PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA – Super featherweight prospect Gabriel Garcia scored the stoppage he predicted over Armando Frausto, but likely in a less satisfying fashion than he envisioned and rising featherweight Kyle Lacanlale delighted his throng of supporters in an action-packed decision over Rodolfo Molina to cap a ten-bout card at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Saturday night.

Garcia (12-0, 7 KOs) of Antioch, California and Frausto (10-7-1, 5 KOs) of La Marque, Texas were just getting started when the action was abruptly halted with both combatants covered in blood. While Garcia, 129 ½, was covered in crimson, the blood was entirely the property of Frausto, 130, as a vertical gash had opened over his left eye in the midst of an exchange. 

Referee Gerard White conferred with California State Athletic Commission official Nichole Bowles and the ruling was that the cut was caused by a legal punch, declaring Garcia the winner at 1:26 of the opening round. 

A frustrated Frausto and his team disagreed with the ruling and Garcia seemed amenable to a rematch during their in-ring post-fight discussion. 

In the co-main event, Kyle Lacanlale (5-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California scored a thrilling four-round decision over a game Rodolfo Molina (0-2) of Antioch, California. 

Lacanlale, 124 ¾, and Molina, 125, engaged in a toe-to-toe, offense-first battle at the opening bell. With his corner instructing him at times to settle down, Lacanlale opted to engage and meet Molina’s aggression with aggression of his own. Lacanlale’s edge in power was apparent, but Molina made him work. 

Referee Shannon Sands had the ringside physician take a look at Molina before the start of round three, which would end up being the toughest act for the Antioch native. With punches coming both ways, Lacanlale landed a crisp and short right hand that resulted in the first knockdown of the bout. Molina returned to his feet and kept up the pressure, but Lacanlale landed another combination that resulted in the second knockdown. With seconds left in the round, Lacanlale rocked Molina again with a left hook, but the bell sounded before any follow-up could potentially end the fight. 

Despite the rough round three, Molina resumed his offensive style and caught Lacanlale a few times down the stretch of the fight. In the end, the crowd favorite Lacanlale won every round on the cards of judges Susan Thomas Gitlin, Mike Rinaldi and Joel Farbstein, 40-34. Lacanlale will return to the ring on September 6th on the Upper Cut Promotions card at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. 

Former amateur star Kumar Prescod (3-0, 3 KOs) of Oakland, California scored a second-round stoppage of an awkward Rueben Johnson (1-8, 1 KO) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Prescod, 175, toyed with Johnson, 172, a bit in the first round before coming out aggressively to begin the second. Prescod pressed Johnson into a neutral corner and uncorked an unrelenting combination before referee Gerard White called a halt to the mismatch at 39 seconds of round two. 

In a crossroads bout between veterans, Willie Shaw (15-6, 10 KOs) of Vallejo, California scored a workmanlike six-round decision over Salvador Briceño (18-11-1, 11 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and fighting out of the Jose Morales Boxing Academy in Roseville, California. Shaw, 139, was the busier fighter over the course of the bout. Briceño, 139.5, had fleeting moments, but never really got rolling. 

Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin had it a shutout, 60-54, judge Joel Farbstein scored it 59-55, and judge Mike Rinaldi had it 58-56. 

Without breaking a sweat, Sergio Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KOs) of Sacramento, California scored a quick referee’s stoppage of Tyre Travon Reed (0-1) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gonzalez, 156, hurt Reed, 152, with the first sweeping hook he threw. Reed did not have the best defense and referee Gerard White decided to stop the contest to save the Las Vegas resident from further punishment. Official time was 1:21 of the first round. Gonzalez will return to the ring on September 6th on the Upper Cut Promotions card at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. 

Utilizing his decisive edge in height and reach, Alton Wiggins (2-1-1) of Modesto, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over an onrushing Michael Portales (3-4-1, 1 KO) of San Jose, California.   

After a feeling out first round, Portales, 154.5, stepped on the gas in the second, landing clean with a few head shots. With Wiggins’ edge in height, Portales had to sell out a bit and wing his way inside. Wiggins, 155, won over judges despite Portales’ best efforts to force the action.

All three judges, Susan Thomas Gitlin, Mike Rinaldi and Joel Farbstein, scored the bout for Wiggins, 39-37. 

Braulio Ceja Navarro (5-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California remained unbeaten as he took a close decision on the cards over Emond Driver (1-3, 1 KO) of Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Ceja Navarro, 138, and Driver, 139.5, followed a heated weigh-in with a rough and tumble bout. Ceja Navarro’s class began to prove itself in the third round, before the Concord resident really upped his attack in the fourth. A clean right forced Driver back into his own corner, scoring an official knockdown. Ceja Navarro’s follow-up was stunted by warnings to both for rough stuff, which may have helped Driver clear his head. 

Judge Susan Thomas Gitlin scored the bout 38-37 for Driver, but was overruled by judge Mike Rinaldi, who had it 39-36, and judge Joel Farbstein, 38-37, both for Ceja Navarro. 

Isaiah Orozco (3-0, 2 KOs) of Gilroy, California managed a four-round split decision over Juan Molina (1-3, 1 KO) of Oakland in a crowd-pleasing action bout. 

Orozco controlled the first, boxing at a distance. An early round trip to the canvas by Molina was correctly ruled a slip by referee Shannon Sands.

Molina found some success turning southpaw late in the second round, while also forcing more of a close range fight. The third and fourth featured exciting, two-way action as each had their moments. Molina found a way to land clean with his left at short range and out of the southpaw stance. Orozco landed some eye-catching blows upstairs as well. 

Judge Mike Rinaldi scored the bout for Molina 49-37, but was overruled by judges Joel Farbstein and Susan Thomas Gitlin, who scored it 39-37, for Orozco. 

Nicholas Saavedra (2-0, 1 KO) of Modesto dropped Richard Esquibel (1-3, 1 KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico once in the second en route to a third-round referee stoppage.

Saavedra, 126.5, held the clear power edge immediately, but really sat down on his body shots in round two, landing three in a row, punctuated by a left that dropped Esquibel, 126.5. Another left upstairs wobbled Esquibel just before the bell to end the round.

Saavedra varied his attack to start the third, but soon went back down to the bread basket. With Esquibel wincing from the body blows, Saavedra pressed the New Mexican to a neutral corner with a combination upstairs that forced the hand of referee Gerard White. Time of the stoppage was 2:02 of the third. Saavedra will return to the ring on July 17th on the Toscano Boxing Promotions card at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, California.

The Bay Area’s Tiare Womack (1-0, 1 KO) scored her first career professional KO before breaking her first professional sweat, halting Lauren Michaels (2-5) of Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania in under a minute.

Michaels, 128.5, made a tactical error in opting to trade at close range with the powerfully-built Womack, 131, at the outset. Mid-exchange, Womack caught Michaels with a straight right that dropped the Pennsylvania native. Michaels watched the count from her knees and rose in time. Moments later, Womack flurried Michaels into the blue corner, prompting referee Shannon Sands to end the bout at 52 seconds of the first. 

Saturday’s event was the first offering of Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, who announced they will present their next event in December. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA – Super featherweight prospect Gabriel Garcia returns to the ring and makes his debut on the top of the bill as he takes on Armando Frausto to cap a ten-bout card at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. The event, titled “The Next Generation of Fighters,” serves as the inaugural professional boxing offering by upstart Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing. Fighters weighed-in on Friday afternoon at Benjamin’s Boxing in nearby San Ramon. 

Garcia (11-0, 6 KOs) of Antioch, California will end a nine-month layoff against a well-built Frausto (10-6-1, 5 KOs) of La Marque, Texas in a six-round bout. Garcia, who weighed-in at 129.5 pounds on Friday, was last in action back in August when he scored a six-round unanimous decision over Giovanni Gutierrez. Frausto, who scaled 130, has a record that can deceive, as five of his six career defeats came against a quintet of prospects who entered their bouts with a combined record of 52-1-2. 

“I feel real excited,” says Garcia. “I’ve been training very hard and prepared myself mentally and physically. I am just ready to put on a show on Saturday night.” 

Garcia will end the longest non-COVID era layoff of his career on Saturday night and will do so as the main event for the first time as a pro, as he fights near home for the second time in a row.

“I went through a couple injuries over the last year, but we recovered well and just in time to get on to this card,” said Garcia, explaining his time away. “I am ready to show out and get back on the train track. Expect to see fireworks and a body bag.” 

In the co-main event, undefeated featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon fights in his home area code for the first time as a professional as he takes on tough Rodolfo Molina (0-1) of Antioch, California in a four-round bout. Lacanale, who trains out of Benjamin’s Boxing, was last in the ring in March, winning a shutout four-round decision over a rugged southpaw in Brandon Badillo. Lacanlale weighed-in at 124 ¾, while Molina made 125-pounds. 

Former amateur standout Kumar Prescod (2-0, 2 KOs) of Oakland, California will take on  Rueben Johnson (1-7, 1 KO) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a four-round light heavyweight bout. Prescod was last in the ring this past March, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of Ernesto Gutierrez. Prescod came in at the division limit of 175-pounds, while Johnson scaled 172. 

In a competitively-matched bout between two veterans, Willie Shaw (14-6, 10 KOs) of Oakland will take on Salvador Briceño (18-10-1, 11 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and fighting out of the Jose Morales Boxing Academy in Roseville, California in a six-round light welterweight bout. Shaw, who scaled 139-pounds on Friday, has been a road warrior for much of his career, but gets to fight back close to home for the first time in over five years. Briceño, who scaled 139 ½-pounds, hopes to end a three-fight skid against tough competition.  

Former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California and his debuting opponent Tyre Travon Reed of Las Vegas, Nevada engaged in one of the more contentious face-offs on Friday. The two will meet in a four-round light middleweight bout on Saturday. Gonzalez, who made 156-pounds, was last in the ring in March, scoring a second-round stoppage of Miguel Soto-Garcia in Lincoln, California. Reed, who was doing most of the talking, scaled 152-pounds. 

In a bout that was originally scheduled to take place last August in Oakland, Michael Portales (3-3-1, 1 KO) of San Jose, California will take on Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) of Modesto, California in what has the makings of an evenly-matched light middleweight bout. Portales, who trains out of Benjamin’s Boxing, weighed-in at 154 ½, while Wiggins, looking to rebound from his first career defeat, scaled 155 even. 

Polished prospect Braulio Ceja Navarro (4-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California will take on Emond Driver (1-2, 1 KO) of Indianapolis, Indiana in a four-round light welterweight bout. Before a face-off so heated it continued in the parking lot after the weigh-in had ended, Ceja Navarro scaled 138, while Driver made 139 ½-pounds.  

Trained by the famed Guerrero Family, Isaiah Jesse Orozco (2-0, 2 KOs) of Gilroy, California will take on Juan Molina (1-2, 1 KO) of Oakland in a four-round lightweight bout. Orozco, who turned professional with two bouts in Tijuana, Mexico, made 132 ½, as did a very determined-looking Molina. 

Nicholas Saavedra (2-0) of Modesto will face Richard Esquibel (1-2, 1 KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico in a four-round featherweight bout. The nineteen-year-old Saavedra, who will make his 2025 debut, weighed-in at 126 ½-pounds on Friday. Esquibel, who had the misfortune of turning professional against Floyd Schofield, but got into the win column last time out, also scaled 126 ½-pounds. 

Well-regarded Bay Area amateur standout Tiare Womack, who fights out of Benjamin’s Boxing, will make her highly-anticipated pro debut against Lauren Michaels (2-4) of Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania in a four-round super featherweight bout. Womack made 131-pounds, while Michaels scaled 128 ½ -pounds. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Super featherweights, 6 Rounds

Garcia 129 ½

Frausto 130

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 124 ¾

Molina 125

Light heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Prescod 175

Johnson 172

Light welterweights, 6 Rounds

Shaw 139

Briceño 139 ½ 

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Gonzalez 156

Reed 152

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Portales 154 ½ 

Wiggins 155

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Ceja Navarro 138

Driver 139 ½ 

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Orozco 132 ½ 

Molina 132 ½ 

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Saavedra 126 ½ 

Esquibel 126 ½ 

Super featherweights, 4 Rounds

Womack 131

Michaels 128 ½ 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, are available online at Eventbrite.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA – Undefeated featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale aims to defend his home turf when he returns to the ring this coming Saturday night against Rodolfo Molina at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in nearby Pleasanton, California. The four-round bout will serve as co-main event on the “Next Generation of Fighters” card presented by upstart promoters Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing. 

Lacanlale (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon has fought in the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California before, but Saturday’s contest will take place less than 10 miles from Dougherty Valley High, where the young prospect attended school. Fighting so close to his home base for the first time has Lacanlale, whose nickname “Masanting” means handsome in Kapampangan, a Filipino language, looking forward to Saturday night. 

“I am really excited,” explains Lacanlale. “I grew up going to the Fairgrounds for the Fair and all the events they have there. To be the co-main event on a show there in Pleasanton, California and have all my family and friends and the local community behind me, it is something that I’ve been looking forward to.” 

For some young fighters, the responsibility that would come with being in the co-main event so close to home would be an intrusion on their preparation. However, the determined Lacanlale remained focused in camp and is ready to put on a show for his local following on Saturday night. 

“It is not a distraction,” says Lacanlale of fighting at home. “I take it as motivation. I am excited when my family comes out to support me and they get loud and a lot of people come through for me. It is just added fuel to the fire for me when I get in the ring.”

If preparing for his fifth pro bout was not enough of a workload, Lacanlale is simultaneously wrapping up his junior year at California State University, East Bay, where he studies kinesiology. Finding the balance between academics and athletics is something not foreign to the young pro.

“When I am not in the gym, I am at home taking care of my schoolwork,” explains Lacanlale. “I really have to manage my time and set my schedule straight to get everything I need to get done in a day. I went to Dougherty Valley High, which is a very academic school. I grew up doing this. Academics is something that has always been important in my family. I take care of business in the classroom and in the gym. It just shows how bad you want it. If you want it, you can get it. I put my 110% into everything I do from being in the classroom to being in the gym.” 

Last time out, Lacanlale scored a shutout four-round decision over a scrappy Brandon Badillo at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California this past March. All three judges scored every round for Lacanlale, who drew a sizable crowd to the Sacramento suburb. 

“That was my first southpaw in the pros,” says Lacanlale of Badillo. “I thought I performed very well. I beat him convincingly. He didn’t manage to win a round against me. I was able to box him and control the entire fight. I turned it up a little too late, otherwise I probably could have got him out of there, but I think I showed my skills on that night.” 

Saturday’s event is co-promoted by Juan Sanchez of Elite Underdog Promotions and Ali Benjamin, proprietor of Benjamin’s Boxing, where Lacanlale has trained for years. With Benjamin a longtime fixture in his corner, taking the co-main event slot on this card has some added significance for the San Ramon native. 

“To have Coach Ali putting this event together, along with Elite Underdog Promotions, means a lot and it is an honor for me to be the co-main event,” explains Lacanlale. “I just want to display my skills and put on a good show for everyone at the Fairgrounds.” 

Lacanlale will meet rugged Rodolfo Molina (0-1) of Antioch, California on Saturday night. Molina fought valiantly, but came up short in his pro debut against the well-regarded Irving Xilohua in Sacramento and was willing to sign for a bout with Lacanlale when many others passed on the opportunity. 

“I know he fought Irving in his first professional fight and we know Irving is a solid fighter,” explains Lacanlale. “We’ve seen him throughout the years. From Molina, I expect a tough fighter and we are not overlooking him. I train hard for every fight I step into the ring for and I think that my skills will carry me to a win.”  

Lacanlale, who will be one of the featured fighters taking part in a media day at Benjamin’s Boxing on Thursday afternoon, is determined to make his homecoming fight of sorts a memorable one for all of those who attend on Saturday night. 

“You can expect an exciting fight,” says Lacanlale. “I’ve been training hard and I am feeling sharp. I am ready and determined and I cannot wait to put on a show on May 24th.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing, are available online at Eventbrite.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

Kyle Lacanlale (4-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California returns to the ring on Saturday, May 24th in a four-round featherweight bout against Rodolfo Molina as part of the Elite Underdog Promotions and Benjamin’s Boxing event at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Later tonight, the pound-for-pound discussion will continue for superstar Naoya Inoue as he defends his unified super bantamweight title against heavy underdog Ramon Cardenas in the ESPN-televised main event from T-Mobile Arena. First bell for the six-bout undercard began at 3:15 PM local time. 

Junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas steamrolled past light-punching Juan Leon Alvarez (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain by way of Guayaquil, Ecuador, scoring a second-round stoppage. 

Vargas, 138.7, was active in the first round, but really upped his intensity once he felt the best Leon Alvarez, 139.9, had to offer by late in the opener. Vargas came out determined in the second and eventually landed a right hand, followed by sweeping left that dropped the Ecuadorian for the first knockdown. Leon Alvarez beat the count, but Vargas did not let him off the hook. Vargas, one of three fighting sons of “El Feroz,” landed an overhand right in close, followed by a three-quarter left that cleaned up for the second knockdown and prompted an immediate stoppage from referee Robert Hoyle. 

Official time of the stoppage was 1:40 of the second round, With the win, Vargas claimed his first taste of hardware, the minor NABF Junior light welterweight title.

World ranked featherweight Mikito Nakano (13-0, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Hiroshima, Japan was impressive in his United States debut, halting Pedro Marquez (16-2, 10 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico inside of four rounds as his countryman Naoya Inoue looked on from the dressing room. 

Nakano, 125.9, began to display his power edge early in round two. Nakano, the IBF #8/WBC #10/WBA #10/WBO #11 ranked featherweight, eventually punctuated a series of punches with a short left hand that resulted in a delayed reaction knockdown. The Japanese contender kept the pressure when action resumed and dropped Marquez, 126, moments later, landing in combination through the Puerto Rican native’s gloves. 

Nakano continued to punish his adversary, scoring a knockdown early in the third, splitting Marquez’s guard and snapping his head back on the way down. Marquez would see the bell to end the round after offering back just enough to keep referee Harvey Dock satisfied. 

It was only a matter of time however, as Nakano scored two more knockdowns in the fourth to force the stoppage. Nakano scored the first knockdown of the round, dropping Marquez with a clean right to the body. Nakano downed Marquez for a fifth and final time shortly thereafter, landing another right to the body. Marquez fired back with a left counter that missed, but the pain came a second later, forcing the Puerto Rican to a knee. Having seen enough, Dock immediately waved off the onslaught at 1:58 of fourth. 

Exciting junior middleweight prospect Art Barrera Jr. (9-0, 7 KOs) of Lynwood, California utilized his edge in power to score a sixth-round stoppage over soft-punching Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-2-1, 2 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois. 

Barrera, 152.7, did not appear bothered by much of what Guerra, 153.7, had to offer and controlled the fight from the early going. Barrera began to open up and punished Guerra for much of round five, exploiting lapses in the Chicago native’s defense and landing in combination. Guerra managed to survive the round, but referee Thomas Taylor kept a keen eye at the start of round six. With Guerra taking unanswered punches early in the round, Taylor leaped in to stop the mismatch at the first opportunity. Official time was 1:15 of the sixth. 

Ra’eese Aleem (22-1, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas took what he must hope is the first step towards a world title opportunity as he boxed his way to a ten-round unanimous decision over a game Rudy Garcia (13-2-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in the curtain raiser. 

Aleem, 125.6, and Garcia, 125.3, engaged in a chess match throughout much of the bout, both looking to pick their spots and time their punches without being overly aggressive on offense. Aleem, fighting for just the second time since coming up short in a world title eliminator nearly two years ago, began to break through Garcia’s guard with cleaner punches late in the fight. Garcia, ending a one-and-a-half-year layoff himself, never looked out of place against the world class Aleem. 

In the end, all three official scorers had the bout wide for Aleem. Judge David Sutherland had it 97-93, judge Steve Weisfeld 98-92 and judge Chris Migliore found just one round for Garcia, scoring the bout 99-91. 

Former amateur star Patrick O’Connor of Waldorf, Maryland warmed-up in preparation of making his professional debut against Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs) of Carlisle, Ohio, which was slated to be a four-round cruiserweight swing bout. At some point in the night, it was decided that the fight would not take place due to time constraints.

Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Unified super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue aims to bolster his bid for pound-for-pound kingpin status in a stateside showcase against once-beaten Ramon Cardenas at the T-Mobile Arena in an ESPN-televised main event on Sunday night. On a weekend in which some of the sport’s top stars will have already stated their case and another has dropped from contention, Inoue is the best bet to stand out spectacularly. Fighters for the eight-bout card weighed-in Saturday morning and then took part in a ceremonial event in the afternoon in one of the studios adjacent to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. 

Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) of Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan continues what could become a Fighter of the Year 2025 campaign as he takes on heavy underdog Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas. Inoue made short work of late replacement opponent Ye Joon Kim in January and may fight twice more this calendar year if reported plans come to fruition. 

Reports surfaced in recent days that Inoue has already agreed for his next bout, to take place this September in Japan, against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who holds claim to an interim version of the WBA title. When asked how he stays motivated to keep fighting, Inoue offered brief insights. 

“My goal is to just get stronger,” said Inoue. “For my final challenge, I want to move up to featherweight. That will be my final challenge,” said Inoue, through interpreter Nobu Ikushima on Saturday. 

Cardenas, the IBF #1 ranked 130-pounder, graduated to the national level in 2024, picking up two regional titles, followed by a career-best win over previously unbeaten Bryan Acosta this past February. There may not be any string of opponents one could have that would ready a fighter for the leap in class that Inoue represents, so it goes without saying “The Monster” represents a giant step-up in class for Cardenas. However, the San Antonio fighter does not appear to be in awe of the moment and has said the right things. 

“I am excited and ready to get the show on the road,” said Cardenas, fighting for his first world title on Sunday. “It doesn’t get real until tomorrow and I am ready.” 

Inoue, defending the WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF 122-pound titles, weighed-in at 121.9-pounds on Saturday, while the challenger Cardenas scaled 121.8. 

In the co-feature, budding star Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico will defend his WBO 126-pound title against former 130-pound title challenger Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas in a twelve-round featherweight bout. 

Espinoza, who scaled 125.4-pounds on Saturday, became one of the faces of the division over the last year-and-a-half, highlighted by his signature knockout of Robeisy Ramirez in the rematch of his title-winning effort last December. 

