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Aug 26, 2005 - Fight Results

By DAN ARRITT
Special to the Monterey Herald

CORONA - When Ryan Davis stepped into the outdoor ring Friday night, he was also taking the biggest step of his professional boxing career.

Up against former world championship contender Carlos Bojorquez, a crowd favorite and a nearby resident of Mira Loma, Davis fought gamely in the scheduled 10-round junior middleweight bout before twice taking a knee after hard blows from Bojorquez early in the seventh round, causing referee David Denkin to stop the fight.

"My pride is hurt right now," Davis said afterward. "I could have fought a lot better."

Bojorquez, who once beat Pernell Whitaker, represented the toughest matchup thus far for Davis.

Davis, who began training full time earlier this year with Garcia Boxing of Salinas, was knocked down about a minute into the fight by a left hook from Bojorquez.

"It was just an uphill battle after that," Davis said.

A straight right sent him into the ropes later in the round, but Davis survived by putting together a couple left hooks of his own.

Wearing black and white striped socks and knee-length black trunks, Davis picked up the pace in the second round and third round, while continuing to move clockwise and avoid Bojorquez's powerful right hand. Bojorquez began to catch up with Davis in the fourth round, bloodying his nose with a pair barrages in the middle of the ring.

Davis, 26, then opened a cut near the right temple of Bojorquez early in the fifth round, causing blood to spill down the from of Bojorquez's white trunks. Bojorquez (25-7-6, 21 KOs) complained to Denkin that it resulted from a head butt and he then fought angrily the remainder of the round.

Davis (19-4-2, 8 KOs) began moving better in the sixth round as Bojorquez lunged in an effort to land a blow. But Davis tired at the end of the round and Bojorquez was able to finish the last 10 seconds with a flurry.

That seemed to carry over to the seventh round, when Davis was stung early and then took a knee after a straight right to the head. After a standing eight count, Bojorquez quickly moved in and continued the attack, forcing Davis to take another knee in the same corner.

"I could have kept fighting but I thought I was losing on all the scorecards," Davis said

The loss ended a four-fight winning streak for Davis.

Bojorquez, who was born in Mexico, was coming off a loss to undefeated Joachim Alcine in Montreal.

Max Garcia, Davis' trainer, said he and the fighter would be meeting soon to discuss Davis' boxing career.

Originally published Aug 27, 2005