SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Rising featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale will take on veteran Jonathan Almacen in the all-Filipino main event of Showdown in Sactown III at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Sacramento on Saturday night. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in at the host venue on Friday morning.
Lacanlale (7-0, 4 KOs) of San Ramon, California is coming off of a dominant second-round kayo of Javier Rojas Campos on April 4th. The young featherweight has outgrown preliminary opposition and has appeared ready for a proven veteran for some time. Tonight’s bout was originally slated as Lacanlale’s first foray into the six-round distance as well. However, the California State Athletic Commission made the decision to limit the contest to a scheduled four. Lacanlale weighed-in at 124 pounds on Friday morning.
Fitting the veteran label, Almacen (7-16-3) of Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines will be familiar with the venue, having come up short to unbeaten Jose Contreras here just over one month ago. Almacen began his career in the Philippines, fighting fellow Filipinos, before taking his career to the U.S. in 2023. The shorter Almacen matched his opponent, weighing-in at 124 pounds on Friday.
Khristopher Estep (2-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento jumps into the six-round distance against veteran William Davis (5-4-2, 1 KO) also of Sacramento in the semi main event. Estep turned professional at the DoubleTree last November and was last in the ring scoring a four-round unanimous decision this past March. The battle-tested Davis marks a step-up in Estep’s level of competition, having the experience that comes with ten years of professional fighting. Estep weighed-in at the junior middleweight limit of 154, while Davis scaled 152 pounds.
Unbeaten bantamweight Jose Aguilar (4-0, 3 KOs) of Linden, California takes to the ring for the fourth time this calendar year as he takes on returning Eduardo Sanchez (1-1) of Watsonville, California in an intriguing four-rounder. Aguilar, who scaled 117 pounds on Friday, turned professional last November in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico and has already racked up three knockouts there to go along with a four-round unanimous decision in Jamestown, California this past March. Sanchez, a Noble-Moreno Boxing product who came in at 116 ½ pounds on Friday, returns to the ring after sitting out 2025.
Dorrel Fore Jr. (3-0) of Sacramento will make his third start at the DoubleTree as he takes on Harley Sampson (2-1, 2 KOs) of Reno, Nevada in a four-round junior welterweight bout. Fore, who scaled 140 pounds on Friday, impressively decisioned tough Ebert Diaz in November in his last time out. Sampson, also weighing-in at 140 on Friday, scored a dominant third-round stoppage over Robert Jimenez this past April in his last ring action.
In the opener, former amateur standout Miguel “Tito” Elizondo (1-0) of Carson City, Nevada will meet Reymundo Rangel (1-0) of Grand Prairie, Texas in a four-round super featherweight bout. Elizondo, originally scheduled to compete at the DoubleTree last month before his opponent was late to withdraw, made his professional debut in March with an impressive four-round unanimous decision over Yoel Sandobal Ochoa. Rangel, who turned pro in a four-round firefight win over Albert Mayo in February, was originally scheduled to fight in Dallas this weekend. The event in Dallas ended up being canceled as Elizondo’s opponent was again a late pullout. In need of new dance partners, the two unbeaten fighters agreed to meet each other just last weekend. Elizondo scaled 129 pounds, while Rangel made the 130-pound super featherweight limit on Friday.
Rounding out the bill will be a three-round pro kickboxing bout. Moises Rodriguez of San Diego will make his pro debut against Sacramento’s Santiago Moralez, also making his debut. Moralez, out of Ronin Warrior Muay Thai & Fitness, weighed-in at 152 pounds on Friday morning. Rodriguez, out of Victory MMA & Fitness, needed a little extra time to sweat down to the lightweight kickboxing limit of 155 pounds.
Quick Weigh-in Results
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lacanlale 124
Almacen 124
Light middleweights, 6 Rounds
Estep 154
Davis 152
Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Aguilar 117
Sanchez 116 ½
Light welterweights, 4 Rounds
Fore 140
Sampson 140
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Elizondo 129
Rangel 130
Kickboxing
Lightweights, 3 Rounds
Rodriguez 155
Moralez 152
Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at Leapevents.com
Jones Demolishes Gualtieri in Three
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – What some expected to be the first test in the career of rising middleweight contender Amari Jones was no test at all. In an IBF middleweight championship eliminator, Jones rolled past former champion Vincenzo Gualtieri inside of three rounds in the DAZN-broadcasted main event at the SAP Center at San Jose on Friday night.
Jones (17-0, 15 KOs) of Oakland, California boxed well in the first, pressing Gualtieri (25-2-1, 8 KOs) of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in moments. Gualtieri failed to let his hands go and was willing to cover up without looking to offer much in return.
Jones’ jab created some openings in the second round, as he began to redden the face of Gualtieri, 158.2, with combinations. Gualtieri offered a little more offense, but was still very defensive. Jones, 159.2, did not look too worried about what Gualtieri had to offer, brushing off the one clean punch the German landed and getting right back on the offensive.
Jones, the IBF #4/WBC #14 ranked middleweight, upped his aggression in the third as Gualtieri, the IBF #5/WBO #8 ranked middleweight, looked to be fading fast. Jones eventually pressed Gualtieri into the red corner with a combination punctuated by a right uppercut that scored the first of two knockdowns. Gualtieri managed to make it to his feet before Jones moved in and flattened his face with another right uppercut to score the second and final knockdown.
Referee Edward Collantes moved in and saw that Gualtieri would not be in any condition to continue, waving off the one-sided bout at 2:29 of round three.
With the IBF title currently vacant, Jones could potentially be in line to challenge for the belt as soon as his next outing, something both he and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya seemed keen on in the immediate aftermath of the fight.
“The 160-pound world champions are on notice and that world title is going back to Oakland,” said De La Hoya after the bout. “I saw maturity. I saw poise. I saw him taking his time, but at the same time – aggressive. A masterclass performance. Everybody at 160: you better watch out. Maybe September or October, who knows? But we are taking that world title back to Oakland baby.”
In the cruiserweight co-main event, Robin Safar (20-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Flemingsberg, Stockholm, Sweden got off the canvas in the second round to score a twelve-round split decision over Yamil Peralta (18-2-1, 10 KOs) of Del Viso, Buenos Aires, Argentina. While that summation might indicate an exciting, high level contest, the San Jose crowd was less than thrilled by most of the bout.
After a feeling out first round, Peralta, 199, landed with an overhand right in the first minute of the second round to score a flash knockdown. Safar, 199.2, did not appear to be shaken up and things got a little chippy as the round progressed. Peralta, the WBC #2/WBA #11 ranked cruiserweight, would be warned for holding, and Safar, the WBO #4/WBC #12/WBA #12/IBF #14 ranked cruiserweight, was warned for hitting behind the head before the round came to a close.
As the fight moved to the middle rounds, Peralta became a boxer-mover, which gave Safar some problems as he was never able to really find a way to cut off the ring on his rangier opponent. While Peralta did well to avoid getting in Safar’s punching range, he never really pressed the fight for any length of time and thus allowed himself to get outworked despite not taking a great deal of punishment.
Safar came on a bit in the seventh and found a home for several right hands and continued to attempt to press the fight. Safar may have been as disinterested in the lack of action as the crowd on hand, as he inexplicably looked away late in the ninth and caught a left hook to the face.
After three nondescript championship rounds, the official scorers came to the split decision.
Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 115-112 for Peralta, but was overruled by judge David Solivan, who scored the bout 114-113 and judge Rudy Barragan, 116-111, both for Safar.
With the victory, Safar claimed the lightly-regarded WBC Silver title. Despite a performance that will not get a public outcry for a title opportunity, Safar figures to be near the head of the line to challenge recently-crowned WBC champion Noel Mikaelian. Three of the top four WBC contenders (Ryan Rozicki, Jai Opetaia and Chris Billam-Smith) have recently signed with promoter Zuffa Boxing, with whom the WBC has a contentious relationship.
Darius Fulghum (15-1-1, 13 KOs) of Houston, Texas stayed busy with a stoppage of overmatched Yoanki Urrutia (17-3, 7 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Las Tunas, Las Tunas, Cuba.
Fulghum, 168.8, did not force anything, but kept touching Urrutia, 169.8, through the opening rounds. Urrutia did not have the look of a fighter trying to win a fight from the early going and had a point deducted for repeatedly holding in the third.
Fulghum, the WBA #5 ranked super middleweight, was never able to create the space needed to land as clean as he probably wanted, but did break through with a solid right to the body, followed by a left hook through Urrutia’s guard to score a knockdown at the end of the third.
Urrutia was saved by the bell, but sat down in his corner at the end of the round, immediately shaking his head. His corner gained the attention of referee Michael Margado to signal their fighter did not wish to continue. Time of the stoppage officially came at the end of round three.
Cruiserweight prospect Tristan Kalkreuth (17-1, 12 KOs) of North Las Vegas, Nevada had a tougher time than expected, but scored a sixth-round stoppage nonetheless over Marco Antonio Canedo (8-4-1, 5 KOs) of Tacámbaro, Michoacán, Mexico.
Canedo, 199.6, opened up late in the first and caught a stiff left from Kalkreuth, 198.2, in retort. The Michoacán native needed to take a step back to clear the cobwebs, but luckily for him there was not much time left in the round for Kalkreuth to capitalize.
Canedo opened up offensively in the fourth, landing with some solid left hooks in exchanges. It did not appear Kalkreuth was hurt, but the Vegas resident opted to cover up along the ropes for long stretches in the round. Canedo kept his hands busy until late in the round, when he may have expended much of his gas tank.
Kalkreuth woke up in the fifth, rocking a tired Canedo late after a much more aggressive round. Canedo had apparently not fully recovered by the time the sixth began, as Kalkreuth landed a two-punch combination early to score a knockdown. Canedo made it upright, but was on wobbly footing and quickly tasted the canvas a second time from a right hand. Referee Rudy Barragan quickly waved off the bout without a count after the second knockdown at 51 seconds of the sixth. At the time of the stoppage, all three judges had Canedo up in the fight. Judge David Solivan had it 49-46, while judges Melissa McMorrow and Joel Farbstein had it 48-47 for Canedo heading into the sixth.
Jordan Fuentes (7-0, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California opened up the main card on DAZN with an impressive six-round unanimous decision over a game Dante Ibarra Hernandez (3-2, 3 KOs) of Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Despite a height disadvantage, Fuentes, 117.2, wasted no time in finding the chin of Ibarra Hernandez, 118, especially with his right hand, in the first. Fuentes’ hand speed continued to be a problem for Ibarra Hernandez in the second. The Jalisco native kept up the pressure, but Fuentes was elusive, picking his spots and landing with both hands.
Ibarra Hernandez managed to land with a straight right early in the third that backed Fuentes up, off balance. Fuentes, known as the “Brazen Bull,” quickly went back to better resembling a matador, making himself an evasive target while picking his spots to land hard shots.
The super tough Ibarra Hernandez finally began to show signs of wilting late in the fifth, when Fuentes landed hard to his body. With Ibarra Hernandez slumping his posture, Fuentes focused on his body attack to close the round. Fuentes closed the fight strong, but Ibarra Hernandez proved to be the durable type of opponent a young prospect should encounter on his rise.
Judge Joel Farbstein scored the bout 59-55, while judges Rogelio Chapa and Michael Margado both had the fight scored a shutout, 60-54, for Fuentes.
In the final preliminary bout prior to the main card, Jose Medrano Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) of Salinas, California scored a fourth-round stoppage of veteran Anel Dudo (4-9-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colorado by way of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Medrano, 127.4, worked behind his lengthy right jab to create openings for his left. Dudo, 126.8, hung tough in the early going before Medrano opened up in the fourth. Medrano landed with a power left that sent Dudo into retreat. With the Salinas native opening up and Dudo not offering back, referee Thomas Taylor leapt in at 44 seconds of the fourth to stop the contest.
Jordan Panthen (12-2, 10 KOs) of Honolulu, Hawaii bullied his way back into the win column, dropping soft-punching Jean Rivera-Pacheco (10-3, 1 KO) of San Juan, Puerto Rico three times en route to a third-round stoppage.
Panthen, 159.8, was the naturally stronger fighter in the bout and used his size and power edge over Rivera-Pacheco, 159.2, from the outset. Warned for tossing Rivera-Pacheco to the mat in the first, Panthen scored the first of three knockdowns with a left to the body early in the second round. Rivera-Pacheco beat the count looking less enthused about his standing in the bout. With Rivera-Pacheco already looking at taking a knee to regroup, Panthen landed to the body with a glancing blow to score the second knockdown of the second round.
The writing was on the wall before Panthen scored the third knockdown with an overhand right early in the third. Referee Michael Margado made his count before waving off the bout at 1:30 of the third round. With the victory, Panthen ended a two-fight skid and claimed the regional WBA Intercontinental middleweight title in the process.
WBA #1/WBO #6/WBC #12 ranked super flyweight John “Scrappy” Ramirez (17-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles, California continued to inch closer to a crack at a world title, outboxing veteran Lucas Fernandez (14-5-2, 9 KOs) of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina en route to a wide ten-round unanimous decision.
Ramirez, 114.8, began the bout using his lateral movement and outworking Fernandez, 114.8, in stretches. Fernandez’s highlights in the bout were fleeting as he most notably landed with a solid right in the eighth that caused Ramirez to hold on for a moment. Ramirez slowed his movement in the later rounds, opting to plant his feet and let his hands go for extended exchanges, to much success.
Judge David Solivan scored all but one round for Ramirez, 99-91, while judges Rogelio Chapa and Joel Farbstein both scored the bout 98-92. With the win, Ramirez stays in line for a possible world title challenge.
In the opener, Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu (8-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia remained unbeaten with an hard-fought eight round unanimous decision over Adrian Ibarra Herrera (10-5, 8 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Ibarra Herrera pressed the action for much of the fight, with Kharkhuu playing the role of counter-puncher. After Ibarra Herrera pressured and outworked Kharkhuu in rounds two and three, Kharkhuu picked up the pace to begin the fourth. Along the way, Ibarra Herrera picked up a bad cut over his left eye, but it did not slow his output. They saved the best two-way action for the last half of the eighth and final round, as Kharkhuu especially sat down on his punches as Ibarra Herrera continued to press.
In the end, Kharkhuu won over all three judges; Melissa McMorrow, 80-72, Joel Farbstein, 78-74, and Rogelio Chapa, 77-75, for the unanimous decision nod.
Photos by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
Jones Meets Gualtieri with High Stakes on Friday
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – Fighting on the national stage close to home, Amari Jones aims to stamp himself as a top middleweight contender when he takes on former title holder Vincenzo Gualtieri in the DAZN-broadcasted main event from the SAP Center at San Jose on Friday night. Fighters for the nine-bout card took part in a ceremonial weigh-in on Thursday afternoon at the nearby Hayes Mansion, having officially tipped the scales in the morning.
Jones (16-0, 14 KOs) of Oakland, California will fight in the Bay Area for just the second time in his pro career as he takes a step-up in competition against Gualtieri (25-1-1, 8 KOs) of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the twelve-round IBF elimination bout.
Jones, the IBF #4/WBC #14 ranked middleweight, has looked impressive in two fights since signing with Golden Boy Promotions last summer. Jones took a modest step-up last time out, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of normally durable veteran Luis Arias on the Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia card in Las Vegas, Nevada this past February. Jones, fighting in his first scheduled twelve-rounder, weighed-in at 159.2 pounds on Thursday.
Gualtieri, the IBF #5/WBO #8 ranked middleweight, represents the most accomplished pro the unbeaten Jones has squared off with to date. Gualtieri capped a 22-bout unbeaten run to begin his career by capturing the vacant IBF middleweight crown via twelve-round unanimous decision over previously unblemished Esquiva Falcao in July of 2023. Gualtieri attempted to immediately capitalize on his title victory, but failed to hold up to the offense of WBO kingpin Janibek Alimkhanuly in a unification bout that ended via sixth-round stoppage just three months later. Gualtieri, who has since bounced back with four straight victories back in Germany, scaled 158.2 pounds on Thursday.
With the IBF #1 ranking, and title, currently vacant, the winner of Friday’s main event could potentially be in line to challenge for the belt as soon as their next outing.
“This is to put me in position,” said Jones after Thursday’s ceremonial weigh-in. “This is to really show and prove that I belong in those top discussions. Tomorrow night we are going to show. I’m young and hungry. This is his last hope and I’m here to handle anything he is going to do.”
In the co-main event, Yamil Peralta (18-1-1, 10 KOs) of Del Viso, Buenos Aires, Argentina defends his lightly-regarded WBC Silver cruiserweight title and accompanying world ranking against rising contender Robin Safar (19-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Flemingsberg, Stockholm, Sweden in a scheduled twelve-rounder.
Peralta, the WBC #2/WBA #11 ranked cruiserweight, ended a nearly thirteen-month layoff last time out with a second-round kayo of journeyman Juan Diaz in Argentina this past February. Peralta notably went up against Ryan Rozicki twice in Canada to controversial conclusions. In fact, Peralta’s lone career loss, a 2022 split decision to Rozicki, is recognized by the WBC as a no contest, though the official decision stands. Two years later they tried it again, with the bout being declared a majority draw. Peralta weighed-in at 199 pounds on Thursday.
Safar, the WBO #4/WBC #12/WBA #12/IBF #14 ranked cruiserweight, has inched closer to a world title bout with two victories since his career-defining win over Sergey Kovalev in May of 2024 and eventual signing with Golden Boy early last year. Safar scaled 199.2 pounds on Thursday.
The winner of the bout figures to be near the head of the line to challenge recently-crowned WBC champion Noel Mikaelian. Three of the top four WBC contenders (Rozicki, Jai Opetaia and Chris Billam-Smith) have recently signed with promoter Zuffa Boxing, with whom the WBC has a contentious relationship.
Darius Fulghum (14-1-1, 12 KOs) of Houston, Texas has his eyes set at the top of the super middleweight division but he first must get by Yoanki Urrutia (17-2, 7 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Las Tunas, Las Tunas, Cuba in a ten-round bout on Friday.
Fulghum, the WBA #5 ranked super middleweight, needs to get back on track after a disappointing draw against David Stevens last November. The draw came on the heels of Fulghum’s spirited effort in defeat by decision to Bektemir Melikuziev in a WBA eliminator last May. Urrutia, who has spent the last several years fighting exclusively in Florida, was bested by .500 fighter Ryan Adams via split decision in his last appearance in October. Fulghum scaled 168.8, while Urrutia came in at 169.8 pounds on Thursday.
Cruiserweight prospect Tristan Kalkreuth (16-1, 11 KOs) of North Las Vegas, Nevada will take on Marco Antonio Canedo (8-3-1, 5 KOs) of Tacámbaro, Michoacán, Mexico in an eight-round bout on Friday. Kalkreuth, making his 2026 debut, weighed-in at 198.2 pounds on Thursday. Canedo, unbeaten in five fights since dropping down from heavyweight, made 199.6 pounds on Thursday.
Much-talked about prospect Jordan Fuentes (6-0, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California will open up the main card on DAZN in a six-round bantamweight bout against Dante Ibarra Hernandez (3-1, 3 KOs) of Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. The southpaw Fuentes, a reported seven-time national amateur champion, scaled 117.2 pounds, while Ibarra Hernandez made the bantamweight limit of 118 on Thursday.
In the final preliminary bout to be streamed on the Golden Boy Promotions YouTube channel, Jose Medrano Jr. (2-0, 1 KO) of Salinas, California will take on Anel Dudo (4-8-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colorado by way of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in a four-round super featherweight bout. The 18-year-old Medrano weighed-in at 127.4 pounds, while the veteran Dudo scaled 126.8.
Jordan Panthen (11-2, 9 KOs) of Honolulu, Hawaii will take on Jean Rivera-Pacheco (10-2, 1 KO) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a ten-round bout for the vacant regional WBA Intercontinental title. Panthen was last seen rescuing a show in January by stepping in on very short notice to take on well-regarded Raul Curiel this past January on DAZN. Panthen, who lost a wide unanimous decision on that night, weighed-in at 159.8 pounds on Thursday. Rivera-Pacheco, who has spent much of his career at welterweight, came in at 159.2 pounds on Thursday.
John “Scrappy” Ramirez (16-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles, California looks to extend a three-fight win streak against well-traveled veteran Lucas Fernandez (14-4-2, 9 KOs) of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina in a ten-round super flyweight bout. Ramirez and Fernandez both scaled 114.8 pounds on Thursday.
Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu (7-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia will take on Adrian Ibarra Herrera (10-4, 8 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in an eight-round flyweight bout to open the card. Kharkhuu, back down in weight after having to fight at bantamweight in his last two outings, made 112.6 pounds, while the veteran Herrera scaled 112.8.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov got off the canvas to score a six-round unanimous decision over veteran gatekeeper Moris Rodriguez to remain unbeaten in the main event of a six-bout card at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Sacramento on Saturday night.
Abdusamadov (8-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, a natural middleweight, appeared to hold the edge in power over Rodriguez (9-19-3, 5 KOs) of Sacramento, who, despite dabbling in the super middleweight division, began his career at 135-pounds. Though Abdusamadov landed the harder shots, he was outworked at times in the opening round by Rodriguez. After Rodriguez found success boxing and moving for most of the first, Abusamadov sent the Sacramento resident stumbling into the ropes with a left to close the round. Rodriguez waved his glove to signal he was not affected as the bell sounded, ending the first.
The footwork of Rodriguez, 162, appeared to be what bothered Abdusamadov, 161.2, most as the fight progressed. With Abdusamadov attempting to cut off the ring and get in punching range in the third, Rodriguez was clever with his footwork and caught the Dagestan native off balance and scored a flash knockdown.
Abusamadov had a solid bounce back round in the fourth, as he was much more successful getting in range in keeping up the pressure on his 36-year-old opponent. By the fifth, Rodriguez had slowed on his movement and fought much of the round off the ropes. The inside fighting benefited Abdusamadov, though Rodriguez was never in any danger. Rodriguez got back on his horse in the sixth, before a solid two-way exchange closed out the fight.
In the end, the knockdown did not hurt Abdusamadov in the scoring. Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 58-55, while judges Michael Margado and Joel Farbstein both had it 57-56, all for Abdusamadov.
Making his hometown debut, Sergio Gonzalez (5-0, 4 KOs) of Sacramento punished veteran Christian Seals (4-4-2, 2 KOs) of Carson, California for the better part of three rounds before forcing a third-round stoppage in the semi-main event.
Gonzalez, 155.2, was in control of the action from the early moments of the bout. Fighting for just the second time since forcing a draw with Sacramento favorite Ruben Torres in the same DoubleTree ring in August of 2023, the 34-year-old Seals, 155, struggled to keep pace with Gonzalez, ten years his junior.
Late in the third round, Gonzalez caught an increasingly weary Seals with two straight right hands, followed by two thudding rights to the body that forced the hand of referee Michael Margado. The time of the stoppage was 2:16 of round three.
Unbeaten featherweight Jose Contreras (3-0) of Oakland, California scored a four-round shutout decision over veteran Jonathan Almacen (7-16-3, 2 KOs) of Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
The naturally larger Contreras, 129.2, may have had an easier night had he made a concentrated effort to target the body of Almacen, 127.2, who began his career as a junior flyweight. Instead, Contreras fought mostly as a headhunter and never took away Almacen’s movement.
Almacen never looked uncomfortable, often showboating when out of punching range, and picking his moments to trade. Contreras struggled to cut off the ring, only managing to pin Almacen along the ropes in brief moments. When Almacen would force Contreras to miss, he was more prone to showboating, rather than capitalizing on the opportunity. As the fighter forcing the action, Contreras won over judges Melissa McMorrow, Joel Farbstein and David Hartman in every round, taking the bout 40-36 across all three cards.
In the fight of the night, Jorge Luna Ramirez (1-0) of Carson City, Nevada scored a hard-fought unanimous decision over Aaron Wisdom (0-1) of Atwater, California.
Both fighters wasted no time, as the action was heated from the opening bell. The fight was rough and fought on even terms on the inside, but Luna Ramirez, 126.3, may have held an edge landing at range on the way in close. Luna Ramirez had his best round in the second, landing clean with his right when finding a moment of daylight to get some extension on his punch.
Wisdom, 127.1, bounced back in the third to have his best round. The Atwater native landed with a clean two-punch combination in the early moments of the round and utilized different angles to roll with some of Luna Ramirez’s punches and create openings for his own. Some rough grappling on the inside created a cut over Luna Ramirez’s left eye, which was incorrectly ruled as the result of a punch by the referee. Spurred on by his own blood perhaps, Luna Ramirez found a second wind late in the round, but Wisdom matched him as the two traded to close the round.
Both fighters had their moments in the fourth, with Luna Ramirez maybe having a little more steam in the final moments of a fight that had the crowd engaged from the opening bell. All three judges; Melissa McMorrow, Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes, scored the bout 39-37 for Luna Ramirez.
In a closely-contested bout, Shavon Furrow (2-0, 1 KO) of Fresno, California maintained her unbeaten record with a four-round unanimous decision over a determined Vicky Zhao (2-3) of Watsonville, California by way of Chongqing, China.
What the naturally smaller Zhao, 114, lacked in power she attempted to make up for in output and determination. Zhao had a strong first round, outworking Furrow, 114, in stretches and forcing the action.
Furrow’s edge in power began to show in some exchanges in the second round. Despite still being outworked, the way Furrow could back up Zhao with a clean punch likely swayed the judges. Two-way action continued throughout the final two rounds, as both fighters were willing to stand and trade in the center of the ring.
In the end, all three judges favored the power-punching of Furrow over the workrate of Zhao. Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 39-37, while judges Joel Farbstein and David Hartman scored the bout 40-36, all for Furrow.
In the opening bout of the evening, Maurice Powell (2-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento thrilled his supporters in his hometown debut with a first-round kayo of Milton Ramirez (1-3) also of Sacramento.
Powell, 142.1, was able to work behind his strong left jab and touch Ramirez, 145, with his right from the early going. The southpaw Ramirez struggled to maintain pace and looked to land in between Powell’s punches. In the final minute of the round, Powell forced Ramirez along the ropes and landed two chopping right hands to the top of the head that appeared to bother his opponent. With Ramirez attempting to counter off the ropes, Powell loaded up with a sweeping left hand that crumpled the southpaw to the mat. Referee David Hartman reached the count of seven before deciding to wave off that bout at 2:30 of the first round.
Upper Cut Promotions, promoter of Saturday’s event, returns to the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Sacramento on Saturday, June 27th for “Showdown in Sactown III.”
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov takes on veteran spoiler Moris Rodriguez in the six-round main event of “Showdown in Sactown II” at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Sacramento on Saturday night. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in at the host venue on Friday afternoon.
Abdusamadov (7-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia is ready to get his year started, having last seen action in December, scoring an explosive first-round knockout over Jon Thomas. Ready for his second scheduled six-rounder, Abdusamadov weighed-in at 161.2 pounds on Friday.
Rodriguez (9-18-3, 5 KOs) of Sacramento is back down closer to the middleweight limit, having moved up to upset light heavyweight Tony Hernandez via six-round unanimous decision at the nearby Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln two months ago. Rodriguez, a pro of seventeen years, weighed-in at 162 pounds on Friday.
Junior middleweight prospect Sergio Gonzalez (4-0, 3 KOs) of Sacramento fights in his hometown for the first time as a professional to take on six-year pro Christian Seals (4-3-2, 2 KOs) of Carson, California in a six-round bout. Gonzalez, who moved up to the six-round distance in March with a unanimous decision over Michael Portales, weighed-in at 155.2 pounds on Friday. Seals, who local fans may remember for his split decision draw with Ruben Torres at the DoubleTree back in 2023, scaled 155 even.
In a four-round bout, unbeaten super featherweight Jose Contreras (2-0) of Oakland, California will take on the most experienced opponent of his short career in Jonathan Almacen (7-15-3, 2 KOs) of Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Contreras was last in the ring in March, scoring a one-sided unanimous decision over MMA fighter-turned boxer Benji Gomez. Almacen, who has managed to hang tough with naturally larger opponents in the past, weighed-in at 127.2 pounds, while Contreras scaled 129.2 on Friday.
Making their professional debuts, Aaron Wisdom of Atwater, California will meet Jorge Luna Ramirez of Carson City, Nevada in a four-round featherweight bout. Wisdom, an 18-year-old training out of the Merced Crossroads Boxing Gym in Merced, California, weighed-in at 127.1 pounds. Luna Ramirez, a 21-year-old training out of the Carson City Boxing Club in Carson City, weighed-in at 126.3 on Friday.
Vicky Zhao (2-2) of Watsonville, California by way of Chongqing, China will take on Shavon Furrow (1-0, 1 KO) of Fresno, California in a four-round super flyweight bout. Zhao, riding a two-fight win streak, will be competing at the highest weight of her career to this point at 114 pounds. Furrow, moving down a few pounds from her pro debut in February, also weighed-in at 114 on Friday.
With local bragging rights on the line, Maurice Powell (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento will take on fellow Sacramento native Milton Ramirez (1-2) in a four-round light welterweight bout. Powell turned pro with a quick first-round stoppage of Ty Tarver in March. Returning to the ring from a nearly three-year layoff, Ramirez weighed-in at 145 pounds, while Powell scaled 142.1 on Friday.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Abdusamadov 161.2
Rodriguez 162
Junior middleweights, 6 Rounds
Gonzalez 155.2
Seals 155
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Contreras 129.2
Almacen 127.2
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Wisdom 127.1
Luna Ramirez 126.3
Super flyweights, 4 Rounds
Zhao 114
Furrow 114
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Powell 142.1
Ramirez 145
Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at Leapevents.com
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – It was not pretty, but lightweight contender Andres Cortes was successful in his lightweight debut, scoring a unanimous decision over Eridson Garcia in the ten-round main event of Zuffa Boxing 05 at the Meta Apex on Sunday night.
Neither fighter imposed themself in the opening rounds and the fight was a bit of a clunky southpaw-orthodox clash for much of the contest. Both fighters had trouble finding their range and proper footing, as they smothered their offense in close for much of the bout.
Cortes (25-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas had more facets and Garcia (23-2, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas never found a rhythm over the ten rounds.
Garcia, 135, was deducted a point for excessive holding in the fourth, which seemed to momentarily light a spark for both fighters, as action picked up in the immediate aftermath.
Cortes, 135, landed with an overhand right early in the fifth and closed the sixth pressing the action after some of the more heated exchanges in the bout began the round. The overhand right was a consistent weapon for Cortes, including in the seventh. By the eighth, Garcia looked a bit dejected and Cortes continued to potshot and evade or get so far inside that neither really had a clear opening.
In the end, all three official judges scored the bout for Cortes, as judge Steve Weisfeld had it 97-92, judge Max DeLuca had it 96-93 and judge Patricia Morse Jarman had it close, 95-94.
Cortes, who entered the bout as the WBO #4/WBC #5 ranked super featherweight, called out Mark Magsayo, who was impressive in the co-feature, as they have now positioned themselves as two of the top lightweights on the Zuffa Boxing roster.
Former featherweight title holder Mark Magsayo (29-2, 19 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines looked sensational in scoring a one-sided fifth-round stoppage of former title challenger Feargal McCrory (17-2 9 KOs) of New York, New York by way of Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Magsayo, 134, controlled much of the first and second with his speed and combinations, including doubling up on the right hand to great effect. Before the end of the first, McCrory, 135, was bloodied above the right eye. The Filipino was also an elusive target for McCrory’s return attempts throughout the fight.
Magsayo continued his boxing masterclass in the third, landing combinations to the body and head and getting out of danger when McCrory would find a moment to fire back. Magsayo continued to be too quick for McCrory in the fourth, as the Irishman could not keep up with his opponent’s varied offense and ring generalship on defense. Late in the round, Magsayo uncorked an overhand right that sent McCrory reeling to the ropes. Magsayo closed the round punishing the Irishman with both hands. McCrory roared towards the crowd at the bell after absorbing the beating, showing his toughness.
It would be a moot demonstration, as McCrory’s corner signaled to referee Robert Hoyle to call a halt to the bout at the first sign of trouble in the opening moments of fifth, much to the dismay of McCrory, who kicked his mouthpiece across the ring in disgust.
The time of the stoppage came at 21 seconds of round five. Magsayo, who entered as the IBF #5/WBO #12 ranked lightweight, looks to have adapted well to the 135-pound weight class.
Fighting one-handed for much of the bout, veteran featherweight contender Azat Hovhannisyan (23-6, 17 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona by way of Yerevan, Armenia took a step forward back towards contention with a ten-round majority decision over former title challenger Eduardo Baez (25-8-2, 10 KOs) of Calexico, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.
Hovhannisyan, 126, hurt his left hand in the early going, made evident as he continually shook it out in the opening rounds. Baez, 125, came on as Hovhannisyan adjusted to the injury in the second round of the fight.
Hovhannisyan had a successful third, using his left hand mostly to measure Baez and loading up on power right hands. Despite limited use of his left, Hovhannisyan dominated the round. During a good exchange in the fourth, time was called so referee Allen Huggins could warn Hovhannisyan for a low blow.
Baez pressed forward in the fifth. There was solid two-way action late in the round, as Hovhannisyan landed clean off the corner, before Baez fired back and landed with the right. Hovhannisyan got a little leeway from Huggins as he pressed down with his left and landed with his overhand right in the sixth and at various moments as the fight progressed. Baez had his moments in a competitive sixth as well.
Hovhannisyan was warned for holding after landing with an upper cut in the seventh. Baez landed with a solid right that got Hovhannisyan to hold for a moment before the Armenian veteran opened up with a minute left in the round.
Hovhannisyan got busy to start the eighth, but Baez landed in spots. Hovhannisyan flicked out his left, but not aiming to land with it. Hovhannisyan landed with a wild right uppercut from distance and continually looked to land his overhand right.
Hovhannisyan outworked Baez in the ninth and the two closed out the fight exchanging shots in the tenth before the bell rang and the bout went to the cards.
Judge Sal D’Amato scored the fight even, 95-95, but was overruled by judge Jack Reiss, 97-93, and judge Steve Weisfeld, 96-94, for the Armenian former title challenger. Hovhannisyan swept the last four rounds on the decisive card of Weisfeld to claim the decision.
In a pairing of previously unbeaten featherweights, Alexis De La Cerda (9-0, 5 KOs) of Federal Way, Washington scored a highlight reel third-round knockout of Ervin Fuller III (12-1, 6 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland.
After a feeling out first round, De La Cerda, 125.5, was more aggressive in the second as Fuller, 125.5, struggled to get on track with his offense in the early going. The Maryland native was having his moments early in the third, landing to De La Cerda’s body. Things changed quickly as De La Cerda landed clean with a brutal right hand from his toes. Fuller was out before he hit the mat, face down near the ropes. Referee Robert Hoyle immediately called a halt to the bout at 2:33 of the third.
Stepping up to the big stage for the first time in his career, Tony Hirsch Jr. (8-0-2, 4 KOs) of Oakland, California met the moment and hung the first loss on the record of lightweight prospect Robert Meriwether III (10-1, 4 KOs) of Las Vegas via eighth-round majority decision.
Meriwether, 135, started boxing well in the opening rounds before Hirsch, 134, made the adjustments and took control of the fight by the midway point of the eight-rounder. Hirsch had a very strong fifth round and looked more energetic as the action stayed on the inside for much of the stanza. Hirsch landed clean with some popping right hands in the sixth, continuing his momentum through the seventh as Meriwether’s corner shouted for their fighter to let his hands go. Hirsch landed well with right hands early in the eighth and the solid action fight closed with a back-and-forth exchange.
Judge Chris Migliore handed in the even card, 76-76, but was overruled by judge Steve Weisfeld, 78-74, and judge Lisa Giampa, 77-75, for Hirsch.
Junior middleweight prospect Jorge Maravillo (12-0-1, 9 KOs) of Salinas, California overcame a slow start to halt Elias Diaz (15-4, 8 KOs) of National City, California in the fifth round of a scheduled eight.
Diaz, 147, started the fight boxing well as Maravillo, 149.5, kept his offense holstered in stretches and had trouble landing anything meaningful in the opening rounds. The fight began to turn in the early moments of the fifth round as Maravillo hurt Diaz to the body.
Maravillo capitalized on his momentum and landed with a clean right upstairs in an exchange that instantly changed the fight. Diaz could never clear his head and Maravillo kept up the pressure, eventually downing the National City resident with another right. Diaz made it to his feet, but Maravillo soon had him backed into the red corner, taking punches. Referee Thomas Taylor leaped in to make the save, calling a halt to the action at 2:46 of the fifth. At the time of the stoppage, Maravillo was down 39-37 and 40-36 twice on the official scorecards.
The question for Maravillo going forward is whether he can make the 147-pound welterweight limit, as his promoter Zuffa Boxing has pledged to limit the weight classes it recognizes. Tonight’s bout was to be contested at 148 pounds, as Nevada has a one pound over contract allowance. Maravillo came in one-and-one-half pounds over that allowance at Saturday’s weigh-in and has not made welterweight in five years.
In his second appearance under the Zuffa Boxing banner, Troy Nash (7-0-1, 1 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colorado scored a decisive-looking eight-round decision over a game Bryan Rodriguez (8-2, 1 KO) of Donna, Texas, but settled for a majority decision in the night’s curtain raiser.
Scheduled for the eight-round distance for the first time in their pro careers, Nash, 127, and Rodriguez, 127.5, began at a measured pace. By the third round, the fight settled into a rhythm, with Rodriguez pressing forward and Nash playing the role of counter-puncher. As the fight progressed into the later rounds, Rodriguez was less successful offensively. Nash opened up and let his hands go in combination, while still maintaining his elusiveness on defense.
Judge Patricia Morse Jarman scored the bout even, 76-76, but was overruled by judge Lisa Giampa, who had it a shutout for Nash, 80-72, and judge Sal D’Amato, who scored the bout 79-73.
Zuffa Boxing on Paramount+ returns to the Meta Apex on May 10th as Shane Mosley Jr. meets Serhii Bohachuk in the ten-round main event.
Photos by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa Boxing
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
Cortes Looks to Impress in Zuffa, Lightweight Debut
Longtime super featherweight contender Andres Cortes makes the move north five pounds to the fairly wide-open lightweight division against once-beaten Eridson Garcia in the Paramount+ main event of Zuffa Boxing 05 on Easter Sunday night. The intriguing ten-round bout between two guys that have not appeared to be fond of one another in the lead-up to Sunday caps a seven-bout card from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fighters weighed-in early Saturday morning at the host venue.
Cortes (24-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas seemed to be one win away from a world title opportunity for the last 2 ½ years, perhaps squandering his last audition with a lackluster ten-round decision on the Emmanuel Navarrete-Charly Suarez undercard last May. On that night, Cortes moved past unheralded Salvador Jimenez, but failed to make himself a marketable opponent for 130-pound champion Navarrete. Since, Cortes, the WBO #4/WBC #5 ranked super featherweight, stopped overmatched Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo before signing with Zuffa and announcing his move to 135 pounds. Cortes weighed-in at the 135-pound lightweight limit at Saturday’s weigh-in.
Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas made a statement as he himself moved up to lightweight in his last bout. Garcia met well-regarded Japanese prospect Taiga Imanaga on the Naoya Inoue-David Picasso undercard last December and sealed a close fight with a picture perfect right hand to score a knockdown in the eighth round of a ten-round bout. After closing the final two rounds with punishing left hands, Garcia edged the cards to score the split decision. Garcia, still the WBO #9/WBA #14 ranked 130-pounder despite fighting for the second straight time at lightweight, weighed-in at 135-pounds on Saturday morning.
Former featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines will take on former title challenger Feargal McCrory (17-1 9 KOs) of New York, New York by way of Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in a ten-round lightweight bout in the co-feature.
Magsayo, the IBF #5/WBO #12 ranked lightweight, had actually dropped back down to super featherweight to score a win over Jorge Mata on the Mario Barrios-Manny Pacquiao undercard in Las Vegas last July. Despite his lofty rankings at 135-pounds, Magsayo had only fought north of 130 twice against nondescript opposition. With his new promoter Zuffa Boxing not recognizing the 130-pound weight class, Magasayo will now campaign at lightweight full-time, weighing 134 pounds on Saturday morning.
McCrory has fought north of 130-pounds for much of his career, but trimmed down to the super featherweight limit as he got into contention and ultimately met up with titleholder Lamont Roach in a failed bid at the WBA belt in June of 2024. McCrory hit the canvas three times prior to the eighth-round stoppage, but regrouped since to stop Keenan Carbajal in eight last March. McCrory weighed-in at the lightweight limit of 135 pounds on Saturday.
In a make-or-break fight of sorts, veterans Azat Hovhannisyan (22-6, 17 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona by way of Yerevan, Armenia and Eduardo Baez (25-7-2, 10 KOs) of Calexico, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico will meet in a ten-round featherweight bout to open the main broadcast.