“It is a dream come true to be here on this Mexican Day and to fight for these beautiful people,” said Espinoza after hitting the scales for the ceremonial weigh-in. 

Vazquez, the WBO #10 ranked 126-pounder despite not fighting at that weight class in two years, was last seen at this level giving Joe Cordina all he could handle in an IBF super featherweight title bid that resulted in a majority decision defeat in November of 2023. The challenger weighed-in at 125.6-pounds on Saturday. 

WBO #10/WBC #15 ranked welterweight Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic will see action against veteran Fabian Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina in a ten-round bout. Polanco hopes to further add to his credentials, while Maidana aims to make good at the same venue he came up short in an interim title bid against Mario Barrios one year ago. Polanco, who risks his regional WBO Inter-Continental title, weighed-in at 146.2-pounds on Saturday, while Maidana made 146 even. 

Rising prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas will meet Juan Leon Alvarez (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain by way of Guayaquil, Ecuador in an eight-round bout for the minor NABF Junior light welterweight title. Vargas, who made 138.7-pounds on Saturday, is back after a second-round stoppage of veteran Giovannie Gonzalez in late March. Leon Alvarez, who scaled 139.9-pounds, has built up his record against modest opposition, mainly in Spain. 

Mikito Nakano (12-0, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas, by way of Hiroshima, Japan will take on Pedro Marquez (16-1, 10 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a ten-round featherweight bout. Nakano, the IBF #8/WBC #10/WBA #10/WBO #11 ranked featherweight, made 125.9-pounds on Saturday. Marquez, who weighed-in at 126-pounds, will be taking a major step-up in class on Sunday as he fights out of his native Puerto Rico for the first time in his professional career. 

Fighting out of the famed Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, junior middleweight prospect Art Barrera Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs) of Paramount, California will meet Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1, 2 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in a six-rounder. Barrera, who just saw action and scored a second-round stoppage a month ago, weighed-in at 152.7-pounds. Guerra, who gained fame with a victory over Nico Ali Walsh at Madison Square Garden this past February, weighed-in at 153.7-pounds. 

Featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (21-1, 12 KOs) of Las Vegas looks to get rolling again against Rudy Garcia (13-1-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California in a ten-round bout. Aleem, now signed to Top Rank after fighting just once a year for the last three years, made 125.6-pounds, while Garcia, who will be shaking off a little rust himself, scaled 125.3-pounds. 

Former amateur star Patrick O’Connor of Waldorf, Maryland makes his professional debut against Marcus Smith (2-1, 2 KOs) of Carlisle, Ohio in a four-round cruiserweight bout on Sunday. O’Connor weighed-in 196.1-pounds, while Smith scaled 188 even. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC Super Bantamweight Championship

WBO Super Bantamweight Championship

WBA Super Bantamweight Championship

IBF Super Bantamweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Inoue 121.9

Cardenas 121.8

WBO Featherweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Espinoza 125.4

Vazquez 125.6

WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Polanco 146.2

Maidana 146

NABF Junior Light Welterweight Championship, 8 Rounds

Vargas 138.7 

Leon Alvarez 139.9

Featherweights, 10 Rounds

Nakano 125.9

Marquez 126

Light middleweights, 6 Rounds

Barrera Jr. 152.7

Guerra Jr. 153.7

Featherweights, 10 Rounds

Aleem 125.6

Garcia 125.3

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds

O’Connor 196.1

Smith 188

Tickets for the event, promoted by Top Rank, in association with Ohashi Promotion, Teiken Promotions and Sampson Boxing, are available online at AXS.com 

Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – Cruiserweight contender Blake McKernan kept his comeback rolling, scoring a stoppage of late replacement Jurmain McDonald in the main event of a ten-bout card at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday night.

McKernan (16-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California started out working behind his jab and using his reach advantage over the former middleweight McDonald (8-8, 3 KOs) of Jefferson City, Missouri. McKernan, 195.5, made McDonald, 200, feel his power midway through the round when he landed a hard right hand that gave the Jefferson City native reason to pause his attack. 

After allowing McDonald some comfort in round two, McKernan turned up the aggression in round three and rocked McDonald along the ropes and followed-up until the bell to end the round. By round four, McDonald was only looking to land one looping shot at a time and was bloodied by the nose. Though McDonald’s ample body was there as a target, McKernan mostly landed his power shots upstairs, often off of his jab. 

McDonald returned weary to his corner at the end of round four and, after consulting with the corner, referee Edward Collantes opted to end the bout between rounds, officially at 3:00 of round five. With the victory, McKernan has won three straight since returning from a nearly two-year layoff induced by multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis. 

Undefeated middleweight Islam Abdusamadov (5-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia scored a four-round unanimous decision over Josias Gonzales (2-5-1) of Whittier, California. 

Abdusamadov, 157, dropped Gonzales, 148, in the second, landing a right in the middle of an exchange. Gonzales had the habit of falling off balance when he was errant with a power shot and Abdusamadov was ready to counter. Gonzales did not appear hurt and fired back in a wild exchange to end the round. 

Gonzales had a solid round three as perhaps Abdusmadov was looking to time a perfect counter once more, but ultimately was outworked in stretches of the round. Again the round ended with a heated exchange, where Abdusamadov was able to flex some of his power against the busy Gonzales. 

In round four, Abdusamadov was willing to give ground against the forward-moving Gonzales in order to land his power counter punches. Gonzales would throw a flurry, but Abdusamadov would time him and land one or two clean shots that would win the moment for him. In the end, judge Joel Farbstein had it 39-36, while judges Melissa McMorrow and Edward Collantes scored it 38-37, all for Abdusamadov. 

Kyle Lacanlale (4-0, 3 KOs) of San Ramon, California was taken the distance, but won every round against a tough Brandon Badillo (0-4-1) of Lancaster, South Carolina. 

Lacanlale, 124, set the pace and landed in combination against the shorter Badillo, 126.5. Lacanlale was the better boxer and landed with power shots, but Badillo hung tough and fought back throughout. 

All three judges, Joel Farbstein, Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman scored the bout a shutout for Lacanlale, 40-36. Lacanlale’s next bout is already set for May 24th at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. 

In a rough inside fight, Jessie James Guerrero (5-0-3, 4 KOs) of Gilroy, California remained unbeaten with a four-round majority decision over Antonio Vallecillo Velasquez (0-2) of Richmond, California by way of Chinandega, Nicaragua.

Guerrero, 110.5, and Vallecillo Velasquez 110.5, traded on even terms for much of the bout. Guerrero landed well in combination, but Vallecillo Velasquez had his moments, landing some clean power shots. 

Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout even, 38-38, but was overruled by judges Michael Margado and Joel Farbstein, who scored the fight 39-37 for Guerrero. 

Braulio Ceja Navarro (4-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over journeyman David Minter (4-7, 3 KOs) of Lincoln.

Ceja Navarro, 138.9, threw and landed in combination as the veteran Minter, 139.5  could not keep up with the high output. 

Slowed only by a warning and timeout for a low blow in the final round, Ceja Navarro claimed a shutout on the cards of all four judges, Joel Farbstein, Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman, 40-36.

In an excellent action fight, Ebert Diaz (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California scored a hard-fought six-round majority decision over Christian Avalos (3-2-2) of Carson City, Nevada. 

Avalos, 135, got off to a great start, rocking Diaz, 134.8, in an exchange in the first, but the Richmond native regained his footing quickly and bounced back to have a solid second round. 

As the fight progressed, Diaz’s pressure began to turn the fight in his favor, but all six rounds featured two-way action. Avalos landed with a clean uppercut late in the sixth, but ultimately came up short on the cards. 

Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judges Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes, 58-56, for Diaz.

In his pro debut, former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento scored two knockdowns en route to a third-round stoppage of Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-5) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Gonzalez, 149, turned up the pressure in the second round, dropping Soto-Garcia, 150.5, with a left hook. Later in the round, Gonzalez caught Soto-Garcia with a right in the middle of an exchange to score a second knockdown.

After a visit to the Soto-Garcia corner at the end of round two, referee Edward Collantes stopped the bout officially at 3:00 of round three.

Vikash Deol (2-0, 1 KO) of Hayward, California remained unbeaten via four-round unanimous decision over Herman Hodnett (0-2) of Oroville, California.

With his basketball center frame, Hodnett, 246, failed to take advantage of his height and reach and fought an inside fight with the stalky Deol, 230. 

Late in the final round, referee David Hartman deducted a point from Hodnett for hitting behind the head, which ended up being the difference in the scoring, as judges Joel Farbstein and Edward Collantes both scored the bout 38-37, while judge Melissa McMorrow had it 39-36, all for Deol.

Dante Kirkman (4-0, 2 KOs) of Palo Alto, California scored two knockdowns in short order to halt journeyman Jose Cruz (2-7, 1 KO) of El Monte, California in the opening round. 

Kirkman, 158, downed Cruz, 160, in the early going with an overhand right. Cruz managed to rise, but was soon forced into the red corner, where Kirkman landed a solid right and a sweeping left to down Cruz for the second time. Referee Michael Margado began his count, but ultimately waved it off at  2:32 of round one.

In the opener, Pedro Angel Cruz (4-6, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California boxed his way to a six-round unanimous decision over brawling Luciano Ramos (2-9) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Cruz, 143, had the superior technique, but Ramos, 142.5, had his moments, landing with power punches. In the end judges Joel Farbstein and Michael Margado scored it 58-56, while judge Melissa McMorrow scored it 59-55, all for Cruz. 

Upper Cut Promotions will bring professional boxing back to the Venue at Thunder Valley on Saturday, September 6th.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

ROCKLIN, CALIFORNIA – Cruiserweight contender Blake McKernan ended a two-year sabbatical last August and will now fight for the third time in his return on Saturday night as he takes on short notice replacement Jurmain McDonald in the eight-round main event at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Fighters for the ten-bout card weighed-in Friday morning at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ in nearby Rocklin. 

McKernan (15-2, 8 KOs) of Sacramento, California scored fourth-round stoppages in both of his bouts last year, stopping Jasper McCargo on his feet in August and dropping Milton Nunez to a knee to force the last stoppage at the Venue this past October. The two fights last year ended a long layoff induced by multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis. McKernan originally prepared for veteran Shawn Miller, a naturally larger opponent than he will end up meeting in his replacement. McKernan weighed-in at 195.5-pounds on Friday. 

McDonald (8-7, 3 KOs) of Jefferson City, Missouri is a recent entrant into the cruiserweight division, as he ended a two-plus year layoff this past January, scoring a four-round decision in his 200-pound debut. Prior to the time away, McDonald fought at middleweight and will likely look to use his footwork and movement on Saturday, as he was not a puncher at the 160-pound weight class. McDonald made the cruiserweight limit of 200-pounds on Friday. 

Power-punching middleweight prospect Islam Abdusamadov (4-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia will take on gatekeeper Josias Gonzales (2-4-1) of Whittier, California by way of Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico in a four-round bout. Abdusamadov, coming off of a four-round unanimous decision at the Venue last October, weighed-in at 157-pounds Friday. Gonzales, whose previous opponents all combined have only one loss among them, scaled 148-pounds on Friday. 

Exciting featherweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California will take a step-up against better-than-his-record Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) of Lancaster County, South Carolina in a four-rounder. Lacanlale, fighting for the fourth time since turning pro in late August, weighed-in at 124-pounds on Friday. The well-traveled Badillo, who has never fought an opponent with a prior loss, weighed-in at 126.5-pounds. 

Jessie James Guerrero (4-0-3, 4 KOs) of Gilroy, California returns to the ring on Saturday against Antonio Vallecillo Velasquez (0-1) of Richmond, California by way of Chinandega, Nicaragua in a four-round flyweight bout. Guerrero, came away with a draw last time out against Bryan Santiago last October, and Vallecillo Velasquez, fighting for the first time since May of 2023, both scaled 110.5-pounds on Friday. 

Making his 2025 debut, Braulio Ceja Navarro (3-0, 2 KOs) of Concord, California will take on veteran journeyman David Minter (4-6, 3 KOs) of Lincoln in a four-round light welterweight bout. Ceja Navarro’s original opponent was a late scratch and the Concord native agreed to step up in weight to meet Minter and keep his spot on the card Saturday. Ceja Navarro, normally a super featherweight, weighed-in at 138.9-pounds on Friday. Minter, no stranger to testing undefeated pros, scaled 139.5-pounds.

In what is sure to be an action fight, Christian Avalos (3-1-2) of Carson City, Nevada will take on Ebert Diaz (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Avalos, winner of three straight bouts, weighed-in at 135-pounds on Friday. Diaz, coming off of a decisive victory over previously unbeaten Kevin Montano, scaled 134.8-pounds. 

Former amateur standout Sergio Gonzalez, who trains out of Caballero’s Boxing Gym in Sacramento, will make his highly-anticipated debut in a four-round junior middleweight bout against Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-4) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Gonzalez weighed-in at 149-pounds, while Soto-Garcia scaled 150.5. 

Vikash Deol (1-0, 1 KO) of Hayward, California will end a six-year absence when he meets Herman Hodnett (0-1) of Oroville, California in a four-round heavyweight bout. Deol weighed-in at 230-pounds, while the much taller Hodnett came in at 246. 

Junior middleweight prospect Dante Kirkman (3-0, 1 KO) of Palo Alto, California will make his 2025 debut against Jose Cruz (2-6, 1 KO) of El Monte, California in a four-round bout. Kirkman, finishing up his undergraduate degree at Stanford University this semester, weighed-in at 158-pounds, while Cruz made the 160-pound middleweight limit. 

In what promises to be a crowd-pleaser, Pedro Angel Cruz (3-6, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California will open the night as he takes on Luciano Ramos (2-8) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a six-round welterweight fight. Cruz weighed-in at 143-pounds, while Ramos scaled 142.5-pounds on Friday. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Cruiserweights, 8 Rounds 

McKernan 195.5

McDonald 200

Middleweights, 4 Rounds

Abdusamadov 157

Gonzalez 148

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 124

Badillo 126.5

Flyweights, 4 Rounds

Guerrero 110.5

Vallecillo Velasquez 110.5

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Ceja Navarro 138.9

Minter 139.5

Lightweights, 6 Rounds

Avalos 135

Diaz 134.8

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Gonzales 149

Soto-Garcia 150.5

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Deol 230

Hodnett 246

Middleweights, 4 Rounds

Kirkman 158

Cruz 160

Welterweights, 6 Rounds

Cruz 143

Ramos 142.5

Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

Just seven months into his pro career, former amateur standout Kyle Lacanlale will make his fourth ring appearance this coming Saturday as part of the “Thunder Showdown II” event at the Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Lacanlale will take on tough Brandon Badillo in a four-round featherweight attraction as he continues his rise a short ride from home.

Lacanlale (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California made his pro debut just last August 31st, as he steamrolled his opponent in one minute before a vocal gathering in nearby Oakland. After scoring a second career stoppage in October, Lacanlale was taken the four-round distance for the first time in his last outing, November 30th in Tijuana, Mexico. 

“That fight was fun,” says Lacanlale of his bout south of the border. “We went down there to get another fight in before the year ended. The fight went the four rounds and I got a unanimous decision. My opponent came in a little overweight and had eleven fights, so it was a good experience for me to go out there and go the four rounds. I was able to box him and get the win out there.”

Veteran Luis Antonio Macias had some extra poundage and a few veteran tactics that aided his ability to last the distance against Lacanlale. However, it is the type of fight that every young fighter needs to learn and grow before moving on to the next level. 

“Our opponent didn’t make weight,” recalls Kyle’s father-trainer Lyndon Lacanlale. “He was five pounds heavier than our contract was, but we took the fight. [Kyle] could have done a little better. He was accepting the holds a little more than he should have. The guy was a crafty and held a lot. He fought defensively, basically. He was also a grown man at 27-years-old and he had some experience. There were little tricks they were doing as well, like using some vaseline, which makes it hard to make solid contact with the punches, with everything sliding off. I wish it would have went a little better, but Kyle got the win on the cards of all three judges.”

Like most young fighters, Lacanlale would have preferred to continued his knockout streak, but he was able to show he could go the four full rounds and finish strong. The knowledge gained will definitely serve Lacanlale as the competition gets tougher.

“Obviously, I want to get the knockout when I fight, but if it comes, it comes,” explains Kyle. “But I was able to box and dominate all four rounds. I felt like I was in control the whole fight. There wasn’t much for me to worry about and I felt like I could execute what I wanted to do in the ring.”

Next up this coming Saturday, Lacanlale will take on a better-than-his-record Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) of Lancaster County, South Carolina at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln, California. 

“I’ve seen a little film on him,” says Kyle. “He’s a southpaw and I know he’s tough. All his losses were to high-ranked amateurs or guys with good professional records so far, so I am looking to go out there and make a statement. I am going to execute the game plan and hopefully come out with the stoppage.”

Originally Lacanlale and his team had agreed to fight an unbeaten opponent, before that fighter fell out and was replaced by the ultra tough Badillo.

“We had a different opponent that was 3-0 that dropped out for whatever reason, and Badillo stepped-in and I actually think he is a better fighter than the 3-0,” says Lyndon. “Some people will just look at his record and say he is a bum, but he’s not. He’s lasted in every fight. I’m expecting good things out of Kyle. I’m happy with a win, but I’d be even happier with a stoppage, just because these national champions [that have fought Badillo] couldn’t do it.”

Three fights in, on the verge of walking out for bout number four, Kyle Lacanlale is pleased with the path he has traveled thus far, while getting ready for what it is to come. 

“I’m happy with what we have done since last year,” says Kyle, who hopes to stay active by fighting every couple months. “I had three fights in the last quarter of last year and I am getting ready for my fourth fight at the beginning of this year, so I am just going to continue to build and setting myself up for the future.”

Building a professional boxing career has similarities to building a home. Before anything else, you need a solid foundation. With a wealth of amateur experience and the beginnings of a well-planned pro career coming together, Lacanlale’s foundation looks strong. The young fighter continues to build this coming Saturday in Lincoln, before a supportive fanbase. 

“They can expect a dominant performance,” predicts Kyle, whose next bout is already pegged for May 24th near home at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. “I have been training hard. I am sharp. I am ready and I am motivated. I am just going to go out there and do my best to show everyone the skills that I have.”

Very few tickets remain for Saturday’s event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, and are available online at uppercutpro.com 

There is something that never gets old about the story of a fighter finding his way to America to pursue his dreams and doing what it takes to succeed and accomplish improbable goals. From the dry, mountainous terrain of  Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, middleweight Islam Abdusamadov made his way to the States and continues to achieve his objectives this coming Saturday night as he returns to the ring to meet Josias Gonzales as part of “Thunder Showdown II” at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. 

Currently residing in Santa Clara, California, middleweight upstart Abdusamadov (4-0, 2 KOs) first took to boxing in his native Dagestan following his cousin to the gym.  

“I started training with my cousin Sadula Magomedov in Dagestan, Russia and I liked it,” explains Abdusamadov. “I went to the store and bought a boxing bag and for two months I trained myself. I kept training and training for about two years before I started fighting amateurs in Russia.” 

Fighting and training out of the mountains of Dagestan, Abdusamadov approximates he fought to a record of about 20-5 before a family member living in the San Francisco Bay Area convinced him it would be a good idea for his budding boxing career to make the move to the United States and offered to take him into his home. 

“My uncle Ramazan Magomedov has helped me a lot and continues to support me,” explains Islam. “My uncle doesn’t know boxing, but he has helped me. He still helps me and cares for me a lot. My uncle was living here and told me I could be better here.” 

Abdusamadov did not speak much English at the time of the move and obviously had some adapting to do once he arrived in Santa Clara. After some adjusting, and picking up the language, Abdusamadov feels at home now as he pursues his dream of boxing stardom. 

“Maybe for about a year it was hard, but I had someone here, in my uncle, to help me,” explains Abdusamadov. “When I came here, I did not speak English. I learned from speaking with people myself, so for the first year it was hard, but now it is easy.” 

Soon after arriving, Abdusamadov’s uncle helped his nephew find his new home boxing gym after a quick Google search pulled up the nearby Relentless Boxing and Training Center, founded by accomplished former professional, and now a well-regarded trainer, Arturo Quintero. Abdusamadov eventually ended working with Quintero and Eriky Alvarez Cosio through a few more amateur fights before the time was right to turn professional. 

“Even though he didn’t have an extensive amateur career, he has developed really fast,” explains Quntero. “The power that he has is insane, insane power. He just needs to start relaxing a little bit more, work more on setting up his punches and everything else will fall into place.” 

Sometimes things just work out for a reason and by chance Abdusamadov had an uncle that lived near a quality boxing gym with a good team of coaches and everything has fit just right for the Dagestan native while he pursues his singular goal of boxing success. Abdusamadov has adapted to the American fighting style while still having some of the Russian amateur teachings in his arsenal. 

 “I came here for training,” explains Abdusamadov. “I did not come here for clubbing or girls, I came here just to train boxing. I don’t have a choice. Before I go back to Dagestan, this is my goal. Professional boxing. For Russia, everyone is not training to be professionals, they are only training for the amateurs. The coaches only know amateur boxing. They are born for amateur boxing and I believe they are better amateurs there. But here, in the United States, we train for professional boxing. We fight in the amateurs for the experience, but we train to be professionals. Over there, they train to be the best amateurs, but not professionals.” 

Abdusamadov, with his power-punching approach, crafted his style to the pro game and finally realized his dream of turning professional in November of 2023, stopping Miguel Soto-Garcia in the third round at Gold Country Casino Resort in Oroville, California. 

“It is different,” explains Abdusamadov. “Amateur and professionals are very different. Professional boxing is more calm. You punch for power. You want to knock down the guy. I like knockouts. I look for the knockout. In amateurs, you have headgear and big gloves. It is hard to get a knockout. But in the pros, I like to go for the knockout. It is fun.” 

Abdusamadov’s love affair with the knockout almost got him into some trouble in pro bout number two, which took place last January against eight-fight veteran Juan Meza Moreno in Sacramento, California. After dropping Meza Moreno late in the second round, Abdusamadov punched himself out late in the fight, trying to end matters inside the distance. In the end, the knockdown scored gave Abdusamadov the points win, as Meza Moreno was able to box over the last two rounds but ultimately lost 38-37 on all three cards. 

