Lucky Eagle Fight Night 58	February 9, 2008
It has been about three months since Eric Boose has really been able to smile after leaving the ring. In October of last year Boose lost to Jonathon Williams in a NWBA heavyweight bout. When Williams had to relinquish the belt, Boose set his sights on wearing it. The opportunity did not come without confusion. A number of opponents fell out, but Boose remained confident that he would claim the title. Two weeks ago Louis Monaco fought to a majority draw. He threw punches sparingly in that fight, and followed the pattern when he stepped in against Boose. Monaco is a strong man. In fact, if he were green, you might mistake him for the Incredible Hulk. If he lands a punch solidly, well, remember what Bruce Banner did to people when things did not go his way? The problem for Monaco was not so much that he did not try to land something big; the problem was that Boose would not let him land anything damaging. Boose meanwhile boxed smartly. He used his jab effectively, letting Monaco know that his chin was never out of reach. Monaco is a tough guy though and it would take more than the jack hammer power and accuracy of Boose's jab to jostle Monaco's head from his muscular neck. So, once the jab started working, and Boose was able to land it two or three times in a row, in round four he planted a right hand which dropped Monaco. Boose appeared to be setting up the right in rounds two and three, lulling Monaco into raising his hands to cover his head, thus leaving the rest of his body open to an assault. Though Monaco would rise after the hard right, he staggered a bit. He held on to Boose for the remainder of the round, a smart move because had Boose found any room at all he might have ended the fight right there. Monaco had to receive directions to locate his corner after the fourth round, and the ringside physician had to take a look. While the referee and doctor agreed to let Monaco continue, they were both keeping a close eye on him. Monaco staggered with his first step to answer the bell that opened round five. The referee called time. The doctor climbed up on the apron to look in Monaco's eyes, and the fight was waved to an end. Now Eric Boose can smile again. He can wear the NWBA Heavyweight Title belt, and just maybe he can look to even the score with Jonathon Williams a few months down the road.	When Boose used his right, he caught Monaco and dropped him     Yes, Eric Boose and the guys who directed the fight, can smile again.
Aragon lands a right	I have written it here before. Jacob Ruffin, a man with eight losses, is getting better, but he finds himself matched against guys just a bit tougher on the given night. Ben Aragon also brought eight losses into the ring, but his six wins show that he has the ability to win. Aragon controlled the fight from the outset. He used his left to back Ruffin around the ring, and jumped in with a right whenever there was an opening. There was a moment in the third round when it looked like the fight would end. Aragon landed a solid right to Ruffin's body that caused Ruffin a whole lot of pain. However, to his credit, Ruffin dropped his hands a bit to protect his body and moved to keep from getting hit again, thus he survived the round. That may have been the motivation Ruffin needed as he fought quite well in the fourth round, one at least two judges believed he won. In the end Aragon would walk away with the win, 59-55 on two cards, 60-54 on the third. Ruffin would be left to wonder when he would get another shot at winning.
The last time Lyle Johnson fought at the Lucky Eagle he lost, sleepwalking through a fight he should have won with relative ease. He returned to prove he could fight and has a place in the northwest boxing scene. Luis Lopez just came off a disappointing, albeit controversial, loss to Camacho Jr. in Arizona. He was ready to get back on track with a win. Johnson used a quick jab and effective footwork to out maneuver the methodical Lopez in the opening round. There were a couple of moments when Lopez's legs wobbled after Johnson caught him. Some of that may have been from sitting in the car for so long (with all three mountain passes closed making the trip from eastern Washington involved a circuitous route), some of it may have been from coming off a big fight, some of it may have been from the effect of Johnson's punches. Whatever the reason, Johnson won the opening round. Then the fight got interesting. Johnson opened the second the way he closed the first. He landed just about everything he threw and Lopez was retreating. When Johnson landed a right that knocked Lopez in to the ropes, he jumped on Lopez trying to end the fight. Lopez leaned back and covered up. Johnson stood in front of him and wailed away. That was a mistake. A wounded wolf will fight back, and El Lobo Lopez threw a left hook that caught Johnson flush and sent him to the mat. He would get up, but not before the referee had reached ten. Lopez, on the brink of being dropped himself rose and won. While he considered changing his fight name from El Lobo, maybe after this fight he should be The Phoenix.	When you knock a man out, there isn't much to do but watch
Bloomfield sneaks a left inside	Ok, let's be clear, even before we get to the end of this and write about the outcome. We want to see this match up again. Leo Bercier improves every time he steps in to the ring. He has gained quickness and fights smart. Vili Bloomfield has one punch power but he has learned that he can not rely on that alone. Bercier gained an edge in the opening round as he caught Bloomfield using a jab. In that round Bloomfield did little to get out of Bercier's way, and thus invited Bercier to score. Bloomfield awoke in the middle rounds. Knowing that he probably would not be able to knock out Bercier, Bloomfield boxed him. He was able to slip his jab between Bercier's defense and catch his nose and chin. Bercier reasserted his will in the fourth. He threw his jab enough to move Bloomfield around the ring and seemed to control most of the action of the round. Strangely neither man went to the other's body with regularity. There were times when a well placed shot to the ribs might have backed the other man off, or slowed him down some. In the first round Bloomfield dropped to a knee after he appeared to have taken a shot to the ribs. The referee ruled differently. If that were a knockdown, the result would have been different. After four rounds one judge scored the fight 39-37 for Bloomfield, the other two saw the fight even. Shall we match them up again?
At the midpoint of the opening round Matt Palmer threw a left-right combination that could be heard throughout the room and dropped Corey McFarland to the mat. McFarland stood and finished the round, but he had learned a valuable lesson in his professional debut: having a reach advantage is good, but being quick is a bit better. Palmer lost a point in the second round for hitting to the back of the head. He won the round, but the loss of the point made the round even. In the fourth round McFarland showed that he possesses the ability to box. He threw an effective jab. He dropped punches at Palmer's body. While the men were in the center of the ring exchanging punches Palmer reeled backwards to the ropes. In fact, the ropes kept him from falling. McFarland thought he would score a knockdown, bringing the score of the fight much closer, but the referee ruled that Palmer staggered after a push. All three judges scored the fight 39-35 in favor of Palmer, his second win.	Palmer had little trouble finding McFarland's chin
	Fightnews.com named Bob Oleson of Portland, Oregon the Northwest Cornerman of the Year. Besides being one of the nicest men in the business, Bob has amassed more than fifty years of experience in the boxing business. Fight fans see him at just about every show working corners. While soft spoken, his knowledge of the sport has lead many young fighters to impressive records. Bob is the president of Canadian-American-Mexican (CAM) Boxing and has been part of promoting fights around the world. Bob is currently working with Alex Bunema, among others.
Bennie Georgino put together this, his 58th show at the Lucky Eagle Casino. Bennie just might possess more knowledge of fighters than anyone. He knows how to match fighters to make good fights. A fighter's record shows up on the paper; Bennie knows how the fighter will react in the ring, and that is what makes his shows successful. The Fightnews.com Northwest Promoter of the Year award is not Bennie's first. He has been named Promoter of the Year by Ring Magazine. Bennie is also a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame. His granddaughter, Samantha, entered the ring to accept the award, as the proud promoter (inset) looked on.
Silky Throated Ring Announcer Greg Bailey celebrated his birthday at Fight Night 58 at the Lucky Eagle. The talented gentlemen sings the National Anthem as well.
The Lucky Eagle Ring Card Girls Is there anything better than a bevy of blondes on a blustery winter evening?