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Arizona Boxing News & Notes with Don Smith: Garcia vs. Rios 2/17, TR PC &Weigh In, Date Set By Don Smith PhilBoxing.com Tue, 30 Jan 2018  Boxing Fans, One of our column readers approached me recently and asked why Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions in association with DSG promotions isn?t aggressively pushing the Garcia vs. Rios fight at the Mandalay bay Center on 2/17. Also in the mix is Premier Boxing Champions listed as the presenter of the show. After all, they write the checks and deposit the cash. I talked to a staff member at the Mandalay Bay Center and he believes a walk up crowd on the day of the event will buy the remaining tickets. I asked him how many were left as of 1/30, and he said lots. Since, I am just a mime in a Rock N Roll band; I don?t get into the strategy of presenting, promoting or producing a boxing show. My job is covering them and if given a credential, I will be there with pen, paper, recorder, open eyes and ears. All that executive stuff is beyond my pay grade. Despite questions about the marketing; the card has some star power. Former super lightweight welterweight champion Danny ?Swift? Garcia (33-1-19 knockouts) is the entre name on the boxing menu and Brandon Rios (34-3-1-25 knockouts) is his ring foe and obstacle to Garcia getting another shot at a world title. Rios wouldn?t mind another title either. Garcia hasn?t fought since his loss to Keith Thurman last year and the two division world champion took time off to rest his body according to the fighter. Former WBA champion Rios fought and lost to Timothy Bradley in 2015 and returned to the ring last year to defeat Aaron Herrera. Garcia vs. Rios should be a war of attrition. In the co-main event, 21 year old WBC Super Middleweight Champion David Benavidez (19-0) from Arizona squares off in a rematch with Romanian Ronald Gavril (18-2) after Benavidez won a split decision over Gavril last year at the Hard Rock Caf? in Las Vegas. Boxing scribes predict another close contest while the champion predicts a knockout win to retain his title. The undercard isn?t filled yet; but welterweight Ray Robinson (24-2) has a tough foe in fellow welterweight Yordinis Ugas (22-3) while Super Flyweight AVA Knight and Lightweight Andres Cortes await their opponents. Tickets are on sale at Ticket Master and at the Mandalay Bay Center box-office. The doors open at 3 pm and fans who can?t be there; can watch it on ShowTime at home or a sports pub. Corpus Christi: Top Rank Public Relations Specialist Ceatta Bogataj forwarded the final list of events leading into the title showdown on Saturday 2/3 between WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez (36-0-24 knockouts) and challenger Habib Ahmed (26-0-1-18 knockouts) to our assignment desk. ABNN would like to share the event schedule with our readers who may want to watch some of the pre-event activities on ESPN, the network broadcasting the fight on Saturday 2/3 beginning at 10:15 PT live from Corpus Christi Texas. Some of our readers plan to attend the fight and if Top Rank permits, they may be allowed to watch the workouts or the official weigh-in from a distance. ABNN couldn?t ascertain from Top Rank as to what events would be open to the public and which events other than the fight will be televised by ESPN, sorry! The first media day will be held on Tuesday January 30 at the Neighborhood Center Boxing Club; 2 pm at 3333 Gollihar Road in Corpus Christi. In attendance will be Gilberto Ramirez and IBF World Super Flyweight Champion Jerwin Ancajas (28-1?1-19 knockouts). ABNN will arrive in the Lone Star State (my former state of residence) on Wednesday, 1/31 at 2 pm; obviously too late to catch the champions workout on Tuesday. On Wednesday 1/31 (hopefully) I will arrive in time to catch part of the second media workout activity at 2 pm at the Neighborhood Center Boxing club. Habib Ahmed and Israel Gonzalez (Ancajas Challenger) + boxers on the undercard will be in the club to work out and talk to members of the press. On the following day (Thursday), members of the press are invited to attend a 2 pm final press conference at the Brewster Street Ice House at 1724 N. Tancahua in Corpus Christi; lunch is usually available to the working press and invited guests before the press conference officially starts. On Friday 2/2 is the official weigh-in held at the main entrance of the American Bank Center at 4 pm. Top Rank runs a pretty tight schedule and weigh-ins are no exception. Anyone over their contractual weight will normally be given a short span of time to lose the overage. If a fighter can?t accommodate the request, he or she will be fined or kicked off the card. Saturday is the day of the fight. Fighters and members of the press are given a specific time to pick up their credentials. Designated time for journalist is 5 pm on Saturday at the main entrance door next to the box-office. Doors at the American Bank Center Arena, not the Selena Auditorium, open at 5 PM for ticket holders and 1st bell introduces the opening bout at 6 PM. A bit of trivia for her fans, Selena, the internationally renowned singer was born in Lake Jackson Texas and her tragic death in Corpus Christi (1995) motivated the city to name an