 “I knocked him down and tried for the knockout, but it was hard,” recalls Abdusamadov. “I tried, but I still won the decision. That is the important thing. Maybe he felt my power and decided he needed to be careful. I wanted to finish him in the fight, but still I won.”

For Abdusamadov, the experience gained in his second pro fight will serve him well for the rest of his career. 

“It was a great learning experience,” says Quintero. “He pushed through and showed a lot of heart. I have been in that situation, so I know what it feels like. To push through it and come out with the win still, it was good to see. It is only going to help him for his next fights and show him that he needs to stay relaxed. It is not just about that one shot. As he starts progressing to more rounds, the fighters he is going to be fighting are going to be more experienced fighters. These guys are going to be able to take his punches a lot better than the ones when he first started. It was a good experience for him to understand that he will not be able to take everyone out with one punch. He needs to be patient, set-up his punches and when he sees the opening when the fighter is hurt, then go for that finish. But he can’t just start looking for that knockout.”

In his second fight, Abdusamadov did not need to worry about conserving energy, as he halted normally tough Matthew Monroe inside the first round last August. The Dagestan native returned less than two months later and, similarly to the Meza Moreno bout, dropped his opponent Andrew Buchanan early, but this time he boxed smarter down the stretch. Buchanan, much like Meza Moreno, reverted to a boxer’s style to close out the fight after feeling Abdusamadov’s power, which helped get the fight to the scorecards. Abdusamadov prevailed 39-36 on all three official cards. 

Next up on March 8th at the Venue at Thunder Valley in Lincoln, California, Abdusamadov takes a step-up in seven-fight veteran Josias Gonzales, a tough southpaw fighter that has fought almost exclusively against unbeaten prospects in his early pro career. 

“His record might now show it, but the guy is a good fighter, a strong fighter and very durable,” says Quintero of Josias Gonzales. “Islam can win, he just has to stick to his game plan and stay focused and relaxed and do his work.”

Helping bring confidence to Team Abdusamadov heading into battle this Saturday is the quality work they have put in preparation, especially in sparring. 

“He’s ready,” says Quintero of Abdusamadov. “This has probably been his best camp since turning pro. We have got great work with Vladimir Hernandez and Cristian Baez. Even though we know Vladimir is a right hander, the work he gives us is beyond comparison. Mentally and physically, Vladimir pushes you. He just throws non-stop punches. It gives Islam that sense of pressure, how to set himself up, how to move around and get around him. How to fight a pressure fighter. With Cristian, many of the same tactics, but Cristian is more of a boxer and he is a southpaw, like Islam’s opponent will be on March 8th.”  

Gonzales is a tough guy to stop inside the distance and his last opponent, a 5-0 at the time Sincere Brooks, was lucky to escape with a split decision last November, but Abdusamadov still envisions ending things early this Saturday night. 

“I never know what will happen. Once the fight starts, I will see what he brings and see if I can knock him out,” says Abdusamadov. “I always think about the knockout. If in the first round I can, I will in the first round. But we will see. Maybe the third or fourth round, but I will try. In my head, I will try to knock him out. I know it is hard to do, because the opponent can fight, but I will try and we will see. I know he is a good fighter, but I am better and we will see.” 

Limited tickets remain for this Saturday’s event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

Kyle Lacanlale (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California returns to the ring on Saturday, March 8th in a four-round featherweight bout against Brandon Badillo as part of the Upper Cut Promotions event at the Venue at Thunder Valley in Lincoln, California. 

Islam Abdusamadov (4-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia returns to the ring on Saturday, March 8th in a four-rounder against Josias Gonzalez as part of the Upper Cut Promotions event at the Venue at Thunder Valley in Lincoln, California. 

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. scored two knockdowns, but was taken to the limit by hard-charging Jose Arellano, despite wide official scores, en route to a ten-round unanimous decision in the ProBox TV main event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort. 

Flores (26-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton, California was the first to strike, scoring the first official knockdown of the bout in the early moments when a left counter forced Arellano (11-3, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico into the ropes. With Arellano gripping a stand to stay vertical, referee Michael Margado correctly ruled the knockdown. 

Arellano, 133.4, was more caught off balance and quickly made his presence known in the fight. Flores, 134.8, always the classy boxer, attempted to use his superior jab to keep the Colorado native at range, but Arellano was undeterred and found his way inside for much of the middle round action. 

With the fight that had the feel of one slipping away from the Stockton native, Flores, the WBO #10/WBA #12 ranked lightweight, found his distance in round six and was able to use his jab to better effect. Arellano still landed some clean power shots as the fight progressed into the later rounds as he continually pressed the action. 

Flores found a rhythm again early in round nine and would score a second knockdown to start round ten. Flores’ counter downed the forward-moving Arellano in a moment that felt more significant before the final cards would be read. Flores closed the fight strong, but ultimately did not require either knockdown to win over the judges. 

Judge Michael Rinaldi scored the bout 99-89, judge Dan Stell scored it 98-90 and judge Brian Tsukamoto had it the closest, 95-93. With the victory, Flores retained his WBA Continental USA lightweight title and remains viable in the 135-pound division. 

In the co-main event, Emiliano Moreno (12-0, 7 KOs) of Long Beach, California overcame a slow start to score a seventh-round stoppage of Cesar Francis (13-3, 8 KOs) of West New York, New Jersey. 

Moreno, 149.6, started methodically, but picked up the pace as the fight went along. Francis, 146.6, boxed well in the early rounds, pressing the action and setting the pace. 

Moreno was careful in his punch selection early, but landed the cleaner, harder shots when he found the opening. 

Francis began to show signs of wilting in the sixth as his output dipped considerably. Moreno broke through in the seventh, landing combinations upstairs. Francis buckled as a result, but regained his footing enough to find the corner. Before Moreno moved in to follow-up, referee Dan Stell moved in to stop the fight, receiving a mild protest from Francis, who was ahead on the cards at the time of the stoppage. Official time came at 2:44 of the seventh round. 

Anthony Cuba (9-1-2, 4 KOs) of Fontana, California overcame a knockdown to score an eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten DeMichael Harris (12-1-1, 11 KOs) of Smyrna, Georgia. 

Cuba, 137, was the aggressor throughout as Harris, 134.2, spent too much time on the ropes. By the sixth, Cuba was distancing himself on the cards with solid power shots. 

Harris had a moment early in the eighth, landing a tomahawk right that dropped Cuba in an exchange. The knockdown came too late, as Cuba regained his footing and claimed the wide unanimous verdict. 

Judge Michael Margado scored it 78-73, while judges Michael Rinaldi and Brian Tsukamoto had it a round closer, 77-74, all for Cuba. 

Kevin Soltero (4-0, 2 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri sprung an upset over previously unbeaten Andrew Rodriguez (5-1, 1 KO) of Salinas, California via six-round majority decision. 

Rodriguez, 116.4, had to battle with a cut suffered from a headbutt in the second round, but closed that same act with some solid body work. Soltero, 116.6, applied relentless pressure in the third round, as Rodriguez looked to circle and box. 

The Kansas City native was finding a home for his right in the middle rounds and had a strong fourth as the blood seemed to bother Rodriguez. The final two rounds featured excellent two-way action, but it was ultimately Soltero that won over the judges. Judge Dan Stell scored the bout even, 57-57, but was overruled by judge Brian Tsukamoto, 58-56, and judge Mike Rinaldi, 60-54. 

Jennah Creason (2-0-1) of Visalia, California and Samantha Ginithan (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Las Cruces, New Mexico battled it out to a four-round majority draw. 

Ginithan, 140.2, and Creason, 139, both had their moments in a fight fought at close quarters for the eight scheduled minutes. With neither making a clear case, judges Michael Rinaldi and David Hartman both scored the bout even, 38-38. Judge Brian Tsukamoto turned in a dissenting card for Ginithan, 39-37. 

In the walk-out bout, Antonio Mireles (9-0-1, 7 KOs) of Des Moines, Iowa took an eight-round shutout decision over much shorter Josue Vargas (5-10-2, 2 KOs) of Panorama City, California. 

Vargas, 244, was able to make it a mauling, inside fight from the early going. When Mireles, 274, had daylight to punch, he was successful landing in combination. Mireles did not follow his corner’s repeated instructions to turn Vargas and get his back away from the ropes or create distance, but ultimately did enough to win every round, claiming all three cards, 80-72. 

Photos by Julio C. Sanchez/G-Squad Entertainment

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – In the ten-round main event of tonight’s ProBox TV broadcast emanating from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort, world ranked lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. will take on TV-friendly action fighter Jose Arellano in what could be an intriguing clash of styles. With the preparation complete, both fighters expressed their feelings about the bout on Tuesday. 

“I feel great,” proclaimed Flores (25-2, 8 KOs) of nearby Stockton, California, just before getting on the scale on Tuesday. “I feel ready. All my confidence comes from the preparation and training. I don’t cut no corners. I work as hard as I can and I get great sparring in the city of Las Vegas.” 

With tonight’s fight being broadcasted by a readily-available outlet, there is extra onus on Flores to perform the way that he knows he is capable of, as the eyes of the boxing industry will likely be tuned into the contest. 

“It just makes me excited for everyone to get to see how I am progressing as more of a pro,” says Flores, the WBO #10/WBA #12 ranked 135-pounder. “I started at 17-years-old. Now I am here to show my man strength, my man mentality and all that follows.” 

Flores took exception to the claim that Arellano presents more of a pressure style than recent previous opponents. 

“He’s aggressive, but I don’t know if he is more aggressive than my last three opponents,” says Flores. “He’s probably just as aggressive. I don’t see him being anymore aggressive. Julian Rodarte was pretty aggressive. Ronal Ron, he was coming forward, he was on me. And in my last fight, I was throwing shots and [Dennis Contreras] kept on coming and kept on coming. So I can’t imagine him bringing any more pressure, but if he does, good for him, but I don’t think it is going to make much of a difference. I am ready.” 

Flores, who will be defending his regional WBA Continental USA lightweight title, plans to put on a show for his fans on Wednesday night. 

“Intensity and an explosive Gabriel Flores,” predicts the Stockton native. “Always doing something entertaining.”

Arellano (11-2, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico is no stranger to the bright lights of ProBox TV, having engaged in some memorable, at times bloody, bouts on the streamer. 

“I feel good,” said Arellano, just after Tuesday morning’s weigh-in. “I am ready. Everything is done, so we just wait for the last thing and that is the fight tomorrow.” 

For Arellano, who campaigns as a super featherweight, the regional lightweight title bout on Wednesday does not mark a permanent move up in weight for the Colorado resident. Instead it was the opportunity to fight Flores that felt like the right fit for Arellano and his team. 

“We are just fighting at this weight for the opportunity,” explains Arellano. “We will beat him and then go back down to 130. My coach Javiel Centeno liked the fight for me. He believed that I could beat him and I went on board with it, so now we are here.” 

One thing that Arellano and Flores agreed on was that the Colorado fighter is not simply a pressure fighter. 

“They call me a pressure fighter, but I consider myself something else,” says Arellano. “It is a match-up of styles and we are going to clash either way, so it should be a fun fight, period. Whether he has to box or I have to box, it is going to be a very good fight. He is gifted, he is a very good boxer, but we are going to have to fight because of our styles. I take nothing away from him, but we will be there.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment and Robert Garcia’s House of Champions, are available online at gsquadent.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

When Kylie Jenner accepted his longshot request to accompany him to prom, eventually featuring the event on the maiden episode of the E! Television show “Life with Kylie,” Sacramento, California’s Albert Ochoa soon became a social media celebrity himself. After making the rounds on local and national television and being featured in print and online publications, Ochoa eventually found a way to parlay his newfound fame into a new passion project: boxing. After gaining some ring experience in “influencer boxing” exhibitions and training with notable professionals, Ochoa feels ready to move into the big league of sanctioned professional boxing and will make his pro debut this coming Saturday in San Francisco del Rincón, Guanajuato, Mexico. 

Celebrity boxing has been around a long time, but the world of social media lent itself to organized boxing exhibitions and leagues in a way not possible when television was the main conduit of in-home entertainment. Recognizing a trend, Ochoa decided to try his hand at the sport and quickly grew to have a great devotion to the craft. 

“I saw that these YouTubers and influencers were fighting and Jake Paul did it too, so I said, ‘Let’s try it.’ Then I fell in love with the sport too,” Ochoa recalled after a recent media workout at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in Redwood City, California. “Now we are here and the hard work is paying off.” 

After a failed first attempt, Ochoa returned to the ring over a year later better prepared and began a string of five straight exhibition victories. Over the two years of competing and in the time since his last bout, Ochoa has worked with a line-up of noteworthy names in the sport. 

“I just connected with the right people and fell in the love with the sport,” explains Ochoa. “Despite what people say about me, I did things differently, but I’ve also worked with some great people: Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Vicente Escobedo, Joel Casamayor, Bob Santos. I think I have picked something from every trainer I’ve had. I think I’ve got better as we have gone along. I’ve got better every day I am in the gym. One fight at a time, one win at a time and I think I am ready for this next step-up. This pro debut will get me considered as a legit, pro fighter now, despite what people say.” 

After deciding he would turn professional, Ochoa turned to one of his hometown’s recent fighting stars in Stan Martyniouk for guidance. A former top level amateur and an accomplished professional, Martyniouk will be guiding his first pro as a head trainer when Ochoa meets six-fight veteran Zachary Johnson this coming Saturday night. 

“I’ve been training amateur fighters and helping a lot of other up-and-comers get ready,” explains Martyniouk. “It was something that I wanted to do after boxing. With the knowledge that I have from coming up in the ranks, I want to help out the younger generation and get them ready and get them better.

He messaged me on Instagram and said he was looking for a new trainer. He had trained with a few trainers in Vegas, but it didn’t really work out, so he asked me if I could help him get ready. I said absolutely, so he came out here in December to try me out. We trained for one day and he liked what he saw and he liked what he did, so he scheduled his training camp with me in January.” 

Ochoa has not only had expert advice coming from his corner, but his significant other more than knows her way around the ring. After a chance meeting at the airport and some online smooth talk, Ochoa struck up a relationship with multiple time world title challenger Maricela Cornejo early last year. 

“We met at an airport,” recalls Ochoa. “She was fighting for Jake Paul in Orlando last year on February 2nd. I was going to that fight, regardless, as just a fan and I saw her at the airport and I’ve been attached to her ever since. She understood my journey and I understood hers. We both got started in the game late and made an impact and got attention right away.” 

A professional for over twelve years, Cornejo is an invaluable resource as Ochoa charts his path as a professional with limited prior ring experience. Not only is Cornejo familiar with the in-ring aspect of the business, but she understands the path of developing a fighter from the beginning stages. 

“I went pro with only four amateur fights, within six months of learning what a jab was,” recalls Cornejo. “So I made some connections with a lot of promoters and just like Top Rank and Golden Boy, they grow their fighters with a plethora of amateur or Olympic backgrounds and they still have to build them up. So I said, ‘Don’t let what anyone else says about these supposedly easy fights bother you, because everybody has them. You don’t have that experience and those that have Olympic experience do it as well. Don’t worry about what anyone says and just stick to the plan.’  I just have been in the sport for a number of years and I think it helps to have another set of eyes looking and trying to help out whenever I can.” 

Based on his winless record, East Rochester, New York’s Zachary Johnson appears to be the right type of matchmaking for a fighter with a limited amount of ring time in his log book, but Ochoa is taking every fight seriously. 

“I know a little bit about him. He’s a pro and he called me out a year ago. He’s a professional fighter. He’s on BoxRec and he’s had more fights than me. So I consider it a big test for me, but I am ready.” 

Should things go according to plan this coming Saturday, the next bout will be a little closer to home at a venue in Southern California. However, one of Ochoa’s career goals is to bring a marquee attraction type event to his hometown of Sacramento, and he already has the fight in mind. 

“I called Urijah Faber out after my last fight and I think that would be big for Sacramento,” says Ochoa. “ I think that is going to happen. He can’t fight another boxer with a bigger name in Sacramento and sell it out. I am that guy. It is going to be big when it happens. That’s why turning pro now to get to those next steps of what I want to accomplish, such as fighting a former UFC fighter as one of those goals.  I think it is something that could be really big for Sacramento. I feel a lot of people would be really excited for it.” 

This Saturday, Albert Ochoa steps into his new reality as a professional boxer. He will have to walk before he can run, but the young Sacramento native is excited to take the next step in his fistic odyssey. 

“It has been a great three years into this journey,” says Ochoa. “I’ve worked my butt off. Stan has pushed me and I’ve worked on a lot of speed and power. This is the strongest I’ve been and I feel my grown man strength coming in and it will show this Saturday.” 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. aims to continue his rise up the 135-pound ladder and state his case for a title opportunity on the national stage as professional boxing comes to the former California Gold Rush town for the very first time on Wednesday night. Flores, the classy boxer, will take on pressure-fighter Jose Arellano in the ProBox TV-broadcasted ten-round main event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in on Tuesday morning at the host venue. 

Flores (25-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton, California has reeled off four consecutive victories at home since suffering a ten-round decision setback to Giovanni Cabrera in July of 2022. The last three were fought under his father-trainer Gabe Flores Sr.’s G-Squad Entertainment promotional banner, as Flores and his team have carefully charted a course that has led to a WBO #10/WBA #12 world ranking. Traveling roughly 60 miles from home, Flores will still have the home crowd advantage as he hopes to successfully defend his regional WBA Continental USA title for the third time. Flores weighed-in at 134.8-pounds on Tuesday morning. 

Hoping to spoil any world title hopes for the hometown favorite Flores, Arellano (11-2, 6 KOs) Aurora, Colorado by way of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico moves up from super featherweight and brings an aggressive style that Flores has not encountered with his most recent opponents. Arellano is no stranger to the ProBox TV audience, having gone 1-2 in action fights, notably scoring an upset over 6’3” Oscar Alvarez two Octobers ago in Florida. Arellano scaled 133.4-pounds on Tuesday. 

In the co-feature, 19-year-old prospect Emiliano Moreno (11-0, 6 KOs) of Long Beach, California will take on Cesar Francis (13-2, 8 KOs) of West New York, New Jersey in a ten-round welterweight bout. Moreno was last seen in a stay-busy bout, dispatching Sergio Gil in four rounds last November. Francis, who holds a win over former world champion Raymundo Beltran, did not fight last calendar year and was last in the ring in December 2023, stopping once-beaten Windry Martinez in two. Moreno made 149.6, Francis came in at 146.6-pounds. 

In an eight-round lightweight bout, DeMichael Harris (12-0-1, 11 KOs) of Smyrna, Georgia meets Anthony Cuba (8-1-2, 4 KOs) of Fontana, California. Harris is taking a step-up from recent competition in meeting Cuba on Wednesday. Harris’ two 2024 opponents combined to have a 14-42-1 record, whereas Cuba’s lone defeat came at the hands of mega prospect Curmel Moton, who was extended the distance for the only time in his career to date on that night in March of last year. Harris made 134.2-pounds. Cuba first tipped the scales at 137.4, but returned to make the contracted 137-pounds. 

Heavyweight Antonio Mireles (8-0-1, 7 KOs) of Des Moines, Iowa will look to remain unbeaten in an eight-rounder against Josue Vargas (5-9-2, 2 KOs) of Panorama City, California. Mireles did not make a ring appearance last year and will be making his first start since his majority draw to fellow undefeated Skylar Lacy in November of 2023. Vargas has dropped three straight, albeit against fairly solid opposition. The towering Mireles came in at 274-pounds, while the shorter Vargas scaled 244.2-pounds.

Super flyweight prospect Andrew Rodriguez (5-0, 1 KO) of Salinas, California will take on fellow unbeaten Kevin Soltero (3-0, 2 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri in a six-round bout. Rodriguez moves up to the scheduled six-round distance for this first time, coming off a dominant four-round decision last October in Stockton. Soltero, with his national level amateur pedigree, figures to be a tougher test on Wednesday. Rodriguez made 116.4, Soltero came in at 116.6-pounds.

Multi-sport star Jennah Creason (2-0) of Visalia, California seeks win number three against Samantha Ginithan (1-0, 1 KO) of Las Cruces, New Mexico in a four-round junior welterweight bout. Creason, who plans to simultaneously pursue her career in MMA, weighed-in at 139-pounds. Ginithan, who also posted a 9-2 record in single round bouts during season two of Team Combat League, made 140.2-pounds   

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Continental USA Lightweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Flores 134.8

Arellano 133.4

Welterweights, 10 Rounds 

Moreno 149.6

Francis 146.6

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Harris 134.2

Cuba 137*

Heavyweights, 8 Rounds

Mireles 274

Vargas 244.2

Super flyweights, 6 Rounds

Rodriguez 116.4

Soltero 116.6

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Creason 139

Ginithan 140.2

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment and Robert Garcia’s House of Champions, are available online at gsquadent.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

The San Francisco Bay Area has a crop of young fighters beginning to emerge that may make up the next wave of world champions to come from the region. One fighter that has received some attention, partially due to his unique story of balancing time as a Stanford student, majoring in Art Practice, with a career in the fistic arts, is junior middleweight Dante Kirkman. The Silicon Valley native’s story of perseverance as a fighter overcoming injury is one just as intriguing and inspiring as his tale as a student-athlete. 

Kirkman (3-0, 1 KO) of Palo Alto, California found appeal in boxing as a youth where other team sports had disappointed him. Growing up, Kirkman tried his hand at just about every sport possible, having played soccer, football, basketball, running track and competing as a wrestler. 

“I remember, with team sports, I never felt like I was getting my fair chance,” explains Kirkman. “I felt like in football, the coaches would play their sons the most or give their sons the ball the most. Or we would lose because somebody didn’t block or something that was out of my control. 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.” 

Kirkman’s father, Robert, is not only a boxing fan, he took part in the sport as a young amateur growing up in East Palo Alto. Robert’s passion for the sport did not diminish once his time as an athlete concluded and he eventually passed down his love of boxing to his son. 

“Where my father grew up was, at one point, the murder capital of the U.S. I believe, but he found a great path in life in amateur boxing, competing in the local Golden Gloves and traveling with his gym team,” details Dante. “He never really knew how to pursue boxing as a career, so it was just something he was really good at and really proud of. He was a big Sugar Ray Leonard fan and boxing fan in general. He always kept watching boxing and eventually introduced it to me at a young age.” 

