Mike Alvarado
Fight Night at the Castle will be held Saturday afternoon, 4pm at the Radisson Greystone Castle at 120th& I-25. The main-event will feature Frank Acosta’s prospect Alfonso Gomez, who is advised by Shelly Finkel. He will be taking on late sub Julio Lanzas from Colorado Springs after his original opponent Bernardo Guereca pulled out of the bout. Gomez comes from the camp of Francisco Bojado in Southern California. He has two early losses in his career. One to Jesse Feliciano, 8-1 at the time now 12-1 and the other to undefeated prospect Ishe Smith, who is about to go from prospect to contender. He has been matched fairly tough with only one opponent having a losing record. Lanzas is a ‘banger who brings it’ so it should be a great fight.
The undercard is filled with top local talent. The co-main will have Kenny ‘The Sagrado Warrior’ Lemos facing Colorado veteran Louis Monaco. Lemos won a decision over Monaco his last time out but didn’t feel he made the statement he wanted to. He will be looking for the knock-out this time around. Monaco has been in with many of the best heavyweights out there including Fres Oquendo and Vitaly Klitchko. Monaco is very tough and should again prove to be a rugged opponent.
Hector ‘The Chin Checka’ Saez will look to get back on track against Jason Chacon who is coming down from welterweight to fight at feather weight. Saez’ last fight saw his first defeat in 4 pro bouts come against Ulises Pena. Saez got a late start and was unable to overcome it in the four round affair. Afterward coach Shann ‘Mr. V-How’ Villhauer commented, ‘had it been a 6 rounder as originally scheduled, Hector would have stopped him, no doubt.’ Saez’ says he will ‘look better than I ever have’. The loss has forced him to refocus on the boxing basics and he will be looking to impress. Chacon stunned Tony Morales in his pro-debut, upsetting the talented local prospect, and will look to do the same to Saez. He should be a very worthy opponent.
Felix Rios has jumped right into the local scene from nowhere to make a splash. He is 2-0 and his ‘let ’em fly’ attitude in the ring is always fun to watch. He will be taking on Andrew Marquez who is 1-0.
Then we have the debuters, Manny Perez and Mike Alvarado. Both men had outstanding amateur careers. Perez was a Golden Gloves champion and a Ringside National Champion in 2001. He has fast hands and real skills. He is a very busy fighter who is exciting to watch. Perez will be taking on Omar Vega.
Mike Alvarado is pure power. He wants to hunt you down into the ropes or a corner and pound you into submission, and he has the skills and power to do just that. He holds an RSC victory over Olympic favorite, Andre Dirrell. His pro style carried him well in the amateurs and it will do wonders in 8 oz. gloves with no head gear. He is definitely one to keep your eye on as you will be hearing his name in the future.
Francisco ‘Panchito’ Bojado will be on hand showing his support and signing autographs as will IBF Contenders JC Candelo and Verno Phillips, who fights Julio ‘The Cuban Lover’ Garcia, on ESPN Friday. So come out for a great card and get a glimpse of the future of boxing here in Colorado.
Manny Perez vs Omar Vega
Official Weights from the Scales
Alfonso Gomez (147.6) vs Julio Lanzas (147.4)
Kenny ‘The Sagrado Warrior’ Lemos (263.6) vs Louis Monaco (198.0)
Hector ‘The Chin Checka’ Saez (133.4) vs Jason Chacon (137.0)
Felix Rios (139.8) vs Andrew Marquez (140.8)
Manny Perez (127.6) vs Omar Vega (124.4)
Mike Alvarado (143.2) vs Istafa Jihad (140.0)
Hector ‘The Chin Checka’ Saez will be fighting Jason Chacon tomorrow and he is definitely looking for the KO! Listen to what else Hector has to say about boxing.
Click Here for Hector Saez’ Video Session
Don’t forget there is an autograph signing tonight from 7-8 pm at Delgado’s Gym, located at 44th and Wadsworth. 2000 Olympian and rising star Francisco ‘Panchito’ Bojado will be on hand to meet fight fans and sign autographs.
Next up is Manny Perez. I’ve known Manny since I first got into USA Boxing and have had the pleasure of seeing his boxing career unfold. This Saturday Manny will be making his professional debut at the Fight Night at the Castle card. Get your preview of this talented young boxer right here on RockyMountainBoxing, then come out and support all the boxers this weekend.
Click Here for Manny Perez’ Video Session
Mike Alvarado will be making his pro debut this Saturday at the Radisson Greystone Castle on 120th. He has the skills, speed and heart to be a champion. See what he has to say about his life and boxing. Definitely a must see RMB Video Session!
Click Here for Mike Alvarado’s Video Session!
Get a glimpse of some of the future of boxing here in Colorado. Ricky Lopez recently qualified for the Olympic Team Trials as the youngest competitor ever. He will undoubtedly be bringing home some titles someday. See him in action and his own words.
Click Here for the Ricky Lopez Video Session!
