BOXING AT IRVINE MARRIOTT : A Weary Vasquez Holds Off Perez

By Johnny Vasquez’s standards, Thursday night’s unanimous decision over Salvadore Perez was boring. But then again, the Marriott fans have become accustomed to Vasquez’s early-round knockouts non-stop flurries.

But Vasquez had never gone eight rounds before and there were fewer punches and less power in the bantamweight from Huntington Beach, who by fight’s end was throwing only weak arm punches. As the decision was being announced by Danny Valdivia, Vasquez was shaking his head in the corner.

“I thought I might have lost,” Vasquez said. “He kept coming. He was tough and I was getting tired.”

Vasquez (7-4) was supposed to fight Guadalajara’s Jesus Jimenez, but Jimenez pulled out about eight hours before the fight after he was unable to cross the border. Perez (2-2-1) was scheduled on the undercard.

Vasquez knocked down Perez with a left hook in the first round. But Perez began getting the best of Vasquez by the middle rounds.

“I tried to pace myself,” Vasquez said. “But he kept hitting me with some good body punches that took my energy away. I thank the Lord for giving me the decision.”

An exciting undercard was highlighted by promising junior welterweight Mark Lewis’ technical knockout of Daniel Hernandez from Ensenada, Mexico, in the sixth round. Lewis (10-1 with eight knockouts) of Mira Loma dominated the fight before referee Larry Rozadilla stopped it.