auditorium in her name to commemorate the life of the popular singer; thought you would like to know. Two title fights on a card is an automatic fan draw but the TR show in Corpus Christi has more intrigue. Super middleweight contender Jesse Hart (22-1-18 knockouts) battles tough Thomas Awimbono (25-7-1) in a 10 round bout. Exciting New York lightweight Teofimo Lopez (7-0-6) meets John Delperdang (10-4) in a scheduled 8 round bout. Jose Benavidez Jr (25-0-16 knockouts) makes his ring return against Matthew Strode (25-6) in an 8 round welterweight test. We wish him good the best! It has been nearly 20 months since the boxer with the well tattooed left arm donned a pair of boxing gloves and fought for a paycheck. The world and Top Rank will be watching the former boxing prot?g??s every move very carefully. In an 8 round battle of super middleweights, Rohan Murdock (21-1-15 knockouts) goes to war with veteran Frankie Filippone (24-6-1). Prospect Gabriel Flores (5-0-1) is set for a 6 round encounter with fellow junior lightweight Alex Solorio (4-2) and Junior middleweight David Kaminsky (debut) hopes to notch his 1st win against Rafael Munoz (1-2-1) in a 4 round bout. It is a strong card and ticket sales, according to a venue spokesperson, are on a pace to sellout. ABNN will file a report on the event when we return from Texas. News & Notes: Iron Boy Publicist Emily Pandelakis is working on Arizona State Senator Catherine Miranda?s campaign run to help her defeat incumbent US Congressman Ruben Gallegos (D-District 7) in the upcoming August 28 Democratic Primary. According to the 37 year old congressman, he boxed as a youth and the 53 year old State Senator is frequently seen at Iron Boy MMA and boxing shows. Boxing may be the only thing they have in common. I sent an email to Iron Boy CEO Roberto Vargas asking if he was endorsing the State Senator but so far, he has failed to reply. I expect Emily and Catherine will be at the upcoming Iron Boy 43 boxing event at the Celebrity Theatre on 2/24 in Phoenix. Ms. Pandelakis was to marry her boyfriend during the intermission of the event; but, the future bride decided to wait until a later date. The campaign has already become a fierce and terse battle of words between the two elected officials and there is no indication that the verbal missiles won?t continue to be launched at each other. The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to the general election vote on November 6, 2018. The winner of the Democratic primary is favored to win the Congressional seat. Iron Boy 43 Info: The featured main event on the 2/24 Iron Boy 43 card offers a title contest between Arizona?s top super bantamweights Alexis Santiago (25-5-1) & Carlos Castro (19-0). At stake is the vacant USNBC WBC super-bantamweight title. Two top tier Arizona fighters, Adrian Servin (5-0-1-2 knockouts) and Abel Ramos (18-2-2-13 knockouts) are expected to fight on the card; but, matchmaker Mike Sanchez is still in the hunt for their respective adversaries. In addition, Veteran Arizona middleweight Andrew ?Hurricane? Hernandez (19-8-1-9 knockouts) will fight James McGirt Jr (26-3-1-13 knockouts) after 3 consecutive losses. Journeyman Promotions is bringing 3 fighters to the dance: James McGirt, Abel Ramos and Edward Ceballos. Iron Boy 43 tickets are on sale and prices range from $25.00-$55.00 with an additional service charge on each ticket. ABNN will update the card in our next column. Another Arizona favorite, Francisco C de Vaca fights on the Celebrity Theatre card. It is a very good lineup after some recent show failed to measure up to previous Iron Boy standards. I am been unable to confirm whether or not the show will be televised by BeIN sports or any other broadcast entity. I was told by a reliable source that Iron Boy will not pander anymore to boxers who refuse to take on challenging fights. In the past, local professionals waited for a free lunch; hopefully those days are over! The event venue is located on 32nd street in Phoenix South of Van Buren. Ticket prices range from $25.00-$55.00 plus a service charge...see you there on 2/24. Date Set: The anticipated date for a rematch between Golovkin & Alvarez has been confirmed for May 5. The city and venue is still to be announced. Their initial battle at ?Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last year ended in a controversial draw. The majority of our readers with comments felt GGG won the contest; however, Alvarez fans disagreed and the Cinco de Mayo weekend scheduled event should excite followers of both fighters. We can assume that HBO will carry the PPV event for an estimated $100.00; cheaper than going to Vegas. I thought GGG won the first encounter; but, the younger Canelo might be inspired by the fact that he went the distance with the warrior from Kazakhstan who will celebrate his 36th birthday before the two meet in May; Saul Alvarez is 27. The older champion may be wise to try for a knockout in the early rounds against the younger Mexican boxer who came on strong after being pushed around in the earlier rounds of their PPV event. Despite the great expense to watch the fight in person or on a screen at home or at a restaurant or bar, fans will find a way to watch it. Remember the old axiom, build it and they will come. There