Richie Sandoval, Hector Lopez Win Bouts : Olympians Extend Unbeaten Records With Easy Decisions at Pomona

A couple of Olympic boxers extended their unbeaten records Sunday afternoon in Pomona.

In the main event, Richie Sandoval, the WBA bantamweight champion and a 1980 U.S. Olympic team member, scored a unanimous decision over Diego Avila of Mexico City.

Featherweight Hector Lopez, the Glendale resident who won a 1984 Olympic silver medal for Mexico, registered a similarly easy decision win, over Joe Perez of East Los Angeles.

Sandoval won every round in his nontitle victory, before about 800 fans--including Muhammad Ali--in Cal Poly Pomona’s gym. Ali received the Joe Louis Achievement Memorial Award before the main event.

Sandoval (28-0) appeared to have only a slight margin over Avila over the first four rounds. But in the fifth, Sandoval began asserting his superior upper body strength inside. Avila (37-5-2) was sent into retreat for most of the round. Late in the round, Sandoval had his best minute of the bout, landing several thumping rights to Avila’s head. After the fifth, Sandoval seemed to win each round by widening margins.

Sandoval, who picked up a cheekbone cut from Avila’s elbow in the ninth, nearly dropped Avila with five seconds left in the sixth when, in Avila’s corner, he landed a short right that wobbled his knees.

Two judges called it 100-90, the third had it 100-89. One more little payday remains on Sandoval’s calendar before he makes a big money championship defense in Texas, according to his trainer, Tony Cerda.

“Richie will box on ESPN in December in another non-title fight, then he’s guaranteed $100,000 plus 20% of the gate in San Antonio in February, against Gaby Canizales in a title fight,” Cerda said.

“I was happy with Richie’s work today--this guy (Avila) was a good fighter, he was fast and tough to hit. But I thought Richie’s timing and conditioning was very good. If he can maintain where he is now into the Canizales fight, he should be OK.”

Lopez, 19, a Glendale Hoover High student when he won his medal at the Olympics, is now 6-0. He hasn’t lost since America’s Meldrick Taylor decisioned him in the featherweight gold medal bout at the L.A. Olympics.

He’s a smooth, crisp puncher with the flair of a showman, and even resembles Mr. Showmanship himself, Hector Camacho, the lightweight contender who was seated at ringside. Camacho may have more gold jewelry, but Lopez’s pigtail is longer than Camacho’s.

Lopez’s eight-round unanimous decision over an overmatched Perez led Lopez’s manager, Johnnie Flores, to believe his boxer is ready for 10-rounders.

“We had a 10-rounder for him in Bakersfield tentatively scheduled for Dec. 5, and after seeing him today, I think he’s ready for it,” Flores said. “This kid has talent. Give him a couple of years, and he could go all the way.”

Lopez had Perez in trouble several times, most visibly in the third, but could never put his opponent away.

Undercard results: Zack Padilla (135), Azusa, def. Lawrence Caver (135 3/4), Los Angeles, TKO-4. Ricky Romero (114 3/4), Torrance, dec. Abraham Garcia (114), Tampico, Mexico. Armando Ugalde (122), Mexico City, def. Luis Hernandez (121), Los Angeles, TKO-5. Hector Lopez (128), Glendale, dec. Joe Perez (128), East Los Angeles.