Houston Area Native Michael Angeletti Wins PBC Prospect of the Year

Premier Boxing Championship (PBC) is the premier brand in professional boxing. To win its prospect of the year award means you are operating on the highest of levels and on a fast track to winning a world title. That's exactly what Spring, native Micahel Angeletti did. The management company named the Houston area fighter its prospect of the year for 2022 following a spectacular 12 months that saw the 26-year-old go 3-0 (3) and pick up wins in the Armory in Minnesota, the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida and in Brooklyn's Barclays Center. It was at the Barclays where a star was born. The hard-hitting and slick-moving Angeletti put a Texas-size beat down on fellow unbeaten prospect Joseph Adorno on his way to picking up on a fifth-round stoppage in a scheduled six-round featherweight bout. Angeletti typically fights at the super bantamweight limit of 122 pounds but moved up to 126, to take the battle of unbeaten prospects on the undercard of Wilder-Helenius. 

Angeletti also scored wins over veteran Angel Luna on the undercard of  Tzsyu-Gausha undercard and a first-round blowout of Rafael Morel on the undercard of Omar Figueroa vs Sergey Lipinets card back in August. He finishes the year and moves into 2023 with a flawless record of 7-0 (6) 

Angeletti is a highly skilled boxer with excellent hand speed and footwork and carries surprising pop in both hands. Two of the four world titles at 122 are held on the PBC side with Stephen Fulton holding both the WBC and WBO straps. The other two are held by Murodjon Akhmadaliev a Matchroom Boxing fighter. It stands to reason given Angeletti's quick ascension he could be fighting for a world title in 2023. 

Josh Franco Arrives in Japan for Unification Bout on New Year's Eve

WBA Super Flyweight Champion " El Profesor" Joshua Franco of San Antonio won't be spending Christmas in Texas this year. The 27-year-old WBA world champ arrived in Japan on Christmas Eve for his unification bout with Japanese legend and four-division world champion Kaz Ioka, originally of Osaka, Japan but now resides in Tokyo and currently holds the WBO version of the super flyweight title.

Franco arrived in Tokyo with his brother, Bam Rodriguez, as he prepares for fight week in what is a career-defining fight for Franco. The Alamo City native has been awaiting a mega fight for well over a year. He was in line to fight now WBC champ and future first-ballot hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada. The bout went to purse bids and was won by Frano's then promoter Golden Boy Promotions. Estrada opted not to fight Franco and took on unknown challenger Argi Cortes instead. Franco then split with his promoter and finally landed the mega fight that has long evaded him. The New Year's Eve card is a long-running running tradition in Tokyo and Ioka has taken part in it nearly every year since 2011. 

Franco last fought in August of 2021 at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa and scored a 12-round UD victory over Andrew Moloney, a fight that Franco looked highly impressive in and both he and his trainer called the best performance of his career. Franco currently sports an 18-1-2 (8) record. Ioka last fought in July and took a wide decision over fellow future Hall of Famer Donnie Nietes and sports a 29-2 (15) and has held his version of the belt since June of 2019 when he rallied to stop Aston Palicte. Franco captured his WBA belt in June of 2020 in the Top Rank bubble in Las Vegas. The other two belts in the super flyweight division, which is considered the most loaded division in the sport, are held by Estrada who won the WBC belt vacated by Bam Rodriguez, and the IBF belt is currently held by Fernando Martinez.

Jermell Charlo Suffers Multiple Breaks in Left hand, Tszyu Fight PPD

The only thing that has been able to slow down undisputed 154-Pound world champion Jermell Charlo over recent years has been inactivity. The younger Charlo twin has fought just once in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Despite the inactivity, the Houston native has been able to unify all four junior middleweight world titles. Unfortunately, Charlo will be out of the ring a bit longer suffering a major setback that will keep the undisputed champ out of the ring a little longer. Charlo was scheduled to fight No. 1 contender Tim Tszyu, on January 28, that fight has now been officially postponed.

Charlo broke multiple bones in his left hand as a result of a sparring session in his home gym in Houston this past Tuesday. He had a bone

between the pinkie and ring finger and suffered a separate break in his thumb. The Houstonian got two opinions, visiting separate hand specialists in Houston. The hand has been placed in a cast, where it will remain for two months.

