Friday Night Fights Report - March 27, 2009

It's a big night on Friday Night Fights, live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The main event is a fairly important heavyweight fight between Eddie Chambers and Samuel Peter.

The Ring magazine currently has Peter ranked sixth, but Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas point out that he stands to plummet if he loses tonight. Chambers, on the other hand, can take a step up if he can find a way to get past the much larger Peter.

The first fight on the card showcases U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada as he goes up against Ray Craig. Estrada is from East L.A. and is 2-0 with two KOs in his young pro career. This one is scheduled for four rounds.

A minute in, Craig stumbles forward and is hit while doing so. It's scored as a knockdown, and Estrada quickly scores another one with a right. A left hand puts Craig back on the canvas, and that's it. Estrada wins by TKO at 1:41 of Round 1. Atlas is pretty vocal with his opinion that the Olympic boxers don't get anything out of fights like this one.

Brian Kenny is in the studio to review last weekend's fights. He introduces highlights from Vitali Klitschko-Juan Carlos Gomez and Roy Jones Jr.-Omar Sheika. We get B.J. Flores and Chris Byrd highlights too.

Jaime Motta talks a little bit about the history of boxing in Los Angeles, dating back to cards at the Olympic Auditorium. This is the first live boxing card at the Nokia Theatre, but there are high hopes that it becomes a regular venue for the sport.

Next up is an eight-round fight featuring John Molina and Carlos Vinan Soto. The outspoken Molina is 15-0 with 11 KOs, while his opponent is 8-6-3 with eight previous fights against undefeated fighters.

This turns into a close-range slugfest right away, with Vinan coming right at Molina and swinging away along the ropes. Both men are getting tagged by some strong shots as they stumble to the mat late in the first round.

Blood is coming from Vinan Soto's nose as the second round. The stats show the guys combined to throw over 230 punches in the opening frame. Molina is able to work with slightly more distance in the second round, and the final minute sees him land a series of vicious right hands that finally force the ref to step in and call a stop to the action. John Molina wins by TKO at 2:40 of Round 2.

Back in the studio with BK, who discusses today's breaking news that the substance in Antonio Margarito's gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley was not just a plaster-like substance, but actual plaster. Other news includes the passing of former Mexican champion Raul Macias.

The next fight sees the professional debuts of Javier Molina and Jamie Cabrera. Molina is a decorated amateur turning pro at age 19, while Cabrera is fighting for the first time as a professional at 36. This is a welterweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Cabrera is coming forward but getting caught on his way in. Molina shows good movement and mixes up his attack to the body and head in the first round.

Molina also likes to double up on his left hook to the body and head. About halfway through the second round, he sends Cabrera down with a body shot and a right upstairs. A left hook puts Cabrera back on the canvas, and that's all she wrote. Javier Molina wins by TKO at 1:50 of Round 2.

BK introduces highlights of Bernard Dunne and Ricardo Cordoba, a super featherweight fight that Dan Rafael is touting as a possible Fight of the Year candidate. We also see Arthur Abraham video as he retained his title against LaJuan Simon.

Posted by The Franchise