Robert’s fighting career did not blossom into a profession, but when his son expressed interest in boxing, Dante’s father wanted to make sure he got started off the right way so that if he displayed an aptitude for the sweet science, Kirkman would be set up for success. Eventually, Robert was put in touch with retired formerly world-ranked contender Mitchell Julien, who had carved out a noteworthy career mainly in Northern California rings. 

“With my dad’s background in boxing, he had always felt that he wasn’t able to pursue a career because of where he was training at and people not knowing the real route to success,” explains Kirkman. “Because of that, my dad would call and ask around for people that had a deeper history in boxing than he did, like Mitch Julien, who I believe at one point was ranked number eight in the world and fought Roger Mayweather. Mitch wasn’t going to be staying here. I believe he was moving to Houston, but my dad asked Mitch, ‘My son is going to box and I am not going to just bring him to a fitness instructor. I really want him to be led the right way from the beginning.’ So Mitch recommended Eddie Croft.”

Croft, a former world title challenger and one of the most well-respected trainers in Northern California out of his B Street Boxing in San Mateo, turned out to be a perfect fit for Dante and, just as his father had hoped, the young Kirkman would be led the right way from the start. 

“From the beginning, Eddie’s and my personalities were very similar,” says Kirkman. “I really appreciated Eddie’s hunger and knowledge for boxing. All of the things he was teaching to these ten and eleven-year-old kids, he wasn’t just letting them go through the motions, but actually enabling them to understand how boxing works. Eddie was actually teaching them and not letting them slack off.” 

By the time he turned 16, Kirkman had progressed to the point that he was ready to take on the best fighters in the country in national tournaments. Unfortunately, the only thing that could hold Kirkman back was his own body. 

“I had a lot of injuries growing up, from overtraining and issues with my growth plates,” explains Kirkman. “For example, I started out orthodox and I hurt my left shoulder. Then I started training southpaw for a year or two and injured my left shoulder and switched back. I would constantly have something, whether it was a shoulder, elbow or hand, just something that would allow me to have a few fights and then take me out for a little bit. Eventually those injuries slowed down enough for me to be able to compete. My team and I decided it was the time to really start doing it and getting to the next level.” 

While the injuries to his shoulders were a hindrance to his amateur career at the time, the experience of learning to box out of both stances will prove to be quite useful as he pursues his professional career. 

“What is funny is that I am left handed, but I played sports like I was right handed,” recalls Kirkman. “So when Eddie asked me to show my stance, I hesitated for a bit, but I went into the orthodox stance. It wasn’t until two years later, when I injured my shoulder, that Eddie learned that I was actually left handed. Because of that, it was a pretty smooth transition to southpaw because I was actually left handed.” 

All the while Kirkman was pursuing athletic achievement in the ring, the Palo Alto native was also excelling in the classroom. When away from the gym, Kirkman applied his studious nature not only to his classwork, but also to improve as a fighter. 

“I would do film study, where I would see examples of these cool switches, like Willie Pep doing cool sidestep movements and I played around with how I could integrate these subtle switches or how I could do these things,” explains Kirkman. “I ended up doing whole national tournaments orthodox and other whole national tournaments completely southpaw and whole national tournaments going back-and-forth. So that was a great experience for me to be able to have that in my arsenal.” 

While learning to box from both stances was a positive side effect from Kirkman’s recurring injuries, the young boxer was going to need to find a way to stay healthy if he wanted to pursue his Olympic or professional dreams. Luck would have it, that Kirkman’s trainer Eddie Croft knew someone very well that could be of great help.

“SNAC [Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning] started helping me, through Eddie’s wife, Casey Croft, who is a director at SNAC and has been amazing for my career, about five months before the Olympic Trials,” recalls Kirkman. “I started at the USA Boxing Eastern Qualifier. That was the introductory point, where I just started to get help from them, but even a week made a huge difference in how my body felt. After that, I had a full summer training camp, or multiple training camps with them, where my body completely changed. I grew a lot because I was getting the food I was supposed to eat. I wasn’t overtraining and so I noticed a big difference in my body.” 

Healthy and fully-focused on boxing, with a respite from his workload as a Stanford student, Kirkman performed well at the U.S. Olympic Trials, besting two national champions in early rounds of the December of 2023 tournament, but ultimately coming up short in a semi-final bout with Keon Davis. 

“It was a great experience,” says Kirkman. “I was there to compete, but it also just felt really good to be around the best fighters that in the coming years are going to be competing for or defending world titles. It felt like I belonged there and the legends before me, whether they won or lost, like Terence Crawford, who lost in the Olympic Trials and was there at that Olympic Trials as well, it definitely made me realize that I could do something special in this sport. No matter my story, whether I won or lost, it would be a part of my unique path and one day lead me to greatness.” 

With his Olympic Trials experience in the rearview, Kirkman and his team immediately turned their focus to his professional debut, which would ultimately land in Redwood City, California in May of last year and result in a four-round unanimous decision over a seven-fight veteran. In his second bout, Kirkman would take another four-round decision, this time in Oakland, California, and again sweep all three official scorecards. Unlike some young prospects, Kirkman is planning to keep busy fighting at home and not make any trips to Mexico or elsewhere to fill out his record. Kirkman, who carries the nickname of “The Inferno,” it is part of a concerted effort to build his name in the local markets. 

“It has been a choice,” explains Kirkman. “As a Bay Area native, inspired by Andre Ward, I have always felt that I wanted to have that fanbase behind me and to fight in front of friends and family. I want to be able to gain a larger fanbase behind me and someday fight in the 49ers stadium or Stanford Stadium or the Warriors stadium and have a big Bay Area show.”

Last time out, Kirkman scored his first professional knockout over Jose Madrigal Rodriguez in the third round back in Redwood City. For Kirkman, the victory was extra sweet as he felt he may have silenced some critics by his display of power. 

“That felt great,” explains Kirkman. “I would always get little comments questioning my power from people. It never bothered me. My power played a factor in my amateur fights, and that was with extra padded gloves and headgear, but I would have fight-altering power at times. Also, in my first two fights, once my opponents felt my punches, they did not want to feel them again. It was just awkward, trying to get someone out that once they felt the power, they did not want to feel that again and kind of hopped on the defensive end. So finally getting to close the show in the third fight felt like a confirmation of my hard work and fighting ability.” 

Kirkman will return to the ring on March 8th against eight-fight pro Jose Cruz in a four-rounder at the Venue at Thunder Valley in Lincoln, California. Kirkman will come prepared, having studied his opponent and preparing as best he can for the test come fight night. 

“He’s a bit of an awkward guy,” Kirkman has surmised from his study. “He has a little bit of flash. He’s not a showboat, but he has some extra stuff. He tries to think a little bit. I am just interested in doing what I have to do. My coach Eddie Croft and I have a gameplan and we’re always going to be able to execute it. I just look forward to putting on a good show against a good opponent and hopefully have an exciting fight and get the job done and get my second knockout.” 

To get to this point in his career, it has been a long road traveled from those early years of watching boxing with his father on television for Kirkman. Given his skill, determination and attention to detail, Kirkman’s journey ahead could be one to keep on every Bay Area fight fan’s radar. The promising young fighter looks forward to building his name in just under a month’s time at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort. 

“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,” says Kirkman. “As my Inferno nickname indicates, and hopefully putting on a great show and a dominant performance.” 

Tickets for the March 8th event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Photos by Ed Silva/Original Solo Photos 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

Last month, The Ring Magazine named Robert Garcia as 2024’s Trainer of the Year, an accolade he previously achieved back in 2011 and 2012. While much of that recognition comes from the success Garcia experienced with world champions Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela and Virgil Ortiz over the last calendar year, ardent followers of the sport know there is nary a major event that takes place, in Las Vegas, Los Angeles or San Antonio especially, that does not feature at least one of his champions, contenders or up-and-coming prospects. One such promising young southpaw that already has the Alamo City excited just four fights into his pro career would be Ethan Perez, a 20-year-old featherweight who goes for win number five in his hometown at the Boeing Center at Tech Port this coming Saturday night. 

Perez (4-0, 2 KOs) originally found the sport of boxing, following his older brother Anthony into the Alamo City Boxing Club, at just six-years-old and quickly found he had an aptitude for the sweet science. Five years later, with the full support of his parents, Perez was already qualifying and traveling for national tournaments. 

“By like ten or eleven, we started going more towards the national tournaments and out of state for tournaments,” recalls Perez. “Whatever [my parents] felt like they needed to do, they would do, and a lot of times it is not cheap. We would do plate sales or waters, things like that to raise up the money. My parents have always been a big help.” 

Alvino Valles of Texas Boxers & Brawlers, co-promoter of Saturday’s event, has known Ethan and the Perez family since those early years. 

“I’ve known Ethan since he was about ten, eleven years old,” recalls Valles. Ethan, Dan Cortez and my grandson used to all work out together at the RGBA [Robert Garcia Boxing Academy] on Bandera Road. As a matter of fact, Ethan beat up my grandson, who is the same age, when they were young. After Ethan was done with him, my grandson said, ‘This isn’t for me.’ Ethan’s dad has been by his side since day one. They are good people, him and his wife. They’ve done very well with him. He is a well-mannered young man.” 

Ethan’s father Raymond not only was a financial and emotional support during his son’s journey, he also took up as his primary trainer from near the end of his amateur run until the beginnings of his pro career. 

“From 16 up to 18, my dad was coaching me on his own,” recalls Ethan. “Anytime before that, we would try different coaches here and there. I was training with Mario Barrios’ dad for a year or two. I was trained by Bam’s dad for a good year-and-a-half to two years. It was kind of coach-to-coach, but my dad was my main coach for my first and second pro fights, as well as Daniel Cortez’s dad. His dad was a help too.” 

Daniel Cortez is another exciting young fighter out of the same camp, who grew up alongside Perez in San Antonio rings. The two share a close bond, having charted the same path simultaneously in what can be a lonely sport at times. 

“Me and Danny grew up together and we have always been kind of close in weight,” says Perez. “We’ve always been really helpful when it comes to having to spar with each other or working on things with each other. That we are doing it together still, in the pros, is really helpful.” 

Despite his numerical youth and accomplished amateur credentials, Perez opted to turn professional at an early age in the fall of 2023. It was a decision Perez would make together with his father, ultimately leading to his pro debut that September in his hometown of San Antonio. 

“It was a decision that I made right out of high school,” recalls Perez. “I told my dad, ‘Look, I’m ready to get my career started.’ I just feel like the amateurs are just an up and downward spiral. Betweens wins and losses in tournaments. I just felt like I was ready to go pro and take that next step in my career and see how this goes.” 

Perez prepared for his pro debut with his father as his head trainer. In preparing his son for that first big step into the pros, Raymond upped the intensity and attention to detail, leaving nothing to chance. 

“The lead-up was difficult, I am not going to lie,” explains Ethan. “My dad was my coach for that fight. I was living with him, so it was every day. He was watching everything that I would eat, watching how much I weighed everyday. Pushing me through two to three workouts everyday. He pushed me pretty hard for that first fight. 

When we were younger, he explained to me how I needed to tell the difference between him being my coach and him being my father. He said, ‘When we are in the gym and when it is about boxing, you have to realize I am your coach, I am not your father. And also, anytime we are at home or we are outside of boxing, I am your father.’ He didn’t want to mesh the two because it would stir something else up if we started bumping heads. That is something I had to learn growing up, when he’s my coach and not-so-much my father.” 

Making his pro debut in his hometown of San Antonio, Perez scored a shutout, four-round unanimous decision before a raucous crowd at the outdoor Smoke Sky Bar. 

“The whole experience was something different that I had experienced in amateurs,” explains Perez. “In the amateurs, you’re always traveling so much that you don’t have that supportive fanbase there, because you are in different states. But in San Antonio, I had family and friends and a bunch of people that came out and supported. It was a different experience than I had ever felt. It was amazing.” 

In his second pro bout, two months later back at the Smoke Sky Bar, Perez would score his first professional stoppage at just :31 seconds of the first round, which ignited the crowd into a frenzy. 

“I had never experienced that before, especially hearing the crowd,” explains Perez. “Whenever the ref stepped-in, I backed up and I didn’t really process that the fight was already over. I looked at the opponent, like waiting to see what was next, and then the ref was waving it off and finally it clicked. It was crazy and very exciting.” 

The camp for his second pro bout, which included some time working with Daniel Cortez Sr. when Raymond was tied up with work, would be Ethan Perez’s last in San Antonio before making the move to work with Robert Garcia, who had also been the co-promoter of those first two fights. 

“Robert had reached out after the first pro fight and said he wanted me to go out there and start training with him and that was obviously an honor,” recalls Perez. “But I felt that we needed to spend a little more time to get ready, my dad and I, and put in a little more work to mentally prepare me and physically prepare me for Robert’s camp. So that is why we did one more fight back at home, so then going into that third fight, we had three or four months to mentally prepare myself for whatever was to come at RGBA. That’s how I ended up here.”

Their first camp together was to prepare for a fight last March that ultimately fell apart when the scheduled opponent pulled out late. When his next opportunity rolled around last June, Perez’ opponent again put the fight in jeopardy when he came in heavy. However, with two camps with Garcia under his belt, Perez was not going to let a few extra pounds get in the way of notching his third pro victory. 

“They told me that the guy was struggling to make weight, so could I come up a little bit,” recalls Perez. “So from there I started drinking water and gatorade that morning. Then I weighed-in at 128 and he showed up at 132 ¼. I didn’t know he was going to come in so heavy. My dad and I talked about it, and we felt like we could still handle business, regardless of the four pounds over he was. We still felt like we were coming in strong and ready.” 

Strong and ready Perez was, as he punished his heavy opponent before scoring a third-round stoppage (which BoxRec incorrectly lists as a first-round kayo) with a vicious body attack. 

“I was boxing good the whole time, landing solid shots,” remembers Perez. “We had worked on sitting down on punches as opposed to the first fight when I was just trying to throw as much as I could. For the third fight, we were working on sitting down on punches, landing clean shots and showing skills. I feel like it really showed in that fight. I dropped him twice and by the second one, the fight was already over.” 

Since moving over to work with Garcia, both Perez and his good friend Cortez have shown great improvement as they have passed every test put in front of them. 

“They are progressing at a good rate, fight-by-fight, the way that they are supposed to be progressing,” explains Valles, who has co-promoted every one of Perez’s professional bouts. “You can see it, fight-by-fight, every time out they are bringing something new to the ring. You can tell they are learning and getting better. This is going to be Ethan’s last four-rounder [on Saturday.] After this he will be moving up to six-rounds.” 

This Saturday, Perez will be taking a step-up in class when he takes on Steve Garagarza (4-8-1, 2 KOs) of Laredo, Texas. Garagarza has stretched some fighters and sprung an upset on a previously unbeaten fighter before, while also having more wins than Perez’s previous opponents combined. 

“Steve is a strong guy and these are the types of fights Ethan is going to have to take as he moves forward,” explains Valles. “Steve is very durable, very strong. Steve is coming off of a good outing and he knocked off an undefeated guy that was 2-0 prior, so these are good fights for Ethan.” 

Regardless of the opponent, Perez is ready to showcase what he has been working on in the lab with the Trainer of the Year. 

“I don’t know much about him, honestly,” says Perez of Garagarza. “I’m just coming into this fight always trying to work to be better. With this guy, he has more wins than the other opponents I’ve fought against, so I’m going to make sure that I am on my A-game. Just expect to see action. I plan to put on a good show.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Texas Boxers & Brawlers and Robert Garcia’s House of Champions and broadcast by ProBox TV, are available online at boeingcentertechport.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Before David Benavidez and David Morrell lock horns in a light heavyweight championship eliminator in the main event of a four-bout pay-per-view broadcast, a seven-fight undercard entertained the early arrivals at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

In a WBA featherweight title elimination bout, Mirco Cuello (15-0, 12 KOs) of Arroyo Seco, Santa Fe, Argentina rose from the deck early to stop a determined Christian Olivo (22-2-1, 9 KOs) of San Diego by way of Hermosillo, Mexico late in the tenth round. 

Olivo, 125.6, scored his knockdown in the opening moments of round two as he waited his turn after a Cuello flurry and uncorked a short right inside that dropped the former Argentine Olympian. Cuello, 125.6,  rebounded well in the third round, turning up his output and placing his shots well, while Olivo struggled to maintain the pace. 

The middle rounds were tit-for-tat, as each found their spots in a fight fought at close range. Olivo, the WBA #5 ranked 126-pounder, had a strong seventh round, snapping back Cuello’s head at times during their exchanges. Olivo had another solid round in the eighth, outworking his Argentinian adversary and breaking through with several power punches. 

Sensing perhaps that his opponent had hit a lull in his energy level, Cuello, the WBA #3/IBF #15 ranked featherweight, came on strong in the ninth. With Olivo’s mouth agape, looking for oxygen, Cuello pressed his attack and carried that aggression into the early moments of the tenth, before Olivo stemmed the tide momentarily with some well-placed counters. However, Olivo’s success was fleeting, as before long Cuello placed a left to the liver that dropped the Mexican to his knee. Olivo rose slowly, before Cuello went to the well again and dropped the southpaw with a body shot for a second time. Olivo made it to his feet, but referee Chris Flores waved off the contest anyhow at  2:01 of the tenth and final round. 

At the time of the stoppage, Olivo led on all three scorecards by a wide margin. Judge Max DeLuca had it 88-82, judge Zachary Young had it 87-83 and judge David Sutherland the fight scored 86-84. All Olivo had to do was hang on for 59 more seconds to be declared the winner. With the victory, Cuello puts himself as the next in line for WBA 126-pound kingpin Nick Ball, who fights T.J. Doheny in a fight he should win next month. 

WBA #1/WBC #7 ranked middleweight Yoenli Feliciano Hernandez (7-0, 7 KOs) of Providence, Rhode Island by way of Camaguey, Cuba stayed busy with a fifth-round stoppage over Angel Ruiz (18-4-1, 13 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. 

Feliciano Hernandez, 158.4, defending his regional WBA Continental Latin America title, gave Ruiz, 159.6, a tough inside fight for the duration. Despite fighting at the distance Ruiz probably wanted, Feliciano Hernandez was able to create angles and space, which made it difficult for the Mexican fighter to find any success. Feliciano Hernandez began to turn up the offense in the third round, spinning Ruiz’s head around with his right. 

By the fifth, Ruiz began to wither, holding back on his offense to create less counter opportunities. With Feliciano Hernandez landing a flurry in the blue corner, referee Allen Huggins decided he had seen enough and waved the fight off to a mild protest from Ruiz. Time of the stoppage was 1:06 of round five. 

With the win, Feliciano Hernandez, who ascended to the WBA #1 ranking without a recognizable name on his professional resume, continues to bide time until his management team decides to pull the trigger on a fight worthy of a top contender. 

In the first fight of the preliminary broadcast, Curmel Moton (7-0, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas stopped Frank Zaldivar (5-2, 3 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba in the third round of a scheduled eight. 

Moton, 134.8, and Zaldivar, 135.8, traded in the center of the ring for much of the first. Zaldivar took the head shots well, but when Moton found his body late in the round, that seemed to bother the Mexican fighter. Zaldivar continued to show his toughness in the second, withstanding some clean power shots and still offering back as the round came to a close. 

Moton upped his intensity a notch in the third round and quickly had Zaldivar in trouble along the ropes. With Zaldivar backed into a neutral corner and no longer answering back, referee Harvey Dock leapt in to stop the contest at 1:51 of round three. 

In a stirring battle between two previously unbeaten super middleweights, former amateur star Daniel Blancas (12-0, 5 KOs) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was tested by Juan Barajas (11-1-2, 7 KOs) of Victorville, California before notching what was scored as a wide unanimous decision. 

Blancas, 166.2, a regular David Benavidez sparring partner, and Barajas, 159.6, fought on fairly even terms in the early rounds. Blancas was a successful aggressor, but found a decent counter-puncher in Barajas.  

Blancas came out aggressively to start the fifth, landing a short left hand, followed by a right in close that rocked Barajas momentarily. Blancas kept up the pressure, but Barajas was willing and landed occasionally with his own rights inside, while circling away from his opponent’s power hand. After some clean right hands snapped back the head of Barajas in the sixth, the Victorville native was less apt to counter and more focused on his foot movement and defense. 

Barajas found his second wind early in the eighth, treating the early onlookers to some great two-way action as he engaged with Blancas in the center of the ring for much of the stanza. Each fighter had their moments in an excellent action round. 

In the end, the official scorers did not give Barajas much credit. Patricia Morse Jarman and Don Trella had all but one round for Blancas, 79-73, while judge Cory Santos scored the bout a shutout, 80-72.

Mayweather Promotions’ super middleweight John Easter (8-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas remained unbeaten but was taken the distance for the first time as a professional by a tough Joseph Aguilar (6-3-1, 3 KOs) of Portland, Oregon.  

Easter, 169.4, and Aguilar, 171.8, engaged in a rough-and-tumble inside fight for the duration. Accidental headbutts and elbows caused cuts from the early moments. 

Easter turned up the offense as he landed with power combinations late in the fifth. Aguilar had a few moments in the sixth, but ultimately lost the decision wide, as judges Chris Migliore and David Sutherland scored the bout 60-54, while judge Fernando Villarreal had it 59-55, all for Easter. 

Nearly eight hours before he would be sitting ringside in support of his younger brother, Jose Benavidez Jr. (29-3-1, 20 KOs) of Phoenix walked down an unwilling Danny Rosenberger (20-10-4, 10 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio, eventually forcing a fifth-round stoppage. 

Benavidez, 163, only had trouble with himself, earning warnings for late punches and a low blow that forced a time-out in the first round. Rosenberger, 159, was on his bike for much of the bout, but Benavidez was not in a rush at the start. 

Rosenberger quickly found himself in trouble in the fifth, as Benavidez landed with an uppercut and kept up the pressure until referee Allen Huggins had seen enough. With Rosenberger backed into his own corner, taking punishment, Huggins leaped in to call for the stoppage at 2:39 of round five. 

In a bout which took place before the paying public was allowed inside, Gabriela Tellez (4-0, 1 KO) of San Antonio, Texas had to dig down deep, but managed to get by a willing Abril Anguiano (4-1, 2 KOs) of Garland, Texas via six-round majority decision.  

The southpaw Anguiano, 125.2, was strong to start, landing with regularity in exchanges. Tellez, 127.8, began to really come on in the fifth, sitting down on her punches, while Anguiano appeared to be reaching for a second wind. 

