Boxing at the Pond Shows It Could Become a Big Hit

Either way you look at it, the Pond of Anaheim’s boxing debut has to be called a knockout.

Six fights, six knockouts--three in the first round. Even Monday’s opening-night crowd of 4,171 exceeded expectations.

“I’m ecstatic,” said the Pond’s John Nicoletti, co-promoter of the event along with the Forum. “We said from the beginning that wanted to build our crowds. . . . We thought anything about 2,500 would be a tremendous showing. With over 4,000, it shows that boxing can not only survive in Orange County, but thrive.”

Most of the fans were still on the freeway or in the parking lot when Santa Paula junior lightweight Eddie Contreras set the tone for the evening with a 61-second knockout of Pacoima’s Sergio Macias.

Victor Rabanales the 33-year-old former World Boxing Council bantamweight champion, started slowly against Alejandro Sanabria, but finished him off in the fourth with a powerful left-right combination.

Junior welterweight Carlos “Bolillo” Gonzalez (44-2, 39 knockouts) scored a first-round knockout of Silverio Flores (17-4).

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The scheduled 12-round North American Boxing Organization title bout between Luis Ramon Campas of Navajoa, Mexico, and Ray Collins of Las Vegas has been postponed from next Monday night to March 4 because Campas has flu. In its place, Jesse Magana of Hanford, Calif., will defend his NABO junior-featherweight title against Freddy Cruz of the Dominican Republic.

* The Associated Press contributed to this story.