By Mario Ortega Jr. (Ringside)

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Middleweight prospect Amari Jones moved into the main event spotlight in commanding fashion before his hometown supporters with a third-round stoppage of veteran journeyman Daniel Echeverria to conclude a nine-bout card at the Oakland Marriott City Center on Saturday night.  

From the opening bell, it was fairly clear Echeverria (21-13, 18 KOs) of Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico would be fighting up an insurmountable hill for as long as the bout lasted. Jones (13-0, 12 KOs) of Oakland, fighting for the second time in four months, may have held back on the gas in the opening rounds to ensure his friends and family had enough time to take some photos and enjoy themselves before he sent them to the exits with a smile. 

The Oakland-born Jones, 160, took his main event position seriously, adding to the spectacle of the night as he was led to the ring with a walkout performance by Vallejo hip hop artist DaBoii, before zeroing-in on his opponent Echeverria, 161.5. 

After feeling out his southpaw opponent for the first half of round one, Jones opted to join Echeverria in the unorthodox stance and landed a left that had the Mexican fighter looking to clinch late in the round. Jones then switched back to orthodox to finish the first, landing with a clean overhand right to conclude the first three minutes. 

With Jones back in the orthodox stance to begin round two, Echeverria got his courage up and had a brief moment of aggression, leading in with a left. Jones saw the opening and landed a left to the body that dropped the southpaw to the seat of his pants. Echeverria rose quickly, appealing to referee Dan Stell that it was their leg entanglement that caused him to lose his footing. Despite the protest, Stell continued his mandatory eight count before action resumed. 

Early in the third, Echeverria went down to his knee on his own volition, before returning upright to take some unprotected head shots. The combination of unsteady legs and lack of defense appeared to bring the referee into the nearby, looking-for-a-reason to stop the fight position. When Jones obliged by landing a chopping left to down Echeverria to all fours, referee Stell immediately waved off the bout, despite further protest from the overmatched journeyman. Official time was 1:39 of the third. 

With the victory, Jones, who looked untouched after the bout, maintains his position on the upcoming “Thunder Showdown” card set for September 21st at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. With the strong turnout on Saturday, hope for an Oakland return looks probable in the near future. Saturday’s event, promoted by Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and Upper Cut Promotions, marked the first pro boxing event held in Oakland since 2018. 

In the last appetizer before the main event, “Sugar” Suray Mahmutovic (7-1-1, 6 KOs) of Daly City, California worked off the rust of a fifteen month layoff, scoring a six-round unanimous decision over a tentative Anthony Hollaway (7-7-3, 6 KOs) of Peoria, Illinois. 

In what had the potential to be an entertaining and competitive match on paper, neither Mahmutovic, 177.1, nor Hollaway, 178, looked eager to make the fight. After three rounds, Mahmutovic picked up the pace a bit in round four, finding Hollaway with more regularity with clean punches. Despite their knockout-heavy records, neither fighter looked eager to add a seventh stoppage to their six career kayo tally.  

After six completed rounds, judge Rey Danseco scored the bout a shutout for Mahmutovic, 60-54, while judges Kermit Bayliss and Brian Tsukamoto both had it 59-55. 

In perhaps a tougher assignment than expected, super featherweight prospect Gabriel Garcia (11-0, 6 KOs) of Antioch, California moved past a game road warrior in Giovanni Gutierrez (11-10-1, 6 KOs of Tipitapa, Managua, Nicaragua by six-round unanimous decision. 

The bout would end up including point deductions from both fighters, after many more warnings to each for various infractions, including low blows and hitting behind the head. Despite his opponent’s less than stellar physique, Garcia, 129.1, did not opt for a concentrated body attack that may have slowed the well-traveled Gutierrez, 129. 

Prior to the point deductions, Garcia landed a short right in close at the ten second warning of round four that dropped Gutierrez, who debated with referee Dan Stell that an entanglement caused him to lose his footing and not a punch. After the bell, Gutierrez, who was in a full sprint, swung wildly and missed with what would have been a blatant late punch, but served as a precursor to the later deductions. 

After the rough-and-tumble bout, all three judges scored the contest for Garcia, despite not agreeing on the scoring itself. Judge Rey Danseco had it 56-53, judge Brian Tsukamoto scored it 57-54 and Kermit Bayliss turned in what was a shutout after one point deduction, 59-52. 

Stanford University student Dante Kirkman (2-0) of Palo Alto, California pressed journeyman Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-4) of Fresno by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico over four-rounds en route to a one-sided unanimous decision victory.

Kirkman, 153, was clearly the more technically sound and athletically gifted fighter, but Soto-Garcia, 152.5, knew how to tie up when he found himself in any trouble. Down the stretch, Kirkman went into full headhunter mode, when some well-placed body work may have made his night easier.  

In the end, all three judges were in agreement on the shutout victory for Kirkman as Brian Tsukamoto, Rey Danseco and Kermit Bayliss all had it 40-36. 

