Arizona Boxing News & Notes With Don Smith

Arizona Boxing News & Notes With Don Smith:

Legends Show Set, Iron Boy 35 & Much More

Boxing Fans, Two title bouts headline the Friday, August 26 boxing show at the Legends Event Center in Phoenix. In the Main Event, WBC USNBC Middleweight Champion Andrew “Hurricane” Hernandez (13-4-1) puts his title belt on the line against Jorge Silva (21-11-2). The Co-Main will feature an ABO title tiff pitting welterweight Abel Ramos (16-1-2) vs. Juan Jesus Rivera.  The charismatic Hernandez predicts a knockout and hopes his self-projected win will earn him a world title shot by the spring of 2017; “The Fighting Pride of Phoenix” has never been shy when talking to reporters.  A win for Ramos means he has a good chance of fighting on a rumored ShowTime card for another title, later this year.

In our last column we listed the event as a pro/am show with 5 amateur bouts and 10-12 pro fights and the menu has changed dramatically; so here is the latest card info subject to last minute changes, of course.

The doors open at 5 PM and the first amateur bout starts at 6 pm. Instead of 5 amateur fights there are now 2 on tap and Devon De La Hoya (son of Oscar) remains on the menu with one of Arizona’s highly touted amateurs, Fernando Martinez Jr (Mendoza Boxing) ready for combat on the card.

The undercard is forever changing so keep that in mind as you browse over these submitted matchups: Keenan Carbajal 11-2-1 vs. Ernesto Guerrero (22-18); finally, Carbajal is facing a fighter with a winning record. Edward Ceballos 4-1 vs. TBA, Ilya Usachev (debut) vs. TBA and Adrian Taylor 2-0 vs. Harry Langhurst 1-0. One more bout might be added.  Admission cost is priced at $35.00 & $55.00 and parking is free, boxing fans favorite 4 letter word. The official weigh-in is set for Midway Nissan, on Bell Road in Phoenix, for Thursday August 25^th at 5 PM. The venue is located at 4240 W. Camelback Road in Phoenix. Promoter Fight Hard Promotions was gracious enough to donate 10 pairs of tickets that were given to military veterans; thank you! A spokesperson for FHP believes Oscar De La Hoya will show up; to watch his son fight; perhaps!

Iron Boy 35: Iron Boy Promotions has told ABNN that their September 3 bout at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix (Jose Zepeda 25-1 vs. Emanuel Taylor 20-4) is for a title belt in an 8 rounder; but what belt details are still in the mix? The co-main pits Carlos “The Chosen One” Castro vs. Jorge Diaz Jr. 18-4-1 for 8 rounds.  Rodrigo Garcia (17-0) is off the card; but, is promised to be rescheduled for Iron Boy 36.

So far, the undercard reads as follows: Francisco C. de Vaca in a non-title bout with Mario Villela (7-3-1) scheduled for 8 rounds. Luis Espinoza 4-0 vs. Pedro Romero 1-2-1 4 rounds, Jose Canez (debut) vs. Jose Mora (2-4) 4 rounds, Daron “Sweet Tay” Williams 4-0 vs. Israel Valdez 2-0 4 rounds, Edgar Ortiz 1-1 vs. Rafael Rivera 2-9-1 4 rounds, Adrian Servin (debut) vs. Yosigey Ramirez 1-2-1 4 rounds, Eben Vargas (debut) vs. Enrique Randolph (debut) 4 rounds,  Jose Herrera 6-0 vs. TBA (4 rounds), Ryan Riddell 2-0 vs. Eric Jiminez 3-6 4 rounds, Chris Scala  debut vs. Otto Sandoval 0-2 4 rounds, Daniel Garcia 3-0 vs. TBA 4 rounds and Jaba Khositashuiki vs. TBA. One more bout may be added. Doors at the Celebrity Theatre open at 5 PM and 1^st bell commences at 6 PM.  Ticket prices start at $33.00 and are available at the box-office. Iron Boy MMA 2 is scheduled for October 1 at the Celebrity and tickets can be purchased at the box-office before and during the September 3 show. A special nod to Iron Boy Promotions for giving tickets to members of the Phoenix Police Department; we don’t mean traffic tickets-good gesture!

Meet the Commissioners:  Several readers have inquired about the identity of who sits on the Arizona Boxing/ MMA commission and we are happy to disclose what we know about the three members of the panel. Each appointed member (by the incumbent Governor) to the panel is given a small stipend for attending commission meetings and their main duty is to approve or disapprove license applications sought by promoters, matchmakers, boxers, etc.

