Citizen Staff Writer
JUSTIN ADLER
sports@tucsoncitizen.com
Spending 40 to 50 hours a week drilling holes in concrete under the Tucson sun is not part of the normal boxer’s training routine. But for local welterweight Adan Leal, it’s part of the grind.
On Friday night the termite-exterminator-by-day, boxer-by-night continued his undefeated professional career, improving to 6-0 by defeating Carlos de la Cruz (10-8) in four rounds at Desert Diamond Casino.
“I give all the credit to (de La Cruz) because I gave him everything I had, and he was still standing,” said Leal, who had recorded five consecutive knockouts coming into Friday’s fight.
“I got a little disappointed because I got tired in the third round,” said Leal, who added that if it were not for back pain that flared up in the third round, he believes he would have been able to knock out de la Cruz (McAllen, Texas).
Leal’s goal is to build his stamina in the coming weeks of training. He hopes to fight in a six-round bout Aug. 31.
Leal wakes up at 5:30 and drives from Nogales, Son., to Tucson to work as a termite exterminator for Truly Nolan. After working in the sun for hours, Leal heads to his gym at 5 p.m. to train until 7.
• In a heated main event, super lightweight Francisco Bojado (18-2) defeated Rogelio Castaneda Jr. (23-13-3) 1:30 into the 10th round on a TKO.
Bojado’s victory was announced to cheers – as well as boos from fans who were upset by his two jabs that connected as Castaneda was falling down early in the 10th.
“The ref didn’t do a very good job. He should have stepped between us,” Bojado said of his late hits.
Bojado, from Los Angeles, didn’t waste much time after he lost a point from the dispute and was quick to attack Castaneda (Sacramento, Calif.) with a flurry of left and right jabs, which ended the match.
• In the co-main event, lightweight Jose Santa Cruz (25-2) of Lincoln Heights, Calif., defeated Dario Esalas (29-9) of San Onofre, Colombia, in the second round as the referee declared a TKO.
• Local middleweight Roberto Miramontes’ professional debut could not have gone much worse, as he was knocked out 2:31 into the first round by Deferson Legrand (2-0) of Queens, N.Y.
Miramontes lay unresponsive on the mat for 30 seconds before regaining consciousness. Ringside doctor Lawrence D’Antonio said he sustained a very mild concussion.