BOXING AT THE IRVINE MARRIOTT : Durham Sinks Fighting Lifeguard in Unanimous Decision

The undefeated run of middleweight John Armijo came to an end Thursday night in the main event of the monthly boxing program at the Irvine Marriott.

Armijo (10-1-1), the fighting lifeguard from Huntington Beach, lost an eight-round unanimous decision to Vincent Durham, who was clearly the more polished fighter.

Armijo swung wildly for most of the fight, while Durham used short, precise punches for most of his points.

Still, everyone in the Armijo corner and dressing room was sure their man had won the fight afterward. But the judges scored it 77-75, 76-75, 79-73 in favor of Durham (7-2) of Los Angeles.

“I don’t know (why Durham won the fight),” Armijo said. “I had him hurt and he never dazed me. Plus, I was getting the fight to him; he was backing up. So that should tell you something.”

Armijo started out the more active fighter, but by the middle of the third round, he was slowing down. His long left hooks and wild combinations were being deflected by Durham’s gloves and forearms.

Durham took command of the fight in the fourth round and trapped Armijo on the ropes in the fifth and sixth.

“I knew he was aggressive before the fight,” Durham said of Armijo. “I felt I had better boxing skills, though.”

Both fighters said they would meet again.

Armijo came to fame at Irvine about two years ago, thanks mostly to his bullish style, haircut and boisterous following. Armijo’s hair is trimmed close on the sides and is long and spiked on top.

What little following there was Thursday was pretty quiet. The fight was up against the Evander Holyfield/Buster Douglas heavyweight title bout on pay-per-view television. There was a year-low 641 spectators at Irvine, where the crowds are usually close to 1,000.