Click Here for the Post Fight Interview Video Session
Art Medina pulled off the unthinkable. He beat the ‘star of the stable’ in Frankie ‘The Educator’ Sanchez. Both men fight out of Jim ‘Smitty’ Smith’s, Poor Boys Boxing stable and Sanchez is undoubtedly the star, as evidenced by his frequent appearances on TV and his match-ups against top contenders. But that went out the window this afternoon at the Mountain High Casino in Blackhawk, Colorado. Art Medina came in with a chip on his shoulder, something to prove. Tired of being cast in the shadows. You could see it in his eyes. You could tell in the way he fought. He invited Sanchez in on many occasions with his hands over his head, letting Sanchez pound his body. After every good shot he took, he shook his head and waived Sanchez in for more. He even took advantage of Frankie’s patented ‘walk-off’, where he throws a shoe shine flurry and then turns to the side and ‘walks-off’. Medina was ready and when Sanchez looked to ‘walk-off’, and he jumped him. And kept jumping him at every turn of the fight. Sanchez, who is typically a slow starter, came on in the fifth and sixth to finish strong. He used his superior speed and skill to win the rounds in my eyes. Judges Novar Garcia and Woody Kislowski both saw the bout 58-56 for Medina while Steve Waldman had it 58-56 for Sanchez. RockyMountainBoxing scored the bout 58-56 for Sanchez. Many rounds were very close and hard to call, so while the scorecards are not out of line, I strongly disagree with the decision. Until this point Sanchez’ career his losses have come only to top talent. This loss may make Sanchez take a long look at his career and where it may be headed, as he said the post-fight interview. The undercard saw an upset of sorts, as Mercedes Mercury won a unanimous decision over Marsha ‘2-Guns’ Budde. M&M used a good jab and quick feet to frustrate and eventually batter Budde. Budde landed an occasional overhand right but never seemed to catch up to her. M&M timed her coming in with straight lefts and lead uppercuts. She also threw combinations and always finished the exchanges. With the win she may have earned a shot at her nemesis Janae Archulett-Romero. Scorecards read 39-37 x2 and 40-36. RockyMountainBoxing scored it a shut-out at 40-34. Ray Mascarenas won the battle of heavyweights, but not by much. Jose Beltran rocked Mascarenas on a few occasions in the first round and even managed a knock-down, only to be stopped himself in the second. It was a somewhat entertaining bout as they stood toe-2-toe and duked it out but, neither man was in shape and both gave a poor showing of themselves. Halfway through the first both men looked exhausted and it became a marathon, who would last the longest. In kickboxing action Andre ‘The Silencer’ Walker scored and impressive first round knock-out over Richard Symonds of New Mexico. Symonds came out throwing leg kicks while Walker concentrated on his fisticuffs. Walker knocked him down three times, with heavy handed combo’s, before the bout was stopped at the end of the first. Walker will be fighting in the K-1 championships in Las Vegas later this year. Fabian ‘The Freak’ Acuna took on Joe Vigil. In the first Acuna began the feeling out and eventually landed a nice spinning back kick to the mid-section while Vigil looked to box. Early in the second Acuna landed a ‘Freaky’ rear leg kick to the bridge of Joe Vigil’s nose, breaking it and winning the bout by KO. The opening bout was cancelled as James Neelan pulled out, after showing up at the Casino. Wouldn’t have mattered as I felt James Martinez would dominate and stop him anyway, see the weigh-in pictures. Also of note, local prospect Donald “2-Slick-2-Quick” Camarena signed the contract to fight New Mexico bad boy, Tommy Aragon. They will meet at next month’s installment of Melee at the Mountain High Casino on March 21st in what should be a great border state battle. Maybe New Mexico State champ Shawn Gallegos will look to impose his title-hood over the state of Colorado as well in a showdown with Camarena.
Click here for the Photo Gallery
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Richard Symonds vs Andre ‘The Silencer’ Walker
Jim ‘Smitty’ Smith continues his fight series in Blackhawk with his latest installment of Melee at the Mountain High Casino. The card will kick off at 2pm sharp Saturday and features Frankie “The Educator” Sanchez in the main event against Art Medina of Ft. Collins, who is riding a 3 fight winning streak. Sanchez is coming off of a great battle with Arum up-and-comer Dmitry Salita, in which he pushed the prospect to the limit. The co-main will pit two of Colorado’s female fighters against one another as Marsha “2 Guns” Budde will be taking on replacement Mercury Mercedes. Mercedes fills in for Sher Noah who had to pull out of the bout. This actually makes for a better fight than the original as I believe M&M has a real shot at beating Budde. Then in the heavyweight division it will be Ray Mascarenas taking on Jose Beltran of Wyoming. The undercard will feature three K-1 kickboxing bouts. The match-ups should be great as Sven Bean is one of the best kickboxing promoters in Colorado. The first bout will be James Martinez of AKKA Kickboxing in New Mexico versus Jake Hattan of Colorado Team Thunder in Ft. Collins, at 155 lbs. Fabian “The Freak” Acuna of 3-D Martial Arts in Aurora is matched up with James Neelan of SLV Boxing in Alamosa, at 155lbs. And in the heavyweight division Andre “The Silencer” Walker of T’s K.O. Fight Club in Aurora takes on Richard Symmonds of FIT-NHB Fight Team in New Mexico. I have never had much of a taste for kickboxing, but I must say that I really enjoyed Cruz Chacon and Clint Rhodes last month. I am quite looking forward to seeing Walker who is trained by one of the best in the boxing business, Trevor Wittman. Should be a great combo-card. Tickets available right here at RockyMountainBoxing.com
Weigh-Ins
Frankie “The Educator Sanchez (149) vs Art Medina (150)
Marsha “Two Guns” Budde (123) vs Mercedes Mercury (126)
Ray Mascarena (252) vs Jose Beltran (245)
K-1 Kickboxing Bouts
Andre “The Silencer” Walker (211) vs Richard Symonds (202)
James Martinez (150) vs James Neelan (150)
Fabian “The Freak” Acuna (154) vs Joe Vigil (154)
This Mail Bag is dedicated to hating. Believe me there is plenty of it going on here in Colorado boxing scene. This little ‘feud’ has been going on for quite some time between Mike and Frankie. Not sure if it’s always Mike Sr. or Jr. or a bit of both but regardless I think it should be settled and forgotten. I want to commend Frankie for taking the high road and apologizing for what ever transgression, either real or perceived, that the Quintanas feel has been made against them. I would like to personally ask and invite the Quintanas to do the same. I have two tickets for Saturday’s Melee on the Mountain card and they are yours, if you agree to meet and ‘squash the beef.’
