San Antonio Express-News
AYALA STAYS ON TRACK
by Tex Bacon
Tony Ayala, San Antonio jnr.middleweight, stayed on track for a shot at Davey Moore's WBA strap with a sixth round stoppage against Detroit's Leslie 'Sweet Lemonade' Gardner, at The Ice World in Totowa, New Jersey.
Ayala entered the ring in peak condition. The same couldn't be said of Gardner, who according to rumours has been shirking training and instead making nocturnal journeys into Totowa's ghetto's to satisfy a drug habit. The match was made at middleweight, making many wonder whether Ayala is fast outgrowing the 154 pound division.
Ayala made a good start at the opening bell, but by mid-round had suffered a nasty cut above his right eye. This proved problematic throughout. The corner went to work on mit between rounds, and managed to close the wound.
Ayala came storming out for the second, and got docked a point early on for repeated low blows. He then trapped Gardner in the corner and dropped him with an uppercut. Gardner was up at four, but was then floored again following a hurtful body shot then a huge cross to the jaw. He barely beat the count and was staggering at the bell.
Ayala took the third comfortably, and the difference between the two was apparent, with Gardner's right eye beginning to swell.
Both men let it all loose in the fourth, in what was undoubtedly Gardner's best round. Ayala was caught flush coming in at one stage and staggered back into the ropes and Gardner, whose eye was now causing him major problems, failed to capitalise.
The fifth was also fast paced, with Ayala's cut re-opened and inspected. It was allowed to continue. Ayala landed some devastating punches mid-round, causing Gardner's eye to become an ugly mass of swollen flesh.
The end came in the sixth, when, with Ayala's cut again re-opened and inspected, Ayala cut loose, muscling his way inside and dropping Gardner with a cross for a four count. When the fighters were waved together, Ayala immediately landed a body shot before dropping Gardner with a sizzling combination to the head. This time Gardner was up at eight and looked finished but bravely carried on. Another combination to the chin had him down again straight away. To the crowds amazement he was up at three and allowed to carry on, which he bravely did. Ayala staggered him again with an uppercut, then began swinging away at the body until referee Frank Cappucino decided he had seen enough and stepped between the two combatants at the 2.34 mark.
Ayala ran his pro log to 23-0 [20] and with him being the WBA's number one contender to jnr.middleweight champ Davey Moore, we can expect to see that fight in the summer.