By Mario Ortega Jr. –
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Light heavyweight action fighter Tony Hernandez headlines a prospect-laden card as he takes on veteran Ramon Ayala in the main event at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Sacramento on Saturday night. Fighters for the seven-bout card weighed-in early Friday afternoon at the host venue.
Hernandez (5-3-1, 4 KOs) of Live Oak, California returns to the DoubleTree as he takes on an experienced gatekeeper Ayala (25-9-1, 13 KOs) of San Francisco Acuautla, Estado de Mexico, Mexico in a six-round light heavyweight clash.
Hernandez, who weighed-in at 172.3-pounds on Friday, last fought in November in a majority draw against rugged Marco Delgado in Oroville, California. Ayala, who long ago was a super featherweight, scaled 172-pounds even.
Undefeated prospect Kevin Montano (4-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California will end a fifteen-month layoff when he meets local tough guy David Minter (3-2, 3 KOs) of Lincoln, California in a four-round welterweight bout.
Montano may have been happier than most to see the calendar turn to 2024 as he saw his career stall last year due to fallouts and the cancellation of two entire events the week of his scheduled bouts. Montano, a Sacramento State graduate who now trains full-time out of the Capital City, had been slated to make his six-round debut before his original opponent was a late scratch.
Minter is no stranger to the DoubleTree ring as he has fought his entire professional career at the hotel. The word “no” may not be in Minter’s vocabulary as he steps in on short notice to meet one of the top young fighters in the region for the second straight outing. Montano, who normally campaigns at lightweight, and Minter both scaled 146-pounds.
Victor Guerrero (6-0, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Morgan Hill, California will take on Matthew Monroe (1-1) of Sacramento in a four-round middleweight bout. Guerrero, of the famed fighting family that put Gilroy, California on the boxing map, makes his United States debut on Saturday. Monroe, who scored his first professional victory with a hard-fought split decision over Marco Ortiz in November at light heavyweight, weighed-in at 158.1-pounds, while Guerrero came in at 161.
Islam Abdusamadov (1-0, 1 KO) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia will meet Juan Meza Moreno (4-4, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round light middleweight fight. Abdusamadov, a well-regarded amateur in his native Russia prior to turning pro, scaled 154.5-pounds. Moreno, who will be meeting his fifth consecutive opponent with no more than a single pro defeat, also weighed-in at at 154.5.
Julian Bridges (3-0, 2 KOs) of Antioch, California will take on Miguel Soto-Garcia (0-1) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a four-round welterweight bout. Bridges, returning to the DoubleTree ring where he scored his third pro victory, weighed-in at 147, as did Soto-Garcia.
Former amateur standout Steve Johnson Jr. of San Francisco, California will make his highly anticipated professional debut in a four-round featherweight bout against Phillip Ramirez (0-2) of Sacramento. Johnson, who is now being trained by former world champion James Page, scaled 124.1-pounds. Ramirez, who has been matched tough his entire brief career, came in at 125.
Cmaje Ramseur (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Elk Grove, California will meet David Reyes (1-1) of Fresno, California in an evenly matched lightweight bout. Ramseur weighed-in at 134.2-pounds, while Reyes made 134 even.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Hernandez 172.3
Ayala 172
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Montano 146
Minter 146
Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Guerrero 161
Monroe 158.1
Light middleweights, 4 Rounds
Abdusamadov 154.5
Moreno 154.5
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Bridges 147
Soto-Garcia 147
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Johnson 124.1
Ramirez 125
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Ramseur 134.2
Reyes 134
Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com or at the door.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