This is really just a minor example of some of the bigger problems undermining the progress of the boxing scene here in Colorado. It may start with the fans but it quickly moves up the ranks to the boxers, trainers and promoters.
Username: Frankchez
Subject:
Message:
02/16/04
Dear Mike,
First off I would like to apologize to you, your family, friends or whoever it
is that I upset during my professional boxing career. I do not know what I did
that would cause you to constantly write bad about me on this great web site.
For what reason you are upset with me I am not aware of. If I have offended you
or someone you know please forgive me and accept my sincere apology ,for I am
only human and as you know all humans make mistakes.
Second, I would like to defend myself as a professional boxer. During my
professional career I have face many of the worlds best up and coming fighters.
My record now stands at 13-11-1 7kos. All my losses are to world-class fighters
and I have listed them for you. All current records for fighters I have lost to.
Kelly Pavlik 19-0 17ko,s Ranked 21 in the world
Andreas Pacheco 13-0 9ko’s Ranked 46 in the world Current Colorado State Jr
Middleweight Champion, Current Universal Boxing Council Champion and Current WBC
Fecarbox Jr Middleweight Champion
Joe Brady 13-1-1 6ko’s Ranked 91 in the world Former WBC Fecarbox Champion
Francisco Bojado 15-1 11kos Ranked 16 in the world Current WBC World youth
Champion, Current WBC Continental Americas Lt welterweight Champion, Current IBA
Continental Champion
Kermit Cintron 22-0 20kos Ranked 15 in the world Current WBC world youth
Champion
Noberto Bravo 16-8-1 11kos Ranked 156 in the world
Chris Smith 16 -0-1 10kos Ranked 40 in the world Current NABA Champion
Steven Martinez 44-5-1 27 kos Ranked 78 in the world Former NABF Champion
Armando Velardez 16-3 7kos Ranked 103 in the world Current WBC Fecarbox Champion
David Diaz 23-0 12ko’s Ranked 24 in the world
Dmitry Salita 17-0 11kos Ranked 66 in the world
As you can see I have fought and lost to many great fighters. Many of the
fighters are current champions and ranked very high in the world. Yes, you may
argue that even fighters like Benji Marquez are ranked in the world, but please
take into consideration that there are billions of people in the world and
thousands of pro fighters. Also remember that Benji is still ranked higher than
you. I would also like to address that I have fought all over the country and
been seen by millions on Showtime, Pay per view, Telefutura and been on HBO
under-cards. As you have seen on my personal web site
www.frankiesanchez.com I have been
introduced to many celebrities and many great people due to my boxing career. In
my last fight with Salita we even had a standing ovation from World Champions
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Chris Byrd, also all the HBO people. What a great
feeling. Yes, I do get paid even if I lose a fight. I can guarantee that I maid
more money in the fight with Salita then you!
u do in two months at your full time job. In case you were not aware I am an
educated man outside of the ring. I have a college degree in History/government
and am pursuing my master’s degree in community counseling. I have a great full
time job in education that pays very well and allows me to continue my education
and supply for my family. My promoter Jim Smith is able to continue getting me
great fights with great paydays due to the fact that I am a great fighter and
perform well against world-class fighters. Mike, I would like you to know that I
am happy with my life and boxing career and I am doing greater than ever. I pray
for you and your family and forgive you for all the bad you say about me. And
also I would like to tell all the up and coming fighters in Colorado that as a
pro for every fan you have you will have 10 people who hate you and are jealous
of you for no reason. That is just part of the game, you cant please everyone.
You will have people like Mike talk!
bad about you, but that is ok. I have learned that in the fight game
bad talk is good talk. You get press even if it is bad press, people will know
your name. I would like to thank Mike Quintana Jr. and his family for writing
bad about me and other Colorado fighters, because all press is good press.
God Bless everyone and best wishes.
