BOXING AT IRVINE : Armijo Earns Split Decision Over Weaver

The last time John Armijo fought at the Irvine Marriott, in August, he brought the crowd to its feet with a stirring knockout.

Monday night, Armijo again got the spectators out of their seats, but this time it was with a series of antics that included three wrestling-style takedowns.

Armijo, a lifeguard from Huntington Beach who was returning from a hand injury, won a split decision over Lloyd Weaver of Los Angeles at 164 pounds. He won, 48-47, 49-47, and lost, 49-48, on the judges cards’ before the crowd of 1,146.

From the start, the two boxers were often locked in each other’s arms on the ropes. “He was holding me the whole time,” said Armijo (8-0-1). “He wouldn’t fight. He gave it his all in the first two rounds, then just tried to hang on after that.”

Weaver (7-2) complained often to the referee about being held and hit in the back of the head, but no points were taken from Armijo. After the boxers fell in the third round, Armijo (8-0-1) appeared to sit on Weaver’s head.

“His punching power was below zero,” Weaver said. “He never hit me. When he started to rough-house me I started to slow down . . . They gave him the decision because he is the home-town favorite.”

In the main event, Los Angeles’ Javier Moreno, 146 pounds, won a 10-round decision over Hedgemon Robertson, 96-94, 96-94, and, 99-91, at 146 pounds. Moreno is 13-7 with five knockouts. Robertson, 147 pounds, fell to 21-8-1 with 18 knockouts.