Hovhannisyan is best remembered for his super bantamweight title eliminator defeat to Luis Nery in what was one of the better fights of 2023. Hovhannisyan, who had previously failed in a bid for a portion of the 122-pound crown against Rey Vargas back in 2018, was stopped on his feet in the eleventh by Nery, which set off a three-fight skid. Hovhannisyan got back into the win column last time out: an eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Aidos Medet this past January. Hovhannisyan weighed-in at the featherweight limit of 126 pounds on Saturday.
Former title challenger Baez enters on a two-fight win streak having taken on tough opposition for much of his career. In his failed title bid, Baez succumbed to a vicious body shot from power-punching champion Emanuel Navarrete in round six of a bout back in 2022. Since, Baez has provided a stiff test to top prospects and contenders to mixed results. Baez scaled 125 pounds at Saturday’s weigh-in.
In the preliminary card main event, unbeaten Alexis De La Cerda (8-0, 4 KOs) of Federal Way, Washington will meet fellow unblemished prospect Ervin Fuller III (12-0, 6 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland in a ten-round featherweight bout.
De La Cerda has built his resume mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but did make a Las Vegas appearance defeating journeyman Sharone Carter via third-round stoppage in March of last year. Fuller comes off of a sixth-round unanimous decision over tougher-than-his-record Erik Ruiz this past January. The bout is a step-up for both and De La Cerda and Fuller both scaled an identical 125.5 pounds on Saturday morning.
In an eight-round lightweight bout, Robert Meriwether III (10-0, 4 KOs) of Las Vegas returns to the Meta Apex to take on Tony Hirsch Jr. (7-0-2, 4 KOs) of Oakland, California. Meriwether impressed in his Zuffa Boxing debut, scoring a mostly one-sided six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Cesar Correa in January. Hirsch, the 24-year-old son of former rugged gatekeeper of the middleweight and super middleweight division of the same name, last saw action in December, scoring a six-round decision over journeyman William Flenoy in Stockton, California. Meriwether weighed-in at 135, while Hirsch came in at 134 pounds on Saturday.
Jorge Maravillo (11-0-1, 8 KOs) of Salinas, California attempted to drop back down to welterweight for the first time in nearly five years to take on Elias Diaz (15-3, 8 KOs) of National City, California in an eight-rounder. Maravillo fought just once last year, bouncing back from a draw against fellow Zuffa fighter Damoni Cato-Cain in 2024, to shutout longtime journeyman Cameron Krael in a six-rounder back in November. Diaz is coming off a July 2025 loss to .500 fighter Sergio Garcia Herrera, who may be much improved since he went on to defeat previously unbeaten Jose Vargas last December. Maravillo weighed-in 2.5 pounds above the welterweight limit and thus 1.5 pounds more than the contract allowed at 149.5 pounds on Saturday. Diaz made the welterweight limit of 147.
In the featherweight opener, Troy Nash (6-0-1, 1 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colorado returns to the Meta Apex, site of his thrilling decision victory over Jaycob Ramos back in January, to take on once-beaten Bryan Rodriguez (8-1, 1 KO) of Donna, Texas in a eight-rounder.
Nash, who has taken the path of most resistance in his young career, ends a six-fight streak of meeting undefeated opponents on Sunday night. Ramos, who entered their contest 4-0, pushed “The Bank” in the maiden bout for Zuffa Boxing, but Nash won over the judges with his jab and boxing acumen.
Rodriguez bounced back from an upset defeat by springing an upset decision of his own over previously unbeaten, Robert Garcia-trained Daniel Cortez (11-0) last November. Nash weighed-in at the contracted maximum of 127-pounds, while Rodriguez came in heavy at 127.5 pounds, 1.5 pound above the featherweight limit and thus half a pound over the allowed weight.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Lightweights, 10 Rounds
Cortes 135
Garcia 135
Lightweights, 10 Rounds
Magsayo 134
McCrory 135
Featherweights, 10 Rounds
Hovhannisyan 126
Baez 125
Featherweights, 8 Rounds
De La Cerda 125.5
Fuller III 125.5
Lightweights, 8 Rounds
Meriwether III 135
Hirsch Jr. 134
Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Maravillo 149.5*
Diaz 147
Featherweights, 8 Rounds
Nash 127
Rodriguez 127.5**
*Maravillo weighed-in 1.5 pounds over contracted weight
**Rodriguez weighed-in .5 over contracted weight
Tickets for the event, promoted by Zuffa Boxing, are available online at AXS.com
VIDEO: Ed Pereira Talks about Mega Event coming to San Francisco
San Francisco May Host First World Heavyweight Title Fight in Over 71 Years
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – New disruptor in the boxing space, Ed Pereira, CEO of iVisit Boxing (iVB for short) officially announced on Friday a partnership with digital media juggernaut YouTube that will see multiple, massive scale live events take place this year in cities of historical significance for the sweet science. The announcement, which Pereira made across the steps of City Hall, alongside San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and representatives from the Google-owned YouTube, did not make mention of any specific fights or fighters that will be featured, but the word among many in the industry is that a fight between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and former kingpin Deontay Wilder is in play for the July 11th date announced to take place today in the “City by the Bay.” The event will be held outdoors at Civic Center Plaza.
While Pereira’s name may be new to the average boxing observer, the Uruguay-born, Wales-raised promoter was a key figure behind the scenes while working alongside Saudi Arabian officials on last May’s “Fatal Fury” event in New York City’s Times Square as well as the Ring Magazine Awards Show, which took place this past January in London, England.
“I have been in and around boxing for the last few years, but historically I have come from sport,” Pereira explained to TheBoxingHour.com on Friday. “I’ve worked for some of the biggest soccer teams in the world, for rugby, and for me the world of boxing is incredible. The people in boxing; the fighters, the fans – they have inspired me to come to the city of San Francisco and ask, ‘How are we going to create bigger and bolder events?’ I was inspired while working in the industry and I saw an opportunity.”
The goal for Pereira and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is that the event will break the reported all-time boxing attendance record of 135,132 set by world middleweight champion Tony Zale’s title defense against Billy Pryor at Juneau Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 16, 1941. Zale dropped Pryor multiple times en route to a ninth-round stoppage in the main event of a free event sponsored by the Pabst Brewing Company. Lurie reiterated what Pereira had made known in recent interviews: that a large number of standing room tickets will be made available for free for the event in July.
“I am so fired up to make sure that we see over 130,000 people on July 11th,” Lurie told the crowd gathered at today’s press conference. “What you all might not know is that San Francisco has a long history of boxing. Boxing was and still is a uniting force for our community. Today we are announcing a partnership that builds on that incredible history. This July, I am so excited that San Francisco will be host to iVisit Boxing and a weeklong series of events across San Francisco and the Bay Area, culminating in a historic match right here in our Civic Center. Every match will be free and open to the public, bringing world class sport directly to San Franciscans.”
One of the criticisms of the Times Square event was that fans were unable to get close enough to see the fights in the ring. San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza obviously offers much more space than the Midtown Manhattan commercial intersection. Space is one of the aspects, alongside the city’s rich boxing history, that Pereira has said in interviews that drew him to the “The City by the Bay.”
Should the rumored Usyk-Wilder clash end up at Civic Center Plaza, it would be the first world heavyweight championship fight the city has hosted since undefeated champion Rocky Marciano stopped overmatched Don Cockell in the ninth round at Kezar Stadium on May 16, 1955. The city, once one of boxing’s hotbeds, had hosted world heavyweight title fights dating back to a John L. Sullivan title defense in 1886. James J. Corbett, who had graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco, returned to the city for a world heavyweight title defense in 1897. The legendary James J. Jeffries also made multiple defenses at the turn of the 20th century. Today’s announcement did not include mention of Usyk, Wilder or any other specific fighters. Pereira explained those announcements will be forthcoming, but today was about getting the world excited about the sport being featured in a grand scale on the YouTube platform as well as getting the community in and around San Francisco excited about the July 11th event.
“My focus has been very much about working with the Mayor’s team to put together everything for this announcement and obviously the YouTube announcement,” Pereira told TheBoxingHour.com. “Whenever those guys [Usyk and Wilder] get together, it is going to be a great card, right? Who wouldn’t want Usyk on their card?”
iVisit Boxing has made mention on their social media platforms that the company plans to host twelve events this calendar year, including the first on April 4th, outdoors of Resorts World in Las Vegas, Nevada to recreate the feel of the old Caesars Palace open-air event center that hosted the majority of major fights on the Strip before the casino bosses wanted the patrons and potential gamblers closer to the the tables and slot machines indoors. The coming weeks and months could be very interesting as Pereira and iVB make their plans better known.
Macalolooy Shows No Rust, Decisions Munoz in Pleasanton
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA – Welterweight prospect Jacob Macalolooy ended the longest layoff of his blossoming career with a hard-fought six-round majority decision over Angel Munoz in the main event of the seven-bout “Brawl in the Bay” card at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Saturday night.
After feeling things out in round one, Macalolooy (10-0, 4 KOs) of Union City, California came out more aggressive in round two, backing Munoz (7-2, 5 KOs) of San Bernardino, California against the ropes and letting loose with his hands.
Macalolooy, 148 ½, asserted himself in the third as well, pounding Munoz, 146 ½, back into the red corner to highlight the round. Munoz worked his way back into the fight in the fourth, finding a home for two right uppercuts in the early going. Macalolooy, who turned southpaw for a stretch, mirroring his left-handed opponent’s stance, closed the round strong before dancing back to his corner.
Taking a page out of his opponent’s book, Macalolooy doubled up on his uppercut early in the fifth round. Macalolooy controlled most of the round, but Munoz did land his uppercut again, sending fluid from his foe’s mouth flying across the ring. Each had their moments in the sixth. Munoz landed a stiff right hand early and did some good work through two-and-one-half minutes, before Macalolooy came on strong to close out the fight.
In the end, judge Kermit Bayless had the fight scored even, 57-57, but was overruled by judges Melissa McMorrow and Brian Tsukamoto, who scored the fight 59-55 for Macalolooy. The fight represented Macalolooy’s return after over a year away from traditional ring action.
Light heavyweight prospect Kumar Prescod (4-0-1, 4 KOs) of Oakland, California did something not seen in California too often: score four knockdowns in a single round. After some bad blood at Friday’s weigh-in, Prescod had a short, but eventful night in dispatching Isaac Johnson (4-16-1, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado inside of a single round.
Prescod, 176, rocked Johnson, 174, early and often, scoring the first knockdown with a straight left. The punch bounced Johnson off a neutral corner’s turnbuckle pad and down. Johnson rose quickly, but was abruptly downed for the second time with a short right hand. The third knockdown was scored with a right to the body. On most nights, that would have been the end. Johnson was allowed to continue before a quick two-punch combination sent him down for the fourth and final time. Time of the stoppage was 2:29 of round one.
In his U.S. debut, junior welterweight Rob Gutierrez Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California was taken the distance for the first time as a professional by Imer Lima (1-1-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California, but came away with his unbeaten record intact via four-round unanimous decision.
Gutierrez, 141 ½, controlled the action from the outset, pressing Lima, 140, to the ropes. At times it seemed like Gutierrez did the hard work of backing Lima up and getting inside, but did not let his hands go enough once he got there.
After a second round that mirrored the first, Gutierrez closed the third, having hurt Lima to the body and chasing his adversary while looking to land the put away shot. However, Lima did well to get on his horse and regroup.
After another clear round for Gutierrez, who looked like he had more gas in the tank, judges Melissa McMorrow and Kermit Bayless scored the shutout, 40-36. Judge Brian Tsukamoto found a round for Lima, turning in a 39-37 scorecard.
Moving into the win column, Johnie Williams (1-0-1) of Suisun City, California pounded his way to a four-round unanimous decision over Terrence Coleman (0-2) of New York, New York.
Williams, 170 ½, repeatedly found a home for his overhand right, as Coleman, 171 ½, kept his left low in an Archie Moore-type defensive posture, but without bringing his right hand over to deflect shots upstairs.
Williams again landed clean with the overhand right late in the second. The punch shook Coleman, but after it scored they tangled up and fell to the canvas. The extra time was probably welcomed by Coleman, who looked weary making the trip across the ring and back to his corner.
Things got more interesting in the third as Williams scored two knockdowns. The first knockdown came from a right hand, but the second had a little more flair. Williams landed a combination, scoring a knockdown that sent Coleman down and out of the ring, under the bottom rope, and to the floor. To his credit, Coleman beat the count back in, but was rocked in the closing seconds by an uppercut.
Both switched to southpaw briefly in the fourth before Coleman executed a double leg takedown. Williams closed out the round landing upstairs again, but Coleman made it to the final bell.
Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 40-35, while judges Kermit Bayless and Brian Tsukamoto had it 40-34.
In an evenly matched contest, Tiare Womack (2-0-1, 2 KOs) of San Francisco, California and Danna Pineda (1-0-1) of Orosi, California by way of Michoacán, Mexico fought to a four-round split decision draw.
The first two-minute round featured some frantic inside work by both fighters. Womack, 129 ½, appeared stronger on the inside in the early going, but Pineda, 129, held her own in the exchanges.
Once the fight moved into the second, Womack was holding in close more often, while Pineda kept her hands moving. Womack was cut over right eye late in the round, ruled as a result of a legal punch by referee Michael Margado.
Womack started the third with a clean combination, but Pineda was undeterred and fought tough in the final minute.
Womack landed her best punch early in the fourth, but Pineda was busier and worked more on the inside whenever her opponent looked to tie up.
Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 39-37 for Pineda. Judge Kermit Bayless had it 39-37 for Womack. Judge Brian Tsukamoto turned in the even card, 38-38. Both fighters expressed interest in a rematch during the post-fight interview.
In a fight that was there for the taking for either debuting fighter, Ralie Gulley (1-0) of Fresno, California edged out Colin Madlangbayan (0-1) of Hayward, California, taking a four-round majority decision.
Madlangbayan, 133 ½, and Gulley, 133 ½, felt out each other in the first round. Gulley turned southpaw at various points, something he would do all fight. Madlangbayan landed with a couple sweeping rights early, but nothing telling was landed by either before the first closing bell.
Madlangbayan closed the distance in the second and found a home for his straight left hand, which was probably the best punch landed in the round.
Madlangbayan forced his way inside again early in the third and landed a clean combination upstairs. Gulley landed a few clean shots at range, but had a hard time keeping the distance that would best suit his longer frame.
Gulley found his range again in spots in the fourth, but neither fighter really pressed to close out the fight strong. In the end it was Madlangbayan that suffered for it, as Gulley did enough to win over judges Kermit Bayless and Brian Tsukamoto, 39-37 each. Judge Melissa McMorrow had the dissenting card, 38-38.
In his U.S. debut, Danny Belloso Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) of Modesto, California made short work of Antonio Ferrel (0-3) of Santa Rosa, California, scoring a first-round stoppage in under a minute.
Ferrel, 123, was hurt by the first counter right Belloso, 121 ½, landed. With Ferrel in immediate retreat, Belloso followed with combinations, culminating with two left hooks, to score a knockdown. Referee Michael Margado began his count, before stopping bout without reaching the conclusion of his count at 55 seconds of the first.
The event was promoted by Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing and streamed live by BXNG TV.
Macalolooy Plans Relaunch on Saturday Night in Pleasanton
SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA – Undefeated welterweight Jacob Macalolooy ends the longest layoff of his pro career as he meets his toughest test to date in once-beaten Angel Munoz in the six-round main event of the BXNG TV-broadcasted “Brawl in the Bay” on Saturday night at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in nearby Pleasanton, California. Fighters weighed-in for the seven-bout card, presented by Elite Underdog Promotions, at Benjamin’s Boxing in San Ramon on Friday morning.
Macalolooy (9-0, 4 KOs) of Union City, California was kept away from the ring over the last 13 months due to the business side of the sport, as it was not anything physical that delayed the rise of the unbeaten welterweight prospect. After fighting five times over the previous two years, Macalolooy has only seen two rounds of competitive ring action thus far in 2025, as he took part in the Team Combat League, fighting two, one-round fights on June 27th in Arizona.
“It wasn’t up to me,” said Macalolooy regarding his year away from traditional ring action. “I’ve been trying to fight all year. I was signed with another promoter and ended that contract at the beginning of the year. Then I floated around as a free agent, trying to pick up some fights. I came real close, started a camp and everything. When that didn’t happen, I ended up fighting for the TCL for the Phoenix Fury team, but it was just a couple rounds, nothing really serious. But I stayed ready and I had this fight on my radar. They had it set pretty far out, so I knew I was going to finish my year fighting here, but I didn’t know it would be my only fight of the year.”
Hoping to derail the local favorite’s return, Angel Munoz (7-1, 5 KOs) of San Bernardino, California saw his undefeated rise derailed inside the ring earlier this year. Munoz will be looking to rebound from his only professional defeat, a six-round unanimous decision to well-regarded David Whitmire this past March at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Munoz, who began his career with three straight knockouts, is a formidable opponent for a local prospect coming back from over a year away and that is by Macalolooy’s design.
“I am always looking for good fights,” says Macalolooy. “I am never looking to pad my record and take the easy way out. I am trying to push my way up the rankings and get closer and closer to being a contender and getting a title shot. Once they put [Munoz] in front of me, I said, ‘Perfect. Let’s run it.’”
Macalolooy, a few inches shorter than his fellow southpaw opponent, weighed-in at 148 ½-pounds, while Munoz scaled 146 ½.
An otherwise cordial weigh-in saw a spike in excitement during the face-off between light heavyweights Kumar Prescod and Isaac Johnson, who will fight in a four-rounder on Saturday night.
Prescod (3-0-1, 3 KOs) of Oakland, California was last in the ring on August 16th when an unfortunate clash of heads brought an unsatisfying end to his night. Prescod was dominant through two completed rounds against Michael Nelson, but along the way an accidental headbutt had opened up a cut above Nelson’s eye. Prior to the start of the third, the fight was called on the advice of the ringside physician, resulting in a technical draw.
Johnson (4-15-1, 1 KO) of Denver, Colorado presents the most experienced opposition Prescod has seen early in his promising career. When Johnson turned professional in 2015, Prescod was eight-years-old. While it is questionable what type of power he carries at light heavyweight, Johnson has only been stopped four times in his fifteen career defeats.
Things got heated during the ceremonial weigh-in after some trash talk turned into a shoving match initiated by Prescod. The two were quickly separated, but continued their vocal disagreement before being further removed from each other. According to Johnson, the beef stems from the circumstances of Prescod’s weight. The bout had originally been contracted for 172-pounds. Johnson was not informed of Prescod’s inability to make the weight until the morning of the weigh-in and agreement came to pass just before it took place. By the time they hit the scales for the official weigh-in, which took place before their shoving match during the ceremonial one, Prescod weighed-in at 176-pounds, while Johnson, who turned pro at lightweight, scaled 174.
Making his U.S. debut, exciting power-punching junior welterweight Rob Gutierrez Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California takes on Imer Lima (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round bout on Saturday. Gutierrez, trained out of Benjamin’s Boxing by former world champion James Page and Ali Benjamin, scaled 141 ½-pounds on Friday, while Lima, also making his stateside debut, scaled 140.
Both looking to nab their first professional victory, Johnie Williams (0-0-1) of Suisun City, California takes on Terrence Coleman (0-1) of New York, New York in a bout contested just over the super middleweight limit and scheduled for four rounds. Williams, whose name has appeared on a few Northern California bout sheets over the last couple years before his fight ultimately falls off, is coming off of a majority draw in Stockton in May. Coleman came up short against a tough assignment in his pro debut, ironically on the same day Williams fought, falling to Ethan Smith, who is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Williams scaled 170 ½-pounds, while Coleman made 171 ½-pounds.
In an intriguing super featherweight fight, Tiare Womack (2-0, 2 KOs) takes on Danna Pineda (1-0) of Orosi, California in a four-rounder. Womack, who trains out of Benjamin’s Boxing in San Ramon, where the weigh-in was held, thrilled the fans at the Alameda County Fairgrounds by scoring a devastating first-round knockout over six-fight veteran Lauren Michaels in her pro debut this past May. Pineda turned pro with a four-round unanimous decision over Tanishia Lopez in Merced, California on September 12th. Womack and Pineda, two fighters with some amateur accolades to their credit, both scaled 129 ½-pounds.
Making their professional debuts, Colin Madlangbayan of Hayward, California will take on Ralie Gulley of Fresno, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Madlangbayan, who often can be found sparring at Benjamin’s Boxing, offered his hand in sportsmanship after a long stare down, but Gulley refused to oblige. Both fighters scaled the same 133 ½-pounds.
