By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO (jGLi) –  Former World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight Champion David Diaz of Chicago, Illinois, may lack the height advantage of his opponent but he matched it with his speed and skill as he went on to eke out a majority decision over Robert “Red Hot” Frankel of Denver, Colorado, on Friday (Jan. 28) night’s Fight Night 15 at the University of Illinois in Chicago Pavilion.

One judge called it a 95-95 draw while the two others had Diaz ahead 97-93 and 96-94.

The bloody end also ended the six-bout winning streak of Frankel, whose fans from Denver were outnumbered by a home crowd.

Taking the heavy blows from Frankel, Diaz reciprocated by giving Frankel wicked shots to the head and body.

Diaz (36-3-1) first drew blood from Frankel (27-10-10) in the fourth round while Frankel returned the favor in the seventh round. There were no knockdowns during the bout that ended with both fighters bloodied.

“It was a tough fight,” Diaz told this reporter, as he returned to the ring for the first time after he lost to Humberto Soto for the WBC lightweight title last March 13 in the undercard of the fight between Filipino star Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.

W hen asked by this reporter what is next for him after the fight, the 34-year-old Diaz said, “I want a title fight.” Diaz, a southpaw, is being promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions.

The early rounds were about even. But by the ninth and tenth rounds, Diaz was on the driver’s seat as he drove Frankel into a corner a number of times.

In the other featured event, Chicago-based Andrzej Fonfara (16-2), a native of Warsaw, Poland, and light heavyweight, scored a seventh knock out, as he stopped Adam Jaco (10-4) at 2:25 in the fifth round.

Fonfara sent the Sarasota, Florida, boxer to the canvass on the third round of the eight-round bout. He floored him again in the fifth round.

When Forfara pummeled Jaco with relentless blows, the referee stopped the fight.

In another match, Alexander de Leon of St. Joseph, Missouri, (3-2-1) beat the previously undefeated Jaime Herrera (5-1) at 48 seconds of the second round to earn a TKO in the scheduled six-rounder for a welterweight match.

In one of the other matches that entertained the crowd of more than 3,000, unbeaten welterweight Achour Esho (10-0) of Palatine, Illinois, came back from a fourth-round knockdown to score a technical knockout over Corey Rodriguez (5-2-2) of Minneapolis at 68 seconds of the fifth round for the scheduled six rounder.

Anton Novikov (18-0) won a unanimous decision over Dashon Johnson (11-4-3) of Melrose Park, Illinois, in their eight-round match.

Aslanbeck Kozaev (14-0) beat Hector Alatorre of Tulare, California, for the super lightweight bout scheduled for six rounds. # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at:  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)