Mark Reyes Jr vs Janelson Figueroa Bocachica
In the main event of a Showtime Boxing telecast, rising welterweight fighter Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (17-0, 11 KO’s) had to dig deep for victory. With a majority decision win over Mark Reyes Jr (14-1, 12 KO’s), the hard-hitting Detroit native keeps his undefeated record intact. The win would not be easy to come by!
At the clang of the opening bell, Reyes took the fight straight to Bocachica. In response he was able to push the Floridian back and keep him at bay with his jab. Just as it looked like Bocachica was going to firmly take control, Reyes landed a hard left hook. While he took it well, the blow clearly changed the trajectory of the round. From that point to the bell, it was a neck and neck struggle.
TIGHT DOWN THE STRETCH
A determined and heavy-handed Reyes came out looking for blood in the second. By throwing hard shots he set the tempo for the entire mean-spirited round. The go-for-broke tactics worked very well for him over the course of the first half of the period. The Floridian seemingly buzzed his foe with a number of shots. By the second half of the round however, Bocachica had largely composed himself and was connecting with his own quality shots. The third was another hard fought tit-for-tat slugfest.
By the end of fifth round, both men were still fighting with vigor but the overtly ferocious nature had dissipated a bit. That all changed in the sixth. On a number of occasions, the two stood toe-to-toe and threw bombs. Reyes scored well with hooks to the jaw bone whereas Bocachica was more effective with straight punches down the middle. Both fighters appeared to take the eighth off as it was by far the least entertaining period of the night.
For the first minute of the ninth, Reyes was more or less sleepwalking. Then, at about the halfway mark, they stood in the pocket and threw caution into the wind. Once again the Floridian landed hurtful hooks that seemed to damage Bocachica. Reyes took that aggressive energy into the twelfth where he largely chased Bocachica around the ring. Given how close the fight felt, it was odd to see Bocachica repeatedly raise his hand and stay on his bike in the closing minute of the final round.
NO SHAME HERE
When all the dust settled though, it appeared his brazen behavior was warranted. This is because when the scorecards were read the judges had ruled Bocachica the winner by way of majority decision. It was a great win for the up-and-coming welterweight. As for his opponent, a loss will always hurt, but Reyes certainly did not shame himself in his latest effort. In fact, many will want to see him again.
By: Bakari Simpson