Frankie “The Educator” Sanchez
Very well said Frankie. Like I said in the opening I want to commend you for showing true character and taking the initiative to settling this conflict. Hopefully the Mikes will come to the fight on Saturday and ‘squash the beef’ they have with you. If some of the other boxers and trainers and promoters would do the same, we could make some real progress. I believe someone should start a Boxing Council of sorts where everyone involved in the boxing business could meet and work together to ‘harmonize’ the boxing scene here in Colorado. It could help to coordinate show dates, (so I don’t have to cover 5 shows in 4 weeks!) air out problems and concerns and catch issues before they become problems. The most important part is that we all need to work together to improve our boxing scene. Most importantly we could work toward solutions to the problems facing the scene here in Colorado.
Click Here for the Counter-Punch Mail Bag
Ricky Lopez lost his bout today with Austreberto Juarez by a score of 20-6. Despite the loss I think Colorado was well represented by Lopez and will be in the coming years as well. Here are the rest of the results.
Thursday’s Results
106 lbs/48 kg: Austreberto Juarez, Ventura, Calif., dec. Rick Lopez,
Lakewood, Colo., 20-6
119 lbs/54 kg: Eric Hunter, Philadelphia, Pa., stopped Miguel Albares, Fort
Carson, Colo., RSC-3
132 lbs/60 kg: Miguel Gonzalez, Cleveland, Ohio, dec. Victor Ortiz, Oxnard,
Calif., 24-15
152 lbs/69 kg: Edward Joseph, Fort Carson, Colo., stopped Rudy Cisneros,
Chicago, Ill./NMU, RSC-1
178 lbs/81 kg: DeAndrey Abron, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Yukence Andino, San
Diego, Calif., 11-9
165 lbs/75 kg: Clarence Joseph, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. James Johnson,
Converse, Texas, 22-13
201 lbs/91 kg: Chazz Witherspoon, Paulsboro, N.J., dec. Charles Leverette,
Fort Carson, Colo., 31-11
Ricky Lopez is back on track at the Olympic Team Trials in Tunica, Mississippi. Lopez lost his first bout in heart-breaking fashion. At the end of the bout the score was tied 14-14 so they then look to see who was busier and Lopez lost 74-65 to Diego Hurtado. All is not lost as this is a double-elimination tourney so Lopez was able to come back and beat #5 ranked Wiley McCanery, one of the favorites at 106lbs, to stay alive in the consolation bracket. The winners of the champion and consolation bracket will advance to the box-offs later this month.
Here are the rest of the results thus far:
Wednesday’s championship bracket results
119 lbs/54 kg: Torrence Daniels, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Eric
Hunter, Philadelphia, Pa., 4-3
132 lbs/60 kg: Anthony Peterson, Washington, D.C., dec. Victor Ortiz,
Oxnard, Calif., 14-8
152 lbs/69 kg: Cory Jones, Brooklyn, N.Y., dec. Edward Joseph, Fort
Carson, Colo., 23-14
165 lbs/75 kg: Andre Dirrell, Flint, Mich., dec. Clarence Joseph,
Fort Carson, Colo., 28-5
Wednesday’s challenger’s bracket results (losers are out)
106 lbs/48 kg: Rick Lopez, Lakewood, Colo., dec. Wiley McCanery, St.
Louis, Mo., 34-18
119 lbs/54 kg: Miguel Albares, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Samson
Guillermo, Waianae, Hawaii, 34-32
141 lbs/64 kg: Lamont Peterson, Washington, D.C., dec. Keith Mason,
Fort Carson, Colo., 36-21
165 lbs/75 kg: James Parison, San Diego, Calif., dec. Julius Fogle,
Fort Carson, Colo., 14-10
178 lbs/81 kg: DeAndrey Abron, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Johnathon
Banks, Detroit, Mich., 21-9
201 lbs/91 kg: Charles Leverette, Fort Carson, stopped Deon Elam,
Reseda, Calif., RSC-2
Tuesday’s results
106 lbs/48 kg: Diego Hurtado, Sparks, Nev., dec. Rick Lopez, Lakewood, Colorado, 14-14 (74-65)
119 lbs/54 kg: Roberto Benitez, New York, N.Y./NMU, dec. Miguel Albares,
Fort Carson, Colo., 13-5
119 lbs/54 kg: Torrence Daniels, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Rashiem
Jefferson, Philadelphia, Pa., 15-13
132 lbs/60 kg: Victor Ortiz, Oxnard, Calif., dec. David Rodela,
Oxnard, Calif., 17-13
152 lbs/69 kg: Edward Joseph, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Boyd Melson,
Columbus, Ohio, 3-0 (paper score)
178 lbs/81 kg: Marcus Johnson, Killeen, Texas, dec. DeAndrey Abron,
Fort Carson, Colo., 16-5
141 lbs/64 kg: Lorenzo Reynolds, Saginaw, Mich., dec. Keith Mason,
Fort Carson, Colo., 15-7
165 lbs/75 kg: Clarence Joseph, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. James
Parison, San Diego, Calif., 30-23
165 lbs/75 kg: Andre Dirrell, Flint, Mich., dec Julius Fogle, Fort
Carson, Colo., 16-10
201 lbs/91 kg: Devin Vargas, Toledo, Ohio, dec. Charles Leverette,
Fort Carson, Colo., 18-12
Ricky Lopez, Colorado’s only ‘home grown’ participant, is in Tunica, Mississippi for the Olympic Team Trials which begin tomorrow. He is matched tough in the first round taking on #10 ranked, Diego Hurtado of Sparks, Nevada, who won his bid by placing second at the Everlast U.S. Men’s Championship’s in Colorado Springs. Lopez fights at 106lbs. Miguel Albares of WCAP will take on Olympic favorite Roberto Benitez at 119lbs. Torrence Daniels has very stiff competition in Rashiem Jefferson also at 119lbs. Victor Ortiz, now of Oxnard, California, thanks in part to Fernando Vargas, is matched up with his stable mate David Rodela, at 132lbs. DeAndrey Abron takes on Marcus Johnson of Killeen, Texas at 178lbs. Keith Mason faces Lorenzo Reynolds of Saginaw, Michigan at 141 lbs. Clarence Joseph draws James Parison of San Diego, California in the first round at 152lbs. Julius Fogle takes on favorite Andre Dirrell of Flint, Michigan at 165lbs. Charles Leverette has his work cut out for him with Devin Vargas of Toledo, Ohio at 201lbs. I predict Vargas will someday become world heavyweight champion. He has a ‘De La Hoya, Golden Boy Glow’ to him and has the skills to go with it. As a side note, with only Rock Allen having a shot at securing a shot at the Olympics I would look for him and his brother Tiger to both turn pro very soon. Their father works Bernard Hopkins corner so I could see his new ‘X-Promotions’ signing it’s first prospects.
