Ruelas Earns a Decision in Country Club Farewell

Gabriel Ruelas has said goodby to the cozy Reseda Country Club as many times as Zsa Zsa Gabor has said goodby to husbands. More than a half-dozen times in the past 18 months that part of his boxing career was over, according to him and his manager, Dan Goossen. He was on his way to huge stadiums and monstrous paydays.

Finally, Tuesday night, amid a cloud of mediocrity against a last-minute, left-handed substitute opponent, Ruelas did say farewell to the 950-seat club with a lopsided, 10-round decision over Gabriel Castro of Los Angeles.

His next stop is a Nov. 7 date with World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Azumah Nelson, one of boxing’s glamour fighters. The championship fight was confirmed Tuesday by Goossen and promoter Don King and will be held in Lake Tahoe.

Ruelas, 21, who has pounded his way through 34 pro fights with only one freak loss (he suffered a broken elbow) and attained the WBC’s No. 1 ranking six months ago, will earn more than $100,000 to face Nelson, who has defended the WBC championship six times.

Tuesday night, against an overmatched but courageous Castro, Ruelas was hesitant and showed little aggressiveness, two things that definitely need to be corrected before he steps into the ring with the hard-punching Nelson.

“Against Nelson I’ll be so much different,” Ruelas vowed. “I’ll be strong and aggressive and all over him. I’m younger and stronger than him.

“There are great surprises in boxing. This will be one of them.”

Ruelas (33-1) dominated early, although from the start he fought with great caution. He began ripping a few left hooks to Castro’s body in the second round and in the third and fourth brought his right hand into the game, pounding away to both sides of Castro’s body.

In the fourth round, a right hand to the midsection left Castro, 132, (17-8-2) momentarily sagging against the ropes, but he recovered quickly and in the final minute he backed Ruelas, 135, into the ropes and landed two solid blows.

Whenever he was pressed, Ruelas responded with enough quick, accurate punches to easily win each round. But as quickly as he would step in and rock Castro, Ruelas would slip away, mindful of the huge payday that looms in November.

In the fifth round, a Ruelas left landed below the belt and dropped Castro to one knee. Referee Lou Moret deducted a point. Another low blow in the seventh hurt Castro, and Moret deducted another point. The only possibility of a Ruelas loss, it seemed, would be via disqualification.

In the later rounds, Castro withstood every Ruelas flurry, seldom though they came, and began fighting back with much more confidence in reaction to the tentative Ruelas.