Francis was stopped in the seventh round of a highly competitive fight in which he was leading on the scorecards. This fight was the co-feature on ProBox TV’s card from Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, California.
Francis, the 34-year-old from West New York, New Jersey, was in a make-or-break fight for his career. Entering his mid-30s, time is no longer on his side. Facing the 19-year-old, blue-chip prospect Moreno is even more clear as Moreno is a blue-chip prospect. Francis found himself in a fight he had to win or the light on his career would significantly dim, if not fade. He didn’t win, but the outcome he feels was taken out of his hands.
“I am frustrated. I was up on the scorecards. I was doing great,” Francis told BoxingScene. “I could have done more and listened to my corner, but I have that dog in me. It was a good fight. I don’t know what the fuck happened.”
It is important to understand the sequence of events that led to the fight’s stoppage. Francis was rocked by a shot in the seventh round, but never seemed to lose his senses. The referee stepped in with 16 seconds left in the round in a confusing sequence that left fans frustrated just as the fight appeared to be heating up.
“I was thinking he was going to come in and break up the clinch and say go ahead boxing again like every other referee,” Francis, 13-3 (8 KOs) said.
Moreno, 12-0 (7 KOs) of Long Beach, California, was jubilant in victory, but Francis’ trainer, Francisco Guzman was angry and demanded accountability:
“He stopped that fight without a warning or without nothing,” Guzman, Francis’ trainer, told BoxingScene. “The commission needs to call him in and ask him why he stopped the fight the way he did. He gave no warning and Cesar Francis was up on the cards.”
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