By Robert Padilla
New Mexico has plenty of professional boxing action as the season is strong with shows February 21st in Roswell, N.M. at Roswell High School, February 28th Santa Ana Star Casino at Santa Ana, N.M., Las Vegas N.M. March 5th at Highlands University, then March 20th Isleta Casino at Isleta, N.M. This will bring out the best competition for boxing in this state ever as the promoters are all getting the best in the state at their functions. After reviewing some of the talent at these fights, it is nice to see New Mexico Pros in action. All these shows will have plenty of action and may be for the best of the fans as there will be more action than most New Mexico fans have had a chance to see live ever in such a year. Roswell will have three up and coming undefeated boxers. Jeremy De Los Santos 2-0, Jason Bray 5-0 and Jackie Chavez 3-0. Santa Ana Casino will have Lee Montoya 4-0, Hector Munoz 5-0 and Stephanie Jaramillo 3-1-1. Las Vegas, New Mexico will have the best pound for pound in this state and five time World Champion Johnny Tapia 53-3-2, Frankie Archuleta 23-4 and Local fighter Shawn Gallegos 10-1. Isleta Casino will have Lil Ray Sanchez 9-1 and Holly Holms 6-0-1. With all the competition from the State’s Promoters this will also be good for boxing as they are all giving the public the best shows possible and we expect some sellouts across the state for these shows. New Mexico will also have a new crop of fighters doing their pro debut in these shows also. Monica Lovato from Espanola, N.M., Vincent Garcia of Albuquerque, N.M., Steve Brick of Albuquerque, N.M. and Leanna Villareal of New Mexico.
Brian Nichols took 5th at 70lbs in the 10-11 age bracket. Zachary Borunda took 4th at 75lbs in the 12-13 age bracket. Isaac Atencio took 1st at 165lbs in the 12-13 age bracket. Shawn Nichol took 2nd at 106lbs in the 13-14 age bracket. Great job guys, way to represent Colorado!
It is definitely getting ready to rumble here in the Rockies. Beginning February 21st, the fight scene here in Colorado and Denver in particular will really be heating up. True fight fans should be in heaven as there will be five great fight cards in four weeks!
The kick-off card will be the monthly, Melee at The Mountain High Casino
card presented by Jim “Smitty” Smith & Poor Boys Boxing on Saturday,
February 21st. The card is just starting to shape up. The main
event will feature Frankie “The Educator” Sanchez vs Art Medina.
Sanchez is coming off of a loss to Dmitry Salita, in which he took Salita to
Bob Arum’s prospect to the limit. It turned out to be the fight of the
night and they received a standing ovation for the effort. One of the
more interesting bouts announced thus far is the ever-young, Marsha “2-Guns” Budde vs Sher Noah. Budde will be turning the big 5-0 later this year
but you could never tell by looking at her. And in the ring?
She’s been handling women half her age her whole career. This is a
rematch, as Budde ruined Noah’s pro debut with a second round tko back in
November of 2002.
Noah has gained a lot of experience, in the form of “on the job training”, since,
and will be looking to even the score. In the heavyweight division,
Ray Mascarenas will be fighting Jose Beltran of Wyoming. There will
also be three kickboxing bouts. The match-ups should be great as Sven
Bean is one of the best kickboxing promoters in Colorado. The
bouts will use the K-1 rules which include the following: all bouts
will be 4 rounds at 2 minutes each, leg kicks and knees to the head
are legal, they will use 8 oz. boxing gloves and no foot padding. The
first bout will be James Martinez of AKKA Kickboxing in New Mexico versus
Jake Hattan of Colorado Team Thunder in Ft. Collins, at 155 lbs.
Fabian “The Freak” Acuna of 3-D Martial Arts in Aurora is matched up with
James Neelan of SLV Boxing in Alamosa, at 155lbs. And in the
heavyweight division Andre “The Silencer” Walker of T’s K.O. Fight Club in
Aurora takes on Richard Symmonds of FIT-NHB Fight Team in New Mexico.
