February 19, 2000

Saturday, February 19, 2000
Roseland Theater
Portland, OR
Promoter: Spartan Media
Matchmaker: Thad Spenser
Referees: James Churn, Darrell Penn, Bill Thornberg
Judges: Greg Baker, Joe Bonaventura, Paul Weitzel
Ringside Physicians: Dr. Douglas Rexin, Dr. Louis Rios
Estimated 300 in attendance

The Main Event

In a 10 round main, 27 year-old Quandray "Candy" Robertson (now 9-1, 8 KO's) 152 1/2 lbs, of Salem, Oregon stopped 42 year-old Southpaw Augustine Caballero 150 3/4 lbs (now 19-10, 10 K0's) originally of Panama City, Panama but now fighting out of Fresno, CA, by TKO at 2:09 of the 5th round.

The guy next to me in the balcony swears he saw Augustin Caballero throw a punch. Kind of a right hook, he says, though he admits it didn't have much snap. I missed this event. Must have blinked. I saw the tall, serpentine Caballero slip and dance and slide into repeated octopus clinches. But I never saw him throw a punch. I saw a gesture with the right hand that, in a still photo, would resemble a southpaw jab. But it just hung there, quivering slightly, never actually landing. Candy Robertson stayed calm in the face of this menace, stalking and then lunging in, trying to land a hook before being enveloped in the mollusc clinch. In the first round a big Robertson left to the head decked Caballero, who beat the count at the bell. A similar pattern appeared in the second and fourth rounds. Caballero didn't hit the deck in the third, but the ref docked him a point for holding. In the fifth Robertson trapped him on the ropes and pummeled his head until he dropped. Caballero got up quick, as always, but his corner had already tossed in the towel. A KO win for Robertson at 2:09 of the 5th.

The aging Caballero was a remedial or First-Aid opponent for Robertson, whose self-esteem as an undefeated rutabaga smasher had been sorely disrupted last November 5th by Carlos "El Elegante" Bojorquez at the Legends Casino in Toppenish, WA. Bojorquez cold-cocked the exhausted Robertson in the 9th round of their scheduled ten. After a minute or two in the murk of the crocodile zone, Robertson awoke in a low, and persistently bitter mood. Before the New Year rolled in Robertson had lost his day job, broken up with his wife and his trainer, and pulled out of a scheduled January 21 bout. Now, reunited with his wife, Robertson has a new job, a new trainer, and a new victory over the elusive but harmless Caballero, who hasn't won a fight since 1992.

The Semi

The long-armed jab-and-move stylings of Mahon Washington, (now 12-4-2, 2 KO) 140 lbs, of Las Vegas were effective enough to win a majority decision in 6 rounds over the shorter, buzz-saw rythms of Awell Abdulai (now 6-1, 4 KO)140 lbs, of Las Vegas. Abdulai threw a lot but landed little. The judges called it 58-56, 59-54, 58-58, for Washington.

The Pre-Lims

Southpaw Gabriel Cruz 174 lbs (now 2-0) of Fresno won a unanimous decision in 6 rounds over Jeff Simmons (now 4-1-1), 171 1/2 lbs. Judges scores read 58-57, 59-58, 58-56.

Greg Dial (Now 3-0,2) 247 1/2 lbs, of Tacoma, heavyweights, won a plodding four round unanimous decision over stalwart Ben Pearsen (now 1-1-2) 252 lbs, of Boise, ID. Dial tired after the second round while Pearsen's energy increased. Scores were 39-38, 39-37, 39-37.

Fight of The Night

In a four round Female bout, 35 year-old Suzanne McDaniels (Now 1-2) 137 lbs, of Boise, Idaho stopped 39 year-old Lisa Lovell (Now 1-2) 137 lbs, of Las Vegas at 1:52 of the third round. Power-punching McDaniels was outpointing the boxer Lovell when referee Darrell Penn stopped the action to have the ringside physician check the luminous ping-pong ball sized swelling under Lovell's left eye. The doctor stopped the match and Lovell could be seen in the arena later with an ice pack nursing that eye.

This show was officially declared cancelled by Jim Cassidy, the Executive Director of the Oregon State Boxing and Wrestling Commission as of 9:30 Friday morning but he announced it resurrected by 3:30 the same afternoon. The promoters missed the Wednesday afternoon deadline for filing of fighters license applications and medical info so Cassidy pushed the deadline to noon on Thursday, then to five p.m. Thursday. On Friday morning Cassidy told this reporter the show was off because he only had two bouts completely licensed and ready to go. Apparently by then there were fighters in the air flying in from Las Vegas and Fresno. The promoters must have raised a ruckus demanding more time. By 3:30 Cassidy said he had the necessary info.

The weigh-in on Friday night wore on the nerves of all participants because the doctor was nearly an hour and a half late. The waiting fighters were hungry and thirsty and the managers and trainers were on the verge of middle-aged mayhem. Cassidy said it was the most difficult show he had ever tried to put together.