Making his U.S. debut, Danny Belloso Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) of Modesto, California will take on Antonio Ferrel (0-2) of Santa Rosa, California in the four-round super bantamweight opener on Saturday night. Belloso, who turned professional in Mexico at age 17 this past March, scaled 121 ½-pounds, while Ferrel, taking on his third straight tough assignment, weighed-in at 123-pounds even.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Macalolooy 148 ½
Munoz 146 ½
Light heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Prescod 176
Johnson 174
Light welterweights, 4 Rounds
Gutierrez Jr. 141 ½
Lima 140
Super middleweights, 4 Rounds
Williams 170 ½
Coleman 171 ½
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Womack 129 ½
Pineda 129
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Madlangbayan 133 ½
Gulley 133 ½
Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Belloso Jr. 121 ½
Ferrel 123
Tickets for the event, promoted by Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, are available online at Eventbrite.com
VIDEO: Rob Gutierrez Jr. Talks Upcoming fight on December 6, 2025
Junior welterweight Rob Gutierrez Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California makes his U.S. debut this coming Saturday night, December 6th against Imer Lima (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round bout.
VIDEO: Ali Benjamin of Elite Underdog Promotions
Ali Benjamin and Elite Underdog Promotions present “Battle in the Bay” on BXNG TV from the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California on Saturday, December 6th.
Abdusamadov Goes Six in Win Over Gomez
LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – Rising middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov scored a workmanlike six-round unanimous decision victory over durable Jose Manuel Gomez in the featured attraction at the Venue at Thunder Valley at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday night.
Abdusamadov (6-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia boxed his way to the decision win in his first foray into the six-round distance over the veteran Gomez (4-6-1, 4 KOs) of Livermore, California.
Abdusamadov, 158, controlled the early part of a feeling out round one with his jab as Gomez, 158, got off to an uncharacteristically tentative opening start. Gomez upped his output in round two as Abdusamadov looked to time his right hand and counter. In round three, Gomez failed to let his hands go and gave away the round to Abdusamadov, who mostly popped his jab and occasionally followed with the right.
As the fight moved into the second half, Abdusamadov began to find a home for his right with greater frequency. Gomez got active again in the fourth, but a few well-timed rights likely gave the Russian import the round. Both had their moments in the fifth as they met each other in the middle of the ring. Abdusamadov showed great ring generalship and made subtle moves to evade some of Gomez’s offense. Abdusamadov landed with a couple more precision rights in round six to edge another one on the cards. Both took their swings in the final ten seconds before the bell sounded to end the fight.
Judge Joel Farbstein scored the bout 59-57 and judges Melissa McMorrow and Edward Collantes had it 58-56 all for the still unbeaten Abusamadov.
Without breaking much of a sweat, unbeaten middleweight Sergio Gonzalez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Sacramento, California rolled past Juan Meza Moreno (4-8, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California via first-round stoppage in the last fight of the night.
Gonzalez, 156, hurt Meza Moreno, 152, with the first right hand he threw and scored the first knockdown of the first with another soon thereafter. Meza Moreno unwisely returned to his feet before leaving himself open for a clean right hand that had him reeling again. Backed into the blue corner, Meza Moreno was touched by a left to the body and crumpled to a knee. Referee Edward Collantes did not bother a count and waved off the onslaught at 1:40 of round one.
Featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (6-0, 3 KOs) of San Ramon, California flashed his power with a first-round body shot knockout of Phillip Ramirez (2-7) of Sacramento.
The much shorter Ramirez, 126, landed with a right early as he worked his way inside, but after that it was all Lacanlale. At range, Lacanlale, 124, landed with both hands at a distance that Ramirez could not counter. Soon Lacanlale pressed Ramirez back with a left and moved-in with the final left to the body that immediately dropped the Sacramento native to his knees. As referee Michael Margado counted, Ramirez slammed his glove against the mat and showed no sign of getting up. Margado reached ten and waved off the bout at 1:59 seconds of round one.
In the fight of the night, Tatiana Almaraz (2-4) of Pittsburg, California by way of Guatemala City, Guatemala battled her way to a six-round majority decision over previously unbeaten Iris Contreras (4-1) of Richmond, California.
Contreras, 118, was strong early, but Almaraz, 117, appeared to have an edge in conditioning and seemed to have more in the tank in later rounds. Almaraz came on late in round three before Contreras fought hard to take round four.
The final two rounds featured exciting two-way action. Almaraz seemed to have more steam down the stretch and outlanded Contreras in the sixth and final round.
Judge Joel Farbstein scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judges David Hartman and Melissa McMorrow, 58-56 for Almaraz.
Vicky Zhao (1-2) of Watsonville, California by way of Chongqing, China spoiled the professional debut of multi-time Muay Thai champion Fayeda An (0-1) of Long Beach, California via four-round unanimous decision.
Zhao, 111.5, landed with the harder shots and outworked An, 113.2, in stretches. Judges Melissa McMorrow, Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes all scored the bout 39-37 for Zhao.
In his professional debut, former amateur standout Orion Cyrus Dizon (1-0) of Las Vegas, Nevada scored a decisive four-round unanimous decision over Jaycee King (0-5) of Sacramento.
Dizon, 133, had King, 133, in trouble at the end of round two and kept the pressure up as the fight moved into the second half. After surviving some shaky moments, King found his footing late, but was outworked by the faster, more aggressive Dizon. All three judges scored the bout a shutout, 40-36 for Dizon.
In a good action fight, middleweight prospect Dante Kirkman (5-0, 2 KOs) of East Palo Alto, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over a willing Dylan Carlson (2-11-3, 1 KO) of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Kirkman, 158, threw in combination and maintained a fast pace. Carlson, 159, placed a few solid shots of his own, including a clean right uppercut. The busy Kirkman got the better of every round, taking the cards of judges David Hartman, Joel Farbstein and Michael Margado, 40-36.
Two fights that weighed-in yesterday did not take place on Saturday night. Super heavyweight Junlong Zhang (20-1, 19 KOs) of Elk Grove, California by way of Qingdao, Shandong, China was to have made his U.S. debut against Vikash Deol (4-0, 3 KOs) of Hayward, California in a four-round bout. However, Zhang was ruled out earlier in the day after his pre-fight medical check.
Leonard Ocampo of Pinole, California withdrew from his scheduled four-round bout with Rodolfo Molina (0-2) of Antioch, California earlier in the day. Both fighters had weighed-in on Friday, with Ocampo coming in half-of-a-pound over. Ocampo cited health reasons according to the Molina camp.
ROCKLIN, CALIFORNIA – Unbeaten middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov will make the move up to the six-round distance in taking on hard-nosed veteran Jose Manuel Gomez in the headlining attraction of the “Thunder Showdown III” event at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California on Saturday night. Fighters for the nine-bout card weighed-in on Friday afternoon at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ in nearby Rocklin.
Abdusamadov (5-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia last saw action in the very same ring back in March, scoring a hard-fought four-round unanimous decision over Josias Gonzalez. Abdusamadov flashed his power, scoring a second-round knockdown, which would end up being the difference in the final tabulations. Now, ready for his first scheduled six-rounder, Abdusamadov weighed-in at 158-pounds.
Gomez (4-5-1, 4 KOs) of Livermore, California is no stranger to the six-round distance, nor unbeaten prospects. The battle-tested Gomez has fought four previously undefeated fighters, giving many of them tough rounds but coming up short on the scorecards. Last time out, Gomez was bested by heralded Jorge Maravillo via unanimous decision in June of last year. On his first attempt, Gomez weighed-in .4 over the contracted 158-pounds, before returning to the scale and hitting the mark.
Junior middleweight prospect Sergio Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento, California will make his return to the Thunder Valley ring against Juan Meza Moreno (4-7, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round bout. Gonzalez, who weighed-in two pounds over the contracted weight at 156, is coming off of a dominant first-round stoppage over Tyre Travon Reed in May. Meza Moreno, who will be fighting his eighth straight opponent with one or fewer defeats on their record, scaled 152-pounds on Friday.
Featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (5-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California will take on late replacement opponent Phillip Ramirez (2-6) of Sacramento in a four-rounder. Lacanlale’s original opponent Enrique Uvalle bowed out early in fight week and Ramirez quickly stepped-in. Lacanlale was last in the ring in May, scoring an exciting four-round decision over Rodolfo Molina. Ramirez, who has already fought six previously unbeaten foes in his career, weighed-in at 126-pounds, while Lacanlale scaled 124.
Iris Contreras (4-0) of Richmond, California returns to the ring after battling the injury bug over the last year against Tatiana Almaraz (1-4) of Pittsburg, California by way of Guatemala City, Guatemala in a six-round bantamweight bout. Contreras scored a four-round unanimous decision over Maribel Guerrero in April of last year. Almaraz moved into the win column last time out, getting the nod over Vicky Zhao by four-round unanimous decision last October. Contreras scaled 117-pounds, while Almaraz came in at the bantamweight limit of 118.
Super heavyweight Junlong Zhang (20-1, 19 KOs) of Elk Grove, California by way of Qingdao, Shandong, China will make his U.S. debut against Vikash Deol (4-0, 3 KOs) of Hayward, California in a four-round bout. Zhang, a thirteen-year pro, ended a nearly two-year layoff with a first-round kayo last July in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Deol reeled off two knockout victories in Colombia in June and July after ending a six-year layoff with a four-round unanimous decision over Herman Hodnett at Thunder Valley in March. Zhang scaled a whopping 314-pounds Friday, while Deol came in at 219.
Veteran Muay Thai champion Fayeda An of Long Beach, California will make her professional boxing debut against Vicky Zhao (0-2) of Capitola, California by way of Chongqing, China in a four-round flyweight bout. An, who has held multiple Muay Thai titles, came in 1.2-pounds over the contracted weight at 113.2-pounds. Zhao, looking to get into the win column after a hard-fought defeat to Tatiana Almaraz last time out, came in at 111.5-pounds on Friday. An was fined for being overweight.
Former amateur standout Orion Cyrus Dizon of Las Vegas, Nevada will make his professional debut against Jaycee King (0-4) of Sacramento in a four-round lightweight bout. Dizon, nicknamed “Cyrus the Virus,” scaled 133-pounds, as did King, who has fought nothing but tough opponents in his short career.
Middleweight prospect and recent Stanford University graduate Dante Kirkman (4-0, 2 KOs) of East Palo Alto, California returns to Thunder Valley to take on Dylan Carlson (2-10-3, 1 KO) of Klamath Falls, Oregon in a four-round middleweight bout. Kirkman, who graduated in June, was last in the ring with a quick first-round stoppage over Jose Cruz at Thunder Valley in March. Carlson, who despite ten defeats has never been stopped, scaled 159-pounds, while Kirkman came in at 158.
Leonard Ocampo of Pinole, California will make his professional debut against tough Rodolfo Molina (0-2) of Antioch, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Ocampo, fighting out of the D.F. Boxing Club in Richmond, came in a half pound over the contracted weight at 120.5-pounds. Molina, coming in off of a hard-fought decision defeat to Kyle Lacanlale in May, scaled 119.5-pounds on Friday. Ocampo opted to take a fine instead of attempting to drop any weight.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Abdusamadov 158
Gomez 158*
Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Gonzalez 156**
Meza Moreno 152
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lacanlale 124
Ramirez 126
Bantamweights, 6 Rounds
Contreras 117
Almaraz 118
Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Zhang 314
Deol 219
Flyweights, 4 Rounds
Zhao 111.5
An 113.2***
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Dizon 133
King 133
Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Kirkman 158
Carlson 159
Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Ocampo 120.5****
Molina 119.5
*Gomez was .4 over contracted weight on first attempt before dropping the extra poundage.
**Gonzalez weighed-in two pounds over and was fined
***An was 1.2 pounds over and was fined
****Ocampo was .5 pounds over and was fined
Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com
VIDEO: Interview with Undefeated Featherweight Kyle Lacanlale
Kyle Lacanlale (5-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California returns to the ring this coming Saturday night as part of “Thunder Showdown III” at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Lacanlale will meet Phillip Ramirez in a four-round bout.
Islam Abdusamadov: Ready for Six Rounds or Less
Middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov moves up to the six round distance when he takes on rugged Jose Manuel Gomez as part of “Thunder Showdown III,” presented by Upper Cut Promotions at the Venue at Thunder Valley at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California this Saturday night.
Abdusamadov (5-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia may be short on professional experience, but is not short on confidence as he moves up in scheduled distance and in class on Saturday.
“I feel great,” says Abdusamadov. “I feel that I will beat him easily because I always train hard. I am always confident that I will beat anyone that fights me. I just feel like I can smash anybody.”
Abdusamadov will be taking a step-up in class against the battle-tested Gomez (4-5-1, 4 KOs) of Livermore, California. The veteran Gomez has been stopped just once and given unbeaten prospects tough rounds over his six-year career.
“I know he’s a tough guy, but I’ve fought tough guys before too,” says Abdusamadov. “It has never been too much for me. I know I can fight anyone. I think it will be easy for me.”
After going the full four-round distance in two consecutive fights, Abdusamadov is now ready to extend himself two additional rounds if need be. The power-puncher plans to make it a short night, but has complete faith that his preparation has readied him for distance.
“I want to finish him early,” says Abdusamadov. “I am not too worried about the last round, to be honest. I sparred more rounds; ten, twelve rounds sometimes. Before [my previous fights,] I sparred less. With the fight being six rounds, I worked on conditioning more and sparred more rounds. I like to start fast, fight aggressively and finish fast. It is a fight, so you never know what will happen. If it goes the six rounds, I am ready for six rounds, eight rounds. But if I can, I will finish him earlier.”
In his last bout, which took place this past March at Thunder Valley, Abdusamadov passed the test of Josias Gonzales, a scrappy southpaw that has been matched tough in his career, but fights to win. Abdusamadov went into the bout with his signature confidence, but despite scoring a knockdown, had to fight hard until the end to secure the unanimous decision.
“Before that fight, I did think it would come easy,” says Abdusamadov of the Gonzales encounter. “That guy was tough though. I did knock him down in the second round, but he kept coming and wanted to beat me. For me, Gonzales was my toughest fight out of my five fights. He was a southpaw and he was always busy. He’s a good fighter and tough and I like the tough fights. It was a good fight for my experience.”
As the competition increases, the pressure on an unbeaten fighter to maintain his record mounts. Abdusamadov, who has grown his fanbase fight-by-fight, is conscious of the importance placed on protecting his loss column and plans to keep it empty this Saturday night.
“When everyone comes out to see me, I have to win,” says Abdusamadov. “If I keep winning, then they will want to keep coming every time. I want to stay undefeated. It is important, because people want to keep coming to see a winner. Come to watch my fight and I promise you will like this one. It will be the best fight on the card.”
Tickets for event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com
Throughout his rise in the amateur ranks and through four fights as a professional, middleweight prospect Dante Kirkman was living a dual life. While shining athletically in boxing, Kirkman was also excelling in school, eventually making his way to prestigious Stanford University in Stanford, California. Having graduated in June, Kirkman can now fully focus on his professional boxing career beginning this Saturday night as he takes on Dylan Carlson in a featured four-round bout at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California.
Kirkman (4-0, 2 KOs) of East Palo Alto, California developed a passion for both boxing and academics at a young age, through his parents Robert and Catherine. Kirkman’s father competed as an amateur boxer and continued to follow the sport as an adult. Robert’s love for boxing eventually rubbed off on his younger son Dante, who had tried his hand at team sports, but gravitated to the one-on-one aspect of the sweet science.
“In boxing, I could control my own destiny and with my dad being a boxing fan, he always wanted to raise my brother and I to protect ourselves,” recalls Kirkman. “Part of that was watching boxing. I remember watching Floyd Mayweather and thinking he was awesome. He gets to do his own thing and he wins without other people being a factor. Whether he loses a round or anything, it was always up to him. It wasn’t up to a lineman or somebody else making a bad pass.”
The studious side of Kirkman was heavily influenced by his mother Catherine, as well as his brother Tremaine, who is eight years older and graduated from Stanford in 2016.
“My mom went to Harvard for undergrad and Stanford for law school,” details Kirkman. “We grew up near Stanford, so if we went to a football game or a basketball game, that’s where we went. Obviously, with my mom having a history there and it being one of the best schools, it was always a dream for my brother and that passed down to me. For my dad, he always wanted us to have a good life. He would always say he wanted us to be cool nerds.”
As he progressed and began challenging himself as a fighter in national tournaments, Kirkman was hitting the books just as hard so that he could realize his dream of attending Stanford.
“It was pretty intense,” says Kirkman of the juggling of both worlds. “My mom played a big factor, making sure I didn’t slack off. It would have been very easy to slack off because I was tired after training. Whenever I would get back after training, I’d hit myself with the massage gun and be tired and my mom would go, ‘Alright it is homework time.’ So I would do homework for three or four hours until midnight or however long it took and then wake up for the next day. It was a grueling process that I feel is a testament to the people that care about me. It was not a fun experience necessarily, but something I was able to bite down and get through.”
By the time Kirkman was accepted and enrolled at Stanford, the COVID-19 pandemic had hit, which meant beginning college life off campus in a remote learning setting. With the coronavirus uncontrolled, Kirkman did not have any sanctioned competitions to worry about as he began school and continued to train. While most of his classmates were likely disappointed, Kirkman found the positive in his unique situation.
“That year, USA Boxing was on pause for a majority of it,” explains Kirkman. “It was good for my training though, because I could really focus and then hop on the computer and go do homework and then go back to training. That year things were shut down for the most part.”
In 2023, while preparing for the U.S. Olympic Trials, Kirkman took a break from school to prepare for the tournament.
“For my schooling, we actually took a little bit of a break before the Olympic Trials,” explains Kirkman. “We felt like this was the time to take a few quarters off and have a good performance in the qualifiers. In the first round, I beat the National Golden Gloves champion of that year. In the quarterfinals, I beat the national champion of the weight class above me, who was also the number two seed. In the semi-finals, I lost a tough fight to Keon Davis. After the Olympic Trials, I went back on campus. Immediately after I lost, I knew that meant I was going to be turning pro and that was pretty tough with school.”
In many academic programs, student-athletes are given some level of grace with assignment deadlines and the like. As Kirkman prepared for his professional debut, which took place in May of last year and resulted in a four-round unanimous decision win over Henry Rivera, he found out that being a student/professional athlete did not garner him any leeway at Stanford.
“I thought maybe it might be easier,” admits Kirkman of his expectations. “I thought that professors would be a little more understanding since they knew I was competing at a high level in amateur boxing. But the label amateur led them to believe it was more of a hobby thing. As an athlete, but not an actual Stanford athlete, I wasn’t getting a lot of support from professors. I thought that might change with the professional label, but that did not change. So that was a pretty difficult process. I still had an amazing training camp and a dominant performance in my debut.”
Despite the heavy workload in school, Kirkman continued to excel in the ring as a professional. The East Palo Alto native, nicknamed “The Inferno,” scored a four-round unanimous decision over awkward Miguel Soto-Garcia last August before notching his first two stoppage victories last November and this past March. While finishing up his last quarter at Stanford, Kirkman was scheduled to fight this past May against tough Jose Manuel Gomez, before needing to withdraw from the bout.
“I saw he is also fighting on the sixth, so hopefully I will be able to share the ring with him after this fight,” says Kirkman of Gomez, who will be in the main event on Saturday against undefeated Islam Abdusamadov. “I was hoping to fight him in this fight, but I saw he was already booked. I think it would be a really great fight and I would like to take that step-up.”
While he did not get to fight in May, Kirkman, who majored in Art Practice, soon thereafter achieved one of his ambitions by graduating from Stanford University.
“It was pretty tough, but I grinded it out and officially finished as Stanford’s first professional boxer and graduate,” says Kirkman proudly. “It was really an honor. It was a letdown that I didn’t get to fight then, because I did want to fight then, but I was still very happy to graduate at that time and achieve one of my goals.”
Now, with his degree mounted on the wall, Dante Kirkman can focus entirely on his pursuits as a professional boxer. Outside of his time preparing for the Olympic Trials, Kirkman has always had his studies drawing his time and attention away from boxing, yet he still managed to compete at a high level. With that time no longer diverted, Kirkman the boxer is excited to show what he can do.
“I am blessed to be boxing full-time and I am really excited for this new journey,” explains Kirkman. “My whole boxing career, both in amateurs and professionally, has been while simultaneously trying to be the best I can be academically. I am excited to be getting the proper rest and proper training times and reaching new levels.”
Having graduated in June, Kirkman began camp for his next bout in July, his first as a professional boxer only.
