Oxnard’s Aguiniga wins in return to ring
Oxnard fighter keeps perfect record
By Francisco Salazar
In his first fight in five years, Oxnard’s Jose Aguiniga won an eight-round unanimous decision over Juan Ruiz before an overflow crowd at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme.
Most of the action was fought in close, but Aguiniga landed the more effective punches. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Aguiniga.
Aguiniga, a 2000 graduate of Channel Islands High, improves to 32-0, with 14 KOs. Ruiz, from Santa Clarita, falls to 23-9, with 7 KOs.
Lightweight David Rodela, of Oxnard, scored a devastating second-round knockout over Baudel Cardenas.
Rodela, who was winless in his previous three bouts, was on the attack from the beginning. He knocked Cardenas down to the canvas with a left-right combination to the head halfway through the round. Toward the end of the round, Rodela dropped Cardenas again with a right uppercut to the head. Cardenas stood up and was saved from further punishment by the bell.
Cardenas attempted to apply pressure to Rodela in the second round. However, Rodela landed a vicious left hook to the body, immediately dropping Cardenas to the canvas. Referee Wayne Hedgpeth counted Cardenas out at 1:21.
Rodela improves to 16-5-4, with 7 KOs. Cardenas, from Los Mochis, Mexico, falls to 19-24-2, with 7 KOs.
Super welterweight Hugo Centeno Jr., of Oxnard, won a sloppy, one-sided unanimous decision over Nicaraguan Octavio Narvaez.
Both threw wild punches in the opening round, with Narvaez landing punches to the back of Centeno’s head. Although Centeno had bent over, referee Jack Reiss admonished Narvaez for the illegal punches.
In the third round, Narvaez landed a low blow to the 2009 Oxnard High graduate. Centeno winced in pain and was allowed time to recover. Reiss deducted two points from Narvaez.
Centeno was in control throughout the rest of the fight. Although Narvaez pressed forward, Centeno attacked the body with left hooks. Narvaez was noticeably tired in the sixth, but was able to survive until the final bell.
All three judges scored the bout in favor of Centeno with scores of 60-52, 60-52 and 59-53. Centeno improves to 12-0, with 6 KOs, while Narvaez falls to 7-11-1, with 4 KOs.
Rogelio Romo, the younger brother of former world champion Fernando Vargas, won a four-round unanimous decision over Thomas Turner.
Romo was effective from distance, landing piston-like right hands to the head of Turner. Undaunted, Turner, from Caldwell, Idaho, pressed forward and found success by landing an occasional hook or cross to the head. However, Romo consistently landed the more effective punches to the head. Romo won by scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37.
Romo, who hails from Oxnard, improves to 5-0-2, with one knockout. Thomas falls to 1-1.
Oxnard’s Steven Rodriguez improved his record to 3-3 with a decisive four-round unanimous decision over Edgar Flores.
Rodriguez landed the better blows throughout the bout with Flores, who dropped to 0-5. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Rodriguez with scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37.
In the opening bout of the card, Jose Garcia stopped Santa Paula’s Indian Banuelos in the second round of a scheduled four-round bout.
After an even first round, Banuelos, who was making his professional debut, dropped Garcia with a counter right hand
to the head. Later in the round, Garcia wobbled Banuelos with a combination to the head, battering him against the ropes until referee Wayne Hedgpeth stopped the bout at 2:38.
Garcia, from Bakersfield, had lost his first five professional bouts.
Former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, trainers Robert and Danny Garcia, and unbeaten super middleweight prospect were at ringside.
Robert Ortiz’s bout against Manuel Del Cid fell through when Del Cid weighed in three pounds above the contracted weight of 132 pounds.
Rodriguez won by decision.
