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By David A. Avila
INDIO, Calif.-Veteran banger Jesus Soto Karass showed the punching machine Neeco Macias exactly how it’s done in upsetting the younger fighter to win a majority decision on Thursday in a super welterweight fight.
"I feel happy. I fought against a great warrior," said Soto Karass."I always say that whether it's a win, a loss or a draw, the fans always win when they see one of my fights."
Soto Karass (29-13-4, 18 KOs) has a history of upsetting favorites and this time handed Macias (17-1, 10 KOs) his first loss as a pro. But it took more than 3,000 punches to do it in front of a small crowd at Fantasy Springs Casino that included celebrities like rap star Kendrick Lamar and MMA fighter Tito Ortiz.
It was a slugfest and those in attendance and those watching on television received exactly what they expected, volume punching and a lot of it. A total of 3,353 blows were unleashed with 1,119 connecting.
The last time Macias entered the boxing ring he virtually broke the number counter when defeating a young undefeated fighter this past September. Against veteran Soto Karass, the number counter was obliterated.
Soto Karass, 36, was groomed years ago with fellow bangers like Antonio Margarito and Alfredo Angulo, Macias was exactly what he needed after not winning a fight in several years. That last win came against former world champion Andre Berto in July 2013.
Though the Los Mochis, Mexico veteran had suffered losses and one draw the past five years, he was always competitive and gave fans excitement. But this time, he was facing a fellow banger that suited his style. He was back at home.
The lanky Soto Karass finally snapped the winless streak with his veteran moves and resiliency. Hitting and more hitting suited him fine.
But Macias, though younger by nine years, has shown an uncanny ability to sustain punishment and seemed to have a reserve gas tank when it came to endurance. Nobody had been able to out-punch or hurt him.
This time the veteran showed the prospect the finer aspects of banging it out. One judge saw it 95-95, a draw, but two others saw it 97-93 and 96-94 for Soto Karass. Both fighters were pleased with each other’s performance.
"I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be in the ring with this great warrior," said Macias, 27. "I want to thank all of the fans for coming out tonight. We do this for you.”
McKenna
Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (6-0, 4 KOs) only needed two rounds in his fight with Abel Reyes (4-2, 4 KOs) as he knocked out the Mexican fighter at 2:27 of the second round of their welterweight clash. McKenna, 19, fought five times in 2018 and knocked out four of those he faced.
"I took my time in there because I knew this was a six-round fight," said McKenna. "I've been working on my body shots. I got him clean and dropped him to get the win."
Other bouts
Manny Robles III (17-0, 8 KOs) started slow but managed to win a split decision after 10 rounds against Mexico’s Jose Gonzalez (23-7) in a featherweight battle. The son of trainer Manny Robles Jr. showed excellent defensive skills but was often out-worked by the Guadalajara veteran. Two judges scored it 97-93 and 96-94 for Robles and a third saw it 96-94 for Gonzalez.
Emilio Sanchez (17-1, 11 KOs) won by technical decision after 10 rounds versus Mexico’s Enrique Bernache (24-12,12 KOs) in a competitive featherweight match. A clash of heads in the last round forced a stoppage and Sanchez was deemed the winner 100-91, 99-92, 97-94. Sanchez fights out of Pacoima, Calif.
Washington D.C.’s D’Mitrius Ballard (19-0, 12 KOs) out-punched Mexico’s Alan Campa (17-4, 11 KOs) in an eight round super middleweight fight to win by unanimous decision. There were no knockdowns in the fight that saw Ballard the busier fighter but who had some problems with Campa’s body shots midway through the fight. Ballard turned things around after the fourth round and ran the table. The scores were 80-72, 79-73, 78-74 for Ballard against the Keanu Reeves looking fighter.
Jordan White (5-1, 4 KOs) needed exactly one round to stop Mexico’s Cristian Renteria (7-7, 6 KOs) in the first round of their featherweight match. A left hook to the body ended the fight at 3:00 of round one as referee Ray Corona counted lefty Renteria out. White fights out of Washington D.C.
Sanja Tursunov (1-0) won his pro debut by technical knockout over Mexico’s Miguel Cubos (11-20, 8 KOs) in a cruiserweight bout. Tursunov hails from Uzbekistan and trains in Indio, California with Joel and Antonio Diaz. A flurry of blows by the southpaw Tursunov convinced referee Tom Taylor to stop the fight at 1:26 of the second round.
Photo credit: Tom Hogan / Hogan Photos / Golden Boy Promotions
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