Osiobe bests Hernandez; Rojas conquers Serrano in Tacoma!

 

Tacoma, WA (August 19, 2012) - Grizzled veteran Robert Osiobe of Nigeria made his “Battle at the Boat” debut a successful one by scoring a razor-thin majority decision over Forth Worth, TX’s Jose Hernandez Saturday evening in Tacoma.

 

The 88^th edition of “Battle at the Boat” was promoted by Halquist Productions and took place at the Emerald Queen Casino.

 

An evenly-matched contest between tough lightweights, both men boxed patiently during the first nine rounds, counterpunching for the majority. Osiobe and Hernandez each landed some solid shots, most notably a hard jab that knocked out the Texan’s mouthpiece. In the closing stanza, an aggressive Osiobe and efficient Hernandez fought in close quarters hoping for a knockout, but the final bell left the bout in the judges’ hands.

 

Scores were 96-94 twice and 95-95.

 

Osiobe improves to 13-5-4 with 6 knockouts. Hernandez, who dropped a number of close decisions, falls to 13-6-1 with 5 wins by knockout.

 

Portland, OR native Osvaldo Rojas, 7-2-2 (2 KO’s), took an impressive decision over fan favorite Nate Serrano, 4-2-1 (3 KO’s) in the six round welterweight co-feature. Rojas and Serrano, of nearby Yakima, WA, previously fought to a scintillating six round draw on June 2, but this time the visitor took control.

 

Rojas, who brought a group of vocal fans down Interstate 5 with him, fought most of the contest from the outside and did so successfully against his shorter foe. Serrano did his best to keep the fight in close quarters however Rojas had a good amount of momentum. In the fifth, Serrano was buzzed by a multi-punch combo but battled back hard in the sixth.

 

All three judges ruled in Rojas’ favor by the tally of 59-55.

 

In what turned out to be the most exciting match of the evening, Visalia, CA’s Jose Leon scored a gutsy second round TKO over Kalispell, MT resident Jesse Uhde. Uhde appeared en route to scoring an impressive victory early on, decking Leon with a hard hook in the opening round. Early In the second, Leon was rocked again with another hook and his glove touched the canvas, but the tides ultimately turned. Moments later, Leon connected with a strong shot to Uhde’s face that put him down. Uhde got up on unsteady legs and stumbled into the referee, forcing him to stop the bout at 43 seconds of round number two.

 

Leon ups his record to 3-1-1 with 2 KO’s, while Uhde slips to 2-2 (1 KO).

 

In other undercard action, locals Omar Avelar of Moses Lake, WA and Eltopa, WA’s Andres Ramos scored impressive victories. Portland’s Gabriel Pineda also emerged victorious.

 

“This was a very exciting card,” said promoter Brian Halquist. “We had a lot of hungry fighters on this card and everybody fought extremely hard. I’m definitely impressed with what I saw.”

 

Halquist Productions returns to the Emerald Queen September 29 with a stacked MMA card followed by “Battle at the Boat 89” on November 3.

 

Information about both events will be available shortly.

 

During the last 23 years, Halquist Productions built a reputation in the boxing world for their loyalty, honesty and integrity. In 1997, Halquist Productions ran their inaugural “Battle at the Boat” series, which remains successful to this day. Halquist Productions promoted many world title bouts and their fight cards have been seen on ESPN, HBO and Showtime.

Serrano believes the second time is a charm!

 

Tacoma, WA (August 9, 2012) – On June 2, welterweights Nate Serrano and Osvaldo Rojas engaged in one of the most exciting bouts in “Battle at the Boat” history.

 

Serrano, a retired marine who has a gargantuan fan base at the Emerald Queen Casino and Rojas, a rugged Oregonian, slugged it out throughout their unforgettable six round contest. Both men had their moments and the crowd remained at the edge of their seats from bell to bell.

 

Upon the bout’s completion, both men were met with a round of applause from the appreciative crowd. A case could’ve been made for either man to emerge as the victor and the pro-Serrano crowd wasn’t sure whose hand would be raised when the scorecards were read.

 

Ultimately, the judges ruled it a split draw, opening the door for a rematch. Just moments after the official decision came, Serrano, 4-1-1 (3 KO’s), and Rojas, 6-2-2 (2 KO’s), agreed they’d meet again August 18 as part of the “Battle at the Boat 88” fight card.

 

“I’ve seen so many proposed rematches of great fights fall apart for one reason or another,” said Brian Halquist, CEO of Halquist Productions. “From the time their first fight ended, I really wanted them to meet again. Thankfully, both fighters were 100 percent behind an immediate rematch and I commend them for giving the fans what they want.”

 

Like his counterpart Serrano wants to provide excitement and turn the draw into a win. The Yakima native, whose fought all of his professional bouts for Halquist at the Emerald Queen Casino, is confident he made the necessary adjustments to do so.  

 

“It was a great fight,” Serrano said of his first fight with Rojas. I thought everybody enjoyed it and that’s why we agreed to do it again. I feel like I edged him out but it was a very close fight. The difference this time is that I’m not going to waste any punches."

 

He also recognizes the importance of keeping his loyal fans happy.

 

“In my eyes, there’s always pressure on me to go out there and put on a good performance for my fans, my team and myself. It means a lot the fans support me so strongly and I’m happy to perform for them. It does help when I get the support and it’s a good feeling to know that they like my fights. To reward them, I expect to be victorious on the 18^th.”

 

The highly anticipated Serrano-Rojas rematch serves as the co-feature to the ten round lightweight battle between hungry veterans Jose Hernandez and Robert Osiobe.

 

Highly touted junior welterweight Ray Lampkin Jr. of Portland fights for the second time in as many fights on a BATB card when he meets Randell Corpuz of Yakima. The son of title contender Ray Lampkin Sr., the younger Lampkin posted a 67-7 amateur record and amongst the Pacific Northwest’s most promising prospects.

 

Also appearing in undercard bouts are four rounders between Jose Leon ofLos Angeles, CA and Lakeside, MT’s Jesse Udhe, along with matchups between Hillsboro, OR resident Gabriel Pineda and Twin Falls, ID native Matthew Flores as well as Andres Ramos of Spokane, WA against Frank Mendez of Longview, WA.

 

Tickets starting at $25 are available at the EQC box office or by going to Ticektmaster.com.

 

Doors open at 6 pm and the opening bell is scheduled for 7.

 

During the last 23 years, Halquist Productions built a reputation in the boxing world for their loyalty, honesty and integrity. In 1997, Halquist Productions ran their inaugural “Battle at the Boat” series, which remains successful to this day. Halquist Productions promoted many world title bouts and their fight cards have been seen on ESPN, HBO and Showtime.