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(MAR 10) Northwest women Merced Nunez
and Tammie Johnson both scored wins Saturday Night at the Silver
Reef Casino in Ferndale, Washington.
Merced Nunez (7-1 2KO) faced Caitlin Dance (2-1 1KO) in the semi
main event for the right to claim the Washington State Featherweight
title. The fight was scheduled for four rounds, with the possibility
of a fifth should the score have been even at the end of four.
However, due to a disagreement regarding compensation for the
potential extra round, the fight remained at four.
Dance had a distinct height and reach advantage over Nunez, who
entered the fight with an edge in experience and quickness. To
counteract Dance’s height, Nunez backed Dance around the ring. Nunez
began the fight as the aggressor, firing the jab at Dance’s chin
from an angle that would have necessitated that Dance employ
contortionist like ability to counter punch. Because Dance is an
effective counter puncher, and because she has the ability to catch
her opponent though she seems far away, Nunez never stopped walking
her down. There were few times when Dance was out of Nunez’s range.
She threw jabs at Dance’s head, and when Dance raised her hands,
Nunez tattooed her body. Nunez controlled the action over the course
of the four rounds, and though Dance was able to catch Nunez with an
occasional overhand right, she was not able to double up punches or
take Nunez out of her rhythm. All four judges scored the bout 40-36
for Merced Nunez, the unanimous decision title winner.
Nunez showed an aggressive side in this fight. When the two women
locked up and were told to break, Nunez would push off a bit to
create distance, but the slight gesture was enough to send the
message that she was not about to back down. In the third round,
when the women tied up, Nunez threw a hard right just as the referee
shouted to break. Nunez was given a warning, and by rights, could
have lost a point, but most importantly, she showed a boxer’s
mentality in that she remained aggressive through a lull in the
action.
Tammie Johnson (3-0) and Tanya Gallegos (4-8 2KO) slugged it out in
a junior welterweight bout for four rounds. This was Gallegos second
fight after layoff of a year and a half, and her lack of activity
showed in the opening two rounds. In those rounds Johnson charged at
Gallegos throwing punches from all angles. Johnson’s plan was to
work the body in an attempt to break down Gallegos, seeing if she
had the will to fight after the long layoff. Gallegos was most
accommodating in rounds one and two as Johnson pushed her around the
ring. Most of Johnson’s punches were coming from the outside in, and
that allowed Gallegos the opportunity to cover up and protect
herself. Then, as the second round drew to an end, a Johnson right
caught Gallegos on the head and she dropped.
In between rounds Gallegos got an earful from her corner man. What
he said was effective as Gallegos answered the bell and became a
boxer for the last two rounds. She threw her left, followed it with
a right, and then slid to the side to begin the procedure again. She
would not let Johnson get close or smother her with punches. Johnson
kept trying to press the fight, and perhaps feeling that she could
again drop Gallegos, she at times swung wildly. Gallegos could see
the openings that created, but was not quick enough to move up the
middle and land punches inside.
After four rounds two judges scored the fight 38-37, the third had
it 39-36, all in favor of Tammie Johnson, the winner by unanimous
decision.
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