After a competitive sixth that Tellez probably cinched late, judge Chris Migliore scored the bout a draw, 57-57, but was overruled by judges Eric Cheek and Fernando Villarreal, who both scored the bout 58-56, for Tellez.

In the walk-out bout, which took place after the night’s main event concluded, local prospect Kaipo Gallegos (8-0-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas outboxed veteran Leonardo Padilla (24-7-1, 17 KOs) of Petare, Venezuela to a six-round unanimous decision. 

Things began to heat up in the third, as Gallegos, 134.6, began to find distance and angles, whereas before Padilla, 129.8, was forcing a rough, inside fight in the opening two rounds. 

Gallegos kept up the attack in the fourth, rocking Padilla along the ropes. After tasting some power shots, Padilla was cautious to close out the fight, helping aid his ability to see the final bell in a bout shortened from eight to six rounds.

Judge Tim Cheatham scored it 59-55, while judges Max DeLuca and Fernando Villareal both had the fight shutout, 60-54.  

Photos by Ester Lin/Premier Boxing Champions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – The first must-see fight of 2025 takes place this coming Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena as power-puncher David Benavidez takes on boxing savant David Morrell to determine the next in line at 175-pounds, as mandated by not only two of the sport’s sanctioning bodies, but by the public as well. Fighters for Saturday’s event weighed-in this morning, but reenacted their trips to the scale before a large gathering on Friday afternoon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at the MGM Grand. 

Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Phoenix, Arizona has appeared motivated and agitated in the lead-up to Saturday’s fight, something that looked to be missing in his debut at 175-pounds. If the Arizona native unleashes “The Monster” of previous fights, Morrell will have his hands full once the bell rings. 

Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) of Minneapolis, Minnesota by way of Santa Clara, Cuba has been waiting for an opportunity at one of the big names at 168 or 175-pounds to agree to put him on the big stage. When a fight with Canelo Alvarez, which has eluded Benavidez as well, was not forthcoming, Morrell’s team switched their focus to the Arizona puncher. Morrell, like Benavidez, did not look like his best self in his debut at the weight, even while scoring a wide decision. 

To many in the boxing world, the matter of who could stake claim as the number one light heavyweight in the world was settled last October when Artur Beterbiev decisioned Dmitrii Bivol to unify the four major world titles. Finding ways to cloud up a clear situation, the WBC and WBA each had anointed additional champions at 175-pounds, prior to the unification bout last fall. Benavidez claimed the interim WBC title in his light heavyweight debut via unanimous decision over Oleksandr Gvozdyk last June. Morrell, in his light heavyweight debut, moved past a tough Radivoje Kalajdzic to claim a secondary version of the WBA title last October. 

While Beterbiev and Bivol are set to meet again later this month, the winner of Saturday’s bout will unequivocally become the clear leading contender for the winner. Benavidez and Morrell both came in at 174.2-pounds. 

In a long awaited rematch, Brandon Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas attempts to avenge his lone career defeat while also defending the WBC featherweight title against Stephen Fulton Jr. (22-1, 8 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the co-main event of the evening. 

From the moment Figueroa heard the official cards go against him back in November of 2021, he believed he deserved the nod and wanted the rematch, but at 126-pounds, four pounds north. Figueroa made the necessary move to 126 where he would claim and defend the interim version of the WBC title, before being elevated to full-champion when Rey Vargas was demoted to the title of “champion in recess.” Now in his first defense of the full title, Figueroa will get the second chance at Fulton that he has yearned for since 2021. 

Fulton remained at 122-pounds after his victory over Figueroa, making one successful defense of his unified title before running into the buzzsaw that is Naoya Inoue and falling by way of eighth-round stoppage. Fulton, the WBC #2 ranked featherweight, made this bout a possibility by moving past veteran Carlos Castro via split decision last September here at T-Mobile Arena. Figueroa weighed-in at 125.8-pounds, while Fulton met the division limit of 126. 

Always a crowd favorite, Isaac Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico hopes to take a step back towards a world title opportunity when he takes on former regional title holder Angel Fierro (23-2-2, 18 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in a ten-round junior welterweight bout. 

Cruz looks to rebound from a decision defeat to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela last August and regain the momentum he had accrued since his memorable decision defeat to Gervonta Davis in 2021. Fierro moved up to the 140-pound class two fights back and was unsuccessful in Puerto Rico, before a get-well welterweight victory back home in Tijuana last time out. Cruz scaled 138.6-pounds, while Fierro made 139. 

WBC #6/WBA #7/IBF #8 ranked junior middleweight Jesus Ramos Jr. (21-1, 17 KOs) of Casa Grande, Arizona attempts to get his career rolling again against former champion Jeison Rosario (24-4-2, 18 KOs) of Miami, Floria by way of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in a ten-round middleweight bout to open the pay-per-view telecast. 

Ramos last saw action in May of last year when he moved past Johan Gonzalez by ninth-round stoppage in this same arena. For Ramos, that victory is the one bout he has had since coming up short against Erikson Lubin the year prior. Rosario, who claimed the IBF light middleweight title, stopping Julian Williams, in January of 2020, is attempting to resurrect his career at Ramos’ expense. Ramos scaled 159-pounds, while Rosario came in at 159.2. The bout is for the vacant WBA North America middleweight title. 

In the final appetizer before the main pay-per-view card, Mirco Cuello (14-0, 11 KOs) of Arroyo Seco, Santa Fe, Argentina will take on Christian Olivo (22-1-1, 9 KOs) of San Diego by way of Hermosillo, Mexico in a ten-round elimination bout, putting the winner potentially next in line to securing a title opportunity against WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball. Cuello, the WBA #3/IBF #15 ranked featherweight, scaled 125.6-pounds. “Kiki” Olivo, the WBA #5 ranked 126-pounder, made 25.6-pounds.

In another of the broadcasted preliminaries, Yoenli Feliciano Hernandez (6-0, 6 KOs) of Providence, Rhode Island by way of Camaguey, Cuba will aim to get his countrymen in attendance warmed-up for the main event when he meets Angel Ruiz (18-3-1, 13 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico in a ten-round middleweight fight. Feliciano Hernandez, who scored an eighth-round stoppage of a previously unbeaten opponent last time out in October, weighed-in at 158.4-pounds. Ruiz, who in 2021 stunted the career of Kazak Bobirzhan Mominov by decision, scaled 159.6-pounds. Feliciano Hernandez’s regional WBA Continental Latin America title is at stake. 

A late addition to the preliminary broadcast, which is free to all on Prime Video, Mayweather Promotions’ budding star Curmel Moton (6-0, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas returns to the ring against Frank Zaldivar (5-1, 3 KOs) of Miami by way of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba in an eight-round lightweight bout. Moton, returning to the scheduled eight-round distance for the first time since his second pro bout, came in at 134.8-pounds. Zaldivar, who dropped a ten-round decision in his last bout, made 135.8-pounds. 

Homegrown prospect Kaipo Gallegos (7-0-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas makes his second career appearance at T-Mobile Arena when takes on Leonardo Padilla (24-6-1, 17 KOs) of Petare, Venezuela in an eight-round lightweight bout on Saturday. Gallegos, reportedly an 18-time national champion as an amateur, scaled 134.6-pounds. Padilla, who scored his signature win over Andy Vences in 2023, but has struggled to see the final bell against the majority of his class opponents, weighed-in at 129.8. 

In a pairing of unbeaten super middleweights, former amateur star Daniel Blancas (11-0, 5 KOs) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin battles Juan Barajas (11-0-2, 7 KOs) of Victorville, California in an eight-round fight. Blancas, a regular David Benavidez sparring partner, scaled 166.2-pounds, while Barajas, entering the contest off of two consecutive draws, weighed-in 166.6. 

The elder of the fighting Benavidez brothers, Jose Benavidez Jr. (28-3-1, 19 KOs) of Phoenix is back in action against former Nico Ali Walsh adversary Danny Rosenberger (20-9-4, 10 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio in an eight-round middleweight bout. Benavidez, looking to rebound from his one-sided defeat to Jermall Charlo back in November of 2023, came in at 160.8-pounds. Rosenberger, who notably fought Ali Walsh to a draw, only to have the decision changed to a no contest when the Ohio native’s random drug test came back with high levels of testosterone, scaled 159-pounds. 

Mayweather Promotions’ super middleweight John Easter (7-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas takes a step-up in class in just his second fight on U.S. soil when takes on Joseph Aguilar (6-2-1, 3 KOs) of Portland, Oregon in a six-rounder. Easter, in his first action since taking on award-winning trainer Bob Santos, weighed-in at 169.4-pounds. Aguilar, who has more wins than Easter’s previous seven opponents combined, made 171.8-pounds, which was 1.8 over the contracted limit. 

In a battle for Lone Star State bragging rights, Gabriela Tellez (3-0, 1 KO) of San Antonio, Texas will meet Abril Anguiano (4-0, 2 KOs) of Garland, Texas in a six-round featherweight bout. Tellez, a standout amateur before turning professional in July of last year, weighed-in at 127.8-pounds. Anguiano, who won a six-round decision in her last official bout over a solid fighter in Melissa Holguin last March, but also logged four rounds over two nights in Team Combat League last summer, came in at 125.2-pounds. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Championship

WBA Light Heavyweight Championship

WBC Light Heavyweight Championship & WBA Light Heavyweight Championship Elimination Bout, 12 Rounds

Benavidez 174.2

Morrell 174.2

WBC Featherweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Figueroa 125.8

Fulton Jr. 126

Light welterweights, 10 Rounds 

Cruz 138.6

Fierro 139

WBA Continental North America Middleweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Ramos Jr. 159

Rosario 159.2

WBA Featherweight Championship Elimination Bout, 10 Rounds

Cuello 125.6

Olivo 125.6

WBA Continental Latin America Middleweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Feliciano Hernandez 158.4

Ruiz 159.6

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Gallegos 134.6

Padilla 129.8

Super middleweights, 8 Rounds

Blancas 166.2

Barajas 159.6

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Moton 134.8

Zaldivar 135.8

Middleweights, 8 Rounds

Benavidez Jr. 160.8

Rosenberger 159

Super middleweights, 8 Rounds

Easter 169.4

Aguilar 171.8*

Featherweights, 6 Rounds

Tellez 127.8

Anguiano 125.2

*Aguilar 1.8-pounds over contracted weight 

Tickets for the Premier Boxing Champions event, promoted by TGB Promotions, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Sampson Boxing and Mayweather Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com 

Photos by Ester Lin/Premier Boxing Champions 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – This coming Saturday night, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a mouth-watering light heavyweight unification bout takes center stage on pay-per-view between two former super middleweight champions that grew tired of waiting on Canelo Alvarez to return their messages and instead moved up one weight class in their last respective bouts to claim gold at 175-pounds, as David Morrell takes on David Benavidez. Morrell, previously one of the most decorated and successful amateur boxers of this generation, shares a trainer with an aspiring super middleweight that began his career from a different starting point in John “The Candyman” Easter, who will take a step-up in class on the undercard this weekend against Joseph Aguilar in a six-round bout. 

Easter (7-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas came to boxing later than some, having participated in many other athletic endeavors before finding his way to boxing somewhat out of necessity. Born in South Carolina, but raised between Texas and Nevada, Easter had trouble settling into any season long enough to play a team sport. 

“I ran track, played football, basketball and golf,” recalls Easter. “When you play those other sports, you have to make the team and I moved around a lot growing up, so boxing was the way I could live my life through my athletic ability without the things that I could not control. There isn’t a team you have to make in boxing.”

Easter’s desire to utilize his athleticism led him to the sport of boxing, but from the beginning, the young athlete was not interested in taking it up as just a hobby. Easter got into boxing to become a paid professional. 

“I wanted to make something of myself and I didn’t want to be another statistic,” explains Easter. “I wanted to become something and change my family’s lives.” 

Despite not being a loyal follower of the sport, there was one professional pugilist that stood out and reached Easter’s awareness. By the time Easter reached elementary school, Floyd Mayweather Jr. had reached the pinnacle of the sport and was widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. An undeniable crossover star by the time he beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, Mayweather was someone that Easter revered. 

“Floyd was definitely somebody that was doing great things and I knew who he was and he was somebody that I did look up to,” recalls Easter. “Absolutely I did, because he was doing something great and I look up to greatness.” 

Fast forward in life and John Easter would find himself under the tutelage of the man himself, Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather Promotions has handled many fighters dating back to when Mayweather was still actively fighting, but in recent years the company has scaled back the roster of fighters it oversees. Easter finds himself as one of the few that Mayweather has a vested interest in these days, and it is not lost on the young fighter what a gift that relationship is to his career. 

“More than anybody would know,” says Easter when asked how involved Mayweather is in his fistic journey. “Any question I have or anything I want to go over, he is hands on. It is really a blessing that he is there for me in any way I need.” 

While Mayweather retired after his 50th career win, which came over Conor McGregor in 2017, he has followed a path paved by great fighters from years-gone-by in taking up exhibitions in different parts of the world. On the undercard of one such bout, taking place last August at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico, Easter was able to notch his seventh pro victory over Jesus Villa Miranda, before witnessing his mentor show off before a raucous crowd. 

“The experience was a great experience,” recalls Easter. “It was my first time opening up for Floyd, so that is always going to be amazing, to be able to say that I opened up for Floyd Mayweather. It was awesome. It was a great overall experience. The people embraced me when I went into the crowd to show love, the people loved me. Also, the magnitude of the event was perfect for me, because I am a big dreamer.” 

With Mayweather’s guidance, Easter made a change to his corner last year, replacing the trainer that started him, Kofi Jantuah, and joining up with multiple-time trainer of the year, Bob Santos. Saturday’s bout will be the first the new duo embarks on together since joining forces around six months ago. 

“Obviously, I’ve always had a good relationship with Floyd Mayweather, going back a long, long ways and Floyd is his promoter,” explains Santos. “Floyd gave his blessing to move him over here with me. He thought they needed to make a change. I think Kofi Jantuah did a great job with him, but for whatever reason, and I’m not privy to all the details, they thought they needed to make a change. Floyd thought I would be the best possible guy, moving forward with his career.”

 “Bob has been phenomenal,” says Easter. “I’ve found a great place to be. It is a great home and I am very thankful that I crossed paths with Bob. I’ve learned a lot and he really believes in me. That is what matters to me.”

Easter came to boxing after competing in other sports and then opted to gain ring experience less from amateur bouts and more by sparring before turning professional in Mexico in May of 2021. While some may see the lack of amateur pedigree as a disadvantage, Easter and his trainer Santos are of like mind that is not necessarily the case. 

“I didn’t train to be an amateur,” explains Easter. “I trained to be a pro. At the end of the day, there is not an advantage or disadvantage [in regards to having an amateur background]. At the end of the day, it is a fight. You have to go out there and punch. A lot of that stuff doesn’t make a difference. You have to go out there and fight. I think some fighters that have bigger amateur backgrounds are better than those that don’t, but then there are some fighters that don’t have that much of an amateur background that go on to be legends.” 

“Roberto Duran didn’t have very many amateur fights and you saw what he did with his career,” says Santos. “There’s been a lot of guys [without amateur backgrounds] that ascended to the top. We’ve also had guys that won gold medals and never won a world championship. In the perfect world, would you like the amateur background? Yes. But sometimes, guys can’t transition from the amateurs to the pros because they are so stuck in one pattern they are not even coachable.” 

Santos speaks from prior experience, pointing to a success story from his past as a prime example of what can be accomplished without the long amateur pedigree. 

“I worked with a guy named Hector Lizaaraga that won a world championship from Fresno that had only 20 amateur fights, so this isn’t my first rodeo working with guys that don’t have a plethora of amateur fights and taking them to the top,” explains Santos. “We did it with Lizaaraga and I know we can do it with John Easter.”

Long before any designs can be made on winning world championships, Easter must pass the test at hand, this coming Saturday, in the form of Joseph Aguilar (6-2-1, 3 KOs) of Portland, Oregon.

“I don’t really know too much about him or know what to expect from him,” admits Easter, without apologies. “I didn’t do my research on him. I am going in there to be the best me. I am not going in there to be the best opponent for my opponent. I know he is going to bring something to the table, but at the end of the day, I know that I can box.”

While Easter seems less-than-concerned about what Aguilar may bring to the table, his team does recognize that the Oregonian represents a step-up in class from prior opposition for their young charge. 

“No doubt about it, it is a step-up in class from where he has been fighting,” admits Santos. “But John is coming along really, really well and I am expecting for us to have a great performance and be victorious.” 

Easter, known as “The Candyman,” is ready to put on a show for those who decide to arrive early to T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. 

“I am very excited to be fighting in Las Vegas on Saturday,” says Easter. “It is a blessing. I wish it was a different magnitude, but my time will come. You can expect to see me using my athleticism. Me going out there, being smart, listening to my team and having a victory with a big smile.” 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – It can be debated when Vegas became the boxing capital of the world. Of course, New York was once the city the boxing world revolved around, but when hotel-casino moguls needed something to pull patrons to the desert to visit their City of Lost Wages, big time boxing became one of the major drawing cards. By the time George Foreman exchanged knockdowns with Ron Lyle, before a national television audience, in the 1976 Fight of the Year, from the Sports Pavilion at Caesar’s Palace, big time boxing had found its new permanent home. Despite that fact, it took 37 years before Ishe Smith defeated Cornelius Bundrage for the IBF light middleweight title to become widely recognized as Las Vegas’ first homegrown world champion. Very few have followed in the years since, but one young rising star, in super featherweight Kaipo Gallegos, aims to make certain that drought does not last much longer. 

The 18-year-old Gallegos (7-0-1, 6 KOs) returns to fight in his hometown for just the second time as a professional, taking on well-traveled veteran Leonardo Padilla (24-6-1, 17 KOs) of Petare, Venezuela in an eight-round bout this coming Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena on the undercard of the light heavyweight unification bout between David Benavidez and David Morrell. For the aspiring 130-pound wunderkind, it will be his second time fighting at the big arena in his hometown, a moment that is not lost on Gallegos. 

“It feels good, because ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to fight in my hometown, in front of my family and just put on a good show for them,” says Gallegos. 

Gallegos’ family is as deeply involved in the sweet science as a family can be. His father, Jayson, is his trainer and the long-time proprietor of the Las Vegas Fight Club, a gym that serves young school-age boxers-to-be, as well as professionals, such as Kaipo and his older brother Jayson, an undefeated 130-pound pro as well. 

“It has been a long journey,” explains Kaipo’s father-trainer. “I was a really bad kid growing up, so I guess I am giving back. I give back to the kids that I work with everyday, almost 80 kids a day and adults. God put me in this situation to give back after all the bad I did.” 

Whatever wrongs the elder Jayson may have had in his past, he has done many things right since, as evidenced by the success of his sons. Kaipo was one of the most decorated U.S. amateur boxers in recent years, claiming 18 national titles during his time in the unpaid ranks. All that success came with great sacrifices, as Kaipo followed his father’s instruction, giving up on many of the pleasures most of us enjoy during our youth. 

“We’ve been doing this so long, ever since he was five,” says his father. “I’m also his nutritionist, I’m his trainer, I make sure he goes to sleep on time, I make sure he recovers on time. We’ve been doing this so long, I don’t even have to tell him. He does everything on his own. He knows what he needs to do. He’s a very disciplined kid.” 

Gallegos was able to amass an incredibly full trophy collection, despite leaving the amateur game behind for the paid ranks at the ripe age of 16. With few exceptions, most commissions in the United States will not even license a fighter at that age. For Kaipo, who began fighting at the age of five, moving to the pros was just the next natural step in his progression. 

“We have been doing this since I was little,” explains Kaipo. “Through the amateurs, where I became an 18-time national champion. Now, we just are going to take it on in the professionals and keep moving forward.” 

With his long and successful amateur pedigree, Gallegos’ father and team did not take any baby steps out of the gate in the pros, despite his young chronological age. 

“He started his career off in the Dominican Republic until he had four fights, but every fight was a hard fight, it wasn’t easy,” explains Jayson. “We never went to Mexico. We never took those easy fights. They haven’t given us anybody easy. His first fight, on the BoxRec rating, he had a star-and-a-half match rating. Even in the Dominican Republic, those guys he fought were hungry. It is not like going to Mexico and they fall down or take a knee so they can get paid. In the Dominican Republic, everybody over there is hungry and they want to kill you.”

Gallegos jumped into deep waters right away during his stretch of fights in the Dominican Republic. After scoring a fourth-round stoppage in his pro debut in April of 2023, Gallegos returned and jumped up to the six-round distance against a fighter in Misael Vazquez that was eleven years older and a veteran of 17 pro fights at the time. The hometown fighter was able to force a split decision draw, which represents the only thing resembling a blemish on Gallegos’ ledger to date. Failing to come away with the victory did not slow Gallegos’ career trajectory, as he immediately jumped up to the eight-round distance for his next outing. 

“Ever since Kaipo was young, he’s had a pro style,” explains Jayson. “He takes his time and round-by-round he gets stronger, so having more rounds helps him. He had his first eight-rounder at 17, he won the WBO Youth title. He fought two eight-rounders last year and got them out of there early. He was ready for eight-rounders.” 

In his last fight, this past November, Gallegos picked up a WBA Youth title against another durable and game opponent in Iron Alvarez, who managed to hang in there in stretches, but ultimately was stopped standing in the seventh round in Orlando, Florida. 

“I felt like it was a tough fight,” says Kaipo. “He was a durable guy that was not just in there to lay down. So I feel like that was a good fight for me and a good step up in my career.” 

On Saturday, Gallegos will take on Padilla before the early arrivers T-Mobile Arena, in what could be one of his last eight-round contests before moving up to the ten-round distance.

“I feel like I am going to put on a good performance this time because I fought recently, so I am ready,” explains the young fighter. “I expect a tough fight, but I feel that I have what it takes to beat him. I feel like I am going to break him down and bring him to the later rounds and get him out of there. I picked up some stuff [from watching footage,] but once we get into the ring, I will find out more about him.” 

Having fought at T-Mobile Arena a little under a year ago, early in the night on the undercard of Sebastian Fundora’s bloody war with Tim Tszyu, should serve Gallegos well this coming Saturday. The 18-year-old fighter will know what to expect, but one thing his local following in attendance can expect is that the Gallegos family will make them proud. 

