Irvine Boxing : Billups Measures Up, Drops White for Title

Levi Billups used quickness instead of bulk to score a fifth-round knockout of Michael White and win the state heavyweight title Thursday in front of a sellout crowd of 1,450 at the Irvine Marriott.

Billups used three consecutive overhand rights to White’s head to score the knockout.

Billups (14-3) was strong from the outset, using a left jab to work inside of White (22-8), who is 7-feet tall and weighs 270 pounds.

Billups, 6-1 and 211, had White backing up most of the fight. He pinned him against the ropes in the fifth round and finally dropped him with 2:07 left.

White reached his feet, but the fight was stopped. It was the first time in his career he had been knocked out. White scored a seventh-round knockout the first time the two fought 16 months ago.

This time, Billups came into the fight 20 pounds lighter and was quicker than White.

“I trained really hard for this one,” Billups said. “I had to find a weight that I was quicker but still strong at. He’s a big man. There won’t be any rematch; I already avenged this one.”

After a lackluster opening round, Billups went to work in the second. He threw his left jab, then moved inside and used an overhand right.

Billups dominated the second and most of the third round, but White landed two strong combinations in the final 10 seconds of the third to draw blood from Billups’ mouth.

The fighters stood and punched for most of the fourth round, but Billups again landed the better punches.

White looked sharp to open the fifth, cutting Billups over the eye with a strong right, but that was his last positive moment of the night.

“He hurt me with some strong punches,” Billups said. “But I hurt him, too. He was talking to me the whole time, calling me ‘little man’ and stuff like that. But that just fired me up more to get him.”

Billups earned $3,500 for the fight, White $5,000.

A pair of first-round knockouts were the highlights of the undercard.

Johnny Tapia (3-0-1) of Albuquerque, a two-time national Golden Gloves champion, floored Martin Perez of Ontario twice in the first round before the fight was stopped 1:51 into the 114-pound fight.

Tapia caught Perez on the ropes with a series of rights and lefts before dropping him. Perez (1-1) took the standing eight count but then was immediately knocked through the ropes by a left and right from Tapia.

Ben Lopez of Upland was even quicker, knocking out Jerry Rosenberg of Anaheim 40 seconds into the 136-pound fight.

Lopez (5-1) caught Rosenberg’s head in a flurry of rights and lefts just after the opening bell, and Rosenberg went down. He was dazed but returned to his feet, only to be sent right back down by another combination.

Celio Olivar (5-2) of Colton defeated Perrish Johnson (1-1) of Hollywood in a four-round 152-pound fight, and Ron Porter of Los Angeles and Victor Hernandez of Redlands fought to a four-round draw at 127 pounds.