BOXING AT THE IRVINE MARRIOTT : Chavez Whips Young, but Can’t Floor Him

Ernie Chavez of Santa Ana won the vacant California welterweight title with a 10-round decision over Charles Young of Los Angeles Thursday night at the Irvine Marriott.

Chavez bloodied Young’s mouth in the first round, gave him a mouse under his left eye in the third and sent him reeling in almost every round thereafter. But Young wouldn’t go down.

“He was like a Weeble, if you know what I mean,” Chavez said.

Chavez wobbled Young in the fourth with a right-left-right combination. Young’s mouth was a bloody mess and he seemed to be teetering, but Chavez couldn’t come up with a knockout punch.

Young survived the best Chavez could dish out, going 10 rounds for the first time in his career. Until Thursday, the farthest he’d gone was six.

Chavez gained his 13th victory and remained undefeated. Included among his victories was a four-round decision over Young two years ago at Irvine.

Young fell to 8-4-2.

“I threw about 15 good punches,” Chavez said. “I exaggerate, but I hit him with some god-awful shots in the fourth.”

In the later rounds, Chavez said he didn’t mind taking Young’s jab full-force because it set up his overhand left to Young’s head.

Chavez seemed to be more effective when Young was punching rather than running and ducking.

“That guy has a bigger heart than we thought, that’s for sure,” Chavez said.

With his victory, Chavez joins a long line of champions trained by Jackie McCoy, including Carlos Palomino, who was among the sellout crowd of 1,267.

In the early 1970s, Palomino was one of the founders of the Westminster Boxing Club, where Chavez trains.

“I’m happy,” Chavez said. “I just hope this will lead to something bigger and better.”

On the undercard, Ernie Magdalena of the Westminster Boxing Club scored a third-round knockout of Aniello Crestenzo of Alhambra. Magdalena improved to 4-0 by wearing down a heavy-looking Crestenzo (1-1). Magdalena was introduced at 175 pounds; Crestenzo 176.

Luis Mejia of Irvine scored a second-round knockout of Efren Sargent of Ontario.