face Kirkland? “That's not up to me,” Angulo said. “It's up to the trainer. My job is to train.”

Neither did the undercard events disappoint.

Leading all undercard storylines was the performance of Santa Maria's own Jose Antonio Ojeda. In a welterweight bout, he TKO'd Steve Marquez with 1:18 left in the third round.

“Chumash is where he fights most of his fights,” Boxing Coach William Flores said. “He feels right at home, and loves that support.”

The fans showered cheers on their local when his upper cut-left cross ended the match, earning him his 16th win over six losses.

In other action, USBO welterweight champion Said Ouali successfully defended his crown with a sudden eighth-round knockout over Sven Paris. Paris' left-right hook and quick uppercut combo worked to perfection all night. But Ouali's patience at the ropes paid off in the later rounds. And his right-left combo forced a standing eight count.

Also earning knockout wins were Bowie Tupou over Jason Bergman in a heavyweight bout and Antonio Demarco over Arturo Brambila in a welterweight bout.

Juan Castaneda won by a unanimous decision over the flamboyant Priest Tiger Smalls in the night's final bout.

December 1, 2007