“I graduated in June, so this camp has been pretty clear of anything to interrupt my training, so it has been great,” says Kirkman. “Now that I am out of school and not trying so hard to get an A in class or be late or anything, it really just makes things a whole lot easier. Now that I am full-time boxing, it also makes things easier mentally as well. I am mentally clear and fully have my mind on boxing. We have just been getting ready, looking to get back active and get as many fights as possible. We will take it one fight at a time, but after this, hopefully go up to six rounds and step-up the competition.”
Dylan Carlson (2-10-3, 1 KO) of Klamath Falls, Oregon may not sport the best record, but he has never been stopped, despite the ten defeats. While four rounds does not always provide the time required to finish a tough opponent inside the distance, Kirkman worries only about putting on the best performance possible and securing the victory this coming Saturday night.
“Whatever happens in the fight happens,” says Kirkman. “If he gets stopped, he gets stopped, but we are looking overall to just get the win. Our end goal is to get me to the top championship level, so we are always trying to increase our skillset and our secret sauce. I had a lot of improvement in my last fight camp. That fight ended up only being one round, so I didn’t get to show a whole lot of it in there. So for this fight, I am looking forward to showing how I’ve been developing as a pro and hopefully giving a sneak peak of what is to come in the future.”
Kirkman, no longer the student-athlete and now simply a prizefighter, plans to show his supportive fanbase what he can do when fully focused on his craft, beginning this Saturday in Lincoln.
“My fans can expect to see someone that is very passionate about boxing, displaying their skills on the blank canvas of the ring and doing what I always do: bringing the heat, as my Inferno nickname indicates,” says Kirkman. “I plan to put on a great show and a dominant performance.”
Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com
Photo by Ed Silva/Original Solo Photos
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
Caballero Remains Unbeaten in Canyonville
CANYONVILLE, OREGON – Featherweight prospect Osvel Caballero scored a third-round knockout of Ernesto Sebastian Franzolini to cap the seven-bout “Clash at the Casino II” event at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort on Saturday night.
After taking the first round to get warmed up, Caballero (6-0, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Lajas, Cienfuegos, Cuba let his hands go in the second round. With Franzolini (21-17-2, 2 KOs) of Pinamar, Buenos Aires, Argentina coming forward, Caballero landed a short right hand to score the first knockdown in the fight. Franzolini, 130.2, gamely rose to his feet, but Caballero, 130.9, kept up the pressure, eventually downing the Brazilian with a combination late in the round.
At the start of the third round, referee Ray Armendariz called for the ringside physician to take a look at Franzolini. After some discussion, the fight was allowed to continue. Caballero moved in, eventually landing with the right and dropping Franzolini for the third time. After a brief look, the referee opted to wave off the bout at 31 seconds of the third round.
In the semi-main event, Tony Cruz Herrera (4-0) of Eugene, Oregon boxed his way to a five-round split decision over Blaiwas Eaglepipe (2-3, 1 KO) of Salem, Oregon.
After a slow start, action picked up in the third round. Cruz Herrera, 130.8, was wider with his punches, while Eaglepipe, 130.8, was more up the middle. Both had their moments in the stanza and traded punches through the bell to end the third. Cruz Herrera controlled the fourth and fifth, catching Eaglepipe on the way in and avoiding much of the Salem native’s attempts to answer.
After five rounds, one judge scored the bout 48-47 for Eaglepipe, but was overruled by the other two judges, who both scored the bout 49-46 for Herrera.
Unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Rocky Sanchez (5-0, 3 KOs) of Monmouth, Oregon pounded away at late replacement Idrees Wasi (1-5, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California for three minutes en route to a stoppage victory.
Sanchez, 185.8, came out aggressively, looking to land to the body and head, while Wasi, 178.1, mostly just covered up. Sanchez landed an unanswered combination, with referee Ray Armendariz looking closely, to close out the round. While Sanchez landed several clean punches over the course of the round, Wasi’s decision not to answer the bell for the second round was unexpected by the crowd.
In a bout he seemed to win clearly, aggressive southpaw Emmanuel Ojeda (3-0) of Salem scored a four-round majority decision over Joel Hernandez (1-1) of Wenton, Washington.
After a feeling out first round, Ojeda, 126.8, stepped on the gas in the second round and pressured Hernandez, 124.8, for the duration. Ojeda kept coming in the third and fourth as Hernandez attempted to time the Salem native on the way in, but was not busy enough to slow his southpaw adversary. Both fighters stood and traded to close out the fight.
One of the three judges scored the bout even, 38-38, but was overruled by the other two who scored the bout 39-37 twice for Ojeda.
Alessandro Singson (2-1) of Surrey, British Colombia, Canada scored a five-round unanimous decision over a game Christian Torrico (1-1) of Medford, Oregon.
Singson, 143.6, got behind his jab and used his longer reach early in the first. Late in the first, Singson scored a knock down as he landed an overhand right that forced one of Torrico’s gloves to touch the canvas. Torrico, 143, was more aggressive in the second round and was able to get in range as Singson slowed his output. Torrico spun Singson’s head with a right, but the Canadian fired right back, just before the bell.
Torrico controlled the action early in the third, before Singson sprang to life and uncorked a series of combinations late in the round. With the referee Ray Armendariz urging Torrico to answer back, the Medford native answered the request and fought his way out of the blue corner, backing up Singson to close the round. Both fighters had their moments in the fourth round, before Torrico came out aggressively to start the fifth and final act. Singson again came alive to close the round firing at the ten-second warning. Singson took all three judges’ cards by scores of 48-46 and 49-45 twice.
In a pairing of fighters making their professional debut, Sam Mednick (1-0) of Portland, Oregon outworked Bryce Bradbeer (0-1) of Grants Pass, Oregon to score a four-round unanimous decision.
Mednick, 156.5, was able to get in range and land some power shots in the opening round, while Bradbeer, 159.8, did well at range with his jab. Mednick timed Bradbeer well with his right hand early in the second and maintained a busy pace. Bradbeer was not nearly as active as in the first round and would struggle to keep up with Mednick’s output as the fight progressed. Mednick controlled the pace in rounds three and four, although Bradbeer did time an uppercut and overhand right, When Bradbeer would land one, Mednick would come back and land two or three. Both fighters, who converted southpaw at various times in the fight, closed out the final round throwing until the final bell. All three judges scored the bout for Mednick by scores of 39-37 and 40-36 twice.
In an entertaining opener, Vasyl Yakymiuk (1-0) of Spokane, Washington dropped Cesar Pineda (0-1) of Hillsboro, Oregon in the third round en route to a four-round unanimous decision.
There was some good back-and-forth action in the first round. Yakymiuk, 129.8, found success with some winging shots at distance early, but Pineda, 128.6, found a home for his lead left in the latter half of the round. Pineda successfully forced an inside fight in round two. Yakymiuk struggled to keep up with Pineda’s pace and the Hillsboro native kept the pressure for the duration.
Pineda began round three strong, finding a home for his uppercut, but Yakymiuk kept coming with his winging shots. Late in the third, Yakymiuk downed Pineda with a winging right seemingly out of nowhere. Pineda beat referee Ray Armendariz’s count and made it out of the round. Pineda again made excellent use of his uppercut in round four, but Yakymiuk stayed with him, looking to land as Pineda made his way inside. All three judges scored the bout for Yakymiuk, 39-36 and 38-37 twice.
Saturday’s event was promoted by WhiteDelight Promotions, who will bring professional boxing back to the Medford Armory in Medford on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Cuban Former Amateur Star Caballero Headlines in Canyonville
CANYONVILLE, OREGON – Featherweight prospect Osvel Caballero will aim to continue his upward advancement in the eight-round main event of “Clash at the Casino II” against Ernesto Sebastian Franzolini at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort on Saturday night. Fighters for the seven-bout card weighed-in at the casino’s Elements Lounge on Friday night.
Caballero (5-0, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Lajas, Cienfuegos, Cuba was actually in the ring just one week ago, competing as a member of the Las Vegas Hustle in Team Combat League. Caballero won both of his one-round bouts by decision over Ariel Perez De La Torre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Throughout the 2025 season, Caballero won 16 of his 19 one-round bouts as one of the top performers in the league. Saturday marks Caballero’s first traditional bout of the year. Last February, Caballero, a 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championship gold medalist, made his U.S. debut and scored a fourth-round stoppage of Jason Buenaobra in Santa Ynez, California. Caballero weighed-in at 130.9-pounds on Friday night.
Franzolini (21-16-2, 2 KOs) of Pinamar, Buenos Aires, Argentina is a thirteen-year pro making his fourth appearance in the U.S. on Saturday night. Franzolini is coming off of back-to-back victories in his native Argentina this year, lastly a second-round stoppage just three weeks ago. In two fights against American prospects last year, Franzolini failed to last past the second round against Angel Barrientes and Dylan Price, who combined to have a record of 27-1 at the time. Franzolini weighed-in at 130.2-pounds on Friday night.
In the semi-main event, Anthony Cruz Herrera (3-0) of Eugene, Oregon will take on Blaiwas Eaglepipe (2-2, 1 KO) of Salem, Oregon in a five-round super featherweight bout. Herrera, who weighed-in at 130.8-pounds on Friday, moved up to the five-round distance in his last bout, a unanimous decision over veteran Rob Diezel in Salem this past February. Eaglepipe, who also scaled 130.8-pounds, will be looking to rebound from a seven-round decision defeat to Gerardo Esquivel this past April.
Light heavyweight prospect Rocky Sanchez (4-0, 2 KOs) of Monmouth, Oregon will meet short-notice replacement Idrees Wasi (1-4, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California in a four-round cruiserweight bout. Sanchez, who weighed-in at 185.8-pounds, had been pegged to rematch Thomas Turner, who was ruled out early in the week. Wasi, who came in at 178.1-pounds, was named as the new opponent on Tuesday.
Emmanuel Ojeda (2-0) of Salem will take on Joel Hernandez (1-0) of Wenton, Washington in a four-round featherweight bout. Ojeda, who turned pro in April and was last in the ring just one month ago, weighed-in at 126.8-pounds. Hernandez, who scaled 124.8-pounds, turned pro in January with a four-round unanimous decision over Julio Lanzas Carrillo.
Christian Torrico (1-0) of Medford, Oregon will meet Alessandro Singson (1-1) of Surrey, British Colombia, Canada in a five-round welterweight bout. Torrico, who weighed-in at 143-pounds, turned pro at Seven Feathers with a second-round stoppage over Angel Manrajos last October. Singson, who scaled 143.6-pounds on Friday, looks to rebound from his first professional loss, which took place on the same October night at Seven Feathers.
In a pairing of fighters making their pro debuts, Sam Mednick of Portland, Oregon will take on Bryce Bradbeer of Grants Pass, Oregon in a four-round middleweight bout. Mednick, also 7-1 as an MMA fighter, scaled 156.5-pounds on Friday. Bradbeer, also an experienced MMA fighter and kickboxer, weighed-in at 159.8-pounds.
In a four-round super featherweight bout, former amateur standout Cesar Pineda of Hillsboro, Oregon will make his professional debut against Vasyl Yakymiuk of Spokane, Washington, also in his first start as a professional. Pineda, a former state and regional champion, weighed-in at 128.6-pounds, while Yakymiuk came in at 129.8 on Friday night.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Super featherweights, 8 Rounds
Caballero 130.9
Franzolini 130.2
Super featherweights, 5 Rounds
Cruz Herrera 130.8
Eaglepipe 130.8
Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
Sanchez 185.8
Wasi 178.1
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Ojeda 126.8*
Hernandez 124.8
Welterweights, 5 Rounds
Torrico 143
Singson 143.6
Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Mednick 156.5
Bradbeer 159.8
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Pineda 128.6
Yakymiuk 129.8
*.8 over contracted weight, but Oregon allows 1 pound over contract
Tickets for the event, promoted by WhiteDelight Promotions, are available online at sevenfeathers.com
In just over six months since joining the paid ranks, light heavyweight prospect Rocky Sanchez has kept a busy pace and goes for his fifth professional victory this Saturday night, taking on late replacement Idrees Wasi in a four-round special attraction at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, Oregon as part of “Clash at the Casino II.”
Originally from Sacramento, California, but residing in Monmouth, Oregon and training out of Young Guns Boxing in Vancouver, Washington, Sanchez (4-0, 2 KOs) originally had different squared circle dreams as a youngster.
“When I was younger, about four or five, I told my dad I was going to be WWE champion,” recalls Sanchez. “He told me, ‘Why would you do that if you could become a boxer?’ He ended up showing me a bunch of videos of Mike Tyson and ever since then I fell in love with boxing. I kept bugging him to get into it and, finally, when I was eleven-years-old, I got into it and I have been in love with it ever since.”
Unfortunately, Sanchez’s father passed away before he could see his son’s greatest amateur achievement: a silver medal at last year’s National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Detroit, Michigan. Sanchez, who moved to Oregon at the age of 15 to live with his mom after his father’s passing, moved up in weight class and scored decisions on three consecutive days before falling in the finals on a split verdict against a very experienced Isaiah Olugbemi.
“I was going to fight at 189 that year, but they did not have that weight class in the Golden Gloves, so I went up to heavyweight,” explains Sanchez. “Once I got to the nationals, I was the smallest heavyweight, out of 26 of them.”
Despite the size disadvantage, Sanchez thought he deserved the nod in the final round. Even without the gold medal finish, the national tournament experience was a positive one for the aspiring fighter, giving Sanchez confidence as he looked toward the pro game.
“I thought I won the fight, honestly, but it ended up being a split decision loss,” recalls Sanchez of the final round bout. “It was the most challenging, toughest experience I ever had. The mindset of going to the nationals and fighting day-after-day, I still have had nothing else like that. Honestly, I feel like it helped me get ready for the pros.”
Sanchez had one last goal as an amateur and that was to meet Olugbemi in a rematch and even up the score. Tragically, Isaiah Olugbemi was shot and killed by his own neighbor in Odenton, Maryland just a month after the National Golden Gloves.
“I was going to go to the Summer Fest,” recalls Sanchez, referring to the national event held in Kansas last June. “I wanted to run it back with him, but I ended up finding out later that after he got home, he got murdered. So it cut that off. I ended up not going to the Summer Fest and decided I would be going pro.”
Sanchez prepared for the National Golden Gloves by training himself out of his home gym. Once he made it be known he would be turning professional, several gyms and managers made overtures about working with the young prospect. During a sparring event in Washington, Sanchez met former fighter Jason Davis of Young Guns Boxing in Vancouver, who offered his services and the two quickly hit it off.
“I went to an event for sparring and we started talking,” recalls Sanchez of meeting Davis, who once went the distance with Joel Casamayor. “Once I met him, he said if I ever needed help, I could reach out to him. He’s a real cool dude and I feel like he’s real. We ended up clicking and been with each other ever since.”
With his team assembled, Sanchez turned professional this past February with a first-round stoppage of Joshua Brice in Salem, Oregon.
“During the weigh-in, he was smiling at me or laughing at me and it ticked me off,” remembers Sanchez of Brice. “The next day, when we were getting ready, he was laughing again, and I told my corner, ‘I am going to hurt this motherfucker.’ It felt good. I never realized how small the gloves are until I was in the ring. We ended up just going at it and I got the knockout.”
Two months later, Sanchez was back in action, taking on Thomas Turner in Clackamas, Oregon.
“We had a pretty good fight, but what happened was that he broke his hand in the fight,” explains Sanchez. “After the third round, he told me, ‘I’m going to quit. We are going to have to run it back.’ I had never had anyone hug me during a fight before. I went back to my corner and they told me to stay focused, because he could just be playing around. But the ref ended up waving it off, saying that he did quit. When we had our talk with the doctors, he kept talking to me, saying we needed to run it back and he didn’t get his fair shot. I told him we could run it back at any time, I don’t care.”
After two unanimous decision wins in May and July, the plan was to give Turner that second opportunity this Saturday in Canyonville. However, on Tuesday word came down that Turner’s hand was not cleared and would require surgery.
“I think he was coming into this fight unprepared and I am in the best shape I have ever been in my life,” says Sanchez of Turner, who had already requested a higher contracted weight. “If anything, I wanted to stop him in this fight, just to prove that the first fight wasn’t a fluke.”
Putting the definitive stamp on the Turner victory will have to wait until another day. Luckily for Sanchez, a new opponent was signed quickly, as Idrees Wasi (1-4, 1 KO) of Sacramento has stepped-in. The larger Wasi, who has additional experience in kickboxing and Muay Thai, will likely present a much different challenge than Turner.
“I don’t know anything about him,” admits Sanchez. “ I haven’t seen any video of him yet, but I am pretty sure he is going to come awkward. It was a last minute replacement. I told them I could go up in weight, or whatever we needed to do [to keep the date.] So we are going to cruiserweight for this fight. I feel like everything happens for a reason. I am just trying to fight anybody I can right now.”
Sanchez, who has been campaigning at light heavyweight, will not add any additional weight to prepare for his new heavier opponent and has designs on moving down to the 168-pound super middleweight division.
“I plan on coming in at the same weight [as I planned originally,] because I want to feel sharp, I want to feel strong,” explains Sanchez. “I feel good at this weight right now. We wanted to see how I felt during the weight cut, but the plan, since I feel great, is to shoot down to 168, most likely after this fight.”
In addition to possibly moving down in weight, Sanchez’s other goal is to remain active to close out the year, with a move up to the six-round distance in the offing.
“I am just trying to stay as active as I can this year,” says Sanchez. “It is getting hard to find opponents over here, so after this next fight, we are probably going to start travelling to get the fights.”
With eyes on the road, Saturday night’s bout in Southern Oregon presents a great opportunity for Sanchez’s following from both the Northwest and Northern California to see the young prospect in action before he starts logging airline miles.
“It is going to be big,” says Sanchez. “I have a lot of people coming out, so it is going to be wild. I am coming aggressive. I am looking to hurt him. I want to put him away.”
Tickets for the event, promoted by WhiteDelight Promotions, are available online at sevenfeathers.com
Photos by Josi Welter/Josi Welter Photography
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
No Sweat: Powell Stays Unbeaten in Oakland
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight prospect and co-promoter Lorenzo Powell remained unbeaten in the blink of an eye, stopping Mexican import Javier Rojas Campos to cap a seven-bout event at the Oakland Marriott City Center on Saturday night.
Powell (5-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento, California moved quickly, forcing Campos (3-5, 1 KO) of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico down to his knees with an unrelenting flurry, highlighted by a left to the body and finished with the right hand. Rojas Campos, 135.4, grimaced in pain and made no signs of getting up as Powell, 136.8, moved to a neutral corner and waited for referee Edward Collantes’ count to reach ten.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:30 of the opening round. Powell, part of the promotional team at G1 Promotions, co-promoters of tonight’s event alongside Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions, is tentatively slated to return to the ring this November.
Light heavyweight prospect Kumar Prescod (3-0-1, 3 KOs) of Antioch, California looked to be on his way to a fourth professional victory over Michael Nelson (4-2-1, 2 KOs) of College Park, Georgia before an unfortunate accidental headbutt forced an early end to the contest after two completed rounds.
After getting warmed up, Prescod, 176.1, stunned Nelson, 173, late in the first, forcing the Georgia native to hold on as the round came to a close. The bout took a turn in the following round as an accidental headbutt opened a cut above Nelson’s right eye, which did not aid his ability to see Prescod’s power left hand. After a dominant round for Prescod, referee Michael Margado called for a time-out prior to the start of the third. After taking a quick look at Nelson, ringside physician Kevin Mitchell advised referee Margado to end the contest, resulting in a technical draw.
In a pairing of veteran middleweights, Aaron Coley (17-5-1, 7 KOs) of Oakland ended a nearly three-year layoff with a shutout six-round unanimous decision over a game Moris Rodriguez (8-18-3, 5 KOs) of Sacramento.
Coley, 160.8, caught Rodriguez, 161.9, leaning in with a right to the body, then followed it upstairs in the third. Late in the round, Coley caught Rodriguez clean with a sweeping right to the head and pressured the Sacramento resident into a neutral corner. The veteran Rodriguez weathered the storm and the bell to end the round soon followed.
Much of the fourth was fought at a measured pace, but Coley finished the round strong as he forced Rodriguez back into the blue corner with a clean left just before the end of the round. The pace picked up in the fifth, as Coley let his hands go and Rodriguez did his best to respond.
Early in the sixth, Coley caught Rodriguez with a strong left after catching a punch on the gloves. Rodriguez shook his head to show the blow did not shake him and, after touching the canvas on a slip, kept coming until the final bell.
Judges Melissa McMorrow, Kermit Bayless and Joel Farbstein all scored the bout 60-54 for Coley.