I have never had much of a taste for kickboxing, but I must say that I
really enjoyed Cruz Chacon and Clint Rhodes last month. I am quite
looking forward to seeing Walker who is trained by one of the best in the
boxing business, Trevor Wittman. Should be a great combo-card.
Tickets available right here at
RockyMountainBoxing.com
The second leg of the marathon will be the very next weekend on the 28th at
The Radisson Graystone Castle on 120th. The “Fight Night at the
Castle” card could be the best one of the bunch. The main event will
feature Alfonso Gomez vs Bernardo Guereca at welterweight (147).
Gomez, is a very respectable 9-2-1, 4ko’s and his two losses have come
to very good competition in the likes of the undefeated prospect, Ishe Smith
and the 15-1 Jessie Feliciano. He is promoted by former Mike Tyson
adviser, Shelly Finkel and also Frank Acosta and fights out of the Francisco
Bojado camp. Bojado will be here to support his stablemate and will be
available for autograph signings. The co-main will have heavyweight Kenny
“The Sagrado Warrior”
Lemos in with the hard hitting Louis Monaco. Lemos is coming off of a
short run of inactivity and will look to stay busy. Lemos should be
fighting on one of the cards in March as well. Possibilities include the
Brother Hood Boxing show at the Grizzly Rose or maybe the Melee card against
Keith Jardine of New Mexico. The under card will be
excellent also. It features the much anticipated pro debuts for two of
Colorado’s best amateurs, Manuel Perez and the hard hitting Mike Alvarado.
Perez and Alvarado were outstanding and very successful amateurs, despite using professional styles.
Perez is a skilled and crafty boxer who uses good movement and excellent
hand speed to pick his opponents apart. Alvarado stalks his
opponents down, into the ropes and corners, and proceeds to break them down with
hard combinations and heavy power shots. Alvarado is pure power,
with real skills and may be just what we need to get boxing in Colorado back on the map.
Hector Saez will be fighting Jason Chacon. Saez had an good run
through the amateurs winning a state and regional title on his way to the
finals of the 2002 National Golden Gloves. Saez’ mix of speed and
skill is truly a pleasure to enjoy, live. Also on the card is Felix Rios, who’s “let
’em fly” attitude and style is always fun to watch. There will also be
music performed live by XTA-C and A-2-Z from St. Louis. This card could be our
opportunity, as true boxing fans, to show a large scale promoter that Denver
can and will support big time boxing. Mark it on your “boxing
calendar.” Or am I the only one who has one of those?
Tickets are available online at DenverFightNews.com.
Airtight Boxing and matchmaker Steve Maestas are up next with a card at the Regency on March 5th, featuring Anthony Mora in the main event. The opponent being discussed is Julian Romero. Mora has had a spell of inactivity, as he fractured his hand in his last bout and is weighing out the timing of surgery. He says he would like to “run my record to 15-0 and then have the surgery.” The card will also feature Corey “The King” Alarcon, Tyler Pogline and Angelo Poe. When all is said and done there should be about eight bouts on this card. The best thing about an Airtight boxing show is Maestas’ matchmaking. He always comes up with very competitive bouts that are very entertaining and worthwhile watch. Airtight Boxing will be back again on April 16th at the Denver Athletic Club. Tickets available by calling Steve at 720-298-1954.
BrotherHood Boxing and C.C. Edwards will be making their Pro-Show debut, at the Grizzly Rose on Monday, March 15th with Terri “Lil’ Loca” Cruz to headline. She will be taking on Carla Wilcox from Seattle, Washington. Cruz is currently ranked in the top five in all of the women’s ranking organizations and will look to continue her climb to a world title. The under card will feature light heavyweight Ayodeji Fedayi in a bout with trial horse, Berry Basler. Local amateurs Corey Williams and Che’ Velarde will each make their pro debuts, against one another. With another bout TBA. Tickets are available by calling Leroy at 720-341-1743.
Then its back up to BlackHawk for Melee on the Mountain, March 20th. The main event of this card will be Donald “2-Slick-2-Quick” Camarena fighting New Mexico tough guy, Tommy Aragon. This should be a great match-up with Aragon’s in your face style of brawling versus Camarena’s hand-speed and counter-punching. If styles make fights, this should be a barn-burner. As mentioned before Kenny Lemos may land this date against Keith Jardine of New Mexico. It is rumored that Alex Trottier and Sean Blaney, ranked 4th and 7th respectively by USA Boxing, will be making their Pro debuts on this card as well. There will also be four fights to this under card, with fighters TBA.
Last year in Colorado there were a total of thirteen pro boxing cards. By the end of March this year, we will already have six shows down. Jim “Smitty” Smith has shows every month this year at the Mountain High Casino. There will be some television dates as well including a Fox “Sunday Night Fight’s” card at the Denver Coliseum. There will be also be a live, local production televised by Aurelio Martinez over “Cinco de Mayo” weekend. Martinez is also hosting a boxing talk show, Inside Boxing, on DCTV, beginning in March. In a side note, your’s truly has picked up the ‘Inside Boxing’ co-host gig. Can you see how all the pieces are falling into place? Truly talented boxers are coming up. Promoters are busy as ever with plenty of shows, in a variety of venues to suite all fans. Websites and television shows will be doing their best to help gain the boxers the exposure they so desperately need. But the most import piece to this puzzle, the one that has so far been missing, is you, the fans.