In his professional debut, Marcos Antonio Perez (1-0) of Brentwood, California battled his way to a four-round unanimous decision over Ebert Diaz (1-2-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California in a thrilling back-and-forth affair.

Perez, 144, and Diaz, 143.5, opted to stay in the pocket and trade, much to the delight of the crowd on hand. Despite landing maybe the most telling blow in the bout, a right that rocked Perez early in the third, Diaz was shutout on the card of Brian Tsukamoto, while judges Kermit Bayliss and Rey Danseco both had it 39-37, all for Perez.

Alton Wiggins (1-1) of Modesto, California scored a workmanlike four-round majority decision over late replacement opponent Henry Rivera (2-8, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Wiggins, 158.2, and the Oakland-born Rivera, 158.2, traded on fairly even terms over the course of the four rounds, but judges Brian Tsukamoto and Rey Danseco both had it a shutout, 40-36 for Wiggins. Judge Kermit Bayliss was the lone dissenting scorer, scoring the bout even 38-38.

Making his long-awaited debut, former amateur standout Kyle Lacanlale (1-0, 1 KO) of San Ramon, California steamrolled Michael Hernandez (0-4) of Banning, California on his way to a first-round stoppage.

Lacanlale, 126.5, quickly hurt Hernandez, 122.5, with one of the first combinations he threw. When Lacanlale eventually dropped Hernandez near the blue corner, referee Kru Michael Rinaldi began a count, before eventually waving off the bout at 1:00 of round one.

In his professional debut, Braulio Ceja Navarro (1-0, 1 KO) of Concord, California forced his will on a game Jaycee King (0-2) of Sacramento, California en route scoring a third-round stoppage.

Ceja Navarro, 132, landed a short right hand late in round one that dropped King, 132, near a neutral corner. Ceja Navarro rocked King again with a combination before the bell sounded to end the first. Ceja Navarro continued the pressure and rocked King again midway through the second round.

By the start of the third, referee Dan Stell was taking a closer look. When Ceja Navarro uncorked a combination early in the round, referee Dan Stell had seen enough. King was stopped standing at :32 of round three. 

In the opening bout, Tony Hirsch Jr. (4-0-2, 3 KOs) of Oakland earned a hard-fought four-round unanimous decision over a determined David Reyes Jr. (3-2-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California.

Hirsch, 138.5, was successful controlling the distance and catching the onrushing Reyes, 138.5, on the way inside. Every round featured two-way action, but Hirsch was more adept defensively on the inside.

Judges Brian Tsukamoto, Kermit Bayliss and Rey Danseco all scored the bout 39-37 for Hirsch, who made good in his hometown debut. 

Upper Cut Promotions, co-promoter of Saturday’s event along with Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions, hosts their next event on Saturday, September 21st at the Venue at Thunder Valley, a brand new event space at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. Tickets for the event are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected] 

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – Once one of the greatest sporting towns in all of the country, in just over a month’s time, “The Town” will no longer field a team in any of the three major sports leagues. All three Oakland franchises, world champions many times over, have left a void on the green pages of the local newspaper and in the hearts of many local sports fans. Once upon a time, professional boxing served as perhaps the fourth major sport in town. This Saturday night at the Oakland Marriott City Center, well-regarded middleweight prospect Amari Jones, Oakland-born, aims to take his first steps in rebranding his hometown as a fight town when he takes on veteran Daniel Echeverria in the eight-round main event of “Showdown in the Town.” 

As late as the 1960’s, monthly pro boxing events were held in either the Oakland Coliseum or Oakland Auditorium. When Andre Ward made his Oakland debut as a professional by claiming his first world championship over Mikkel Kessler in November 2009, it began a nine-year run of big time fights in town, making the former Olympic gold medalist essentially the fourth major sporting franchise across the bridge from San Francisco. Since Ward’s last hometown card in 2016, just one event has been held in Oakland, taking place in 2018.

Should Saturday’s event be a success, promoters will surely look to bring the sweet science back to prominence in the region. Much of that, however, will hinge on Jones; how he draws and how he performs. Thus far, Jones has performed at every turn, garnering praise from many fight prognosticators both locally and nationally. 

Jones (12-0, 11 KOs) was last seen making his New York debut in April, stopping previously once-beaten Armel Mbumba-Yassa in the sixth-round while winning every round on the cards to that point in the fight. Last December, Jones, who trains out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in Pittsburg, made his Bay Area debut with a dominant fifth-round kayo of rugged Quilisto Madera at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Jones was the first to the scale on Friday afternoon, scaling 160-pounds even.

Attempting to spoil the homecoming party will be veteran Daniel Echeverria (21-12, 18 KOs) of Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. “Tocado” has been fighting professionally since 2012, debuting as a junior welterweight before gradually moving up the scale over the following twelve years. Notable names on his resume include Jorge Paez Jr., Carlos Ocampo and Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Echevarria came up short in those step-up bouts. The Mexican native also came up short when it came to making the contracted 161-pounds on Friday. After scaling one-half-of-a-pound over, Echeverria made a brief attempt at dropping the extra weight, but soon opted for the fine instead. 