The Arizona Boxing commission is well intentioned; but (in my opinion) under budgeted and overly controlled by the Arizona State Legislature and the Arizona Gaming Department.  Without further hesitation, here is a brief bio of each commission appointee, supplied in part by the Arizona Department of Gaming Division:

Scott Fletcher: Current Commission chairman  Fletcher was appointed to the Arizona Boxing Commission by Governor Jan Brewer in 2011. He was Commission Chairman from January 2012 to January 2014. He was reappointed by Governor Brewer to a second term that will expire on January 16, 2017. Mr. Fletcher attends the majority monthly meetings and he plays an integral role in addressing the agenda set for each meeting. Mr. Fletcher reads my column, so he deserves an ice cream cone with sprinkles. To his credit, Commissioner Fletcher does answer the majority of my questions. Most area boxing writers skip the meetings and dismiss them as a waste of time; I see them as important and attend when I can.

Scott Peters: well known for his collegiate football playing days at Arizona State University and a 7 seasons in the NFL, Peters was appointed by current Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on January 19, 2015. He is a strong advocate of baseline concussion testing and the former athlete hopes to persuade the Arizona State legislature to adopt a testing program that will benefit the sport and its’ participants. He is currently working with Arizona State Senator Catherine Miranda on a proposal that will address the issue of head trauma in the sport. Peters is a trained Martial Arts disciple and current owner and creator of Safe Football, a well-publicized training program designed to teach new techniques in helping athletes reduce and prevent head contact in football. I talked to the former Arizona Cardinal lineman recently and we plan to get together and discuss the issue of head trauma at length when our calendars permit.

Joe Pennington: Current chairman of the commission, Mr. Pennington is a veteran of the commission and first served on the commission in 2001 following his appointment by Governor Jane Hull. He was chairman of the commission from 2002-2004. He returned to the commission in January 2010 by appointment from Governor Jan Brewer to a second term. In early 2016, he was re-appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to a third term that will expire on January 21, 2019.

Tourney Recap:  Tucson Southwest boxing won the team trophy while Hugo Ruiz (Pereida Boxing) won the best bout trophy at the August 20^th Olympic Styled boxing tournament held at Greenfield Elementary School in South Phoenix.  Host Ricky Ricardo Rodriguez, Madison Boxing, handed out medallions commemorating the 2016 summer games to participating boxers ad he saved ne for your truly; thanking me for my years of covering amateur boxing. I was visibly embarrassed when Rodriguez announced my name and I tried to avid his attempt to place the medallion around my neck to no avail.

The event started an hour late (3 PM) which is a trademark for Ricky’s shows.  Despite the late start, it was a good show and the boxing community had a good time celebrating the event. In total, 15 bouts were held and here is a list of the winners: Esau Valerio (MCSO Boxing), Julian Rodriguez (Millers Boxing), Juan Montes  (Central Boxing), Anthony Cavanyc (Madison Boxing), Xavier Armijo (Strong Enough), Myron Bridges (Unattached),  Cuahtemoc Meza Davil (Unattached), Christopher Romero (IronGloves), Jalan Rodgers (IronGloves), Emilio Alvarez (Tucson Southwest), Danny Barros (Peraza Club), Flores (Maricopa Club), Victor Ruiz (Unattached), and Gabriel Rosa (Tucson Southwest). A special shout goes out to All Out Now Bail Bonds for sponsoring the event. Next amateur tournament is hosted by F-1 boxing in Buckeye, Arizona on 9/10; dial Alfredo at 602-690-1209 for further details.

Olympic Wrap:  The 2016 Rio Games are over and Arizona Boxing News & Notes would like thank American boxers Nico Hernandez (Bronze), Shakur Stevenson (Silver) and Clarissa Shields (Gold) for their medal winning performances at the Games. Clarissa is a repeat Gold Medal winner and all three are expected to turn professional soon as the victory laps and parties are over.

The 2020 Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo and several Arizona boxers are setting their sights on making the USA team and competing for a medal in Japan. One young Arizona fighter confident that he is made of the right stuff to become an Olympian is 15 year old Jesus Ramos Jr., nephew of Professional boxer Abel Ramos. Jesus (Ramos Boxing in Casa Grande Arizona) is trained by his father Jesus Sr. who also trains Abel. Jr. Is currently ranked # 3 in the world in the 119 lb. weight class.

Jesus was at the Greenfield Smoker Event on August 20 and I asked him if he was ready for the Olympic challenge and he didn’t stutter or hesitate when he told this veteran reporter that he was ready to make the necessary sacrifices and do the work required to stand on the medal podium in Japan, 2020.

Ramos has been boxing since he turned 9 years of age. During that time he has won numerous boxing trophies and medals. His ace in the hole is a supportive family who doesn’t pressure him with undue epitaphs or verbal tirades.  It is an atmosphere conducive to winning and Jesus has the traits of a winner and we wish him the best….Until Next Time!