In a thrilling offensive showing, Tony Hirsch Jr. (6-0-2, 4 KOs) of Oakland impressively halted veteran former regional title holder David Reyes (25-14-2, 13 KOs) of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico inside of two rounds.
Hirsch, 134.5, was in constant motion from the opening bell, overwhelming Reyes, 133.7, in moments. Early in the second, Hirsch wobbled and then dropped Reyes with the follow-up right hand. The Mexican veteran gamely made it to his feet, but Hirsch smelled blood in the water. With Reyes taking unanswered combinations, referee Michael Margado leaped-in to call a halt to the contest at 1:39 of the second.
Pleasing his vocal crowd in attendance, Alberto Velasco (2-0, 1 KO) of Stockton, California made short work of an unrefined Antonio Ferrel (0-1) of Santa Rosa, California.
Velasco, 131.7, landed with both hands from the outset as Ferrel, 128.7, struggled to defend or maintain his footing. After landing clean with both hands along the ropes, Velasco forced Ferrel into the blue corner and kept punching. Despite losing some of the steam on his punches towards the end of the continued onslaught, Velasco forced the hand of referee Edward Collantes, who called a halt to the bout at 1:46 of the first round.
In a rematch of a bout in May, Alton Wiggins (3-1-1) of Ceres, California repeated the feat, this time via four-round split decision, over a tough and determined Michael Portales (3-5-1, 1 KO) of San Jose, California.
The taller southpaw Wiggins, 154.6, engaged in more of a close range fight after positioning himself as more of a boxer-mover in their first engagement. With four full rounds already in their memory bank, neither fighter felt the need to feel out the other.
Wiggins had his best round in the second, rocking Portales, 155.6, with his right. Portales began to find a home for his overhand right, but Wiggins closed the round strong, forcing the San Jose native into a neutral corner as the round came to a close. Portales clearly won the fourth, repeatedly snapping Wiggins’ head back with his right.
Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 39-37 for Portales, but was overruled by judges Kermit Bayless and Joel Farbstein, who had it 39-37 the other way. Wiggins, who claimed victory by unanimous decision in their first go-around, admitted to the crowd on hand that the second fight was tougher.
In the opener, Shawn McCollum (1-0-1) of Hayward, California edged out Ricky Esquibel (1-4, 1 KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico via four-round unanimous decision.
The action was frantic in spots, especially on the inside. McCollum, 140.8, backed up Esquibel, 136.9, with his jab early in the fight, but did not utilize it enough to make his night a little easier. Esquibel switched to southpaw at times and landed a left that forced McCollum to hold for a moment in the second. McCollum backed up with his hands down in the third, allowing Esquibel to double up without worrying about a return. Things heated up in the fourth. Esquibel landed first in an exchange of stiff right hands, but McCollum’s seemed to land with more authority. “The Irish Bad Boy” followed up and backed Esquibel up with a combination that likely gave him the round.
All three judges; Melissa McMorrow, Kermit Bayless and Joel Farbstein, scored the bout 39-37 for McCollum, who thanked his coaches for believing in him as he earned his first professional victory.
Photos by Michelle Morgan
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
Powell Looks to Impress in Bay Area Debut
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Well-regarded lightweight prospect Lorenzo Powell takes center stage as he and his promotional team at G1 Promotions join with Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions to present “Straight Outta Oakland,” at the Oakland Marriott City Center on Saturday night. Fighters for the seven-bout card weighed-in on Friday morning at the host venue.
Powell (4-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will take on Javier Rojas Campos (3-4, 1 KO) of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico in the six-round main event.
Powell has been building his professional resume in Stockton, California, including a six-round unanimous decision over Michael De La Cruz this past May. Powell took to the scale last at Friday’s weigh-in, coming in at 136.8-pounds. Rojas Campos, who fought three times last year, going 2-1, weighed-in at 135.4-pounds.
In the co-main event, rising light heavyweight prospect Kumar Prescod (3-0, 3 KOs) of Antioch, California will meet Michael Nelson (4-2, 2 KOs) of College Park, Georgia in a four-rounder.
Prescod, who weighed-in at 176.1-pounds, is coming off of a one-sided second-round knockout in May. Nelson, who sprung an upset over previously unbeaten Carlos Fidel Miranda before hitting a two-fight skid, weighed-in at 173-pounds. Nelson initiated a brief shoving match during the face-off photo op, which was the one spike in excitement during an otherwise cordial weigh-in ceremony.
Former middleweight contender Aaron Coley (16-5-1, 7 KOs) of Oakland ends a nearly three-year hiatus in taking on fellow veteran Moris Rodriguez (8-17-3, 5 KOs) of Sacramento in a six-round bout.
Coley, who will be fighting before his home crowd for the first time in nine years, weighed-in at 160.8-pounds on Friday. Rodriguez, coming off of a split decision defeat to Delen Parsley in February, came in one pound over the contracted weight at 163-pounds before shedding the overage and returning to the scale at 161.9-pounds.
Tony Hirsch Jr. (5-0-2, 3 KOs) of Oakland will meet former regional title holder David Reyes (25-13-2, 13 KOs) of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico in a four-round lightweight bout.
Hirsch, who bested a different David Reyes in an exciting fight at the Oakland Marriott City Center last August, scaled 134.5-pounds. Reyes, a thirteen-year veteran, came in at 133.7-pounds.
Alberto Velasco (1-0) of Stockton will meet debuting Antonio Ferrel of Santa Rosa, California in a four-round super featherweight fight. The Oakland-born Velasco weighed-in at 132.2-pounds on his first attempt, but scaled 131.7 on his second try, under the contracted 132. Ferrel, who was drinking water before getting on the scale, came in at 128.7-pounds.
In a rematch of a highly-competitive bout this past May, Alton Wiggins (2-1-1) of Ceres, California and Michael Portales (3-4-1, 1 KO) of San Jose, California will battle it out in a four-round junior middleweight bout. Wiggins, who claimed a four-round unanimous decision in their first meeting, scaled 154.6-pounds, while Portales made 155.6.
Shawn McCollum (0-0-1) of Hayward, California takes aim at professional victory number one against Richard Esquibel (1-3, 1 KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico in a four-round lightweight bout. McCollum came in heavy at 140.8, but Esquibel who scaled 136.9, agreed to some extra pay in lieu of forcing his opponent to shed any weight.
Super featherweight prospect Braulio Ceja Navarro (5-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California had been slated to fight Brandon Sandoval (3-4, 1 KO) of Salem, Massachusetts in a lightweight bout.
Sandoval made the trip all the way to Oakland, only to pull out of the fight just before the weigh-in. Obed Sepulveda (0-7-1) of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico was originally pegged to fight Cesar Olvera (1-0, 1 KO) of Tracy, California, who was a late scratch, and offered to step-in for Sandoval, but that fight was not approved by the California State Athletic Commission.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Powell 136.8
Rojas Campos 135.4
Light heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Prescod 176.1
Nelson 173
Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Coley 160.8
Rodriguez 161.9
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Hirsch Jr. 134.5
Reyes 133.7
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Velasco 131.7
Ferrel 128.7
Light middleweights, 4 Rounds
Wiggins 154.6
Portales 155.6
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
McCollum 140.8*
Esquibel 136.9
*McCollum 2.8 pounds over, fight will go on
Tickets for the event, promoted by G1 Promotions and Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions, are available online at g1promotions.com
Aaron Coley: “Heavy Metal” Returns to Oakland This Saturday
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Former middleweight contender Aaron Coley makes his ring return, fighting at home for the first time in nearly a decade, when he takes on veteran Moris Rodriguez to headline “Straight Outta Oakland,” a ten-bout card co-promoted by G1 Promotions and Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions at the Oakland Marriott City Center this coming Saturday.
Coley (16-5-1, 7 KOs) of Oakland last saw ring action in 2022, suffering back-to-back defeats: a debatable eight-round split decision to Jamontay Clark and the only stoppage loss of his career to Serhii Bohachuk seven months later. After a nearly three-year hiatus, Coley’s return was ignited by his 11-year-old son Ahki’s dedication and success in the amateurs.
“The team, the people around me and my son motivated me to [return] just by him boxing and him wanting to see me in action,” explains Coley. “With him being a little bit older, he moved me by working his corner. It did get me going, because I wanted him to see me work and pick up some of the craft that I’ve got and the skills that I possess that other people don’t.”
In Coley’s time away from competition his son Ahki went from just getting his first fight or two under his belt to advancing to the semi-finals of the 75-pound weight division at the USA Boxing National Championships in December of last year. Now that Ahki is older and an accomplished competitor himself, there is an extra layer of excitement added to the elder Coley’s ring return.
“It is going to be great,” says Aaron about sharing this moment with his son. “Just hearing him say, ‘I really can’t wait to see you fight.’ That just gives me the chills. He wasn’t old enough to really see me when I was active and busy. When you are about three-years-old you really don’t understand the magnitude of things. Now that he has been on the big stage in the amateurs, at nationals, placing number three in the nation, he really knows the magnitude of the situation. So it is pretty big.”
Coley had been a road warrior throughout most of his career, but will make this ring return at home in Oakland, making it easy for Ahki and his entire fanbase in the Bay Area to be ringside when “Heavy Metal” begins this next phase of his career.
“It is awesome to get back because a lot of my people have been asking me when I would fight back at home,” explains Coley. “They did not realize that I was off for a little bit. [It is special] being able to kick it off at home before I get back on that road.”
Coley will have a familiar voice, but one new to his corner, when he makes his return this Saturday. Khamza, who came up in Bay Area gyms with Coley and amassed an unbeaten record before injuries forced him from the ring, now serves as his head trainer.
“Not only has he been my friend for so long, but we have been watching boxing and tapes together ever since we were training together at SFC, so that goes way back,” explains Coley. “We used to sit there for hours, watching different tapes and talking boxing. Now to have him in my corner, it is so easy. It just gel real smooth.”
Opposing Coley in the six-round bout on Saturday night will be fellow ring veteran Moris Rodriguez (8-17-3, 5 KOs) of Sacramento, California. Rodriguez, despite his uneven record, has proven to be a solid test for up-and-coming prospects as well as comebacking veterans in recent times. Rodriguez was last in action in February, forcing a majority draw against returning former prospect Delen Parsley. In his fight prior, Rodriguez dropped unbeaten Victor Guerrero early, before the tables were turned en route to a stoppage defeat. Despite their many years, each plugging away in Northern California gyms, Coley and Rodriguez never have crossed paths before.
“I have never seen him,” explains Coley. “It is crazy that I have never heard of him, being that I have been all over this part of Northern California, getting work. So he is new to me. I have not seen anything on him or expect anything from him. I really just got to come at my best. I know when I am at my best, there is really nothing you can do. When I am really doing my thing and boxing, there is really nothing you can do to come and rattle my cage.”
With nearly three years away to refresh his body, Coley believes now is the time to chart his course back to the big stage. The road back begins this Saturday, at home in Oakland.
“I just see getting back into championship contention,” says Coley about where this return will take him. “I was there once before, so just getting back to that green belt status, going after that WBC belt, that is what I am looking for. I want to get a shot at the top 160-pounders.”
Tickets for the event, promoted by Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and G1 Promotions, are available online at g1promotions.com
Aaron Coley (16-5-1, 7 KOs) of Oakland, California ends a nearly three-year sabbatical from the ring this coming Saturday, August 16th in the six-round main attraction of the Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and G1 Promotions event against Moris Rodriguez at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland.
Valenzuela Passes the Xilohua Test in Jamestown
JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Unbeaten featherweight prospect Noli Valenzuela dropped rugged Irving Xilohua in the first en route to a hard-fought eight-round unanimous decision in the grudge match main event of Toscano Boxing Promotions’ “Rising Stars” event at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort on Thursday night.
The story heading into fight night centered around some bad blood between the two main event camps, stemming from Valenzuela’s inability to make the contracted 126-pounds on Wednesday afternoon. After originally coming in one pound over, Valenzuela (13-0, 6 KOs) of Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico dropped less than one-half-pound and a deal was reached to secure their scheduled eight-round clash, but not before some heated trash talk. Once the introductions were out of the way, it was clear that neither fighter had grown any fonder of their opponent and referee Edward Collantes seemed to be on high alert from the outset.
About one minute into round one, Valenzuela landed the first telling blow of the bout, a stiff jab that seemed to momentarily buckle the knees of Xilohua (9-2, 6 KOs) of Stockton, California. Rather than follow-up, Valenzuela, 126.6, took the opportunity to imitate Xilohua, 125.4, and showboat for the crowd.
Xilohua let his hands go with Valenzuela backed into the corner, but when the action moved to center ring, the Chapala native landed with a jab and straight left to score a knockdown. Valenzuela again taunted the downed Xilohua, standing over his prone opponent in a prolonged manner with referee Collantes trying to pull him back to his corner. Instead of following up on the knockdown, Valenzuela opted to showboat again before the pro-Xilohua crowd to close out the round.
Other than an early flurry, Valenzuela let off the gas pedal in round two, which allowed Xilohua to regain his footing in the fight. Early in the third, Xilohua connected with a clean right in an exchange that excited the home crowd. Both fighters got their shots in during early exchanges and by midway through the round, Valenzuela’s showboating had ceased for the most part.
Both combatants looked to mix in their body work to set up their head shots in the fourth. Xilohua maintained good ring position, but the southpaw Valenzuela was fairly adept at fighting while backing up.
Xilohua had a solid fifth round, letting his hands go to the body especially. At one moment, Xilohua lost his footing momentarily, but rebounded to land a solid overhand right while Valenzuela moved in close to capitalize.
After Valenzuela landed a combination with Xilohua covering up in the sixth, the Stockton native let his hands go and took over the remainder of the round. Not endearing himself to the pro-Xilohua crowd, Valenzuela, figuring he was up on the cards, was on his horse for much of the seventh and at the close of the eighth.
All three judges; Brian Tsukamoto, Joel Farbstein and Michael Margado scored the bout 77-74 for the still undefeated Valenzuela.
“It was complicated for several rounds, but I managed to get the win,” admitted the naturally larger Valenzuela after the bout. “I tried to use my left hand to the body the whole fight, but I didn’t think he would last this long.”
In a battle of former sparring partners, Marco Antonio Delgado (8-6-1, 5 KOs) of Turlock, California scored an exciting six-round majority decision over Juan Zamorano (6-2, 6 KOs) of Turlock by way of Rosamorada, Nayarit, Mexico
Delgado, 175, and Zamorano, 172, went to war from the opening bell. The two-way action of the first round set the tone for the fight, as Delgado landed clean when in close, while the rangy Zamorano found success when at range on the outside.
Delgado did well to work his way inside on the much taller Zamorano in the second round, while keeping a steady pace for a light heavyweight. There was more back-and-forth in the third, as Zamorano found more time at range, but Delgado still was busy when he worked his way on the inside. Before the fourth, the ringside doctor checked-in on some swelling under Delgado’s right eye, but it never became an issue in the bout.
In the fourth, Delgado displayed some good footwork for a big man as he cut off the ring well and even tuned southpaw for a stretch. In the fifth, Delgado pressed the entire round and really let his hands go after the ten-second warning at the end of the round.
Zamorano started out round six at range, but once Delgado closed the distance he found a home for his uppercut and pressed his Mexican-born adversary against the ropes where he could unload his combinations on the inside.
Judge Joel Farbstein found five rounds for Zamorano, scoring the bout 59-56, but was overruled by judge David Hartman (58-56) and judge Brian Tsukamoto (59-55), who both had it for Delgado.
“I thank him for taking the fight,” said Delgado, who welcomes a potential rematch, after the bout. “I wouldn’t want to fight me.”
19-year-old lightweight prospect Nick Saavedra (4-0, 2 KOs) of Modesto, California made short work of Juan Guillermo Montero (4-3-1, 3 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, scoring two knockdowns en route to a first-round stoppage.
Saavedra, 133.4, was aggressive at the outset and landed in combination as Montero, 139, struggled to keep or cover up. Saavedra soon landed a short left hook that disconnected Montero momentarily and dropped the Tijuana native near a neutral corner. When Montero rose, Saavedra moved in quickly with a combination, punctuated by a left hook, to score a second knockdown. When action resumed, Saavedra forced Montero into his own corner and landed an unanswered combination that prompted referee David Hartman to leap in a call a halt to the bout at 2:57 of the first.
In under one exciting round, Pedro Juarez (2-0, 1 KO) of Tracy, California scored three knockdowns en route to a stoppage victory over Harley Sampson (1-1, 1 KO) of Reno, Nevada.
Juarez, 135, first dropped Sampson, 135, with a combination in the early going. Sampson rose on steady legs, but was caught a little squared-up and dropped again by a left hook. Despite the two knockdowns, Sampson looked fairly clear-headed before Juarez landed with a right and a clean-up left hook that laid the Reno resident flat on his back. Referee Edward Collantes had no choice but to wave off the bout at 2:31 of round one.
Juarez entered the bout with a three-fight win streak dating back to his pro boxing debut last October and including two stoppage victories inside the MMA cage. The two-sport combat fighter was asked about his fighting future after the impressive kayo victory.
“We’ll see what happens, but I will probably continue to box, but if an opportunity comes in MMA, we’ll jump on that too,” said Juarez after the bout. “Whatever comes, I am ready.”
19-year-old Damian Flores (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Ceres, California turned back a tough opponent while making his U.S. debut, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over Adrian Mendoza (0-1) of Carson City, Nevada.
Each had their moments in the opening round as Flores, 115.2, flashed his boxing skills and footwork from the early going, while Mendoza, 112.6, employed a more straight ahead approach. Flores had a more difficult time keeping Mendoza at bay in the second round, as the Nevada resident was able to get in range for some winging shots.
Flores, sporting a fresh haircut since yesterday’s weigh-in, found a home repeatedly for his uppercut in round three, before opening up a cut over Mendoza’s right eye after planting his feet and landing with a straight right hand late in the round.
Despite the difficult round three, Mendoza came out determined for the final round. Flores controlled the round in stretches with his jab and combinations, but Mendoza kept coming and landed with an overhand right before the final bell.
Judges Brian Tsukamoto, Joel Farbstein and David Hartman all scored the bout a shutout, 40-36, for Flores.
In the walkout bout, Lai Thang (2-3) of Dallas, Texas spoiled the night for the vocal supporters of Benigno Gaona Diaz (1-2, 1 KO) of Galt, California by way of Pabellon de Arteaga, Aguascalientes, Mexico, scoring two late knockdowns en route to a four-round unanimous decision victory.
Thang, 126, rocked Gaona Diaz, 123.6, with an overhand right and was a little quicker on the draw for much of the opening round. After the out-of-towner outworked Gaona Diaz for much of the second round, the Galt resident found some success early in the third before his momentum was stunted by a Thang counter that gave him reason to take a step back and two-way action closed out the round.
Both fighters came out swinging at the start of round four, each attempting to secure their second career victory. The pro-Gaona Diaz crowd was into the fight as their man looked to be on the way to securing the round before disaster struck and Thang scored his first knockdown late in the stanza. Gaona Diaz beat the count, but was soon dropped again by a left hand just before the sound of the final bell. Referee David Hartman counted Gaona Diaz back to his corner to close out the fight, which would be scored a shutout by all three judges; Brian Tsukamoto, Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes, 40-34.
JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Unbeaten Noli Valenzuela fights outside of his native Mexico for the first time to meet streaking local prospect Irving Xilohua in the intriguing eight-round featherweight main event of the Toscano Boxing Promotions’ “Rising Stars” event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort on Thursday night. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in at the host venue on Wednesday afternoon.
Valenzuela (12-0, 6 KOs) of Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico was last in the ring in April, scoring a fourth-round knockout of once-beaten Alan Zaid Rodriguez Montiel in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The win marked the third straight stoppage victory for the southpaw Valenzuela.
Xilohua (9-1, 6 KOs) of Stockton, California has won four straight, including three stoppages, since his lone professional setback, a six-round majority decision defeat to tough journeyman Diuhl Olguin. In his last outing in May, Xilohua stopped Enrique Uvalle inside of two rounds at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium. Xilohua will be stepping up to the eight-round distance for the first time as a professional, while Valenzuela has been scheduled for eight or more on five previous occasions and went the distance in two of those instances.
There was a bit of drama at the official weigh-in on Wednesday afternoon. Xilohua stepped on the scale first, with the bout contracted at 126-pounds, and made 125.4-pounds. Valenzuela, who was one of the last fighters to arrive for the official weigh-in, came in one pound over at 127-pounds. After a bit of shouting between camps, Valenzuela left to attempt to sweat off the last pound. On his last attempt, Valenzuela came in at 126.6-pounds and an agreement was reached to keep the main event intact.
