Ortega Defeats Coleman on Split Decision

Junior middleweight Pedro Ortega of Tijuana won a 10-round split decision over Pat Coleman of San Diego on Thursday before a record crowd of 3,987 at the Arrowhead Pond.

The card, the first staged at the Pond by Irvine Marriott promoter Roy Englebrecht, drew more fans than any Monday night show Forum Boxing promoted in four years.

Coleman (27-6, 19 knockouts) appeared to be in control through the first four rounds. He knocked down Ortega (27-6, 18 knockouts) in the third with a sharp right hand and was consistently beating Ortega to the punch. But Coleman was knocked down twice in the fifth round by Ortega right hands and that slowed him considerably.

Coleman did knock down Ortega in the sixth round, but he couldn’t keep the momentum. Ortega was the stronger fighter in the last three rounds. Judges Raul Caiz and Jose Cobian had Ortega winning, 95-91 and 94-92. Max Deluca scored it for Coleman, 94-92.

In the semi-main event, flyweight Pedro Pena (17-1, nine knockouts) rebounded from a January loss for the International Boxing Federation title with a fifth-round knockout of journeyman Porfilio Torres (3-12) of San Fernando. Pena, who lost the IBF title to Irene Pacheco, dominated throughout and knocked down Torres late in the fifth round with a left hook to the kidney. After the round, Pat Russell stopped the fight on the advice of ringside physician Michael Deluca.

Pena admitted the fight shouldn’t have lasted five rounds.

“I wasn’t doing what my dad told me to do--going to the body,” said Pena, whose father Roberto recently replaced Frank Rivera in the corner. “I was too excited to be punching to his head. Once I followed my dad’s directions, I was fine.”

Bridgett “Baby Doll” Riley didn’t take long to win over the crowd. She put Del Pettis on the canvas 20 seconds into the fight with an overhand right to the chin. Riley finished Pettis off at 2:58 of the first with a looping right hand.

“They were telling me to throw the bolo and it was working tonight,” Riley said. “She took a lot of good punches. I was wondering when she was finally going to go down.”

Riley said she was happy to give the crowd what it wanted.

“I’m looking to start getting more knockouts, be more exciting,” she said. “I’m glad the crowd appreciated me.”