CACHE CREEK RINGSIDE REPORT: DON CHARGIN HONORED, BOURLAND GETS REVENGE, YOUNG PROSPECTS TAKE STEP FORWARD
April 20, 2024
Simon Ruvalcaba
It was an action night at the Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks, CA Saturday night. An exciting but tearful night for the boxing fraternity in attendance as the night was dedicated to Hall of Fame promoter Don Chargin. The crying started when the ring announcer said at the beginning of the show “Paco Presents and Don Chargin Bring you an exciting night…” The pause followed as he tried to continue the introduction. In the end it is these kinds of minor league shows that Chargin loved to put on. The 6 bouts on the card where competitive and the crowd left to one final cheer for Chargin. Prior to the start of the main event a video photo collage (click link) was shown on the big screens in the arena accompanied by Don’s favorite singer Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” The hall of fame promoter is in the Guinness book of world records for being the longest tenured promoter in history as he was active for 69 years.
In the main event Glendale, CA’s Joel Diaz, Jr. returned to the ring after a year long lay off following his first career defeat and made quick work of Mexico City’s Miguel Angel Huerta in their lightweight contest. Diaz dropped Huerta in round 1 and the follow up forced referee Dan Stell to step in and stop matters at 2:40. Diaz is now 24-1 (20), Huerta falls to 28-16-1 (18).
In the co-main event Vallejo, California’s Ryan “The Rhino” Bourland and Los Angeles’s Jose Hernandez started where they left off in their first meeting, exchanging punches. As the action heated up in the scheduled ten round affair for the G.B.O. Super Middleweight title, the pattern of the fight set in. Bourland had his best work when he created any kind of distance or when he was in the middle of the ring. The problem was that Hernandez crowded Bourland against the ropes for a good portion of the rounds where Jose did his best work. The bout appeared as though it could go either way and in a fight that was seemingly in the balance going into the last round, it was Bourland that finished with flurries. So in the end it came down to what you where most impressed with? In a bout very hard to score Punchline scored for Bourland 96-94. Official cards read 95-95 and 97-93 (twice) for Ryan Bourland who avenges the majority decision defeat in February and goes home with a belt much to the delight of the pro Bourland crowd. Bourland now 16-2 (5), Hernandez suffers his 2nd straight defeat and falls to 19-5-1 (9).
Sacramento, CA Cruiserweight Blake “The Beast” McKernan improved to 10-0 (6) but it wasn’t easy against the hard chinned Alfredo Contreras. It was a well earned victory over the pesky Contreras who took McKernan’s best shots with a smile, and not the kind of common smile that tells you the fighter is actually hurt. Contreras didn’t seem to mind getting hit, but he did continue to take shots through the rounds. It was a game performance for Alfredo, Nonetheless, it was McKernan landing the harder shots, although Contreras threw punches in spurts. In the end “The Beast” would take the unanimous decision with scores of 58-56 (twice) and 59-55. Punchline scored it 58-56 as well for McKernan. Contreras falls to 13-22-2 (5).
Featherweight Ivan Vergara of Vacaville, CA faced the most experienced opponent of his young career but managed enough flurries to earn a unanimous decision and improve to 6-0 (2) over the very game Pablo Cupul of Merdia, Mexico who fell to 11-27 (5). Scores where 40-36 and 39-37 (twice).
In a welterweight contest, the hard punching Rudy Macedo of Montevideo, Uruguay landed a flush uppercut 41 seconds into the second round to end matters versus Matanzas, Cuba’s Yasmani Pedrosal. Macedo found his range through the first round and as most heavy hitters, was looking for his opportunity. He found it in devastating fashion and definitely is a fighter to look out for in the future! Pedrosal drops to 2-5 (1).
In the opening bout the very tall but very raw Middleweight Jorge Chavez of Vacaville, CA improved to 3-0 (2) with a TKO victory over Azusa, CA’s Albert Leyva. A right hand in the closing seconds of the first round dropped Leyva. Chavez went for the kill to start round two but Leyva weathered the storm and appeared to start getting into the fight when a combo that ended with a left hook dropped Leyva hard to the canvas forcing the immediate stoppage. Leyva falls to 1-2 (1).
Somewhere up there Don is smiling at the final show he put together!…R.I.P.
About the Editor
Army Veteran and former Professional Boxer Simon Ruvalcaba started boxing at the age of ten and Had a 71 fight amateur career which featured a 139 lbs. 1998 8th U.S. Army Boxing Championship out of Camp Casey, Korea and a spot on the prestigious Army Boxing Team at Fort Hood, TX. After a journeyman pro career of 18 fights, which included sparring sessions with many champions and contenders including Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker, Simon started writing and has contributed to many publications and websites including fighthype.com, pound4pound.com, Tahoe Daily Tribune (South Lake Tahoe, CA), Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV). He has also been the Boxing Instructor for Ken Shamrock and The Lions Den and was MMA and Bareknuckle star Paige VanZant’s first boxing coach!
Born and Raised in South Lake Tahoe, California he now resides in Sun Valley, Nevada and spends as much time as possible with his Sons Gabriel and Oscar! Beyond boxing, Simon is an all around sports fanatic and is passionate about the teams that he roots for. Simon also works as a Sportsbook Supervisor for Caesars Sportsbook in Lake Tahoe.