Juan Zamorano (6-1, 6 KOs) of Rosamorada, Nayarit, Mexico will end a nearly two-year layoff against the rugged Marco Antonio Delgado (7-6-1, 5 KOs) of Turlock, California in a six-round light heavyweight bout. Zamorano, looking to get back on track after suffering his lone pro defeat in his last bout, weighed-in at 172-pounds. Delgado, whose previous five opponents had a combined record of 44-4, weighed-in at the light heavyweight limit of 175.
Lightweight prospect Nicholas Saavedra (3-0, 1 KO) of Modesto, California will move up to the six-round distance when he takes on Juan Guillermo Montero (4-2-1, 3 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on Thursday night. Saavedra, fresh off of a third-round stoppage of Richard Esquibel on May 24th, weighed-in at 133.4-pounds, while Montero weighed-in just under the junior welterweight limit at 139-pounds.
After posting two consecutive MMA victories since his pro boxing debut last year, Pedro Juarez (1-0) of Tracy, California will return to the ring to take on Harley Sampson (1-0, 1 KO) of Reno, Nevada in a four-round lightweight bout. For the bout that Toscano Boxing Promotions’ Israel Guajardo predicted will be the fight of the night, Juarez and Sampson both made the lightweight limit of 135-pounds.
Making his U.S. debut, 19-year-old Damian Flores (2-0-1, 2 KOs) of Ceres, California will meet debuting Adrian Mendoza of Carson City, Nevada in a four-round super flyweight bout. The 5’8” Flores scaled 115.2, while the 5’4” Mendoza came in at 112.6-pounds.
In the opener, Benigno Gaona Diaz (1-1, 1 KO) of Galt, California by way of Pabellon de Arteaga, Aguascalientes, Mexico will look to bounce back from a decision defeat in January against Lai Thang (1-3) of Dallas, Texas in a four-round featherweight bout. Gaona Diaz came in at 123.6-pounds, while Thang weighed-in at the division limit of 126.
The “Rising Stars” event will be available for live stream on the Toscano Boxing Promotions’ YouTube page.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Featherweights, 8 Rounds
Valenzuela 126.6*
Xilohua 125.4
Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Zamorano 172
Delgado 175
Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Saavedra 133.4
Montero 139
Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Juarez 135
Sampson 135
Super flyweights, 4 Rounds
Flores 115.2
Mendoza 112.6
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Gaona Diaz 123.6
Thang 126
*Valenzuela originally weighed-in 1 pound over the contracted limit of 126 on first attempt
Tickets for the event, promoted by Toscano Boxing Promotions, are available online at Ticketon.com
Juarez Back in Eight Ounce Gloves on Thursday night in Jamestown
Two-sport combat fighter Pedro Juarez will pack away his open-finger gloves and lace up his boots as he returns to the boxing ring after two straight MMA victories to take on Harley Sampson in a four-round lightweight attraction as part of the “Rising Stars” event promoted by Toscano Boxing Promotions at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, California this Thursday night.
Juarez (1-0) of Tracy, California is a veteran of six professional MMA bouts, but crossed over to the sweet science last October to claim victory in his pro boxing debut in an entertaining four-round decision over Alec Acuavera in nearby Modesto.
“It felt good,” says Juarez, reflecting on his first pro boxing victory. “I had a good camp for that fight. It worked out in my favor and the hard work paid off. It felt good to get my pro debut out of the way. Now I know what to expect and I am more familiar with the ring and all that good stuff. I’m ready to rock for this fight coming up.”
The fight with Acuavera was an all-action, toe-to-toe slugfest between two fighters with MMA backgrounds. Juarez did not give up any ground during the bout and Acuavera was a willing opponent in a fight that pleased the crowd for all four rounds.
“That is my style,” declares Juarez. “I like to come forward, I like to fight. That is how I normally fight and Acuavera was a tough opponent too. He came to fight as well. It made for a great fight for the fans and I am happy with the outcome.”
Juarez’s trainer Alfredo Perez was happy with the result and pleased with his fighter’s debut performance, but has worked to refine one aspect of Juarez’s game in the time since.
“For the most part, everything went to plan,” says Perez. “Being that it was his first fight, and both fighters, as you could see, were throwing. Working with our team, he is learning to breathe better and pick when to punch, instead of just throw, throw, throw…throw with a meaning.”
Heading into his debut with eight ounce gloves, Juarez had already signed to compete in mixed martial arts just under three weeks later. Despite going four hard rounds against Acuavera, Juarez was able to shift gears and immediately get ready for his MMA bout against Chris Fernandez as part of Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat 25 in Wheatland, California. On that night in November, Juarez ended things early with a second-round kayo.
“It was crazy,” exclaims Juarez. “That is just how it worked out. I had that MMA fight pretty locked in and then I got the boxing opportunity presented to me, so I took it. I rolled it over into my MMA fight. After my boxing fight, I went right into training for the MMA fight and things worked out for me on that night too. I have some good momentum right now and I plan to keep it going on July 17th.”
One might think that it would be difficult to shift gears from the intricacies of the sweet science to mixing in kicks and ground attacks and all that comes with competing in mixed martial arts. For Juarez, a fight is a fight and he adapts no matter how short the time between bouts.
“For me, I am always training anyways, so I am used to being in the environment of being in a fight,” explains Juarez. “Once you step into the ring or the cage, it is a fight. So that is how I look at it. For the MMA fight, I just got back to training and sharpening up my ground game and my cage work and I was ready to rock.”
After picking up another MMA stoppage in May, Juarez shifted his focus to the July 17th date at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort where he will be fighting Harley Sampson (1-0, 1 KO) of Reno, Nevada in a four-rounder.
“I don’t really know too much about him,” admits Juarez. “I know he fought an MMA guy that was like 0-6, but I couldn’t really find any tape on him, so it’s kind of the unknown, but I am getting ready for whatever. As long as I am in shape and ready to fight, it doesn’t really matter.”
With his trainer Perez recovering from a medical setback, Juarez has been getting ring work with his first boxing coach, Felipe Martinez. Training at Martinez’s gym, with Perez able to monitor from ringside, Juarez has the added benefit of the great sparring provided by the plethora of fighters that frequent Felipe’s Boxing Academy in Stockton.
“Before this camp, I actually had an amputation done on my toe, because of sickness,” reveals Perez. “So I told Pedro to go see our coach Felipe and coach is going to work you. Coach Felipe has done a great job, helping Pedro get better and better. Almost everyday, Pedro is going over there and if not getting the great sparring, he’s getting work with Coach Felipe and I am able to watch it from the outside from a different vantage point. That is something new for us that we did not have at the first camp. But now, we are sparring a lot of better, high-end fighters and doing very well. We are very thankful for all of our sparring partners.”
With his reconfigured team aiding in his training and the experience of his debut out of the way, Juarez is ready to put his hard work to use this coming Thursday in Jamestown.
“Obviously, we watched the first fight, studied it and looked for things I could improve on,” says Juarez. “That is what we are working on for this camp, just being more sharp and defensively-minded. So I am just minding my P’s and Q’s, working on the basics and things like that. I have definitely been improving since my first fight, that is for sure.”
Fight fans that make the trip to the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort this week can expect to see a refined Pedro Juarez, the boxer. Both he and his coach are confident heading into Thursday.
“At the end of the day, we respect our opponents, whoever they are, but I think Pedro is going to do a whole lot better than in that first fight,” says Perez. “Conditioning-wise, right now he’s in great shape. He’s getting good rounds, sometimes against two or three people. I see how he’s managing his breathing better and of course right now it is very hot, but he’s still doing so well. Honestly, I think we are going to see a different Pedro this time and surely a stronger Pedro. He looks real strong and we are happy where we are right now.”
“Expect a good show as always,” says Juarez. “I plan to come in and go for the finish. It is a four-round fight, but I am ready to take this guy out. That is the plan.”
Tickets for the event, promoted by Toscano Boxing Promotions, are available online at Ticketon.com
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
Orazio DiMauro: Ready to Put on a Show at Mayweather Tribute Event in Las Vegas
This coming Saturday afternoon, the world famous Mayweather Boxing Club hosts a 20-bout amateur boxing event in honor of the late former world champion and legendary trainer Roger Mayweather. One of the fighters representing the gym on Saturday will be Orazio DiMauro, a second generation boxer and California transplant that was determined to find his way to Las Vegas after watching Roger on television.
Even though he did not start competing until a later age than some second generation fighters, DiMauro has been around the sport his entire life, being the son of promoter and former professional fighter Phil DiMauro.
“My dad always brought me to the gym, from the time I was little,” recalls DiMauro. “The first time I put on a pair of gloves I may have been about five. I was always a bit shy and I started doing it just to work out. I didn’t really start to like it until I was about thirteen, but even then I was still just doing it to stay in shape.”
By 2020, DiMauro had decided to take the sport seriously and pursue competing. DiMauro, living in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time, was determined to break in at the world renowned Mayweather Boxing Club, having followed the goings on at the gym through the documentary series “24/7.” After failed attempts to gain entry via e-mail, a gym member overheard Orazio and his father talking during a Las Vegas fight week and extended an invite to join him there at a specific date and time.
“When we first went in, we saw Jeff [Mayweather] and he was very polite and welcoming,” remembers Orazio. “I wasn’t a national champion or anything, but he was still very welcoming, and Jeff did a few rounds with me on the mitts and from then on, if we came out to visit, Jeff said we could come out to the gym. Our relationship and friendship grew and I made the decision to move out here and really do it.”
DiMauro decided to make a big move in order to pursue boxing seriously by packing his bags and relocating to the nation’s boxing capital: Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, the world was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which made moving and getting started up a bit more complicated.
“I moved out here to Vegas sort of in the middle of COVID, in September 2020,” recalls DiMauro. “The airport was empty and everything. I moved out here for boxing and to train at the Mayweather Gym. It was rough for me because I didn’t have any money saved up or anything. My friend bought my plane ticket and another friend let me stay with him until I found a place. Since then, I’ve never really looked back.”
Despite his limited experience, DiMauro found success early on, finishing as the runner-up in his first tournament in the summer of 2021.
“I made it to the finals of the Silver States tournament in Primm, Nevada in 2021,” recalls DiMauro. “It was normally in California, but that year they moved it to the state line and in Primm. It was my first tournament and I made it to the finals and I got outpointed to finish in second place.”
Early in his amateur run, DiMauro was working mainly with Jeff Mayweather, one of the three Mayweather brothers, along with Floyd Sr. and former world champion Roger, that parlayed a high level professional career into becoming a well-respected trainer.
“One of the biggest things I picked up from Jeff is my defense and how to read fighters and set up combinations,” explains DiMauro. “Now when I rewatch fights, especially Floyd fights, I can see that he doesn’t just see the punches coming, he knows what the fighter is going to do before he even does it. If Floyd’s opponent landed something, he would just adjust right away. When I was working drills with Jeff, I would pick up on some of those thinking habits.”
In more recent times, DiMauro has worked mainly with longtime Mayweather family associate and a respected trainer himself, Otis Templeton.
“I’ve been with [Otis] for the past year-and-a-half, but he has been someone that always helped me from the time I first moved out here,” explains DiMauro. “If Jeff had something out of town with one of his other fighters, Otis always helped me. Even when Jeff wasn’t out of town, Otis was always someone that helped me with advice, sparring and training. Working with Otis, my power is a lot better. My footwork and balance are a lot better. My work ethic is a lot better. Otis really pushes us. I have definitely learned more about utilizing distance and my reach. That is a major thing, because I do have a reach advantage. My jab is a lot better. I’ve definitely learned a lot working with Otis this past year-and-a-half.”
DiMauro takes all the knowledge gained within the walls of the Mayweather Boxing Club into the ring with him at the gym’s big event this coming Saturday. Titled the “You Don’t Know S#it About Boxing Showdown,” in honor of Roger Mayweather, who passed away in March 2020 and would often throw that line out in discussing the sport.
“This event is going to be really big because anything with the Mayweather name is going to get a lot of attention,” explains DiMauro. “Roger Mayweather’s son, Lehkei Mayweather, trains now and he’s behind this event as well. There are going to be a lot of tough fighters from the gym and a lot of other tough fighters are coming from out of town to be a part of this card. It is going to be a great event and it is going to be exciting. It being in honor of Roger makes it really special and great as well.”
Aiming to defend his home turf, DiMauro is matched with Orlando Luque, a well regarded fighter from Phoenix, Arizona.
“I try not to really look up opponents too much because videos might be old and fighters are improving just as I am,” says DiMauro. “I did see just a little to get an idea and he looks like a tough opponent that is going to come ready to go to war, but nothing that he brings will be anything that I haven’t seen before.”
Representing the Mayweather Boxing Club at an event honoring Roger Mayweather on Saturday will bring some added pressure to the match against Luque, but DiMauro is confident from his past experiences that he will be up to the challenge.
“There is a little extra pressure,” admits DiMauro. “I know my opponent is going to want to come and show out, being at the Mayweather Gym. When I made it to the finals of the tournament, that was the most pressure I’ve faced. There were three rings going and about 4,000 people there. There is always pressure with people coming from other gyms to spar, because everyone wants to show out whether it is to get noticed by Floyd or the coaches and staff at the gym. So yes, there is a little bit of extra pressure, but I just use that as motivation to work harder and be sure that I am more than ready.”
DiMauro is excited to have the opportunity to display the skills he has learned since making the move to Las Vegas specifically to train at the Mayweather Boxing Club on a night honoring the memory of Roger Mayweather.
“This event is not going to be a regular boxing show,” explains DiMauro. “It is going to be really special because it is in honor of Roger. What this gym is about is Roger’s teachings that he taught to Otis and Jeff picked up. There are still a few fighters here that trained with Roger before he wasn’t able to train anymore. This show is going to be very action-packed. I don’t see it being a regular amateur show by any means. I am really excited to be on this card and I am really looking forward to it.
I’ve gotten great work here at the gym. A lot of the guys I spar with have more experience than me and are better than me. Especially the pros in the gym, if they last in this gym and especially if they are signed under Floyd, you know they walk through people. So whatever my opponent brings to the table, it is not going to be anything I haven’t seen before. So I am just working as hard as I can until July 12th.”
Tickets for Saturday’s event, promoted by Mayweather Promotions, will be available at the door.
Walsh, Bloodied, Scores Technical Decision in Santa Ynez
SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA – World ranked junior middleweight contender Callum Walsh, bloodied and swollen from an accidental headbutt, scored a five-round technical decision over veteran Elias Espadas in the main event of the UFC Fight Pass-broadcasted card at the Chumash Casino Resort on Saturday night.
Walsh (14-0, 11 KOs) of Ventura, California by way of Cork, Munster, Ireland flashed his speed and power against the smaller Espadas (23-7-1, 16 KOs) of Merida, Yucatán, Mexico from the early moments of the bout. Walsh’s punches moved Espadas when he connected cleanly. The fight took an unfortunate turn in round two, when Espadas, 153.8, caught Walsh, 154, coming in with his head and opened a bad cut over the Irishman’s right eye. The blood followed immediately and understandably slowed Walsh’s output the rest of the round.
Walsh, the WBC #6/IBF #6 ranked contender, would be looked over by the ringside physician at the start of each round the rest of the way. The bleeding was never stemmed, but the fight continued into the third and Walsh’s edge in class carried the bout.
After a fourth round in which maybe Walsh was protecting his eye a bit, while still outboxing Espadas, referee Rudy Barragan ended the bout on the advice of ringside physician Tony Hicks. All three judges scored the bout for Walsh, 50-46, with the one second fifth-round being scored even.
“First of all I want to apologize to everyone that came out to see us fight,” Walsh told the crowd after the decision. “I am disappointed to win a fight like this. It’s unfortunate, but it was impacting my vision and ability to see.”
Pearl Gonzalez brought up fellow Southern California junior middleweight Fernando Vargas Jr., who has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Walsh, who successfully defended his regional WBC Continental Americas title on Saturday night.
“Fernando Vargas,” Walsh responded, “if you want this belt, come and get it kid.”
In the co-feature, Umar Dzambekov (12-0, 8 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Grozny, Chechnya, Russia banked some much needed rounds and boxed his way to an eight-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Roamer Alexis Angulo (28-4, 23 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by way of Patia, Cauca, Colombia.
Dzambekov, 176, boxed well in rounds one and two, but Angulo, 174.6, found a home for some of his power shots in round three and seemed to have the southpaw out of his comfort zone at times. Both fighters had their moments in round five, as Dzambekov did well to box and move, while Angulo, who had trouble slipping at various moments, landed some clean power punches.
Angulo packed up his offense a bit in round seven, which left an opening for Dzambekov to sit down on his power punches in the closing moments of the round. Dzambekov, who stopped his last two opponents inside of two rounds, proved he could maintain his output over the duration of an eight-rounder and still had plenty in the tank down the stretch of the fight.
All three judges scored the bout for Dzambekov. Judge Chris Leben had it a shutout, 80-72. Judge Lou Moret gave Angulo one round for a card of 79-73, while judge Mike Bell had it the closest at 77-75.
Junior welterweight prospect Cain Sandoval (16-0, 14 KOs) of Sacramento, California stopped short-notice replacement Yonathan Eniz (36-23-1, 17 KOs) of Dolores, Buenos Aires, Argentina inside of two rounds.
Sandoval, 142.6, walked the smaller Eniz, 142.6, down from the early moments of the fight and did not appear to be too worried about what the Argentinian had to offer in return. Early in the second, Sandoval upped his pressure even more and forced Eniz into a neutral corner, dropping him with a flurry just as referee Rudy Barragan began to leap in and stop the action at 2:31 of round two.
Rising featherweight Roxy Verduzco (5-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles went the distance in her first scheduled eight-rounder, scoring a unanimous decision over veteran Celene Roman (6-5-1) of Chino, California by way of Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico.
Verduzco, 125.8, outworked Roman, 124.4, over the first half of the fight while utilizing her movement to great effect, while Roman struggled to cut off the ring or match the southpaw’s output. In the latter third of the fight, Verduzco was more apt to fight at close range and sit on her punches in the center of the ring. Roman found a string of success in round eight and landed with some power punches in the final moments of the bout.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout 79-73 for Verduzco.
In a very competitive fight, Daniel Barrera (9-1-1, 4 KOs) of Eastvale, California scored a wide eight-round unanimous decision over a determined Basilio Franco (10-4, 8 KOs) of Norwalk, California by way of Yahualica De Gonzalez Gallo, Jalisco, Mexico.
Franco, 113.6, outworked Barrera, 115, and controlled ring position for much of the first half of the bout. Barrera began to sit down on his body punches a little more in the fifth round and pressed the action as Franco’s output dipped. Barrera broke through with some power shots in round six, but Franco was still the busier fighter for much of the round. Barrera followed his success with power punches in the seventh, his best round of the fight. Franco was having a good round right, before Barrera unloaded a combination of power punches to close out the fight.
Despite the competitive nature of the bout, the three official scorers gave Franco almost no credit, as judge Jack Reiss scored it a shutout, 80-72, while judges Chris Leben and Lou Moret had it only one round closer at 79-73.
In an upset, Vernon Brown (14-2-1, 10 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois scored a come-from-behind seventh-round stoppage of highly-touted Gor Yeritsyan (20-2, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Yerevan, Armenia.
Yeritsyan, 146.4, was in control for the majority of the bout, landing in combination, while Brown, 146.2, threw mostly one at a time, looking to land with his left. In a precursor to what was to come, the southpaw Brown landed clean with a winging left that caught Yeritsyan’s attention in the second round. For the next four rounds, Brown looked to repeat that success.
The fight was fought on the inside for much of the contest. Yeritsyan was able to land in combination, especially upstairs, and took control of the fight in the middle rounds. Yeritsyan had such a strong round six that referee David Solivan had the ringside physician take a look at Brown to begin round seven. The Chicago native seemed to take exception to the suggestion that he was in any sort of trouble and began the round aggressively, before landing a leaping left hook that dropped Yeritsyan hard early in the round. Yeritsyan managed to rise to his feet and attempted to weather the storm, but eventually Brown landed an unanswered flurry in the blue corner that prompted Solivan to leap in and wave off the bout at 2:46 of the seventh. The knockout victory ended a layoff of over three years for Brown.
