By Mario Ortega Jr. –
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Once one of the greatest sporting towns in all of the country, in just over a month’s time, “The Town” will no longer field a team in any of the three major sports leagues. All three Oakland franchises, world champions many times over, have left a void on the green pages of the local newspaper and in the hearts of many local sports fans. Once upon a time, professional boxing served as perhaps the fourth major sport in town. This Saturday night at the Oakland Marriott City Center, well-regarded middleweight prospect Amari Jones, Oakland-born, aims to take his first steps in rebranding his hometown as a fight town when he takes on veteran Daniel Echeverria in the eight-round main event of “Showdown in the Town.”
As late as the 1960’s, monthly pro boxing events were held in either the Oakland Coliseum or Oakland Auditorium. When Andre Ward made his Oakland debut as a professional by claiming his first world championship over Mikkel Kessler in November 2009, it began a nine-year run of big time fights in town, making the former Olympic gold medalist essentially the fourth major sporting franchise across the bridge from San Francisco. Since Ward’s last hometown card in 2016, just one event has been held in Oakland, taking place in 2018.
Should Saturday’s event be a success, promoters will surely look to bring the sweet science back to prominence in the region. Much of that, however, will hinge on Jones; how he draws and how he performs. Thus far, Jones has performed at every turn, garnering praise from many fight prognosticators both locally and nationally.
Jones (12-0, 11 KOs) was last seen making his New York debut in April, stopping previously once-beaten Armel Mbumba-Yassa in the sixth-round while winning every round on the cards to that point in the fight. Last December, Jones, who trains out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in Pittsburg, made his Bay Area debut with a dominant fifth-round kayo of rugged Quilisto Madera at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Jones was the first to the scale on Friday afternoon, scaling 160-pounds even.
Attempting to spoil the homecoming party will be veteran Daniel Echeverria (21-12, 18 KOs) of Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. “Tocado” has been fighting professionally since 2012, debuting as a junior welterweight before gradually moving up the scale over the following twelve years. Notable names on his resume include Jorge Paez Jr., Carlos Ocampo and Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Echevarria came up short in those step-up bouts. The Mexican native also came up short when it came to making the contracted 161-pounds on Friday. After scaling one-half-of-a-pound over, Echeverria made a brief attempt at dropping the extra weight, but soon opted for the fine instead.
In the co-main event, Gabriel Garcia (10-0, 6 KOs) of Antioch, California will take on Giovanni Gutierrez (11-9-1, 6 KOs of Tipitapa, Managua, Nicaragua in a six-round super featherweight bout. Garcia, a Lion’s Den gym mate of Jones, made the move to fighting in the United States last year, after beginning his pro run in Mexico, with two six-round decisions in California and Nevada respectively. Gutierrez has struggled since making his move to campaigning in the United States, while also being matched against undefeated fighters in six of his last seven contests. Garcia scaled 129.1-pounds, while Gutierrez made 129-even.
In an intriguing six-round light heavyweight bout, “Sugar” Suray Mahmutovic (6-1-1, 6 KOs) of Daly City, California returns to the ring after a year away to take on veteran puncher Anthony Hollaway (7-6-3, 6 KOs) of Peoria, Illinois. Mahmutovic is looking to rebound from his only defeat, a hard-fought majority decision loss to then-unbeaten prospect Sonny McEwen in May of last year. McEwen is a then-unbeaten prospect because he ran into Hollaway this past March. In a rematch of a January 2023 bout in which Hollaway dropped McEwen, but settled for a six-round unanimous defeat, the Peoria fighter stopped McEwen in under two rounds. Mahmutovic weighed in at 177.1-pounds, while Hollaway made 178-even.
In a four-round junior welterweight bout that may rival the Mahmutovic-Hollaway clash for fight of the night honors when the night is over, Tony Hirsch Jr. (3-0-2, 3 KOs) of Oakland will take on rugged David Reyes Jr. (3-1-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California. Hirsch, son of longtime middleweight spoiler Tony Hirsch, will be fighting at home for the first time as a professional. Reyes, a tough choice opponent for a hometown debut, has gone unbeaten since a close defeat to Pedro Angel Cruz in his first pro fight in May of last year. Hirsch and Reyes weighed-in identically at 138.5-pounds.
Making his highly anticipated professional debut, Concord, California’s Braulio Ceja Navarro will meet Jaycee King (0-1) of Sacramento, California in a four-round lightweight bout. The 19-year-old Navarro, fighting out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym, weighed-in at 132-pounds. King, who just turned professional on August 1st, dropping a decision to Dorrel Fore Jr., also made 132-pounds on the nose.
In another long awaited pro debut, Kyle Lacanlale of San Ramon, California will take on Michael Hernandez (0-3) of Banning, California in a four-round featherweight bout. Lacanlale, who now has former world middleweight champion James Page joining his father Lyndon Lacanlale in training him, made 126.5-pounds. Hernandez, yet to see the final bell as a pro, scaled 122.5-pounds.
Alton Wiggins (0-1) of Modesto, California will take on replacement opponent Henry Rivera (2-7, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a four-round middleweight bout. Wiggins, born town over in Berkeley, and the Oakland-born Rivera, both scaled 158.2-pounds on Friday afternoon.
Making his much looked-forward-to professional debut, tattoo artist and former California Golden Gloves champion Marcos Antonio Perez of Brentwood, California takes on tough assignment Ebert Diaz (1-1-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California in what should be an entertaining four-round welterweight fight. The Oakland-born Perez, also known as “Smokey P,” weighed-in at 144-pounds. Diaz, a frequent sparring partner of lightweight prospect Manuel Jaimes, made 143.5-pounds.
Stanford University student and undefeated boxer Dante Kirkman (1-0) of Palo Alto, California takes on unorthodox Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-3) of Fresno by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a four-round light middleweight bout. Kirkman, a decorated former amateur trained by the well-respected Eddie Croft, came in at 153-pounds. Soto-Garcia, up ten pounds from his last bout just 28 days ago, scaled 152.5-pounds on Friday.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Jones 160
Echeverria 161.5*
Super featherweights, 6 Rounds
Garcia 129.1
Gutierrez 129
Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Mahmutovic 177.1
Hollaway 178
Light welterweights, 4 Rounds
Hirsch Jr. 138.5
Reyes Jr. 138.5
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Ceja Navarro 132
King 132
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lacanlale 126.5
Hernandez 122.5
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Wiggins 158.2
Rivera 158.2
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Perez 144
Diaz 143.5
Light middleweights, 4 Rounds
Kirkman 153
Soto-Garcia 152.5
*Echeverria .5 pounds over contracted weight. After brief attempt at shedding excess, opted for a fine instead.
Tickets for the event, promoted by Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com or at the door on Saturday night.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
