Williams, Valdez Put Up a Fight

Professional boxing in the region has taken a beating in recent months. Fight cards featuring up-and-coming fighters in four-round bouts have been few and far between since the last bout was staged at Reseda Country Club in December 1998.

Robert Valdez and Ron Williams are attempting to change that.

Far from the first promoters to play the local game, Valdez, of Oxnard, and Williams, of Valencia, aren’t exactly going toe-to-toe, nor are they stablemates.

Both are finding the fight game a challenge, as far as assembling quality cards while keeping afloat financially.

“We exchange ideas and give each other leads,” said Valdez, whose third program at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas is scheduled for July 11.

In recent years, the Country Club and the Woodland Hills Marriott Hotel were the sites of regular boxing until promoters started taking it on the chin at the gate.

Undaunted, Williams and Valdez continue to recruit young fighters and stage small-time shows. Both claim to be gaining momentum.

“Strategically, we’re right on target, although I hope to branch out more in the San Fernando Valley,” Williams said. “We do have a captive audience in the Santa Clarita Valley, while his Oxnard-Sagebrush [program] caters to the locals there.”

Said Valdez: “It doesn’t hurt me that Ron is doing his shows. It’s really two different crowds.”

Valdez was in attendance last weekend for Williams’ third show this year at the Valencia Hyatt Hotel, an outdoor program that attracted only a modest crowd, despite a competitive card.

RW Promotions, Williams’ fledgling company, has tentatively scheduled its next show in early September, probably at the Hyatt.

Valdez’s Primitive Sports Promotions has held shows in Oxnard, Ventura and Woodland Hills in the last three years.

Don’t expect marquee names or mouth-watering matchups on either promoter’s cards. Valdez’s next show will feature an eight-round main event between featherweights Memo Moreno of Beaumont and Nobuto Honmo of Japan.

Williams’ program last week featured a WBC FECAR junior-lightweight title bout, won by Roger Medal of Pasadena with a 12th-round knockout of Israel Correa of Oxnard.

That’s about as big-time as it gets. But that doesn’t mean the bouts aren’t competitive.

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Juan Ruiz of Santa Clarita, a former soccer player at Hart High, figures to be a regular attraction on Williams’ cards after two performances that impressed ringside observers.

Ruiz, 20, body-punched his way to a six-round unanimous decision over formidable Arturo Flores of Pacoima in a junior-featherweight bout. Ruiz (2-0) handed Flores his first defeat after three victories.

Ruiz delivered a barrage of compact combinations to the midsection, dropping Flores to one knee in the fifth round with a hard left hook to the body.

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Lance Whitaker of Granada Hills, a.k.a. “Mount Whitaker” and the WBC Continental Americas champion, will continue his quest toward the summit of the heavyweight division against David “Dangerous” Dixon in a 10-round nontitle bout July 21 at the Regent Las Vegas that will be broadcast on Showtime.

The fight is billed as a co-feature to the 12-round main event between IBF Intercontinental champion David Tua and former cruiserweight champion Robert Daniels.

Whitaker, 20-1 with 17 knockouts, successfully defended his title June 11 with a second-round knockout against overmatched Thomas Williams. The bout was Whitaker’s first since suffering a knee injury while defeating Monte Barrett for the title last August. It was his second fight since losing to Lou Savarese in March 1999.

Savarese was flattened by Mike Tyson in 38 seconds last week in Scotland.

“He looked a little stiff, a little scared,” Whitaker said of Savarese. “His hesitancy was definitely there.”

Despite his loss by decision to Savarese, Whitaker, who stands 6 feet 8, claimed he would give the 5-10 Tyson a better match--although he doubted he will ever fight the former world champion.

Alex Stewart is the only other common opponent of Tyson and Whitaker. Tyson stopped Stewart in one round in 1990, his second fight after losing his title to James “Buster” Douglas. Whitaker recorded a seventh-round technical knockout over Stewart in January 1999 on the undercard of Tyson’s knockout of Francois Botha.

“I’m a totally different fighter [than Savarese],” Whitaker said. “My strategy would be to keep my jab in front of him. But I don’t think it will ever happen. I think he’s pretty much through.”