FIGHTLINE BY DOUG FISCHER
Fights only last a matter of minutes, but fighters are connected to each other by chains that extend for decades – even centuries – into the past. Their bond is a lineage built face-to-face: A young prospect struggles with the skills of an aging veteran whose nose was once broken by a fighter now enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In that way, muscle memory carries knowledge and boxers face a piece of everyone their opponent has fought, everyone those people fought, and so on. This month, we’re linking two blood-and-guts warriors who never won a world title but always won over the fans as they battled the best of their generations – former bantamweight contender Frankie Duarte and welterweight gatekeeper Jesus Soto Karass . With a boyish face, roguish charm and a high-octane style, Duarte quickly established himself as a Los Angeles fan favorite. The former Venice-area delinquent, known to party as hard as he fought, made 22 appearances at the legendary Olympic Auditorium as he climbed the 118-pound rankings during the 1970s. However, Duarte’s rise was derailed by drugs and alcohol. A fifth-round stoppage loss to future bantamweight beltholder Albert Davila in 1977 and back-to-back decision losses to future 130-pound titleholder Rolando Navarrete in 1979 and Neptali Alamag in 1981 coincided with Duarte’s downward spiral. But he got clean and sober during
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a brief retirement and made a comeback in 1984. Duarte went 9-1-1 over the next two years, losing a 10-round split decision to reigning bantamweight champ Richie Sandoval in a non-title bout and upsetting future 122-pound titleholder Jesus Salud (TKO 9) during the 11-bout run. In 1987, Duarte dropped a controversial 15-round decision to Ring/WBA champ Bernado Pinango and won a rematch with Davila (TKO 10). The Ring honored him with the Comeback of the Year award, earned as much for his inspirational victory over addiction as his storybook rise to title contention. Duarte’s second title shot – to future Hall of Famer Daniel Zaragoza, who stopped him in 10 rounds in 1989 – would be his last bout. He retired with a 45-8-1 (33 KOs) record. Like Duarte, Soto Karass was known to party hard with the fans who cheered him on during his many memorable slugfests – often immediately after his fights, which were a staple of the Spanish-language Solo Boxeo series that aired on Telefutura/UniMas during the 2000s. A volume-punching pressure fighter from the boxing hotbed of Los Mochis, Mexico, Soto Karass thrilled Southern California fans, as Duarte did in previous decades, but he was also a road warrior who gleefully swapped leather in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlantic City, Tucson and almost every major city in Texas.
ZARAGOZA TKO 10 DUARTE AUGUST 31, 1989
ZARAGOZA D 12 PATTERSON DECEMBER 5, 1992
GATTI UD 12 PATTERSON DECEMBER 15, 1995
GOMEZ TKO 7 GATTI JULY 14, 2007
Viewed as a prospect after an 11-0-1 start, Soto Karass almost dropped to “opponent” status after dropping three consecutive decisions to undefeated prospects (including future 154-pound beltholder Yuri Foreman). However, he evolved into a solid fringe contender during a 15-bout unbeaten streak from 2005-2009 that included victories over former 140-pound titleholder Vince Phillips (TKO 9) and contenders Chris Smith (UD 10) and David Estrada (TKO 8). Later in his career, Soto Karass settled into a respected gatekeeper role, testing up-and-comers and battling fellow veterans. Notable bouts during this period include stoppage losses to Marcos Maidana (TKO 8) and Keith Thurman (TKO 9), decision losses to Devon Alexander (UD 10) and Mauricio Herrera (MD 10), and upsets over Selcuk Aydin (MD 10) and Andre Berto (TKO 12). His first bout with Yoshihiro Kamegai – a 10-round split draw in 2016 – was a Fight of the Year candidate. His final bout – a 10-round majority decision over fellow volume puncher Neeco Macias in 2018 – set CompuBox PunchStat records. Somehow, Soto Karass threw 1,848 punches in his last hurrah. There are multiple paths linking Duarte and Soto Karass, whose primes are separated by 25 years, but we found a Fightline that connects them with just four boxers. Can you find a faster route? If so, or if you have another Fightline you’d like to submit, send it to comeoutwriting@ gmail.com. And remember, some fighters can be linked on paper by jumping forward and backward in time, but to be a true lineage, the fights must come in chronological order.
GOMEZ TD-U 6 SOTO KARASS NOVEMBER 14, 2009
96 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
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