By Ricardo Ibarra

Unbeaten cruiserweight prospect Mike “White Delight” Wilson (16-0, 7 KOs) added another win to his unblemished record on Friday night at the Jackson County Expo in his hometown of Central Point, Oregon, turning in a dominant eight round performance, beating Oklahoma’s Aaron Chavers by unanimous decision in the main event of White Delight Promotions’ “Rogue Valley Rumble” 6.

Wilson employed a work-man like approach from the start, moving well and working off his jab to set up his heavier arsenal. As the fight wore on, Wilson picked up his output and began to land more consistently with hard combinations, focusing a lot of his attention to his opponent’s body. Digging deep with thudding hooks to the mid-section, Wilson frequently found success with body work before working his way back to the head. Chavers was a game fighter, but Wilson showed superior skills throughout the fight, controlling the action and racking up points with the more effective offense. All three judges scored the fight 80-72, giving Wilson his sixteenth win and his sixth straight in front of his local fans.

After the fight, Wilson gave his opponent credit for his efforts. “He was a tough guy, a hard guy to hit with anything too clean down the middle. He kept his hands up really well, and had a good defense, so we just dug him out to the body. I was able to dig to his body all night long. That’s always a good investment. Solid opponent”

With his first fight of the year in the books, Wilson now looks ahead. “I want to keep busy this year and just keep plugging away. Another eight rounder down. I definitely want to go ten next time. Step it up each time as we go. I’ll try to get on the road and fight and just stay busy.”

Five fights featuring Pacific Northwest fighters made up the remainder of the card.

In the semi-main event of the night, Seattle’s Rob Diezel (11-7, 3 KOs) won the WBU Pacific Northwest Jr. lightweight title, stopping Salem, Oregon’s Juan Jaramillo (10-14-2, 3 KOs) in the fifth round, claiming his third win over the Oregonian. Both fighters had their moments early in the fight with Diezel boxing well in the first two rounds and Jaramillo using his aggression to regain some momentum in the middle rounds. Diezel, who does well when allowed to sit back and counter, used Jaramillo’s aggression against him in the fifth, catching him with an uppercut as Jaramillo pressed, dropping him for a count. Jaramillo beat the count, but as the action was allowed to resume, Diezel pounced, unloading with a barrage along the ropes. Jaramillo’s corner called for a stoppage, giving Diezel the fifth round TKO win. Diezel’s other two wins over Jaramillo were both decisions.

Highly touted former amateur stand-out Victor Morales, Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) added his third win as a pro, stopping Seattle’s Leo Gomez (0-1) in the first round. Morales, of Vancouver, Washington, used his superior hand speed to overwhelm his opponent from the start, unloading with blistering one-twos and hard hooks in close. Gomez, an MMA pro who was making his boxing debut, fired back but was clearly out-matched by the quick handed offense of Morales. Mid-way through the round Morales sent Gomez reeling into the corner with a hard hook to the mid-section and followed up with a barrage of unanswered punches, prompting referee Joel Scobie to wisely step in and stop it. Morales, who continues to build a considerable fan-base in the state of Oregon, adds his second consecutive stoppage win. The bout was contested in the featherweight division.

In a cruiserweight match-up, Bend, Oregon’s Alberto Rivas (2-0, 1 KO) stopped Pendleton, Oregon’s Justin Milani (1-4) in the first round, notching his second win as a paid prize fighter. Rivas controlled the bout from the outset. A minute into the round a hard left staggered Milani and a follow up right dropped him for a count. Milani was up at seven, but seeing him on unsteady legs, referee Joel Scobie made the call to stop it.

Yreka, California’s DJ Linderman (2-2, 1 KO) evened the score in a heavyweight rematch, defeating Anacortes, Washington’s Sylvester “Doc” Barron (9-10, 4 KO’s) with a four round unanimous decision. In their first meeting, which took place last January, Barron took a close majority decision in a wild back-and forth brawl. This time out Linderman was the busier and more effective fighter, winning the majority of the action with the more aggressive and busier work-rate. The judges scored the bout 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37.

In the first fight of the night, Detroit, Michigan’s Brandon Maddox (6-0, 4 KOs) added his second win over local fighter Rafael Valencia (3-6-1, 2 KOs), taking a four round unanimous decision win. Maddox dropped Valencia early in the first round, sending him through the ropes and almost out of the ring. Valencia regained his composure, though, and came back at Maddox with his own assault. For the next two rounds Maddox controlled the action, although he slowed his aggression. In the last round Maddox appeared to tire, allowing Valencia to come on, but it was not enough to edge out the early lead Maddox had built. All three judges scored the bout for Maddox.

Southern Oregon fight fans came out once again to support their fighters, despite the frigid winter conditions, packing into the Jackson County Expo in large numbers. White Delight Promotions is looking to stage their next show sometime in May.