“When we were in the amateurs, people would come up to us and ask us about being from Vegas and I would say, ‘Yes, born and raised.’ We were all so proud to be representing Las Vegas,” recalls Gallegos’ father. “My boxing gym is called Las Vegas Fight Club, so we represent that with pride. This is his hometown. Family, friends will all be there. We grew up representing Vegas for his whole life. Vegas is our home, both my sons were born and raised here.” 

Those who decide to show up early for the marathon night of boxing this weekend could be treated to seeing the next step in the career of Las Vegas’ next homegrown world champion.  

“Watch out for me and tune-in on February 1st at T-Mobile Arena,” says Kaipo. “And just be ready for me to put on a great performance.”

Photo by Damon Gonzalez/Boxlab Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Undefeated 23-year-old super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco turned back the challenge of Steven Nelson, scoring a twelve-round unanimous decision at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in the main event of a multi-continent DAZN broadcast on Saturday night. 

Attempting to stamp his position as the next in line at 168-pounds, Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California opted to fight a previously undefeated fighter others have apparently avoided for good reason in Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska.

After a feeling out first round, Pacheco, 166.4, and Nelson, 168, opened up a bit more at the close of the second round. After Pacheco found a home for a few stiff jabs, Nelson landed clean just before the bell in retort. 

Pacheco, the WBO #1/WBC #3/IBF #6 ranked contender, continued to rely on his jab in the third, but it was Nelson, the WBO #9 ranked super middleweight, who was busier and found a home for a couple power shots late in the stanza. 

Just as Nelson was having a fairly successful fourth, outworking Pacheco, the pride of South Central Los Angeles timed the overhand right he had been looking to land and busted up the former Army veteran with his counter. 

With the left side of his face turning into a crimson mask, Nelson was less apt to engage in the fifth. Pacheco began walking down the Nebraskan native, just missing the mark at times with potential night-enders.

Pacheco opened up more to close the fifth and kept up the output through the sixth and seventh, when the action really heated up. Pacheco still looked to time the perfect shot in the eighth, just missing the mark on a couple occasions. 

After a tenth in which both combatants had their moments, Nelson came out with renewed vigor in the eleventh, landing clean with power punches with both hands. Even when Pacheco timed a couple well-placed uppercuts, Nelson was undeterred in his forward attack. 

In the twelfth, Nelson maintained the pressure, snapping Pacheco’s head back on several occasions. Even when Pacheco landed, Nelson was hell-bent on maintaining his forward attack.  

All three judges, Tim Cheatham, Max DeLuca and David Sutherland, scored the bout 117-111 for Pacheco, who holds onto his USWBC and WBO International super middleweight titles and place near the top of the rankings. 

While he gave a great technical performance against a solid, previously undefeated fighter, Saturday’s win may not have been the type to create a public outcry for the money man in the division, Canelo Alvarez, to sign on for a bout with Pacheco just yet. 

In the co-featured bout, lightweight contender Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba passed the stiffest test of his pro career to date, pounding out a ten-round unanimous decision over a game Omar Salcido (20-2, 14 KOs) of Lakeside, California by way of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. 

Cruz, 134.8, had more gears and dimensions than did his Mexican counterpart, Salcido, 134.8. Cruz seemed content to utilize the boxing skills that made him one of the most decorated amateurs of recent years through the first nine rounds. The WBA #4/IBF#5/WBC #6/WBO #15 ranked lightweight Cruz attempted to close the show in style in the final round, but the WBA #12 ranked Salcido hung tough and held his own through the ten rounds. 

In the end, Cruz outboxed Salcido by scores of 99-91 (judge Chris Migliore) and 98-92 (judges Dave Moretti and Zachary Young) twice, taking home two regional titles: the WBA Continental Latin America and IBF International lightweight belts. 

Undefeated junior welterweight Ernesto Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) of Pomona, California stamped himself a contender with a fourth-round kayo over former world champion Jose Pedraza (29-7-2, 14 KOs) of Cidra, Puerto Rico. 

Mercado, 142.4, was the naturally larger fighter in the bout and utilized that size advantage to great effect. In the end, it looked as though the knockout blow to Pedraza, 143, may have strayed to the back of the head. However, referee Robert Hoyle opted to count and then wave off the bout when Pedraza did not appear to be in any condition to continue. Official time of the stoppage was 2:08 of round four. 

After the bout, the still unbeaten fighter called out Shakur Stevenson, “I want that punk right there,” said Mercado, pointing towards the three-division champion, who was less-than-thrilled to hear his name being called.

Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0-1, 3 KOs) of Jurupa Valley, California by way of Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico narrowly escaped with his unbeaten record intact, fighting to an eight-round majority draw in his bout against a determined Israel Mercado (11-1-1, 7 KOs) of Montclair, California.

Mercado, 141, controlled almost all of the first, before Rubalcava, 141, landed one right that should have scored an official knockdown immediately. Referee Allen Huggins dusted the gloves of Mercado and let the action resume, but indicated before the start of round two, that Mercado was in fact down.  

By the end of the fourth, Mercado was dictating the fight in extended moments, beating the young prospect to the punch. 

However, Mercado was deducted a point late in round seven for a low blow, which would unfortunately play a key factor in the scoring. 

After the knockdown and the point deduction, two judges (Chris Migliore and Dave Moretti) scored the bout a draw, 75-75. Judge Zachary Young had the dissenting card for the underdog, Mercado, 76-74. 

In his professional debut, Nishant Dev (1-0, 1 KO) of Karnal, India flashed his power in the lighter gloves, scoring a first-round round stoppage of Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) of Modesto, California. 

Dev, 155.8, and Wiggins, 156.4, both fought out of the southpaw stance. However, Dev, who won bronze for India at the 2020 Olympic Games, had a clear edge in power and flurried Wiggins for the first of two knockdowns. The game Wiggins was able to continue briefly, but soon enough Dev scored a second knockdown, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to call for the end at  2:48 of round one. 

Power-punching former amateur star Harley Mederos (8-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York scored a third-round stoppage of Arturo de Isla (5-3-1, 4 KOs) of  Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

Mederos, 134.4, varied his attack from the opening bell and all de Isla, 135.6, could hope to do was to hang in there. The sound from Mederos’ punches alone were thudding and reverberating throughout the Chelsea. 

Mederos broke through in the third, dropping Mederos hard with a right hand. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. immediately stopped the contest at 1:27 of the third round. 

In the opening bout, 19-year-old wunderkind Zaquin Moses (2-0, 1 KO) of Newark, New Jersey was just getting warmed-up after one round of boxing when short-notice replacement Mario Garcia (3-1, 3 KOs) of Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico remained on his stool. 

Moses, 130.4, began to open-up from his southpaw stance in the final moments. Garcia, 137.4, seemed fine going to his corner, but ultimately the fight ended after just minutes. 

Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

Highly-regarded super middleweight Diego Pacheco meets fellow unbeaten Steven Nelson at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in the headlining bout of the second leg of a two-continent DAZN broadcast on Saturday night. While two regional titles are at stake, the true prize for the winner of the twelve-rounder could be a bout against one of the major players at 168-pounds. Fighters weighed-in on Friday afternoon at the OPM Theater, one floor down from the host venue. 

Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California has gradually moved to the precipice of landing the marque bout he has vocally demanded during fight week. In his last time out, Pacheco impressively halted veteran Maciej Sulecki in the sixth with a perfectly-placed bodyshot. Sulecki, albeit naturally smaller and now older, had previously lasted the distance against Demetrius Andrade and Daniel Jacobs in his only two prior defeats. 

The 36-year-old U.S. Army veteran Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska has moved along at a different pace and to less fanfare than his 23-year-old counterpart. Nelson’s resume does not have a Sulecki type to be found, as Pacheco marks the veteran’s first major headline opportunity. In his last bout, Nelson dropped previously undefeated Marcos Vazquez three times en route to a fifth-round stoppage, deep down on the undercard of Terence Crawford’s victory over Ismail Madrimov in Los Angeles last August.   

Pacheco, the WBO #1/WBC #3/IBF #6 ranked super middleweight, is only one fight away from a bout with Canelo Alvarez, according to recent remarks by his promoter, Eddie Hearn. Pacheco is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr., no stranger to leading a 168-pounder to the doorstep of such a bout, as David Benavidez was in that same position not long ago. Benavidez Sr.’s first journey towards Canelo has thus proven fruitless and it remains to be seen where on the scale Alvarez will appear next. 

Nelson, the WBO #9 ranked super middleweight, must look at his opportunity against Pacheco as his Canelo fight. The Nebraska native has developed quietly, in the shadows of Crawford, fighting mainly on his undercards in recent years. With a win over Pacheco, who defends the regional USWBC and WBO International titles on Saturday, Nelson would put himself in prime position to attract one of the big names at 168-pounds. 

Pacheco made 166.4-pounds on Friday, while Nelson hit the super middleweight limit of 168. The public weigh-in ceremony got heated during the face-off, as a jawing back-and-forth turned into some shoving before camps went their seperate ways.

In the leading supporting bout, WBA #4/IBF#5/WBC #6/WBO #15 ranked lightweight Andy Cruz (4-0, 2 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba defends the regional IBF International lightweight title against WBA #12 ranked Omar Salcido (20-1, 14 KOs) of Lakeside, California by way of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico in a ten-round bout. 

Cruz, previously one of the most accomplished amateurs of all-time, appears to be on the fast-track towards a world title opportunity. Cruz has referred to himself as Keyshawn Davis’ daddy in the lead-up to Saturday’s bout, a nod to his four amateur victories over the fellow lightweight contender. While Davis will vie for a world title in February, Cruz will be defending the regional title he won in his pro debut for the fourth time. However, the 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist cannot afford to look past the veteran Salcido, who enters the bout fresh off of his signature victory to date, a ninth-round stoppage of Chris Colbert this past October. 

For the bout, which will also see the WBA Continental Latin America title on the line, Cruz and Salcido scaled an identical 134.8-pounds each. 

Junior welterweight prospect Ernesto Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs) of Pomona, California looks to march towards to bonafide contender status as he moves up in class against former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza (29-6-2, 14 KOs) of Cidra, Puerto Rico in a ten-round bout. Mercado, 142.4 at Friday’s weigh-in and recently signed to Matchroom Boxing, will be making his Las Vegas debut against a fighter in Pedraza, 143, that has fought a who’s who list from all over the world. 

Junior welterweight prospect Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0, 3 KOs) of Jurupa Valley, California by way of Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico takes on Israel Mercado (11-1, 7 KOs) of Montclair, California in an eight-round bout. Rubalcava, making his Las Vegas debut, scaled 141-pounds, as did Mercado, fighting in Vegas for the second straight occasion. 

Former amateur standout Harley Mederos (7-0, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York will meet Arturo de Isla (5-2-1, 4 KOs) of  Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico in a six-round lightweight bout. Mederos, who capped a well decorated amateur run as U.S. National champion in 2020, scaled 134.4-pounds, while de Isla made 135.6.  

2024 Indian Olympic bronze medalist Nishant Dev of Woodland, California by way of Karnal, India will make his professional debut against Alton Wiggins (1-0-1) of Modesto, California in a six-round junior middleweight bout. Dev came in at 155.8-pounds, while Wiggins tipped 156.4.  

19-year-old former amateur standout Zaquin Moses (1-0) of Newark, New Jersey will take on replacement opponent Mario Garcia (3-0, 3 KOs) of Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico in a four-round super featherweight bout. Moses was 130.4, giving up seven pounds to make the fight, with the short-notice Garcia at 137.4-pounds Friday. 

For those watching from home, the DAZN marathon boxing broadcast begins with Dalton Smith’s junior welterweight headliner against Walid Ouizza from Nottingham, England, with coverage beginning at 12:15 EST. Coverage from Las Vegas begins at 5:45 EST. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

USWBC Super Middleweight Championship

WBO International Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds

Pacheco 166.4

Nelson 168

WBA Continental Latin America Championship 

IBF International Lightweight Championship, 10 Rounds

Cruz 134.8

Salcido 134.8

Light welterweights, 10 Rounds

Mercado 142.4

Pedraza 143

Light welterweights, 8 Rounds

Rubalcava 141

Mercado 141

Lightweights, 6 Rounds

Mederos 134.4

de Isla 135.6

Light middleweights, 6 Rounds

Dev 155.8

Wiggins 156.4 

Super featherweights, 4 Rounds

Moses 130.4

Garcia 137.4

Tickets for the event, promoted by Matchroom Boxing, are available online at Ticketmaster.com 

Photos by Melina Pizano/Matchroom

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

MODESTO, CALIFORNIA – Jose Luis Vazquez scored a hard-fought eight-round unanimous decision over veteran gatekeeper and local favorite Giovannie Gonzalez to remain unbeaten in the main event of a seven-bout card from the Modesto Centre Plaza on Saturday night. 

Vazquez (17-0, 3 KOs) of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico and Gonzalez (20-7-2, 15 KOs) of Stockton, California took the first round to feel each other out. Vazquez, 139, may have taken the opening stanza with a couple hard shots and his forward movement, as both he and Gonzalez, 137.4, had a low output. 

Vazquez, the larger man in the fight, had to sweat off some extra poundage in the moments before Friday’s official weigh-in and looked to have rehydrated into a full-fledged welterweight. The extra weight may have aided Vazquez in absorbing Gonzalez’s power, including the clean uppercut the Stockton native landed early in the second. Gonzalez took a shot that may have strayed below the belt line late in the round, which set off a heated exchange in the last 30 seconds. 

Vazquez maintained the distance he wanted in the third and let his hands go when the action stayed in the center of the ring. Gonzalez had to work hard to get inside, but had his moments when he could force Vazquez along the ropes. After Vazquez took the fourth with his left jab, Gonzalez had a solid fifth round, landing with an overhand right and some clean work to the body. 

Counter to what one would expect, Gonzalez, the 34-year-old, eight-year veteran, got busier as the fight moved into the later rounds. The 22-year-old Vazquez did not wilt in the later portion of the fight, but was more selective with his output in the final two rounds. Gonzalez applied pressure in the seventh and eighth, but just did not have the power to alter the course of the fight as he punched up to land on Vazquez, listed as holding a five inch height advantage. 

Judge Kru Michael Rinaldi had it 79-73, judge Melissa McMorrow scored it 78-74, while judge Michael Margado had it the closest at 77-75, all for Vazquez, recently signed by Toscano Boxing Promotions, promoter of tonight’s event, who was fighting outside his native Mexico for the first time. 

Gonzalez, known as “King Gio,” may have fought his last fight if his statement made after the bout holds true. 

“I have been doing this since I was twelve,” said Gonzalez after the fight. “It is a tough game. Father Time, nobody can beat it. This was probably my last fight.” 

Making his second trip to fight in the U.S., Gustavo Perez Alvarez (14-1, 4 KOs) of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico came into the backyard of Jesus Haro (12-3, 1 KO) of Merced, California and came away with a wide eight-round unanimous decision. 

The taller, southpaw Perez Alvarez, 106, established his right jab and maintained the distance he needed to be successful in the opening round. Haro, 105, found his way into range to land a clean combination in the last third of the second round and let go with his right hand early in the third round, but was not active enough to please his corner or the official judges. 

Things began to heat up in the middle rounds, with the action only slowed by accidental head clashes in the fourth and fifth, as the southpaw versus orthodox stances were to blame for the timeouts. 

Perez Alvarez’s left hand proved to be a problem for Haro as the fight progressed. Perez Alvarez, nicknamed “Smiley,” was able to land his left as a lead from a distance that Haro could not counter. Haro had a better round in the sixth, using his jab, but still did not let his right go with enough frequency. 

Perez Alvarez continued to find a home for his left hand for much of the seventh, before Haro came on late in the round with some combinations. After beginning the eighth aggressively, “Smiley” spun Haro’s head with a right midway through the stanza. Haro came on late in the round as Perez Alvarez seemed confident that he led on the scorecards. 

Judge Melissa McMorrow had the bout 78-74, while judges Edward Collantes and Kru Michael Rinaldi scored the shutout for Perez Alvarez, 80-72.  

“I have no words, this was a great night for me tonight,” said Perez Alvarez after the bout. “We knew we were facing a tough opponent as he was. In the second round, we adjusted to box and then pressure him, box and pressure him, back-and-forth.” 

Fighting outside of Mexico for the first time as a pro, Emiliano Cardenas Rodriguez (4-0, 3 KOs) of Union City, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over Eduardo Sanchez (1-1) of Watsonville, California by way of Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico in an entertaining and competitive contest. 

Cardenas Rodriguez, 117.8, carried the first round as his strength advantage was clear at the outset. Sanchez, 117, had strong stretches in the second round, but Cardenas Rodriguez had the ability to wipe away that solid work with his edge in power-punching. 

After a back-and-forth third, Sanchez had his best round in the fourth, as he outworked Cardenas Rodriguez and avoided getting caught by any head-snapping retorts for the three minutes. 

In the end, judges Melissa McMorrow, Kru Michael Rinaldi and Michael Margado all scored the bout 39-37 for Cardenas Rodriguez. 

Manuel Flores (5-0, 5 KOs) of Stockton proved his knockout record is not one of smoke and mirrors as he stopped rugged David Reyes Jr. (3-3-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California in the second round of a scheduled four. 

Flores, 139.2, and Reyes, 139.8, went at it from the opening bell, much to the delight of the boisterous onlookers in Modesto. Reyes was rocked early in the first, but gathered himself quickly and got into the fight heading into the second round. 

Reyes opted to trade with Flores again as the second began. The two fired at each other in a heated exchange near a neutral corner, before the Stockton native broke through and dropped his opponent near the ropes. The always tough Reyes got to his feet and continued to fire instead of holding on. Eventually, as Flores landed power shots near the blue corner, referee Edward Collantes leaped in to stop the bout. Official time was 1:30 of the second round. 

Nicholas Saavedra (2-0) of Modesto used his size advantage en route to a four-round unanimous decision over game veteran Jonathan Almacen (7-14-3, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines. 

Saavedra, 124.2, and Almacen, 124.2, traded power punches for much of the fight, but the Modesto resident withstood the shots of the former light flyweight contender better down the stretch of the fight. 

Almacen was game, but some well-placed body shots may have slowed him down over the second half of the bout. All three judges, Melissa McMorrow, Edward Collantes and Kru Michael Rinaldi, scored the shutout for Saavedra, 40-36.

Pedro Juarez (1-0) of Tracy, California downed Alec Acuavera (0-1) of Pittsburg, California in the third round en route to a hard-fought four-round unanimous decision in a bout pitting two pro MMA fighters making their professional boxing debuts.

Juarez, 134, and Acuavera, 136.4, each had their moments in the bout, especially over the first two rounds, as they traded on even ground. The fight began shifting towards Juarez’s favor late in the third, as he landed clean upstairs to slow Acuavera before finally dropping him with a left just before the bell to end the round. Juarez rocked Acuavera again seconds into the fourth, but the Pittsburg resident regained his balance and kept on throwing, finding some success late in the round. Before the bell sounded to end the bout, Juarez rocked Acuavera again just to keep it exciting until the last second. 

After four action-packed rounds, judges Melissa McMorrow and David Hartman scored the fight 39-36, while Michael Margado had it a shutout, 40-35, all for Juarez, who now turns his attention to his next scheduled MMA bout on November 15th in Wheatland, California. 

In the opening bout, Irving Xilohua (7-1, 4 KOs) of Stockton pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over John Mark Alimane (8-9-1, 4 KOs) of Laguna Nigel, California by way of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines. 

Xilohua, 130.6, rocked Alimane, 131.4, with a counter right in the first round to set the tone. 

Xilohua hurt his opponent upstairs midway through the second round, which prompted Alimane to expose his body. Xilohua took advantage, which led Alimane to hold for the remainder of the round. In the third, Xilohua hurt Alimane to the body, which left the Filipino’s head as an open target. It was more of the same in the fourth, as Xilohua bloodied Alimane before the conclusion. 

All three judges, Melissa McMorrow, Edward Collantes and Kru Michael Rinaldi scored the bout a shutout for Xilohua by the score of 40-36. The bout had originally been slated for six rounds, but was ultimately reduced by the California State Athletic Commission. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

MODESTO, CALIFORNIA – Undefeated prospect Jose Luis Vazquez makes his United States debut against longtime local favorite Giovannie Gonzalez in the main event of a seven-bout card at the Modesto Centre Plaza on Saturday night. Fighters for the event, which will be streamed live on promoter Toscano Boxing Promotions’ YouTube channel, weighed-in on Friday afternoon at the host venue. 

Vazquez (16-0, 3 KOs) of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico has fought entirely out of his native Mexico and may find a partially hostile crowd on Saturday as his opponent usually draws vocal supporters. In his last bout, Vazquez, recently signed to Toscano Boxing Promotions, scored an eight-round unanimous decision over Edgar De La Cruz in Jalisco, Mexico in July. 

The veteran Gonzalez (20-6-2, 15 KOs) of Stockton, California figures to provide a stern test for the 22-year-old Vazquez and help determine whether the Mexican’s record translates to stateside success. Gonzalez is coming off two quick wins in Tijuana, Mexico this past April and May as the eight-year veteran got back to his winning ways after an 0-2-1 three fight stretch. 

In the co-main event, Jesus Haro (12-2, 1 KO) of Merced, California takes on Gustavo Perez Alvarez (13-1, 4 KOs) of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico in an eight-round light flyweight bout. 

Haro, who scaled 105, is coming off of an eight-round decision over Lito Dante and this same venue in July. Perez Alvarez, who weighed-in at 106, was last in the ring just one month ago, scoring a third-round knockout in Mexico. 

Irving Xilohua (6-1, 4 KOs) of Stockton will meet John Mark Alimane (8-8-1, 4 KOs) of Laguna Nigel, California by way of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines in a six-round super featherweight bout. Xilohua, who scaled 130.6, was last in the ring this past July, ending a one-year layoff by stopping Romshane Sarguilla at the Modesto Centre Plaza. The naturally larger Alimane, 131.4, is looking for his first victory since campaigning in the United States over the last two years. 

Emiliano Cardenas Rodriguez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Union City, California will take on Eduardo Sanchez (1-0) of Watsonville, California by way of Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico in a four-round pairing of unbeaten bantamweights. The 19-year-old Cardenas, who came in at 117.8-pounds, will be making his U.S. debut after three quick wins in Mexico to begin his career, which began in April. Sanchez, who trains out of Noble-Moreno Boxing and came in at 117-pounds even, turned pro in June with a split decision over Esteban Sital in Costa Mesa, California. 

