Wolves howl to close the boxing year – Ann Wolfe KO’d in the Third round! By Jonathan Cooper

HOUSTON (Nov. 30) – Billed as the woman’s fight of the year, Valerie “Lone Wolf” Mahfood and Ann “Brown Sugar” Wolf did not disappoint the 1,610 fans in attendance at Browning Boxing’s last fight night of the year Thursday at the Radisson Hotel Astrodome producing three of the most exciting light heavyweight rounds in recent history.  Mahfood (11-3, 7 KOs) scored a stunning knockout at 1:17 in the third round with a overhead right to the body and a left hook that sent Wolf (5-1, 3 KO) down for the 10-count. Wolf had started strong, sending Mahfood to the floor within the first 15-second of the fight, but Mahfood was able to recover.

“I was dazed early, she hit me harder than I expected,” Mahfood said. “I knew she was a lot stronger than me, but my experienced kept me in the fight. I know what it feels like to be knocked out, and I was the better boxer, and it won me the fight.”

Mahfood’s experience began to show in the second round when she started working the body of her taller opponent. She scored her first knockout with a three-punch combination to the body midway through Round 2. The two exchanged powerful shots in the third, before the knockout came out of nowhere and ended the fight.

A disappointed Wolf knew she had been in a war. “I bet she has never been hit as hard as she was tonight,” said Wolfe. “I needed to settle down, I was too anxious and got caught, but I know I can beat her.”

After the fight, Mahfood issued an open challenge to Laila Ali. “I have three titles she is welcome to come after,” the former prison guard said. “What I did tonight is only the beginning. If she’ll fight me, I will whip her butt all over the place.”

Houston’s Stephen Martinez returned from a nine -month layoff to headline the five-fight card. Martinez (40-4, 26 KOs) scored a fifth-round knockout over Steve Mayo (10-7, 4 KOs) in a masterful junior middleweight performance of boxing skills and raw power. Martinez knocked Mayo out with a four-punch combination that ended with a clean left hook.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the ring, so this was a tune-up,” Martinez said. “I wanted to get my 40th win and get a fight in before the end of the year. I was frustrated it took five rounds to get rid of him. He took some good shots.

“I have big goals for next year. I’m 29, more mature, and want to get back into the top 10 and compete for a world championship. I need to get back in the gym so I’m in better shape.”

Baytown’s Jaime Lopez (4-0, 1 KO) showed he could win a war in a hard fought four-round unanimous decision over Emmanuel Ford (4-10) of Tyler, Texas. The bout was a rematch from last month but the result was the same. Lopez has outclassed his opponents and he dominated the fight. Still, he was hit with a few shots that he has not experienced in his brief professional career.

“I never doubted I had a great chin,” Lopez said. “There were many guys bigger than me in my amateur career and I have to use my technique to win the fight. I won’t get intimidated. I’ll take a shot if it means landing three or four.”

Jesus Cerda (3-0, 2 KO) of Houston scored a vicious second-round knockout over Mark Favella (0-2) of San Antonio in a bantamweight fight.  Cerda showed off his boxing skills in the first round with jabs and quick movement, and he showed his destruction mindset in the second by flooring Favella with wicked combinations. The final flurry was started with a right hook that landed squarely on the jaw.

“He charged into me and I caught him with an overhand hook,” Cerda said.  “He was hurt and I was able to put him away. I wanted to feel him out in the first, see how he moves so I could catch him later in the fight.”

Miguel Martin (3-0, 2 KO), another product of Baytown, started the evening with a bang by scoring an impressive second-round TKO over fellow cruiserweight Alex Ojeda (0-2) of Houston. Martin took a few punches, but scored big with a strong jab that set up his power combinations.

“I’m real satisfied with my performance and I thank all the trainers for getting me ready,” said Martin, who took up boxing just two years ago.  “I was able to block most of his punches and get inside by using my jab. It’s very exciting when you work this hard to improve your skills and it pays off.”