Quartz Hill Kid back in ring next week

By SCOTT KANIEWSKI
Valley Press Assistant Sports Editor
 

Adrian Tait is stepping back into the ring and putting his unbeaten record on the line.

The Quartz Hill kid is fighting Friday at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario on a card headlined by Coachella's Timothy Ray Bradley Jr.

Tait won't be fighting at his normal weight. Because the fight came on short notice, Tait and his father/manager, Lindsay, wanted to fight at 143 lbs.

"The fight came kind of quick," said Adrian Tait. "I would have made 140 (with more time)."

But fighting at 143 could benefit him.

His opponent Lester Balmores (2-3, 1 knockout) has never weighed more than 140 for a fight, something that could benefit Tait.

"This guy has to come up in weight," said Tait. "The more weight he comes up, who knows, maybe the slower he gets."

Tait (3-0, 2 KOs) last fought at the AV Fairgrounds, winning with a first-round knockout 1:26 into the fight.

Tait's only win by decision came at the Doubletree on March 31.

At the time, Tait was coming off a bout of flu, hurting his training leading up to the fight. He won that one by majority decision.

His debut was also a first-round KO. This time, Tait would like to get a couple rounds of work.

"The last fight it wasn't a whole lot of time," said Tait. "I try to learn something from every fight.

"I need the experience. It's nice to win within a minute, but I need the experience. My goal is to be up there so I don't want first-round knockouts all the time. I want to get some rounds in."

Sagebrush Battle

Tait won't be the only local boxer in action next week.

Lancaster heavyweight Cornell Davis will be fighting at the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas on Tuesday.

Davis (1-1) is coming off his first career win, a split decision over Hector Martinez in Oroville.

"They were trying to save him at the end of the fourth," said Davis. "I could have knocked him out, but they tried to save him with the bell."

Martinez was docked a point in the third round, which helped Davis on two of the three scorecards.

In Davis' first fight, a loss by unanimous decision, his trainer was disappointed with the judges' scores.

"It was questionable," said Chris Sparks, who runs Sparks Boxing Club on Avenue I. "(Davis) had him busted up and ready to go. We beat the hell out of that kid, but he got the decision somehow. You gotta knock him out to get a draw."

Davis, who says he weighs between 225-230 is fighting Oxnard's Victor Barragan (3-1, 2 KOs).

"No, don't really care," said Davis when asked if he knew Barragan. "I'm a fighter. He's got (four) fights altogether and I'm ready for him. I train every day like I'm going to fight every day."