Manuel Flores (4-0, 4 KOs) of Stockton will aim to continue his unbeaten run against the always tough David Reyes Jr. (3-2-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California in a four-round light welterweight bout. Flores, who weighed-in at 139.2-pounds, will be making his U.S. debut, having fought entirely in Mexico since beginning his career last February. Reyes, who came in at 139.8-pounds, was last in the ring this past August, dropping a four-round decision to Tony Hirsch Jr. in an entertaining and competitive bout. 

In a four-round pairing of professional MMA fighters making their pro boxing debuts, Pedro Juarez of Tracy, California will take on Alec Acuavera of Pittsburg, California in a lightweight bout. Juarez, who fights out of Oakdale MMA in Oakdale, California, weighed-in at 134-pounds even. Acuavera, who has been a pro MMA fighter since May of last year, came in heavy at 136.4-pounds. Acuavera received a fine for missing the weight by 1.4-pounds on Friday. 

Nicholas Saavedra (1-0) of Modesto attempts to defend his home turf against veteran Jonathan Almacen (7-13-3, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines in a four-round featherweight bout. Saavedra, returning to the site of his pro debut this past July weighed-in at 124.2-pounds, as did the veteran Almacen. The Filipino holds a wide experience advantage, having gone the ten-round distance with former world champion Hekkie Budler two years ago. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light welterweights, 8 Rounds

Vazquez 139

Gonzalez 137.4

Light flyweights, 8 Rounds

Haro 105

Perez Alvarez 106 

Super featherweights, 6 Rounds

Xilohua 130.6

Alimane 131.4

Bantamweights, 4 Rounds

Cardenas Rodriguez 117.8

Sanchez 117

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Flores 139.2

Reyes Jr. 139.8

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Juarez 134

Acuavera 136.4*

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Saavedra 124.2

Almacen 124.2

*missed weight by 1.4-pounds

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 

In recent years, more and more fighters have taken their shot at competing in both mixed martial arts and professional boxing, to varying degrees of success. Tracy, California’s Pedro Juarez, a bantamweight in MMA, which translates to a lightweight in boxing, will attempt to begin his dual path pro journey this coming Saturday night, when he makes his professional boxing debut against Alec Acuavera in one of the supporting bouts on the Toscano Boxing Promotions event at the Modesto Centre Plaza in Modesto, California. 

Juarez, a four-fight professional MMA fighter, actually began his combat sports career as a boxer, despite being drawn in by watching the UFC on television, after finding his way to his first boxing coach, Felipe Martinez. 

“I originally started off as a boxer and about 2012 is when I started training,” recalls Juarez. “One of my friends was going to the boxing gym and I had him take me there to Felipe’s Boxing Gym in Lathrop. I wanted to train and I was eager to learn. I started training in boxing and stayed with that because I didn’t really see MMA training. Once I started going to the boxing gym, I liked it and stuck with boxing for a long time. It was at his house, in his backyard. He had a ring and he had bags. He would train all the local kids. He would train a lot of fighters and was a cool guy. He wouldn’t charge a lot of people. We would just come over and train. Eventually, later down the road, I transitioned to MMA.”

Eventually, Juarez decided to pursue the combat sport that originally caught his eye, mixed martial arts, which led him to the well-regarded Oakdale MMA Last Stand Fight Team, led by Tom Theofanopoulos, more than 35 miles from his native Tracy. 

“At some point, I kind of ended up losing interest in boxing,” explains Juarez. “I went through a little rough period where, I don’t know, I just lost the passion. So I thought, I’ll transition into MMA, since that was what got me to start training, because I started watching it on TV. So I thought I’d make the transition and see how it went. I ended up going over to Oakdale MMA. I tried it and I liked it and have stuck with it ever since.”

Before turning professional in 2022, the highlight of Juarez’s amateur MMA career would be winning the 209 Beatdown bantamweight title over Raul Godinez at the Modesto Centre Plaza in 2019. Juarez would have to overcome some adversity before scoring the split decision victory to claim the title as Godinez landed an uppercut seconds into the bout that broke Juarez’s jaw. 

“We had a good fight,” remembers Juarez. “I ended up getting the win, but it was tough though, getting my jaw broken in the first round and having to battle through that, but I stayed in there. Stayed composed and got the win.” 

Nearly two years to the day after Juarez scored the biggest win of his amateur MMA career, the Tracy native was slated to make his professional debut as part of Bellator 266, which was televised by Showtime from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Unfortunately for Juarez, that fight would not come to pass. 

“Everything was going good with training, but the week of the fight, something was going on with my MRI,” remembers Juarez. “They didn’t communicate that to us, so by the time we found out, there wasn’t enough time to follow-up and see what was going on. So the commission said he’s not cleared to fight and they scrapped it. I was there fight week. I was at the hotel and doing everything you have to do during fight week. On Wednesday, when they told us, it sucked, but everything happens for a reason I guess. After everything happened, I was really bummed out for a while. That was a really big opportunity, to turn pro under Bellator, the second biggest promotion out there as far as MMA, and when it fell through, it was devastating, but there wasn’t anything I could do really.”

Juarez would go on to turn professional in MMA a year after the scuttled bout in San Jose.  While pursuing his pro MMA career out of Oakdale MMA, Juarez saw an opportunity to bring one of his old boxing coaches, Alfredo Perez, on board the team when the fight compound expanded to include a boxing gym and program. 

“I have known Alfredo for a long time, since my early boxing days,” explains Juarez. “I was able to connect him to Oakdale MMA, because my MMA coach, Tom Theofanopoulos, is the instructor and owner of Oakdale MMA and he was looking to start a boxing program and looking for coaches. I linked up Alfredo and him and they made it work.” 

Before the COVID pandemic forced his gym, the Boxing Development Center in Oakdale, to close, Perez got to know and worked with Juarez during his amateur boxing run. The two forged a relationship and bond and with Perez in place at Oakdale MMA, Juarez could return to boxing with a familiar coach when the opportunity presented itself. 

“We have a really good relationship and I kind of look after him like he’s one of my own,” says Perez. “He’s just a really good kid; respectful, humble and a lot of class. The kid works hard. He’s got a day job, he goes and works eight hours and then comes out all the way to Oakdale almost every day. Sometimes I even have to back him down a little bit and tell him to get some rest so he doesn’t overtrain.”

With four pro MMA fights under his belt, Juarez had been slated for fight number five this past September. However, when promoters for the event could not find him an opponent, Juarez looked toward this coming Saturday’s event on the calendar as an opportunity to get back into the boxing ring. 

“Pedro let me know he wanted to continue in boxing as well,” says Perez.  “I said, ‘If you really want to do this, we have to do it 100 percent. We can’t half ass it.’ He’s always been a pretty good boxer. The transition was really not hard at all, it actually was pretty easy. He already has the skill set of stand-up. Working with him on mitts and taking him sparring and everything, we took him a couple different places, just to see where we were at three or four months ago, and he’s a totally different person. He’s in shape and ready to go.” 

Juarez, with the help of his team, has made the adjustments in the gym necessary to make the move from preparing for a mixed martial arts bout to making his professional boxing debut. 

“At first, it was a little different, because I am used to throwing kicks and the range is different,” explains Juarez. “But once I just focused solely on boxing and got into the groove of things, I was able to switch my mindset to that of just a boxer. I just focused a lot on my hands the last eight to ten weeks. It feels comfortable. I feel good.” 

Juarez will meet Alec Acuavera of Pittsburg, California, a fellow MMA fighter making his pro boxing debut, on Saturday in Modesto. Acuavera is somewhat of an unknown to the Juarez camp, who have made their preparation more about preparing Juarez rather than focusing on their match-up. 

“I have seen a couple of his fights, just to get an idea,” says Juarez. “But I have just been focused on me and what I am going to do.”

“To be honest, I don’t know anything about him,” admits Perez. “I saw a little video of him in one of his fights, but that is all I know. I believe he’s a little bit taller and probably a little longer. So in our camp, we had some guys that were a little bit taller than Pedro. So that helped with our game plan and what we are going to do, come this Saturday.” 

Juarez will become the first boxer to turn professional out of Oakdale MMA, which opened in 1988. As the first pro out of the boxing program, Juarez is someone the younger aspiring boxers and fighters look up to as they aim to achieve their dreams. 

“We have our amateurs that fight out of here and the kids like to see him and get excited,” explains Perez. “A few of them might even stop him for an autograph and Pedro gets a kick out of that. I told him, ‘You are inspiring kids and you have to use that platform so they can see that they can do this too.’ He definitely is inspiring them and sometimes he will even work out with some of the amateurs that are getting ready to compete. He’s definitely an inspiration at the gym.” 

Juarez plans on scoring a victory in his pro boxing debut this weekend and carrying that momentum into an MMA bout on November 15th in Wheatland, California. Should he come out unscathed in those bouts, Perez hopes Juarez can return to the boxing ring before the end of December. It is an ambitious plan, but Juarez seems ready to take on the challenge, beginning with Acuavera this Saturday in Modesto in a fight that takes place at the same venue of his biggest MMA victory in 2019. 

“I am excited to be going back to my first sport, because boxing is the first sport that I ever did,” says Juarez. “I am a boxer at heart. Doing a pro fight, that is always something that I wanted to do anyway. Now that the opportunity came, I jumped on it. I am excited to go out there and represent my team, the Last Stand Fight Team and Oakdale MMA.” 

Tickets for the Saturday’s event, promoted by Toscano Boxing Promotions, are available online at Ticketon.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA – World ranked lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. continued his run of success fighting at home, scoring a one-sided eight-round unanimous decision over journeyman Dennis Contreras at the Adventist Health Arena on Saturday night. 

Flores (24-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton utilized his superior boxing skills, giving Contreras (24-14-1, 22 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico angles and movement that the Mexican struggled to combat. Contreras was much more straightforward with his offense and had to sell out to get in close enough to land on the more elusive Flores. 

In the fifth, Flores, 134.6, pressured Contreras, 136.6, to the ropes and began to double up on stiff left hands. By leaning against the ropes, Contreras appeared to try to goad Flores into creating an opening, but if that was his plan it proved to be fruitless. 

Flores stood more flatfooted in stretches during the sixth, providing the home crowd with some excitement as he stood and traded headshots with Contreras early in the round. Contreras, whose power did not appear to carry up to the lightweight division, landed clean with several upstairs, but Flores walked through them and landed more of his own. 

Contreras kept coming forward as the fight moved into the final two rounds, but Flores was too clever for his Mexican adversary, picking his openings and moving away from counters. Flores sat down on his punches in the final rounds, but could not stop his forward-moving opponent in his tracks. Contreras was moving on less steady footing than earlier in the fight, but kept trying his best as the final bell rang. 

Judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 79-73, while judges Rey Danseco and Kermit Bayliss both scored the eight-rounder a shutout, 80-72. 

After the bout, Flores, the WBA #11 ranked lightweight, told ringside interviewer Aliyah Orozco that he hoped to land a top ten opponent in his next bout. 

Fighting days after his hometown was affected by Hurricane Milton, Dominique Francis (16-0, 10 KOs) of Opa-Locka, Florida scored a dominant fourth-round knockout of previously beaten Julio Carrera (18-1-1, 14 KOs) of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. 

Francis, 130.8, was the classier boxer and exploited the holes in the game of Carrera, 130.8, from the outset of the bout. Once Francis found Carrera’s body, the writing was on the wall. Late in the fourth, Francis landed a clean left to the body that was the damaging blow which ultimately led to the fight-ending knockdown. Two more shots upstairs and another left downstairs followed, sending Carrera down to a knee. With referee Michael Margado counting, Carrera made no effort in returning to his feet. Margado reached the count of ten for the stoppage at the time of 2:21 in round four. 

In an entertaining back-and-forth scrap, Jessie James Guerrero (4-0-3, 2 KOs) of Gilroy, California and Bryan Santiago (1-1-2) of Weslaco, Texas fought to a six-round split decision draw. 

Guerrero, 112.8, had more technique and speed, but Santiago, 114, applied relentless pressure throughout as each fighter had their moments of success. Guerrero was at his best when he could keep Santiago at arm’s length and use his jab and combinations to prevent Santiago from finding his way inside. Santiago was effective at times with his free-swinging style from the outside or when he got rough on the way inside. 

With several rounds difficult to score, judge Melissa McMorrow scored the bout 58-56 for Santiago, while judge Kermit Bayliss scored the fight the other way, 58-56 for Guerrero and judge Ray Danseco had the even card, 57-57, forcing the draw. 

Rising super flyweight Andrew Rodriguez (5-0, 1 KO) of Salinas, California scored a one-sided four-round unanimous decision over an overmatched Marcelino Rangel (1-1) of Toledo, Ohio. 

Rangel, 114.6, began round two motivated and after some gesturing to the crowd, landed clean with a couple right hands. Rodriguez, 114, soon found his range again and began doubling up his left hand to Rangel’s body and head. With Rangel withering from the body shots, Rodriguez kept up the attack, finally downing the Ohio resident with a left near the liver. Rangel rose, but absorbed much punishment along the ropes as the round came to a close. 

Rodriguez continued to damage Rangel to the body in the third, creating openings to land upstairs. Referee Michael Margado kept a close look, but Rangel managed to last the round. Margado ushered Rangel over to ringside physician Gary Furness to start the fourth, but the fight continued. Rodriguez continued to land from the outside, where the shorter Rangel had no ability to land in retort. Despite taking heavy punishment, Rangel lasted until the final bell. All three judges scored the bout a shutout, 40-35, for Rodriguez. 

Super bantamweight prospect Kyle Lacanlale (2-0, 2 KOs) of San Ramon, California pounded away at Ricardo Antonio Luna (0-2) of Glendale, California by way of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico en route to a third-round stoppage. 

Lacanlale, 122.6, punished Luna, 124.8, to the head and body for the entirety of the contest. Lacanlale landed in combination, often doubling on his left or mixing in his right. Luna started aggressively in the second round, but Lacanlale quickly made him pay for the openings his offensive outburst created. Lacanlale then continued the onslaught in the third. Eventually three unanswered overhand rights prompted referee Michael Margado to call a halt to the bout at :53 of round three.

Multi-combat sport star Jennah Creason (2-0) of Visalia, California bested her much larger short-notice opponent Seta Vatuvei (0-3) of Hayward, California via four-round technical decision. 

Creason, 148.8, was the faster and more accurate puncher throughout the bout. Vatuvei, 154.8, wound up cut from an accidental head clash in the opening round. By the second round, the blood was running freely and Creason was starting to overwhelm Vatuvei in spots with her output. The trend continued in the third round, with referee Edward Collantes and ringside physician Gary Furness each keeping a keen eye on the cut. Three seconds officially into round four, Furness recommended the fight end and it went to the scorecards. All four judges scored the shutout for Creason, 40-36

Former amateur standout Steve Canela (1-0) of San Jose, California was tested and passed, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over a game David Music (0-1) of Findlay, Ohio. 

Canela, 136.2, turned up the aggression in the second round, as his right hand began to find a home upstairs. Music, 136.8, bounced back to have his moments in round three and got off to a solid start in round four, before Canela turned the fight back in his direction. Canela began landing some clean power punches in succession late in the round. By the end, Music’s nose was bloodied, but he kept coming. All three judges were in agreement on a shutout for Canela, 40-36. 

In the opening bout, Tatiana Almaraz (1-4) of Concord, California by way of Guatemala City, Guatemala moved into the win column with a four-round unanimous decision victory over Vicky Zhao (0-1) of Capitola, California by way of Chongqing, China. 

Almaraz, 110.6, appeared to be the more powerful of the two fighters, but Zhao, 108.8, was willing to trade all through the fight. After four competitive rounds, judge Ray Danseco scored the bout 39-37, while judges Kermit Bayliss and Melissa McMorrow scored the bout a shutout, 40-36, all for Almaraz. 

Photo by Julio C. Sanchez/G-Squad Entertainment

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA – Local favorite Gabriel Flores Jr. continues his busy year of defending his home turf tomorrow night as he takes on Dennis Contreras in the eight-round lightweight main event of an eight-bout card at Adventist Health Arena. Fighters on the card, dubbed “Nightmare in the Arena,” weighed-in Friday morning at the host venue. 

Flores (24-2, 8 KOs) of Stockton is back indoors at the venue where he will be competing for the third time in his last four bouts. Last time out, Flores, an excellent ticket seller in his hometown, scored an eight-round unanimous decision over tough Ronal Ron at the open air Banner Island Ballpark that sits a few steps down from the arena. Despite some fairly wide scores in his favor, Flores was challenged in the bout by Ron, who gave a solid account of himself. Flores, the WBA #11 ranked lightweight, will be fighting for the third time under the G-Squad Entertainment banner, as he and his father-promoter Gabe Flores Sr. chart their course towards bigger and better game, while creating some excitement at home. Flores came in just under the contracted weight at 134.6-pounds on Friday. 

Contreras (24-14-1, 22 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico enters the bout with an eye-catching knockout to win ratio, but he will be coming up in weight to the 135-pound lightweight division for the first time in his career. Contreras has fought as low as 118-pounds and only recently moved up to 130-pounds from featherweight three fights back. In his first bout at super featherweight, Contreras was stopped by Michael Magnesi in a failed bid for the lightly regarded IBO title in 2022. Contreras failed to make the contracted weight, coming in 1.6-pounds over at 136.6-pounds. As of press time, Contreras was attempting to drop the extra poundage. 

In the co-feature, Dominique Francis (15-0, 9 KOs) of Opa-Locka, Florida will take on fellow unbeaten Julio Carrera (18-0-1, 14 KOs) of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico in an eight-round super featherweight bout. 

Francis, whose hometown was affected by Hurricane Milton this week, has been well-traveled for a 23-year-old U.S.-based prospect, having competed in Mexico, Argentina and Colombia in his last five bouts. Two fights back, in a bout internationally-televised by TyC Sports, Francis showed his resiliency and ring smarts, surviving a knockdown early in the ninth round of a bout he was winning handily on the cards en route to a ten-round unanimous decision over Argentinian Braian Ariel Arguello in Argentina. On the other hand, Carrera has fought his career entirely in his native Mexico and his one small step-up opponent, Nazario Castro Nieblas, accounts for the draw on his ledger. Francis and Carrera both scaled in at 130.8-pounds. 

Returning to Stockton, super flyweight prospect Andrew Rodriguez (4-0, 1 KO) of Salinas, California will meet Marcelino Rangel (1-0) of Toledo, Ohio in a four-rounder. The 21-year-old Rodriguez was matched with tough Alejandro Robles and dealt with a bad cut between his eyes, but scored the decision win in an entertaining U.S. debut at Banner Island Ballpark in July. Rangel turned professional in May with a four-round unanimous decision in Fostoria, Ohio. Rodriguez made 114-pounds, while Rangel weighed-in at 114.6-pounds. 

In a six-round super flyweight bout, Jessie James Guerrero (4-0-2, 2 KOs) of Gilroy, California returns to the ring for the first time since the birth of his first-born daughter as he takes on rugged Bryan Santiago (1-1-1) of Weslaco, Texas. Guerrero, who was last in the ring in March, scoring three knockdowns en route to a second-round knockout at this same venue in Stockton, came in at 112.8-pounds. Santiago, who engaged in two crowd-pleasing brawls with Ricardo Castillo in Hidalgo, Texas this year, winning the first and ending up with a draw in the second, made 114-pounds. 

Making his long awaited professional debut, former amateur standout Steve Canela of San Jose, California will take on debuting David Music of Findlay, Ohio in a four-round lightweight bout. Canela had been slated to debut on the last G-Squad Entertainment card in July, but the California State Athletic Commission would not approve his short notice opponent due to having fought the week prior. Canela did end up fighting that night, but in an exhibition. Canela came in at 136.2, while Music scaled 136.8-pounds. 

Multi-combat sport star Jennah Creason (1-0) of Visalia, California meets tough Seta Vatuvei (0-2) of Hayward, California in a four-round junior middleweight bout. Creason, who has had many potential opponents drop out after researching her accomplishments, moved up in weight to make the fight happen Saturday. Vatuvei has not shied away from tough competition in her brief pro career, having taken on well-regarded former amateur standouts in every fight thus far. Creason stayed closer to her normal fighting weight at 148.8-pounds, while Vatuvei came in at 154.8-pounds on Friday. 

Vicky Zhao of Capitola, California by way of Chongqing, China will make her professional debut against Tatiana Almaraz (0-4) of Pittsburg, California by way of Guatemala City, Guatemala in a four-round light flyweight bout. Despite her record, Almaraz, 110.6-pounds, is a very capable fighter that has been matched tough in her career to this point, but should provide a solid test for the debuting Zhao, who scaled 108.8-pounds.

Former amateur standout Kyle Lacanlale (1-0, 1 KO) of San Ramon, California will take on Ricardo Antonio Luna (0-1) of Glendale, California by way of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Lacanlale is fresh off an impressive pro debut in August where he scored a first-round knockout in a bout that lasted one minute. Lacanlale weighed-in at 122.6-pounds, while Luna scaled 124.8-pounds.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Flores Jr. 134.6

Contreras 136.6*

Super featherweights, 8 Rounds

Francis 130.8

Carrera 130.8

Super flyweights, 4 Rounds

Rodriguez 114

Rangel 114.6

Super flyweights, 6 Rounds

Guerrero 112.8

Santiago 114

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Canela 136.2

Music 136.8

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Creason 148.8

Vatuvei 154.8

Light flyweights, 4 Rounds

Almaraz 110.6

Zhao 108.8

Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 122.6

Luna 124.8

*1.6-pounds over contracted weight, attempting to shed weight at press time

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment, are available online at Gsquadent.com 

Photo by Julio C. Sanchez/G-Squad Entertainment

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

From the famed fighting clan centered in Gilroy, California, Jessie James Guerrero will return to the ring this coming Saturday night for the first time since beginning his own family with the birth of his daughter Luna this past June. With the newfound inspiration that comes with being a father, Guerrero aims to advance his career as he takes on Bryan Santiago in a six-round super flyweight attraction as part of the Gabriel Flores Jr.-Dennis Contreras card streamed by BLK Prime from the Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California. 