The table is set for this to be the year that boxing makes a strong come back here in Colorado. But it’s really up to you, the fans, how long this will all last. If boxing fans do not keep up their end of deal in supporting the shows, showing up and buying tickets, this hot bed of boxing will be very short lived. We also have a great opportunity to show some big time promoters, Shelly Finkel & Frank Acosta, that Colorado can and will support big time boxing. We must keep this momentum going. So come out and support the local boxers and boxing scene, both of which are great. If we come out as boxing fans and do our part, we can turn these ‘Rocky Mountain Rumbling’s’ into ‘Nationally Noticed Roars’, and put the boxing world on alert that Colorado will no longer be an “opponent state” with boxers brought in to lose.
We have some very talented boxers coming up in this state, many of which really have the talent to win NABF & NABO types of national titles. Then there are a few who truly have what it takes to be world champions. If we just give them our support now they will eventually win those titles and they will in turn bring ‘big-time boxing’ back to us, as a reward. I guarantee it. These our some of the first steps in putting Colorado boxing back on the map. But the real steps must be taken by the fans. These steps are called ‘stepping up to the plate’.
I just got off the phone with Mr. V-How, Shann Villhauer, and he has informed me that Ricky Lopez has qualified for the Olympic Team Trials! Lopez is the youngest qualifier ever, as he will not actually turn seventeen until March 3rd. He fought Christopher Velardez, who is kin to the fighting Velardez family which includes Alex, Armando and Fernando “Bobby Boy” Velardez, who are all enjoying success in the professional ranks. It wasn’t easy though. At the trials, the coaches are shown the score cards at the end of each round. Going into the fourth and final round Lopez was down, 14-12. Mr. V-How said that Lopez fought a “flawless fourth round” and came away with a very well deserved decision by a score of 18-16. Lopez will now travel to the Olympic Team Trials to be held in Tunica, Mississippi from the 16th-20th of February. The top eight boxers from the Team Trials will advance to the Olympic Box-Offs in Cleveland, Ohio the following week, 27th & 28th. We will be shooting an RMB Video Session with Ricky on Wednesday at the 20th Street House of Pain. The video will be posted on Sunday the 15th.
Miguel Albares, of the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) in Colorado Springs, has also qualified for the Team Trials. He took on Sytel Wilbarn of Los Angeles, California by a very narrow 16-15 decison. Jorge Hernandez came up short in his bid to the Olympics as he lost a decision to James Parison of San Diego by a score of 23-15.
Senator Steve Johnson’s bill SB45, a bill to ban no-holds-barred and toughman type contests, won unanimous approval Monday in the Senate Business Affairs Committee and is now headed for the state Senate. The bill is not actually going to “ban” the fights but rather give the Colorado State Boxing Commission and Josef Mason control over regulating them. With no state regulation, the people who stage this type of show had no safety requirements forced upon them, and with frequent stories of veterinarians and nurses being used as ringside physicians, they put people’s health at risk. Hopefully this bill will make incidents like the one in Florida last year, when a woman was killed in a toughman contest, a thing of the past. Also, it should help to give the Colorado Boxing Commission a boost as they will now be able to regulate and collect fees for all of the fighting sport events including, No-Holds Barred Fighting, Mixed-Martial Arts as well as all types of kickboxing.
Scheduled in the finals
Miguel Albares vs Sytel Wilbarn of Los Angeles, California
Jorge Hernandez vs James Parison of San Diego, Calif
Results
119 lbs Miguel Albares, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Rafael Valenzuela, Phoenix, Ariz., 34-28
141 lbs Dominic Chavez, Las Vegas, Nev., dec. Aaron Bensinger, Fort Carson, Colo., 2-1 (paper scoring)
165 lbs Jorge Hernandez, Vanderberg Air Force Base, Calif., dec. Edward Noons, Houston, Texas, 15-5
119 Miguel Albares, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Efrain Esquivias, Torrance, Calif., 23-7
132 Sadot Vasquez, Keene, Texas, dec. Mahlon Kerwick, Fort Carson, Colo., 18-18 (76-59)
152 Enrique Gutierrez, Santa Rosa, Calif., dec. Marvin Cordova, Pueblo, Colo., 9-6
112 Alton Jaurigui, Quinlan, Texas, dec. Ernest Marquez, Ft. Morgan, Colo., 24-16
141 Aaron Bensinger, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Peter Haro, Inglewood, Calif., 15-14
165 Jorge Hernandez, Vanderberg Air Force Base, Calif., dec. Rayford Jefferson, Adelanto, Calif., 27-8
Wednesday Results
132lbs Mahlon Kerwick, Fort Carson, Colo., dec. Damon Murillo, San Fernando, Calif., 12-5
132 lbs Jonathan Ochoa, Phoenix, Ariz., stopped Joaquin Perez, Lakewood,
Colo., RSCO-3
152 Marvin Cordova, Pueblo, Colo., dec. Jason Montgomery, Hayward,
Calif., 16-4
Miguel Albares won by retirement in the third over Davon Lawson of Las Vegas. Lonnie Smith lost a decision to Danny Martinez. Aaron Bensinger won on walkover over Osvaldo Rojas. Jorge Hernandez stopped Jesus Delgadillo in the third and is now matched up with Rayford Jefferson of Adelanto, California. Tomorrow, Ernest Marquez is matched up with Alton Jaurigui of Quinlan, Texas at 112lbs. Aaron Bensinger is matched up with Peter Haro of Inglewood, California. More to come as results are available….
