Eyes Have It for Hernandez

There were smashed knuckles, bloodied faces and eyes swollen so badly they appeared to have been doctored by a makeup artist for a monster movie.

But the eyes of Carlos Hernandez were the ones that best conveyed the emotion of Saturday night’s fight card, held in a Mandalay Bay Hotel ballroom.

Those eyes were filled with tears after Hernandez captured one of the major titles on the line Saturday by beating David Santos in a unanimous decision in a fight for the vacant International Boxing Federation super-featherweight championship. The scorecards were the deciding factor after the fight was stopped at 2:52 of the eighth round when Santos was unable to continue because of an accidental head butt, blood streaming from a cut over his right eye.

In another title fight, Juan Manuel Marquez stopped Manuel Medina at 1:18 of the seventh round on a TKO to win the vacant IBF featherweight championship. That fight was stopped because of swelling that closed Medina’s right eye.

For Hernandez, who improved to 38-3-1 with 23 knockouts. the emotion and tears flowed not only because of the belt he had won, but because of the man in a front-row seat who watched him win it.

Hernandez was born in Los Angeles and lives in Bellflower, but he felt so strongly about his family’s roots in El Salvador that he helped raised $300,000 to aid that nation after it was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2001.

And, in turn, Salvadoran President Francisco Flores felt so strongly about Hernandez’s efforts that he journeyed to Las Vegas to cheer the fighter on.

“He represented the 6-million people of El Salvador, and the 2-million who are in this country illegally,” said Hernandez with a smile.

“I never thought that I had the skills, but I have a big heart. There were 6-million people in my heart tonight.”

The head butt was caused by Hernandez moving forward in that eighth round.

“I just hope the head butt was not intentional,” said Santos (42-6, 27). “He was using his head a lot.”

Responded Hernandez: “I don’t feel I was coming in. I feel he pulled me in. But it was just a matter of time.”

With the eighth round included in the scoring, Judges Bobby Ferrara and Robert Hogle had it 77-74, fellow judge Bill Graham 78-73. The Times had Hernandez winning, 78-74.

Hernandez was credited with the only knockdown of the fight, but it appeared referee Tony Weeks gave credit where none was due. Santos went down because Hernandez was inadvertently standing on Santos’ foot rather than from a blow.

In the featherweight bout, Marquez (40-2, 32) was far ahead of Medina (60-13, 27) on all of the judges’ scorecards when the fight was stopped.

Marquez put Medina down in the second round with the best combination of a bruising night, a left-right-left that appeared to finish him off. But Medina struggled to his feet and remained competitive until the vision in his right eye was gone.

“I thought I would take him out in the first few rounds,” Marquez said, “but I have to give him credit because, like all Mexican fighters, he is very tough and very brave.”

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Yet another champion was crowned Saturday when rising star Miguel Cotto improved to 14-0 with 11 knockouts by beating Cesar Bazan (39-6-1, 27) to win the vacant World Boxing Council international super-lightweight championship.

Cotto was dominant early in the fight, but Bazan hung on until the swelling in his right eye caused the fight to be stopped 16 seconds into the 11th round.

Cotto later revealed that he injured a knuckle on his left hand in the seventh round, causing heavy swelling, but he rejected an offer to have it examined at a local hospital, saying he would seek medical attention in his native Puerto Rico if the hand still bothered him upon his return.

In a preliminary fight, unbeaten super lightweight Dimitriy Salita improved to 11-0 with eight knockouts by stopping Richie Ueding (6-7, 3) at 1:11 of the second round of a scheduled six-rounder. Salita finished off Ueding with a left hand that smashed into his left cheekbone, leaving Ueding unable to get off the canvas.