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.

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 

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. 

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

Good things come to those who wait, or so they say. Aspiring super bantamweight Kyle Lacanlale is hoping to prove that saying true when he finally steps into the squared circle for the first time as a professional next Saturday, August 31st, in a scheduled four-rounder at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California. The bout, with an opponent agreed to, but not yet signed as of press time, will serve as one of the special attractions in support of Amari Jones’ hometown debut against Daniel Echevarria. For Lacanlale, it is an event roughly fourteen-years in the making.

Lacanlale, born in San Mateo, California and residing in nearby San Ramon, first found the sport of boxing at the young age of six-years-old. Like many boys his age, Lacanlale was inexhaustible, which led his parents to steer their young son towards athletics. 

“Originally I played basketball when I was little and I was just a super energetic kid,” explains Lacanlale. “There was a boxing gym down from where I lived, so they wanted me to go and burn that extra energy. I was excelling by the time I was eight, so they wanted me to start competing. I had my first fight a month after I turned eight-years-old and I fell in love with the sport. Since then I have been competing and growing at every level.” 

Lacanlale found boxing at a time when the most popular fighter in the world was a fellow Filipino and the San Francisco Bay Area boasted three incredible representatives at the highest level. Lacanlale became a student of the game at a very young age and took note that men very much like himself were succeeding in the sport he was growing to love. Now that he is turning professional, Lacanlale is ready to carry on the tradition and represent his heritage and region in the example set before. 

“I am Filipino, so I grew up watching Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire. Their exciting styles is something that drew me into the sport. Andre Ward, being local, helped me out a lot in getting into the game as a fighter. He’s dropped a lot of knowledge and still does. So picking things from their styles and adding it into my game, as well as listening to their past experiences, are some things that have really helped me out. Andre Ward, Robert Guerrero, Nonito Donaire, James Page…I grew up on those fighters. Just to have my moment to be able to turn pro and to represent the Bay Area and my culture, it is special to me.” 

Lacanlale, much like Guerrero, Donaire and Ward before him, excelled as an amateur during a long career that he began at a very young age. 

“I won a national title early on when I was really young,” explains Lacanlale. “Then I took a break and once I came back in, I became ranked in the 119-pound division and beat multiple national champions in national tournaments. I think I established myself as one of the top fighters in those divisions.” 

In June of last year, Lacanlale made a second consecutive appearance at the U.S. National Championships in Lubbock, Texas. After scoring a decision win in his first bout, Lacanlale came up short via three-round split decision in the next round two days later. With success in national tournaments, Lacanlale had designs on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team, but a training injury scuttled those plans. Soon after, Kyle and his father Lyndon made the decision to shift focus to the paid ranks, first eyeing a potential November 2023 debut. 

“Since last November, we have been trying to get a fight,” explains Lacanlale. “We’ve tried everything, from going to L.A., to going up north, and some things just haven’t worked out. Some fights fell through and some opponents pulled out.I just stay in the gym and stay focused and it just has given me more time to stay sharp. It has just been like one, long camp. I have been having fun, continuing to get sharper.” 

Since the last couple years of his amateur run, Lacanlale has fought out of Benjamin’s Boxing, owned and operated by Ali Benjamin, in his hometown of San Ramon. Over the last few months, Lacanlale has spent time working with former world middleweight champion James Page, who has taken to training out of the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in nearby Pittsburg, California. 

“[James Page’s] experience from when he was a fighter, he definitely uses that and pushes me,” says Lacanlale. “His work ethic is there and he’s telling me the things he wishes he could have done. So now I am just implementing that and it has worked out well so far. My pops has been training me out of Ali’s gym here in San Ramon and the last three or four months we have been working with James Page. He has been working with my dad and correcting the things we need to correct and I have been making those adjustments. We have seen that my game has been elevating and going where it needs to go.” 

Despite not learning who he would be fighting until about two weeks before the fight, Lacanlale feels well-prepared for whatever style opposes him in his debut. Experience is earned and not learned and luckily for Lacanlale he has many years’ worth of amateur tournament match-ups to draw from. 

“I feel like I have a lot of experience, having fought in the amateurs for so long, so it won’t be too different than being in an amateur tournament, when you don’t know who could be coming up next,” compares Lacanlale. “So I feel like I can make those adjustments pretty quickly. I have been sparing a lot of different looks, so I am prepared for whatever is going to come. I am really training hard so my work is going to show. I have been ready for this since last November. It is just time to go.” 

The chief benefit of Lacanlale’s somewhat delayed debut could be that now all of his Bay Area fans, friends and family will be able to attend and witness his big night in person. With the Oakland Marriott City Center a short 30 minute drive through Crown Canyon Road onto Interstate-880 from Benjamin’s Boxing in San Ramon, expect to hear a raucous cheering section in support of the budding Fil-Am star. 

“We were getting ready to fight in LA and other places and my family was getting ready to fly out and rent out hotels to be able to see my fight,” recalls Lacanlale. “So to have this fight here in Oakland, near home, it is going to be packed-out. My family is so supportive, since I was eight-years-old, so you can expect there to be a lot of people there on August 31st. They can expect to see me show out. I am ready to put on a show for all of them because they have been supporting me for so long. I am ready to make a statement in my professional debut as the start to a long career.” 

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

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