In the opener, MMA veteran Jenelyn Olsim (0-0-1) of Ventura by way of Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines was held to a four-round majority draw by Jessica Radtke Maltez (1-2-2) of Waconia, Minnesota. Olsim, 125, was the harder puncher, but Radtke Maltez, 124, stood up to them and had her moments in round four. Neither fighter really pressed on the gas and let their hands go for any prolonged stretch. Judge Lou Moret scored the bout 39-37 for Olsim, but was overruled by judges Mike Bell and Jack Reiss, who both scored it even, 38-38.
Photos by Lina Baker/360 Promotions
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com
Walsh Back on the Marquee in Santa Ynez
SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA – Junior middleweight contender Callum Walsh looks to continue his ascent up the 154-pound rankings when he takes on veteran Elias Espadas on Saturday night in the ten-round main event of the UFC Fight Pass “Hollywood Fight Nights” event at the Chumash Casino Resort on Saturday night. Fighters for the seven-bout card weighed-in Friday morning before participating in the ceremonial weigh-in at the Sports Bar at Chumash at the host casino later in the afternoon.
Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) of Ventura, California by way of Cork, Munster, Ireland will be making the fourth defense of the regional WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title he claimed in 2024 with a ninth-round knockout of Dauren Yeleussinov at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Walsh, the WBC #6/IBF #6 ranked contender, made his third appearance at the famed Garden last time out, scoring a devastating first-round knockout of Dean Sutherland this past March. Walsh weighed-in at the 154-pound junior middleweight limit.
Espadas (23-6-1, 16 KOs) of Merida, Yucatán, Mexico earned this opportunity with a hard-fought majority draw with unbeaten Sadriddin Akhmedov on a UFC Fight Pass-broadcasted event in Commerce, California just two months back. Notably, well-regarded 154-pound contender Xander Zayas stopped Espadas in five in 2022. The thirteen-year pro figures to gauge where Walsh stands amongst the other junior middleweight prospects and contenders. Espadas weighed-in at 153.8-pounds on Friday.
In the co-feature, undefeated Umar Dzambekov (11-0, 8 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Grozny, Chechnya, Russia will take on former world title challenger Roamer Alexis Angulo (28-3, 23 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by way of Patia, Cauca, Colombia in an eight-round light heavyweight bout.
Dzambekov, who scaled 176-pounds, will be taking a step-up in class after knocking out his last two opponents inside the first round. Of the seven previous opponents Dzambekov has fought in scheduled eight-rounders, only two were able to last the distance. Angulo, who weighed-in at 174.6-pounds, goes rounds and will figure to provide a stern test for the up-and-coming Dzambekov. Only an over-the-contracted-weight David Benavidez was able to stop Angulo in 2020. Angulo fought Gilberto Ramirez to a twelve-round decision defeat in his first attempt at a world title in 2018 and also went the distance against Edgar Berlanga in 2022.
Cain Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento, California will take on short-notice replacement Yonathan Eniz (36-22-1, 17 KOs) of Dolores, Buenos Aires, Argentina in an eight-round junior welterweight fight. Sandoval, who was originally geared up to take on fellow unbeaten Jesus Madueno, weighed-in at 142.6-pounds on Friday. Eniz, who took the fight on just over a week’s notice, also came in at 142.6-pounds.
Roxy Verduzco (4-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles will take a step-up against veteran Celene Roman (6-3-1) of Ontario, California by way of Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico in an eight-round featherweight bout. Verduzco, a multiple-time national amateur champion, appears to be on the fast-track towards contention as she moves up to the eight-round distance in just her fifth pro bout. Roman ended a nearly ten-year sabbatical with a four-round majority decision over Amanda DeRosa in February. Verduzco scaled 125.8-pounds, while Roman came in at 124.4-pounds.
Opening up the UFC Fight Pass portion of the card, Daniel Barrera (8-1-1, 4 KOs) of Eastvale, California will meet Basilio Franco (10-3, 8 KOs) of Norwalk, California by way of Yahualica De Gonzalez Gallo, Jalisco, Mexico in an eight-round super flyweight bout. Barrera, who scaled 115, will be looking to rebound from his first career defeat to Christopher Rios in February. Franco, who scaled 113.6-pounds and will be making his United States debut, has won six straight entering the bout on Saturday.
The YouTube-broadcast portion of the card will be capped by once-beaten prospect Gor Yeritsyan (20-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Yerevan, Armenia who takes on Vernon Brown (13-2-1, 9 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in an eight-round welterweight bout. Yeritsyan, a Wild Card Boxing Club stablemate of Walsh and Sandoval, weighed-in at 146.4-pounds. Brown, returning from a three-plus year layoff, came in at 146.2-pounds.
MMA veteran Jenelyn Olsim of Ventura by way of Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines will make her transition to the pro boxing game in the curtain raiser against Jessica Radtke Maltez (1-2-1) of Waconia, Minnesota in a four-round featherweight fight. Olsim, who has competed professionally in mixed martial arts since 2016, scaled 125-pounds, while Radtke Maltez, coming off of a six-round decision defeat to Roxy Verduzco in April, came in at 124-pounds.
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA – Unbeaten welterweight Alfredo Contreras made short work of normally durable Michael De La Cruz to cap a four-bout “Fight Club OC” event at the Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center.
Quinones (3-0-1, 1 KO) of Carlsbad, California wasted no time and got in close enough to land his power shots against the much taller De La Cruz (2-6-2) of Ventura, California.
Quinones, 147, scored the first knockdown of De La Cruz, 147, with a left hook. De La Cruz looked to be regaining his footing before a Quinones short left dropped the Ventura native a second time. Before long, a body shot followed by an overhand right dropped De La Cruz for the third and final time. After the third knockdown, referee Ray Corona immediately waved it off at 1:54 of the first.
The impressive kayo victory ended a layoff of over a year for Quinones due to an issue with one of his eyes.
In her professional debut, Elena Mandujano (1-0) of San Bernardino, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over Amanda DeRosa (0-2) of Hesperia, California.
Mandujano, 126.2, and DeRosa, 122.8, stood toe-to-toe and traded from the opening bell. Soon, Mandujano’s punch selection and head movement began to make a difference. DeRosa hung tough, especially having her moments early in the fourth, while her face showed the result of Mandujano’s punches. The San Bernardino native closed the fight strong in the final seconds of the bout and all three judges; Michael Bell, Chris Leben and Jack Reiss scored the shutout, 40-36.
Former amateur standout Ryan Jones (1-0, 1 KO) of Lake Forest, California scored two knockdowns en route to a fourth-round stoppage of Maclovio Salas (0-3) of Mission Hills, California.
Jones, 128.8, the more polished boxer, upped his aggression in the third, twice dropping Salas, 130, with combinations. The latter came from a left hook and grazing right that Salas recovered from just before the bell.
Referee Ray Corona kept a close eye in the opening moments of round four before Jones uncorked an overhand right that prompted the stoppage at 21 seconds of the final act.
Albert Ochoa (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California was slated to take on debuting Leon Miles Jr. of Los Angeles, California in a four-round welterweight rematch of an exhibition bout in 2023. Miles, who struggled before the weigh-in, but made weight on Wednesday, fell ill hours before the fight on Thursday and was ruled out by the California State Athletic Commission.
MMA
In the opener, John Simon (8-6, 2 Submissions) of Portland, Oregon stopped Elj Portee (8-11-1, 7 KOs, 1 Submission) of Fallbrook, California in the second round.
Simon, 174.6, the southpaw, took Portee 174.8, to the mat early in the first round and maintained a controlling position. The Pacific Northwest native took Portee to the mat again early in the second, eventually forcing the tapout via armbar submission at 3:13 of the second stanza.
“Fight Club OC” hybrid fight series, promoted by SOCA Fights, returns to the Hangar on August 28th.
Junior welterweight prospect Cain Sandoval had been preparing to meet fellow unbeaten Jesus Madueno this coming Saturday when the call came in last week that a new opponent was being sought. Madueno was out, citing unforeseen family circumstances, something that Sandoval himself is unfortunately no stranger to, but the show must go on. Luckily for Sandoval and his fans, the Sacramento native will still get to ply his trade this weekend, as he takes on veteran Yonathan Eniz as part of the UFC Fight Pass-broadcasted event from the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento, California was in the midst of winding down his second full camp with new trainer, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, preparing to take on Madueno and his flashy record of 21-0, when the change had to be made. Although Madueno would have been taking a major step-up in competition by meeting Sandoval, the ability to take someone’s “O” is always a great motivator.
“Honestly, there was a little letdown and a little anxiety,” admits Sandoval regarding the change in opposition. “I had been getting ready for that guy for so long. My job is to go out there and beat whomever they put in front of me. It is not my job to pick or choose my fights. It was a last minute replacement, but it is all good and I am going to go out there and get the job done.”
Eniz (36-22-1, 17 KOs) of Dolores, Buenos Aires, Argentina is not only a much more experienced fighter than Madueno, but also a southpaw instead of an orthodox fighter. The last minute change did not rattle Sandoval however.
“This camp, I didn’t just spar orthodox fighters, I sparred southpaws too,” explains Sandoval. “I didn’t discriminate. I didn’t do that this camp and I’ve never done that in my career as a matter of fact. So it is nothing to me that he is a southpaw and shorter [than my original opponent] too. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Despite the crooked number in his loss column, Eniz has gone rounds with many unbeaten fighters on the rise and one of the few to stop him eventually became a world champion in Subriel Matias. While a win over the Argentinian might not look as showy at first glance in the record books, it would provide a gauge of where Sandoval stands amongst the other contenders and prospects that have met Eniz in the past.
“I saw he fought Subriel Matias, who knocked him out,” says Sandoval, who admittedly does not do a deep dive to study his opponents. “But he’s been in there at that level with champions and world title challengers and I want to show that I am on that level with those guys and beat him in the same fashion.”
In his last fight, the first with a full camp with Roach at Wild Card, Sandoval scored a fourth-round knockout of Mark Bernaldez at the Chumash Casino Resort. While everything went smooth on fight night, Sandoval had to work hard in camp to get on weight. Originally slated to fight last December, Sandoval had to withdraw from the event early in the promotion to take care of his ailing daughter. With the extended absence from the ring and time away from the gym, Sandoval understandably got heavy between fights.
“After everything that happened with my daughter, I wasn’t training at all,” recalls Sandoval, whose daughter is progressing in her recovery from leukemia. “So for my last camp, it was hard to cut the weight. Due to my daughter, I was at the hospital with her for weeks at a time. I took time away from the gym and I got down into a dark place mentally. It took me a little while to get back from that. But for this camp, it was much better. I am back mentally and physically.”
On Saturday, three of Freddie Roach’s star pupils will all be sharing the bill, as along with Sandoval, Gor Yeritsyan and main eventer Callum Walsh will also take to the ring. The trio all fight between 140 and 154-pounds, so to have all three training alongside one another and peaking simultaneously is a great benefit to each fighter.
“This is my second camp with Freddie and my first camp with Callum,” explains Sandoval, who was able to stay close to weight between camps this time around. “It has been great sparring with him and working alongside him, fighting on the same event. “With Callum, Gor and I, I see us as like a Fantastic Four kind of. I have sparring every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the top people here in L.A. People from all around the world come here to spar too. It has probably been my best camp so far.”
With the best camp of his career winding down, Sandoval is confident that he will put on a show this coming Saturday in Santa Ynez.
“Honestly, I do [see this potentially as a short night.] I feel like I am too powerful, too smart and too fast for this guy,” says Sandoval of the Eniz match-up. “I don’t know exactly what is coming, but my job is going out there to get that win and whatever happens, happens, but I am going to knock him out.”
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA – Local product Alfredo Quinones ends a one-year layoff as he takes on tough gatekeeper Michael De La Cruz in the four-round welterweight main event of the “Fight Club OC” event emanating from the Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center on Thursday night. Fighters for the five-bout card, which will be streamed live by TrillerTV+, weighed-in Wednesday morning in the Costa Mesa building across from the venue.
Quinones (2-0-1, 2 KOs) of Carlsbad, California was last in the ring in May 2024 when he was held to a majority draw. Subsequently, Quinones has been out of action after an eye exam turned up something that needed review. With a clear bill of health, Quinones was originally slated to fight Julian Baez on Thursday, before the taller and more experienced nine-fight veteran De La Cruz stepped-in to take his place. The durable De La Cruz (2-5-2) of Ventura, California recently took heralded prospect Lorenzo Powell the six-round distance and figures to be a good test for the returning Quinones. Both De La Cruz and Quinones weighed-in at the welterweight limit of 147-pounds.
Quinones is ready to get back in the ring after more than a year away, including four months off of training all together.
“I had a few problems with my eye,” explained Quinones. “My last fight got cancelled because I had a lattice degeneration, but I got a second opinion and it is all good.”
Quinones will oppose an opponent roughly five inches taller in De La Cruz. The height difference is nothing new to the Carlsbad native however.
“I have the same game plan and nothing really changed about that,” said Quinones. “I am walking around at 5’6,” so everyone is always taller than me. I am used to being the shorter fighter. It is going to be a great fight. The people that have to come to support me, I think they know what to expect, they get the same thing everytime.”
San Bernardino, California’s Elena Mandujano will make her professional debut against Amanda DeRosa (0-1) of Hesperia, California in a four-round featherweight bout. Mandujano, who was originally scheduled to turn pro in her hometown this past February, struggled with her weight cut and an agreement was reached prior to hitting the scales between camps to keep the bout intact. Mandujano weighed-in at 126.2-pounds, while DeRosa scaled 122.8, just over the super bantamweight limit.
Former amateur standout Ryan Jones of Lake Forest, California will take on Maclovio Salas (0-2) of Mission Hills, California in a four-round super featherweight bout. Jones, who competed at the 2024 USA Boxing National Championships last December, scaled 128.8-pounds. Salas, who last boxed in 2018, came in at the super featherweight limit of 130.
Albert Ochoa (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will see action against old adversary Leon Miles Jr. of Los Angeles, California, who will be making his professional debut, in a four-round welterweight bout to open the night. Ochoa and Miles, both heavily prevalent on social media, have shared a ring before, having fought an exhibition in December of 2023. Both Ochoa, who claimed victory in their first pairing, and Miles, known by the handle of “Suede the Plug” on social media, scaled 143.8-pounds.
MMA
In a crossroads pairing of veteran fighters, Elj Portee (8-10-1, 7 KOs) of Fallbrook, California will take on John Simon Portland, Oregon (7-6, 4 KOs) of Portland, Oregon in a three-round middleweight fight. Portee, fighting for the second time this year, scaled 174.8-pounds, while Simon, who just fought on May 10th, made 174.6-pounds.
A scheduled bout between Christopher Cruz (2-1-1) of Los Angeles and Robert Duran (0-1) of Fullerton, California was scratched from the card.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Quinones 147
De La Cruz 147
Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Mandujano 126.2
DeRosa 122.8
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Jones 128.8
Salas 130
Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Ochoa 143.8
Miles Jr. 143.8
MMA
Middleweights, 3 Rounds
Portee 174.8
Simon 174.6
Tickets for the event, promoted by SOCA Fights, are available online at socafights.com
Albert Ochoa Back in Action on Thursday in Costa Mesa
Four years into his journey as a boxer and nine years removed from the prom date that brought him into the public consciousness, Albert Ochoa is set to take to the ring for his second bout as a pro, and first in the United States, this coming Thursday night at the Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. Ochoa, having just celebrated his first Father’s Day as one himself, will take on Leon Miles Jr. in a four-round welterweight bout as part of SOCA Fights’ Fight Club OC event, which will be streamed internationally by TrillerTV+.
Ochoa (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California made his pro debut in February, scoring a first-round stoppage over Miguel Angel Ortiz in San Francisco del Rincón, Guanajuato, Mexico. Ochoa had been slated to meet an American opponent before Ortiz, an unknown commodity, stepped in on short notice to keep his debut bout intact.
“I had one day’s notice [on my new opponent] and I was terrified,” admits Ochoa candidly. “I was scared. The guy I fought had more fights and I didn’t have amateur experience, so I wanted to pull out too, but I had to believe in myself and the work that I put in. With a last minute opponent switch, a lot of fighters would pull out of a fight, because you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, but I went in there and knocked him out.”
Ochoa, who came to prominence after reality TV star Kendall Jenner agreed to be his junior prom date in 2016, decided to turn professional after a run on the influencer boxing exhibition circuit and without any traditional amateur experience. As one could expect, Ochoa has heard from naysayers along the way, which ultimately made the taste of his first pro victory all the more sweet.
“I got goosebumps and was very emotional,” recalls Ochoa of hearing his name announced victoriously after the win. “So many people have doubted me and people doubt me in this sport still. Being from Sacramento, I have a big target on my back. I knew whether I won or lost, people were going to talk. In the end, I had to do what was best for me and I went in and got the job done. I was very happy and emotional, because this sport isn’t easy.”
Ochoa’s debut came after a brief camp with new trainer Stan Martyniouk, a former international level amateur with nearly 18 years of professional experience, dating back to his own pro debut in 2007. Martyniouk was pleased with what he saw out of his new charge in that first fight together.
“We went into the fight and I had to keep him calm a little bit, so as not to waste a lot of energy,” explains Martyniouk. “He had a little bit of the jitters, so we warmed up and he shook out a little bit. He went into the fight and executed the game plan very well. He got the victory and everything was good.”
Adding to the swirl of emotions Ochoa experienced on the night of his debut, his girlfriend Maricela Cornejo, who fought Cecilia Braekhus to a close decision in an attempt at an interim title last year, was in the home stretch of her pregnancy, as their son Ocean arrived just over a month later.
“When I knocked that guy out, I was extremely happy, because now I could enjoy the time with my baby boy,” recalls Ochoa. “So that’s all I was thinking about, was the after effects. I got this job done and now I can spend some time with them and relax with them and be there for Mari as well.”
Ochoa has managed to juggle his newfound responsibility as a father and as a professional fighter while preparing for his upcoming bout against Miles this Thursday.
“My baby now is three months and we dialed-in [for this upcoming fight] when he was three-weeks-old,” explains Ochoa. “So I’ve been in camp about nine to ten weeks. I’ve been 100 percent focused and motivated. It does suck to be away from him, being at the gym twice a day. We had a media workout in Sacramento and so many people came, but it does suck being away. I know it is going to pay off in the long run and beating this guy in L.A. is going to be great, but the after effect is what I am looking forward to and that is spending time with my son.”
In addition to being away from his newborn son, Ochoa has been training mostly out of the Salas Boxing Academy in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, while Martyniouk remained in the Bay Area. Despite the distance, Martyniouk has continued to be a guiding voice and will be in the Ochoa corner on Thursday night. Thus far, Ochoa has impressed Stan “The Man” with his improvement.
“It has been a bit different, because I have been talking to him about what I’ve seen mostly through videos,” explains Martyniouk. “We discuss what he’s been doing, what he needs to improve and work on. Ever since we started working together, either over the phone or when he comes and sees me, his timing has improved a lot. His power and his ring IQ, have all improved. He looks like a whole different fighter. We worked a lot on speed and while he’s been out there in Vegas, you can tell the difference in speed. He looks like a seasoned fighter now.”
“It’s been a long camp, but I’ve jumped so many levels,” says Ochoa. “My sparring competition has been higher. My IQ is higher and I’ve been boxing amazingly. I am keeping up with these pros coming up as well. So this camp has been my best camp, it really has. From my strength to my IQ, to letting my hands go in combination, I feel I have taken a big leap from the last fight until now.”
Ochoa will meet a familiar face on Thursday, taking on Miles, known on social media as “Suede The Plug.” Miles comes from the influencer boxing circuit as well, which is where he and Ochoa met before. Ochoa boxed his way to a decision win over Miles in an exhibition in December of 2023.
“I am sure he has grown as both a person and a fighter and I am definitely not taking him lightly,” says Ochoa of Miles. “I am training my butt off and doing everything I need to do to come out victorious. He was my toughest challenge. That influencer fight was fun for sure, but now I am going into the pros and it is a different game. Miles wanted to run it back and for [promoter] Roy [Englebrecht] to give me the opportunity, being from Sacramento, it is a blessing to be on that card. [Miles] is from L.A. and he’s a good fighter. We went the distance the last time we fought, but I just have to focus on myself and no matter who they put in front of me, I need to get the job done and that means winning.”
With all the motivation that comes with becoming a father for the first time and pursuing a passion, Ochoa is excited to show that all of his hard work has paid off as he goes for his second pro win on Thursday night in Costa Mesa.
“The event is about sold out already I believe,” says Ochoa. “I am excited and it is going to be fun. I expect fireworks. I am going to put on a great performance and in this fight, I am going to show why I became a boxer. I think it is going to be a good fight, a really fun one and I plan to show out.”
The few remaining tickets for the event, promoted by SOCA Fights, are available online at socafights.com