In the co-main event, Gabriel Garcia (10-0, 6 KOs) of Antioch, California will take on Giovanni Gutierrez (11-9-1, 6 KOs of Tipitapa, Managua, Nicaragua in a six-round super featherweight bout. Garcia, a Lion’s Den gym mate of Jones, made the move to fighting in the United States last year, after beginning his pro run in Mexico, with two six-round decisions in California and Nevada respectively. Gutierrez has struggled since making his move to campaigning in the United States, while also being matched against undefeated fighters in six of his last seven contests. Garcia scaled 129.1-pounds, while Gutierrez made 129-even. 

In an intriguing six-round light heavyweight bout, “Sugar” Suray Mahmutovic (6-1-1, 6 KOs) of Daly City, California returns to the ring after a year away to take on veteran puncher Anthony Hollaway (7-6-3, 6 KOs) of Peoria, Illinois. Mahmutovic is looking to rebound from his only defeat, a hard-fought majority decision loss to then-unbeaten prospect Sonny McEwen in May of last year. McEwen is a then-unbeaten prospect because he ran into Hollaway this past March. In a rematch of a January 2023 bout in which Hollaway dropped McEwen, but settled for a six-round unanimous defeat, the Peoria fighter stopped McEwen in under two rounds. Mahmutovic weighed in at 177.1-pounds, while Hollaway made 178-even. 

In a four-round junior welterweight bout that may rival the Mahmutovic-Hollaway clash for fight of the night honors when the night is over, Tony Hirsch Jr. (3-0-2, 3 KOs) of Oakland will take on rugged David Reyes Jr. (3-1-1, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California. Hirsch, son of longtime middleweight spoiler Tony Hirsch, will be fighting at home for the first time as a professional. Reyes, a tough choice opponent for a hometown debut, has gone unbeaten since a close defeat to Pedro Angel Cruz in his first pro fight in May of last year. Hirsch and Reyes weighed-in identically at 138.5-pounds.  

Making his highly anticipated professional debut, Concord, California’s Braulio Ceja Navarro will meet Jaycee King (0-1) of Sacramento, California in a four-round lightweight bout. The 19-year-old Navarro, fighting out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym, weighed-in at 132-pounds. King, who just turned professional on August 1st, dropping a decision to Dorrel Fore Jr., also made 132-pounds on the nose. 

In another long awaited pro debut, Kyle Lacanlale of San Ramon, California will take on Michael Hernandez (0-3) of Banning, California in a four-round featherweight bout. Lacanlale, who now has former world middleweight champion James Page joining his father Lyndon Lacanlale in training him, made 126.5-pounds. Hernandez, yet to see the final bell as a pro, scaled 122.5-pounds. 

Alton Wiggins (0-1) of Modesto, California will take on replacement opponent Henry Rivera (2-7, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a four-round middleweight bout. Wiggins, born town over in Berkeley, and the Oakland-born Rivera, both scaled 158.2-pounds on Friday afternoon. 

Making his much looked-forward-to professional debut, tattoo artist and former California Golden Gloves champion Marcos Antonio Perez of Brentwood, California takes on tough assignment Ebert Diaz (1-1-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California in what should be an entertaining four-round welterweight fight. The Oakland-born Perez, also known as “Smokey P,” weighed-in at 144-pounds. Diaz, a frequent sparring partner of lightweight prospect Manuel Jaimes, made 143.5-pounds. 

Stanford University student and undefeated boxer Dante Kirkman (1-0) of Palo Alto, California takes on unorthodox Miguel Soto-Garcia (1-3) of Fresno by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a four-round light middleweight bout. Kirkman, a decorated former amateur trained by the well-respected Eddie Croft, came in at 153-pounds. Soto-Garcia, up ten pounds from his last bout just 28 days ago, scaled 152.5-pounds on Friday. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Middleweights, 8 Rounds

Jones 160

Echeverria 161.5*

Super featherweights, 6 Rounds

Garcia 129.1

Gutierrez 129

Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds

Mahmutovic 177.1

Hollaway 178

Light welterweights, 4 Rounds

Hirsch Jr. 138.5

Reyes Jr. 138.5

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Ceja Navarro 132

King 132

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Lacanlale 126.5

Hernandez 122.5

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Wiggins 158.2

Rivera 158.2

Welterweights, 4 Rounds

Perez 144

Diaz 143.5

Light middleweights, 4 Rounds

Kirkman 153

Soto-Garcia 152.5

*Echeverria .5 pounds over contracted weight. After brief attempt at shedding excess, opted for a fine instead. 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Lion’s Den Boxing Promotions and Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com or at the door on Saturday night. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]