Former World Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Hugo Fidel Cazares (26-4-1, 19 KOs) won a a0-round unanimous decision on Friday night over veteran Kermin Guardia (37-8, 21 KOs) at the Cicero Stadium, in Cicero, Illinois. Cezares, 29, ranked #1 in the WBO, struggled in the early rounds against the #13th ranked Guardia, who hit him often with jabs and left hands. However, after the 3rd round, Cezares took over the fight, and never looked back as he out-landed Guardia in the remainder of the bout. The final judges’ scores were 97-93, 97-93 and 98-92, all for Cezares.
In rounds 1-3, Cezares had trouble landing his shots, as he seemed over eager, looking for a knockout shot. It almost seemed as if his timing was still off from his last bout, a 12-round split decision to defensive wizard Ivan Calderon in August 2007. Cezares, who looked like a giant next to the much smaller 5′0″ Calderon, was shorter than the 5′7″ Guardia, who used his long arms to tag Cezares with shots repeatedly in the first three rounds.
In rounds 4-10, the fight turned around, as Cezares became much more precise with his shots, concentrating on connecting with Guardia rather than trying to take his head off. It paid off, for Cezares was able to hit Guardia much more frequently, landing good straight left hands. From the fourth round until the 10th, Cezares had his way with Guardia. Overall, it was an excellent fight for Cezares, who is trying to set up a rematch with the WBO champion Ivan Calderon. I don’t see him beating Calderon in a rematch, but he should make it interesting while the fight last.