Guerrero (4-0-2, 4 KOs) was last in the ring in March, scoring a second-round stoppage of Jose Rodriguez Montemayor at the same venue in Stockton. Emotions ran high, as the fight took place on Guerrero’s expecting girlfriend Ariel’s birthday. 

“When I was walking to the ring, I had a little emotion before I was coming out of the tunnel,” recalls Guerrero. “I was just thinking about having a baby and everything. It just hit me. But I was able to hold my emotion once I saw the crowd. Everything changed and I got locked in.”

With the added pressure and motivation to put on a performance, Guerrero did just that. Guerrero would find Rodriguez Montemayor’s sweet spot, dropping him three times in the second round with a punishing body attack to force the stoppage.

“He was a good opponent,” Guerrero says of Rodriguez Montemayor. “It was a good fight. Everything I did in the training camp is what I displayed that night. Everything worked out perfect and everything was set in place.” 

Though the fight only lasted into the second round in March, it was Guerrero’s first scheduled six-rounder. Guerrero, whose pro ledger fails to include two bouts he won as a 16-year-old in Tijuana, Mexico that have yet to be recognized by official record keeper BoxRec, has been moved along by his team, which includes his grandfather Ruben Sr., his dad Ruben Jr. and his uncle, multi-time world champion Robert Guerrero. 

“We all work together and make the best decisions,” says Ruben Sr. of the family operation, which includes five active professional fighting Guerreros, including Robert, who is eyeing a return in the near future, and many respected trainers. “We are a family. That is the way we prepare the boys, as one big family. We take care of my grandsons. My sons learned a lot from me and we are doing the best we can for them. It is their turn now.” 

After a quick return to the ring was ruled out by the California State Athletic Commission, Guerrero turned his focus to his blossoming family as Ariel’s pregnancy wound down. Luna, who was due on Father’s Day, arrived a week earlier. As any parent knows, everything changes once you bring your first born into the world. 

“It is going good,” explains Guerrero of his new family life. “There are just a lot of things to look out for now. It’s not just get up and go. We have to work around our schedules. She is four months old now. It has not been as hard as we thought it would be. We have family and everybody helps out. I stay with her for four or five hours, just me and her, while my lady goes to work. We have our family time together and then I go to the gym and they have their time together.” 

There are so few things in the world that could come close to motivating a man as much as their newborn daughter. “It has put a spark in me,” says Guerrero. “It made me realize that I got a little one to provide for and that is going to look up to me. I know that I want to do the best for her, whatever it takes. It is a lot of emotions, but I am handling it. As long as my family is healthy and I stay healthy, that is all that matters.” 

Having adjusted to family life, Guerrero can resume focus on his promising pro career. For many fighters competing in the lower weight divisions, any time away from the gym could be problematic, as every pound gained has added significance when you need to make 115 or 112-pounds on fight night. Guerrero, still a young pro, seems to have a strong hold on what he needs to do to be on point when it is time to hit the scales on Friday. 

“At first, about a year or two ago, it was easy,” says Guerrero of his ability to rebound from time away from the ring and make weight. “But as I’ve been getting older and my body is changing, I’ve noticed that I go up a few more pounds than I usually had. But it is easy for me to cut the weight. I have a fast metabolism and I do it the smart way. I don’t do it like some of these guys that do it, the last week, where they feel weak. That is not a good way to cut weight at the last minute. I start about two-and-a-half weeks out from the fight. Then I just have the last little bit to cut to get the last pound when it is time to make weight.” 

Guerrero will be dropping down from his last fight in March for his second scheduled six-rounder, this time at the 112-pound flyweight division against Bryan Santiago (1-1-1) of Donna, Texas.  

“He has three fights,” explains Guerrero, as Santiago’s listed record fails to include a July 27th bout in Harlingen, Texas. “I found a third fight. He lost his first fight, won his second fight and then he rematched the kid again and got a draw. I did my research.” 

Guerrero, who will be entering the ring for his ninth pro fight when including the two victories he had in Tijuana not as of yet officially recognized, will have the edge in ring time over Santiago and also feels he has an ace in the hole helping him prepare for his opponent’s style. 

“He’s 21 and I am 20, so he is a year older than me, but I feel like I am the more experienced one coming into the fight. This is my ninth pro fight and he only has three. I think this is his first time being in a six-rounder too. He’s a come forward, pressure fighter. But one of the good things is that one of my buddies, one of the pros in our gym, is a pressure fighter too, so I have been working with him for the whole month.” 

The fighter in camp with Guerrero, helping him prepare most for Santiago, is Angel Luis Cavazos, a bantamweight that won his professional debut on September 21st by first round knockout in Tijuana. 

“Angel fights exactly like [Santiago,”] explains Guerrero. “He comes forward and he’s a pressure fighter. After I saw the video on him, I knew exactly who I needed to work with. And Angel was already getting ready for his pro debut too, so he was in shape and in camp. He started his three weeks before I started my camp.” 

With all the motivation in the world to succeed now, Guerrero is ready to show the world the type of fighter he has become on Saturday night in Stockton.

“It is not going to be the same as the last time I was in Stockton,” says Guerero. “Last time I was a young teenager and now I am a father, so it is completely different. It is going to be a whole different performance, a whole different Jessie James.” 

Tickets for the event, promoted by G-Squad Entertainment, are available online at gsquadent.com

Photo by Trini Guerrero/@trinigphotography

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – In a highly competitive affair, Alan Sanchez managed to edge out an eight-round majority decision over Salvador Briceño in a battle of two hard-nosed veteran warriors in the main event of a well-matched ten-bout card at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday night. 

Both Sanchez (24-6-1, 10 KOs) of Fairfield, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and Briceño (18-9-1, 11 KOs) of Roseville, California also by way of Guadalajara entered the evening looking for a win after hard-fought decision defeats in their last bouts. Instead of taking on easy get-back opponents, the two Guadalajara-born and locally-based welterweights opted to take on one another with the hopes of jumping back into bigger opportunities with a victory. 

After a feeling-out opening round, Briceño, 146, did well to control the action in round two behind his jab. Sanchez, 146.3, was a bit slower on the draw in the opening rounds, but stayed disciplined on his defense, which made it difficult for Briceño to land clean coming off of his left hand.

The action picked-up in round three, as Sanchez began to open up a bit more, but Briceño stuck with him, ready to counter. Both fighters had their moments in a high output round four. The Guadalajarans also began to show some bravado. Whenever their opponent would land something clean, the recipient would get out of range and then shake their head or hold their forearms out apathetically to signal no damage had been done. 

Briceño was the busier fighter in rounds five and six, mostly with the jab, but with some well-timed right hands as well. Sanchez did not attempt as many punches, but landed a few eye-catching power shots that would end up swaying the judges. 

Sanchez took control in the last quarter of the fight, having his best round to date in the seventh. Sanchez landed several power punches in the last minute that made it one of the easier rounds to score in the fight. Briceño packed his jab away in the eighth, which gave Sanchez free entry in close, where the Fairfield resident let his hands go, unlike early in the fight. 

With his strong close to the bout, Sanchez wound up a majority decision winner, as judge Michael Margado’s 76-76 card was overruled. Judge Brian Tsukamoto scored the bout 77-75, while judge Kru Michael Rinaldi scored the fight a shutout for Sanchez, 80-72. With his victory over known tough out Briceño, Sanchez figures to be in line for a profitable opportunity. 

In the co-main event, Blake McKernan (15-2, 8 KOs) of Sacramento, California continued his march on the comeback trail with a decisive fourth-round knockout of veteran Milton Nunez (40-34-1, 33 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Barranquilla, Colombia.

McKernan, 200, who displayed the habit of shaking out his right hand throughout the bout, had little trouble finding the plodding Nunez, 204, who seemed satisfied to cover up and look for one home run shot at a time. McKernan was busier and found great success leading with right hand power punches. 

Late in the third stanza, McKernan landed with a clean left hook that staggered Nunez and had the Colombian leaning on the ropes for much of the remaining time in the round. Early in the fourth, with referee Dan Stell already in close, McKernan landed a left to the body that brought Nunez’s hands down to protect. With the Colombian’s head open, McKernan landed a left upstairs that forced Nunez to a knee. With the trajectory of the bout clear, Stell opted to immediately wave off the bout, without any protest from Nunez. Official time was 1:00 of round four. 

Unbeaten middleweight Victor Guerrero (8-0, 6 KOs) of Morgan Hill, California got off of the canvas early to drop and eventually halt veteran spoiler Moris Rodriguez (8-17-2, 5 KOs) of Sacramento in round four. 

Guerrero, 160, did well to keep the much shorter Rodriguez, 160.3, at bay with his jab for much of the first round. However, Rodriguez did exploit an opening for a lead overhand right that appeared to momentarily bother the unbeaten fighter. Roughly ten seconds into the second round, Rodriguez targeted the same opening, landing a stiff left and an overhand right over Guerrero’s lowered left that dropped the prospect to the seat of his pants. Guerrero reached his knee and took a nine count before action resumed. Guerrero would hold on enough to clear his cobwebs and, despite taking some clean uppercuts and rights, would ultimately land well in the final seconds of the round. 

After allowing Rodriguez in close during the second round, Guerrero found his distance again in the third and took over with his right hand. Rodriguez, fighting for only the second time since the pandemic, may have gassed out a bit going for the stoppage the previous round as well. Seconds into the fourth, Guerrero landed with a left that snapped Rodriguez’s head back and sent him to the ropes. With Rodriguez’s right glove hooked on the ropes, Guerrero unleashed with a flurry that eventually had the Sacramento resident holding on as the action moved around the ring. After a warning from referee Michael Margado, Guerrero clubbed Rodriguez to the mat for a knockdown. When action resumed, Rodriguez opted to trade with Guerrero, actually landing clean with a left, before a right uppercut staggered him along the ropes. Margado did not like what he saw from Rodriguez and called for the stoppage at 1:09 of the fourth round. 

Ruben Torres (6-2-2, 1 KO) of Sacramento and William Davis (3-2-2, 1 KO) of Sacramento failed to settle bragging rights over their hometown, but did not fail to entertain the crowd on hand en route to a six-round majority draw.

Things got hot in round three, as Davis, 145, seemed to hurt Torres, 147, early before the tide turned late in the round. Most of the fight was an even back-and-forth. The southpaw Davis was at his best when he could get distance, fire and move. Torres, the constant pursuer, was most effective when he could cut the ring or force Davis along the ropes. 

By the end of an exciting fight, Torres was bloodied but undeterred as both men fought until the final bell of round six. In the end, the scorecard of judge Brian Tsukamoto read 58-56 for Torres, but was overruled by the cards of judges Dan Stell and Kru Michael Rinaldi, who both had the fight even, 57-57. 

Islam Abdusamadov (4-0, 3 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia scored a first-round knockdown and weathered some moments in the final act en route to a four-round unanimous decision over Andrew Buchanan (3-2-1, 2 KOs) of Hesperia, California. 

Abdusamadov, 158, and Buchanan, 159, were open to trading leather from the opening bell. During the midst of an exchange about a minute into the fight, Abdusamadov connected with a left that snapped back Buchanan’s head and dropped him to his knees for a knockdown. Buchanan did well to get on his toes and box for the remainder of the round, clearing any cloudiness in the process. 

Abdusamadov was mostly the hunter in rounds two, three and early in round four, while Buchanan remained in boxer mode. Things changed briefly about a minute into the fourth, when a short and clean right on the inside from Buchanan rocked Abdusamadov. Despite being implored by his corner, Buchanan did not really follow-up with urgency and Abusamadov was able to get back to being the pressure fighter in the bout. 

Judges Brian Tsukamoto, Kru Michael Rinaldi and Dan Stell all scored the bout idenitically, 39-37 for Abdusamadov. 

Jamaar Collins (2-0, 2 KOs) of Merced, California took little time in dispatching Cashton Young (3-3-1, 1 KO) of Encino, California by first-round stoppage. Collins, 220, dropped Young, 230, with a left in the midst of an exchange roughly half of a minute into the bout. Young managed to get up and tried to get through the round with his jab. Collins had other things in mind and hurt Young along the ropes. When the punches stopped coming back from Young, referee Dan Stell leaped in to call an end to the fight at 2:19 of round one. 

In a competitive and entertaining bout, Brenda Hernandez Cardenas (2-0, 1 KO) of San Diego, California scored a four-round split decision over tough luck Maribel Guerrero (0-3) of Gilroy, California. 

Many of the rounds were tough to score, especially with only the two minutes to differentiate between the two. Hernandez Cardenas, 116, may have sewn up round two with a head-snapping left near the bell, one of the more telling blows landed in the contest. 

Guerrero, 118, was at her best when she could get distance, box and move. Even when backed to the ropes, Hernandez Cardenas did well in exchanges when Guerrero pressured her in close. In the end, judge Dan Stell scored the bout for Guerrero, 39-37, but was overruled by judges Brian Tsukamoto and Kru Michael Rinaldi, who both had the fight for Hernandez Cardenas, 40-36. 

In a rough-and-tumble affair, Christian Avalos (3-1-2) of Carson City, Nevada used his superior technique to turn back the rugged Luciano Ramos (2-6) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina via four-round unanimous decision.

Ramos, 139, did well early to thwart the boxing style of Avalos, 138, while falling back on his MMA background for some inside roughness. Avalos settled down and began to box better from the outside in round two. By round three Avalos took over the bout. 

Judges Michael Margado, Brian Tsukamoto and Kru Michael Rinaldi were all in agreement with a score of 39-37 for Avalos. 

In an action-packed encounter, Alexander Espinoza (23-6-2, 8 KOs) of Sacramento by way of Managua, Nicaragua pounded out a six-round unanimous over tough-as-nails Diuhl Olguin (16-40-7, 10 KOs) of Oak Hills, California. 

Espinoza, 128, just had more gears and facets than Olguin, 126, who has to be one of the better 40-loss fighters of recent times. Olguin kept the pressure, despite getting rocked on a couple of occasions during the bout. 

Judge Kru Michael Rinaldi scored the bout 60-54, while judges Brian Tsukamoto and Michael Margado both had the fight 59-55, all for Espinoza. 

Over two fights and eight rounds, Mario Hernandez (2-1-1) of Sparks, Nevada and Marco Ortiz (1-3, 1 KO) of Red Bluff, California have provided fans in the Sacramento area with non-stop action. For the second time in two fights, it was Hernandez that was declared the victor in the end. 

Hernandez, 175, and Ortiz, 173 ½, each stood their ground and traded throughout the twelve minutes in which they shared the ring on Saturday night. Each had their moments, but Hernandez landed the most eye-catching and head-snapping shots when all totaled. 

All three judges scored the bout 40-36 for Hernandez. In August of last year, Hernandez scored a four-round unanimous decision over Ortiz in an exciting fight in Sacramento. 

Saturday’s event was the first boxing card held at the new Venue at Thunder Valley. Promoter Nasser Niavaroni of Upper Cut Promotions aims to bring boxing back to the venue early next year.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

By Mario Ortega Jr.

ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA – Last week in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fighting pride of Guadalajara, and the most known boxer in all of the world, Canelo Alvarez thrilled all of his supporters, from Mexico and elsewhere, with a dominant performance on the biggest stage in the sport. Tomorrow night, two more of Guadalajara’s fighting sons will battle it out against one another when Salvador Briceño meets Alan Sanchez in the eight-round welterweight main event at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Their bout headlines a ten-bout card, dubbed “Thunder Showdown,” the first boxing event held at the new Venue at Thunder Valley. Fighters weighed-in Friday morning at Kickboxing, Inc. in nearby Roseville. 

Briceño (18-8-1, 11 KOs) of Sacramento, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico has fought a long list of contenders and prospects on even terms, but is still looking for that one landmark victory that could catapult him into a marquee fight. Briceño is looking to rebound from a six-round decision defeat in April to comebacking Jonathan Garcia. Briceño got off of the deck in a thrilling slugfest on that night in Oroville, California, but the loss adds importance to securing a victory over Sanchez on Saturday. 

Sanchez (23-6-1, 10 KOs) of Fairfield, California also by way of Guadalajara fought his way to the main stage back in 2013, coming up short against former world champion Luis Collazo. Sanchez saw a three-fight win streak snapped in his last bout, a closely-contested eight-round unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Louie Lopez on the July undercard of Nate Diaz-Jorge Masvidal in Carson, California. 

Not that Briceño nor Sanchez have ever needed any extra incentive to put on a show for attending fans, given the fact they are both fighting near their adopted hometowns and the stages they are in their careers, the two Mexican warriors figure to lay it all on the line tomorrow night in what should be a memorable eight rounds or less. Briceño weighed-in at 146-pounds, while Sanchez scaled 146.3 on Friday.

In the co-main event, cruiserweight contender Blake McKernan makes a quick return to the ring against Colombian veteran Milton Nunez in a six-round bout.

McKernan (14-2, 7 KOs) of Sacramento, California ended a long layoff on August 3rd with a physician stoppage over Jasper McCargo. McKernan had been out of the ring due to multiple shoulder surgeries and a bout with severe sepsis, which caused organ dysfunction. 

Nunez (40-33-1, 33 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Barranquilla, Colombia will be fighting for the fourth time this year, coming off of a eight-round unanimous decision over Eduardo Flores on July 27th. McKernan scaled 200-pounds, while the late arriving Nunez made 204-pounds.

Alexander Espinoza (22-6-2, 8 KOs) of Sacramento by way of Managua, Nicaragua will take on tough-as-nails journeyman Diuhl Olguin (16-39-7, 10 KOs) of Oak Hills, California by way of Guadalajara in a six-round featherweight bout. Espinoza made 128-pounds, while Olguin scaled-in at 126.

Undefeated middleweight prospect Victor Guerrero (7-0, 5 KOs) of Morgan Hill, California will move up to the six-round distance against the most experienced opponent of his young career in Moris Rodriguez (8-16-2, 5 KOs) of Sacramento, California.

Guerrero, nephew of former world champion Robert Guerrero and son of former pro Victor Guerrero Sr., made his U.S. debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Matthew Monroe back in January. Guerrero made 160-pounds even. 

Rodriguez, who turned pro back in May of 2009 when Guerrero was just a few years into attending grade school, has been known to spring an upset on occasion against well-regarded prospects and rarely gets this much notice ahead of his fights. Rodriguez came in at 160.3-pounds. 

Ruben Torres (6-2-1, 1 KO) of Sacramento will take on William Davis (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Sacramento in an intriguing six-round welterweight bout. Torres last was in the ring in July, edging out a close six-round decision over tough Xavier Madrid in Modesto, California. Davis notched a decisive four-round decision over Miguel Soto-Garcia in Sacramento in August. Torres scaled 147-pounds, while Davis was 145 on Friday.  

Islam Abdusamadov (3-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, California by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia steps up his competition against Andrew Buchanan (3-1-1, 2 KOs) of Hesperia, California in a four-round middleweight bout. 

Abdusamadov, who came in at 158-pounds, is coming off of his most dominant victory, a first-round stoppage of normally durable Matthew Monroe just last month.

Buchanan, weighing-in at 159-pounds, has already been the six-round distance twice in his young pro career. Only prospect George Liddard has been able to get one over the Hesperia resident, which came in the form of a six-round unanimous decision.

Maribel Guerrero (0-2) of the famed fighting Guerrero family out of Gilroy, California, will take on unbeaten Brenda Hernandez Cardenas (1-0, 1 KO) of San Diego, California in a four-round bantamweight bout.

Guerrero has taken on tough competition early in her career. In her last bout, Guerrero and unbeaten Iris Contreras put on a show back in April. After four rounds, Contreras had edged out the fight on the cards. Guerrero weighed-in at 118-pounds on Friday. 

Hernandez Cardenas turned pro back in May after an amateur career that included some national tournament experience. Hernandez Cardenas, who scaled 116-pounds on Friday, scored a first-round stoppage over Jazmin Contreras in just over a minute into her debut. 

In a light heavyweight rematch, Mario Hernandez (1-1-1) of Sparks, Nevada will aim to make it two-for-two against Marco Ortiz (1-2, 1 KO) of Red Bluff, California in a four-rounder.

In August of last year, Hernandez scored a four-round unanimous decision over Ortiz in an exciting fight in Sacramento. Ortiz has fought only one other opponent in his three pro fights thus far, but hopes a trend will continue on Saturday. Ortiz was last seen avenging his other defeat by way of knockout over Matthew Monroe in April. 

Hernandez, who made 175-pounds on Friday, is coming off of a four-round unanimous draw with undefeated Jaime Cerna last November. Ortiz, the shorter man again, made 173 ½-pounds. 

All-action lightweight Christian Avalos (2-1-2) of Carson City, Nevada returns to Northern California to take on rugged Luciano Ramos (2-5) of Stockton, California by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a four-round light welterweight bout.

Avalos moved up to the six-round distance in his last fight, getting the nod over Pedro Angel Cruz in an entertaining back-and-forth slugfest by unanimous decision in Oroville, California this past April. Avalos scaled-in at 138-pounds on Friday.

Ramos, also a veteran of 20 MMA bouts, trains out of the Nick Diaz Academy in Stockton. Ramos and Avalos have one common opponent, Mark Salgado. Ramos defeated Salgado by split decision in January 2022. Avalos fought Salgado twice and both memorable bouts ended in draws in May and August of 2023. Ramos made 139-pounds on Friday.

Jamaar Collins (1-0, 1 KO) of Merced, California will take on Cashton Young (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Encino, in a four-round heavyweight bout. Collins turned professional with a quick first-round kayo of Herman Hodnett in Sacramento in August. Young has fought once since 2018, a four-round decision win in January of 2003 that was later changed to a no contest. The solid Collins came in at 220-pounds, while Young was ten pounds heavier at 230.

Quick Weigh-in Results: 

Welterweights, 8 Rounds

Briceño 146

Sanchez 146.3

Cruiserweights, 6 Rounds

McKernan 200 

Nunez 204

Featherweights, 6 Rounds

Espinoza 128

Olguin 126

Middleweights, 6 Rounds 

Guerrero 160

Rodriguez 160.3 

Welterweights, 6 Rounds

Torres 147

Davis 145

Middleweights, 4 Rounds

Abdusamadov 158

Buchanan 159

Bantamweights, 4 Rounds

Guerrero 118

Cardenas Hernandez 116 

Light heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Hernandez 175

Ortiz 173 1/2

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Avalos 138

Ramos 139

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds

Collins 220

Young 230

Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com