is no doubt, the rematch will be do well at the venue turnstile and cable providers will reap huge PPV dollars. I will watch it even though, I think a Spence vs. Crawford confrontation would be a more exciting ring squabble; unfortunately we know of no plans to match the pair. More News: Pereida Boxing Club coach Jose Pereida is planning on taking 3 of his prime fighters: 87 lb. Taul Felix, 130 lb. Hugo Ruiz and 140 lb. Fabian Rojo to Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete in the Western Regionals .... Pete Quezada, Tucson Southwest Boxing, will host a smoker on Saturday 2/3 at the TSB venue (El Casino Ballroom) located at 437 E 26th Street in Tucson, Arizona 85713. Pete told ABNN the show expects to present 15-20 bouts with the first contest set for 1 pm; dial 520-271-4322 for more information.....Joshua Benjamin sent a reminder for fans to circle 11/09-10-11/18 on their calendar, dates scheduled for the 43rd Annual Gene Lewis Invitational at the Gene Lewis Boxing Club, 59 E Broadway Road in Mesa. Dial Joshua at 480-834-1216 for more details....Phoenix Middleweight Andrew Hernandez has been sparring with former middleweight contender Derek Edwards (27-7-1-14 knockouts) at Central Boxing in Phoenix. Edwards shocked the boxing world a few years back by knocking out Badu Jack who has since become a world light heavyweight champion. At 38, Edwards aka the ?Black Lion? has become a stepping stone for young prospects like Avni Yildirim (17-1); whom he fights in March... good luck, Derek! Phoenix bantamweight Alexis Zazueta (9-0) hasn?t fought in almost 2 years; but, he might catch a fight on the upcoming Iron Boy 44 card at the Celebrity Theatre; he is only 22, works a regular job, trains and takes care of his father. To our reader who wanted to know whatever happened to Phoenix featherweight Edgar Brito? Our sources tell us, he gave up boxing after taking a beating from Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson in Las Vegas. I believe he took the ill-advised bout to help his father when his Dad needed immediate scratch to take care of legal problems. Judah at Grey Eagle Resort & Casino: Michael Short, co-promoter of the Calgary, Alberta based boxing promotional company returned my call on Monday evening, 1/29. I wanted to know how his Saturday show on 1/27 at Grey Eagle Resort (owned and operated by the Tsuut?ina Nation) was received and he was pleased but promised an even better event when Dekada Promotions returned to the Resort for the second of six shows agreed upon by Grey Eagle and Dekada Promotions. In my opinion, Short and his partner (Dennis Hermann) scored a coup when they lured former world champion Zab ?Super? Judah (45-9-30 knockouts) to Calgary for a fight with tough journeyman Noel Rincon (21-14-12 knockouts) whom he defeated (UD verdict) in workman like fashion. I was in Chicago during the fight, so I rely on published and personal accounts of the event. Mr. Short told me the venue was filled to an estimated 80-85% capacity and according to 3 published reports, fans were pleased the majority of the bouts. Judah, according to two accounts, displayed a quick jab and surprising power from a 40 year old pugilist who has been mostly inactive in the past 4 years. Dekada Promotions may ask him to headline their next show at Grey Eagle on April 7. Dekada has a deal for 5 more shows this year at the popular resort and casino. In the Co-Main Event, veteran middleweight Albert ?the Punisher? Onolunose proved to be too skilled for Mexican boxer Victor Manuel Palacios whose record fell to 15-16-8 knockouts. Onolunose (22-1-7 knockouts) has a tentative agreement to meet fellow Canadian Janks Trotter (10-4-2-10 knockouts) in a rematch to avenge the controversial draw verdict rendered last year in Calgary. Trotter thought he won and Onolunose kept his opinion to himself. I covered the fight and scored it a split decision in favor Trotter who was more aggressive than his counterpart. Dekada Promotions has invited me to return to Calgary when the two bitter rivals meet again and I plan to be there at ringside. In other action, Calgarian welterweight Prospect Devon Reti upped his record to 9-0-4 knockouts with memorable knockout victory over Mexico?s Isidro Toala whose boxing resume now reads 10 victory with 7 losses with 3 knockouts. Alvin Tam got back on the winning track with a 4th round knockout victory over Mexico?s Arturo Lujano (9-12-4 knockouts). In two earlier fights, Light heavyweight Justin Schmit got in the win column with a unanimous victory over Zach Manywounds (2-1-1 knockout) a member of the Tsuut?ina Nation. In the first bout of the evening, super lightweight Gwyn Lewis (2-0- 2 knockouts) punished Mexico?s Cristobal Diego (3-1) until referee Andy Social stopped the bout in the 4th and final round. In summation, Dekada Promotions is taking the appropriate steps to present boxing in a positive light and if Dennis and Michael keep traveling on a principled path, Dekada will serve Calgary boxing fans for a long time. Check their website for details on their next show, April 7 at the Grey Eagle Resort & Casino near Calgary, Alberta....Until Next Time! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Don Smith.  |
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