By Robert Padilla
Santa Ana Star Casino is holding Pro Boxing again after along dry spell at
the best venue for boxing in the state. The Casino has held some of the best
boxing shows in this state with some very good attendance. Now they are
having a boxing show February 28th 2004 to start the new year off and they
are going with KOX Promotions a state promoter that has done many boxing
shows in the state and have been very successful. As most fans have told me
that they are glad to hear that Santa Ana Star is doing boxing again as all
fans really enjoyed the venue for boxing.
The stars of the show will be Albuquerque’s Lee Montoya vs. Jose “ EL
MAROMERITO “ Mendez of Juarez, Mx. who wants to call himself The Albuquerque
Assassin as he thinks that he can beat the best of Albuquerque. Well Montoya
will have something to say about that as he plans on putting Mendez away and
not give him a chance to get in a lucky punch as he did with Little Ray
Sanchez. Montoya has less pro fights than Mendez but has more Amateur fights
then Mendez and is the older of the two. So we expect this fight to be tough
for both fighters but New Mexico’s fans will be roaring for Montoya. The Co
Stars for this show will be Stephanie “The Golden Girl” Jaramillo as she is
coming off a draw in her last fight against Albuquerque’s Holly Holms at
Sandia Casino. Monica Lovato of Espanola, N.M. doing her pro debut and is
looking very good for this fight. Another big match on this card will be
Hector “ the Hurricane “ Munoz of Albuquerque who is one of the big draws as
he has a very large following. Also doing his pro debut is Vicente “El
Picosito” Garcia from Albuquerque and a past amateur in this state. Garcia
has been training hard for his pro debut and with plenty of sparring. Garcia
would like to thank all New Mexico coaches and pros that have given him
plenty of advise and help.
Joseph Silva fought in the Eastern Trials and lost his semi-final bout to Teon Kennedy of Philadelphia by a score of 30-17. I know that Joseph wouldn’t make excuses but I would like it to be known that Silva had a severely strained oblique muscle(side of the stomach), and I’m sure that didn’t help him in training or his bout. The muscle strain is why he didn’t compete, although he qualified, at the Everlast U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs earlier this month. Joseph is young and he will have four more years of experience under his belt for the next Olympiad.
Ricky Lopez is at the Western Trials right now with Mr. V-How, Shann Vilhauer, his coach. Hopefully Lopez will get qualified to compete for a chance at the Olympics. He just turned seventeen so he will also have very real shot of making the team next time around.
Marvin Cordova is also at the Western Trials looking to get qualified. He will be facing John Lewis of Las Vegas, Nevada at 152lbs. Cordova is a very good boxer, but much like Mike Alvarado, I think his style will serve him much better in the professional ranks.
Lonnie “Chocolate Boy Wonder” Smith, who recently moved to Las Vegas, is at the Western Trials as well. I bet that Mr. V-How will be working his corner in his first bout against Danny Martinez of Azuna, California. Click here to watch Lonnie’s Video Session
The remaining Colorado boxers are imports from the Fort Carson’s World Class Athlete Program, WCAP. Jorge Hernandez, who was trained by Mr. V-How, beat DonYil Livingston in his first bout and is now matched with Jesus Delgadilla at 165lbs. Aaron Bensinger stopped Osvaldo Rojas of Portland, Oregon in the third at 141lbs. Mahlon Kerwick stopped Guillermo Barajas of Victorville, California at 132lbs. Corey Bernard was stopped in the third by Jose Orozco at 141lbs.
Good luck to all the boxers chasing the Olympic Dream.
Congratulations to Adrian Mora and his lady as they are proud new parents of a baby boy, Caesar Ricardo Mora, who made his “debut” last week. Although it sounds like Ricardo Mayorga, let’s hope he has his father’s boxing skills.
Frankie “The Educator” Sanchez took on up and coming prospect Dmity Salita tonight on HBO in Phoenix, AZ. Despite losing a unanimous decision (60-54 x 3), he gave a great showing and received a standing ovation for the effort, on an otherwise dismal card in which the main event and chief support bout ended early with second round KO’s.
Click Here for the full photo gallery and Fight Fans Forum Comments
Photo gallery by Chris Cozzone, thanx man.
The following is from BoxingTalk.net, by Andy Rivera, thanks man.
Dmitry Salita to a big step up in competition as Salita battled tough Frankie Sanchez. Salita who has been criticized for his quality of opposition showed he could dig down deep, when he is pressed. Sanchez came to fight and never took a step backwards, but it was Salita who kept landing more frequently and looked to have improved tremendously since his last outing. Salita remains undefeated at 17-0, while Sanchez dropped to 13-11. Salita captured a unanimous decision by scores of 60-54.
