Rafael Vazquez KOs Leon Moore in Queens

by Sarah Deming

QUEENS, N.Y.–Rafael Vazquez was behind on all the scorecards when he put the Chicken down. The time was 2:27 in the 9th round of a scheduled ten.

The crowd exploded with joy and surged toward the ring. Everyone at Resorts World Casino in Queens was rooting for Rafi, a local hero who has always fought in honor of his autistic daughter and now adds his wife’s cancer to the list.

Rafi was 8-1 and in deep water against Leon “Chicken” Moore (30-2, 24 KOs), a veteran Guyanese southpaw. At stake were the vacant New York State and WBA Fedelatin super bantamweight titles. It was a thrilling finale to Saturday’s card from New Legends, Old World, and W.O.N. Promotions.

Chicken had come on big in the third round, catching Rafi coming in with the lead left, again and again. In the fourth, Rafi was down briefly, got up, and hung on through a bad fifth. He rallied in the action-packed sixth and might have stolen it, but Chicken was still timing him.

“Why do you call him Chicken?” I asked the small Guyanese cheering section.

“Because he is bony and powerful,” they said, laughing.

This made them laugh even harder.

“Which come first,” said another. “The chicken!”[[MORE]]

Then the ring broke. It took about twenty minutes to fix the sagging top rope, during which time the fighters rested, the crowd speculated about voodoo, and adorable children hawked Atlas Cops and Kids magnets.

When the conflict resumed, Chicken looked fresher, but Rafi must have used the break to think things over. I didn’t see the punch. Africa said it was a short right to the chin, kind of a hook from in close. Possibly Rafi had been setting it up for a while. The way Chicken dropped, you knew he wasn’t getting up.

In an eight-round junior middleweight feature, Richie Neves (6-0-1, 3 KOs), although undefeated, was the opponent against Frank Galarza (10-0-2, 6 KOs), a profligate ticket seller whose entrances feature live hip hop and sombrero wearing.

It was clear from early on that Neves posed little threat. Galarza was the better inside fighter, better boxer, and larger man. Midway through the third, Galarza landed a right cross that caused a delayed reaction, and left Neves clutching the ropes to stay standing.

Galarza smelled blood and got the stoppage at 1:44 of the fourth.

Elsewhere on the undercard, super featherweight Jesus “Chuchu” Bayron (5-8, 4 KOs) flew in from Puerto Rico to introduce Bryant “Peewee” Cruz (6-0, 5 KOs) to the world of six-rounders.

Peewee has good eyes: You can see him seeing the targets open and close. He started fast and delivered a barrage of punches in the second, after which Chuchu quietly bled from the left eyebrow. The tough journeyman staged a late-round rally, but Peewee held on to win a unanimous shutout and my vote for best prospect and best ring fashion of the night. When you have a trompe l’oiel rosary tattoo, you never have to worry about accessories.

Kerri Hill’s 4-25 record was tactfully omitted during the introduction to her six-round match with Amanda Serrano, who flashed her UBF Intercontinental belt, even though this was a non-title contest.

The powerful champ beat Hill like a heavy bag throughout the first round, after which Serrano’s trainer was so relaxed that he spend the round break giving himself the water. The referee stepped in at 1:07 of the second. Let’s get some competitive women’s bouts on these cards.

In the four-rounders, Irish featherweight Allan Phelan (2-2, 2 KOs) came in to House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” wearing the obligatory shiny green trunks. He stopped Benjamin Burgos (1-4) at 0:34 of the second.

Junior middleweight Anthony Birmingham (0-1-1) was slicker than Villi Bello but had no power, making a good target for Bello’s pro debut. The final went to Bello 39-36 (twice), 38-37.

Cruiserweight Jay Rodriguez (1-0-1, 1 KO), one of many proud Nuyoricans on the card, got a huge cheer from the crowd. Rodriguez didn’t take long to figure out Eric George’s (0-4) slow peekaboo style, dropping him with a pawing left in the first, then drawing the stoppage at 1:44 of the second.

DC-based super feather Nuwan “The Lion of Sri Lanka” Jayakody (1-2) provided an easier outing for Angel Garcia (5-2) than Garcia’s last here at Resorts World, when he dropped a split decision to Ray Velez. Garcia had an easier time at this lighter weight, winning 40-36 on all three cards.

In what looked like a new class called “chubbyweights,” 238-pound Evan Nedd (5-0) faced 243-pound Ytalo “The Bull” Perera (4-1). Both men arrived with flags, Perera’s Columbian, Nedd’s from “the island paradise of Aruba.”

Perera had good rhythm and won the first two rounds with our blog’s eponymous punch. He looked out of gas from a minute into the second, but still managed to drop Nedd with a hook in the third. Perera staggered his way through the fourth on fumes. The final was 39-36 (three times) for the Colombian Bull, who ought to spend his purse on a conditioning coach and lay off the arepas.