Rabanales Stops Leon in Seventh

Victor Rabanales won the Forum’s bantamweight tournament championship and $65,000 Monday night when he cut and stopped Javier Leon in the seventh round.

Rabanales, who had forced postponements of the fight because of illness and visa problems, was behind on points when he cut Leon over the left eye halfway through the seventh round. Both are from Mexico.

Leon’s corner immediately claimed that their fighter had suffered a head butt. But referee Dr. James Jen-Kin ruled no butt had occurred.

“I didn’t see a butt, nor did any of the three judges,” Jen-Kin said.

When the fight was stopped, Leon, who earned $10,000, was ahead on two judge’s cards by 58-56 margins and by 60-54 on another. The Times card had it even after six, 57-57.

Replays indicated no butt occurred immediately before the cut, but the two fighters had butted heads at least twice earlier in the fight. Instead, it looked as if a long left jab by Rabanales grazed the corner of Leon’s eye, causing the cut. An exchange followed the jab, but no punch by Rabanales landed near Leon’s left eye.

“He was butting me all night, but I still won every round,” Leon (117 1/2 pounds) said afterward.

“It was a left uppercut (that opened the cut),” said Rabanales (116 1/4), who has a 27-9-2 record but who is now on a 13-0-1 streak.

“I got him with some good body shots in the second round . . . I knew I’d win after that.”