Tszyu, the son of former 140-pound world champ Kostya Tszyu, expressed disappointment in the postponement of the fight. Charlo stated, "It’s even more dangerous when a lion faces adversity and has to come back to defend the pride. I’ve been training since July, and I’ve been hitting harder than ever, and these are the things that happen when you push yourself to the limits. After my hand heals, I’m coming back stronger than ever to defend my legacy.’’

There has been no date or venue announced for the rescheduling of the bout.

Spence No Interest In Pacquiao Fight

DeSoto native and unified Welterweight world champ "The Truth" Errol Spence is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, is one of the longest reigning world champions, and one of the sport's most lucrative stars. He was starting a potentially massive payday and mega-fight with former seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, which would likely be the biggest payday of his career. A fight that would certainly not go well for the 44-year-old legend. However, Spence expressed no interest in a fight with the Filipino Icon saying “I wouldn’t fight him. Larry Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweights. He doesn’t get respect. How he beat Muhammad Ali – he f***ed him up. I think it’s because of that.”

A

A respectable decision from the north Texan. Spence was scheduled to face Pacquiao in August of last year when he was forced to pull out from the fight due to suffering a retinal detachment. The Texan was replaced by hard-hitting Cuban Yordenis Ugas. Ugas went in and outpointed Pacquiao to capture his version of the WBA welterweight strap in fairly dominant fashion. Ugas would meet up with Spence just eight months later. Spence would dominate the Cuban and capture his WBA strap in addition to defending his IBF and WBC versions.

A year and a half later and another brutal defeat for Pacquiao combined with being 44 years old would likely not bode well for the legend and Spence doesn't want to be known as the man that beat the former legend into permanent retirement. With the Pacquiao fight not going to happen, Spence continues to look for another opponent while recovering from another scary car accident. He had previously agreed to terms in principle to battle Terence Crawford. That fell through over financial concerns. Crawford chose to battle with David Avanesyan, a PPV event that is rumored to have sold a total of 5-15K PPV sales in the US. Crawford remains the main target for Spence however if that again falls through, rumors to face unbeaten contender Jaron "Boots' Ennis are also heating up. Ennis is currently ranked number one by the IBF and submitted a request to the IBF for them to order Errol Spence Jr to defend his IBF title. Spence would have to face him or risk losing his IBF title.

Figueroa- Fulton Rematch in Play for Q1 of 2023

Weslaco native and former 122-pound world titlist Brandon "The Heartbreaker" Figueroa is closing in on a return to the ring in the first quarter of 2023. He'll likely take on "Cool Boy" Stephen Fulton in a rematch of their all-action 2021 scrap. Fulton, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was awarded a very controversial decision in which nearly all observers agreed on two things. It was a highly entertaining "fight of the year" type fight, and the Rio Grande Valley native won the all-action affair.  Unfortunately for the south Texan, judges Tim Cheatham and notoriously atrocious judge Dave Moretti handed it 116-112 scorecards giving the unification bout to Fulton and giving "The Heartbreaker"  his first career loss.

At the time of the bout, both fighters seemed interested in a rematch. However the prospects seemed unlikely as Figueroa, who had long talked about the move, jumped up to 126, and Fulton was a newly minted unified champ at 122, and he would presumably want to stay at the weight class and defend his straps.

However, it appears Fulton is willing to move up to 126 to make the rematch with Figueroa. The deal has not been finalized, and no date or location has been confirmed. However, Figueroa has returned to camp in San Antonio, the same location he did camp for his last fight back in July. When he made his featherweight debut at the Alamodome in San Antonio and destroyed slick-moving prospect Carlos Castro in the sixth round to move his record to 23-1-1 (18).

Fulton has fought just once since the epic clash with Figueroa as well. In June, "Cool Boy" outclassed former unified world champion, Daniel Roman, at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and successfully defended both his WBC and WBO versions of the Super Bantamweight belt.

Texas Pound For Pound Top 10

1.Errol Spence- Dallas

2.Jermell Charlo -Houston

3.Bam Rodriguez- San Antonio

4.Jermall Charlo- Hosuton

5.Brandon Figueroa- Weslaco

6.Joshua Franco -San Antonio

7. Vergil Ortiz Grand Prairie

8. O'shaquie Foster -Orange

9.Mario Barrios -San Antonio

10. Omar Juarez- Brownsville

Also Receiving Consideration

Austin “Ammo” Williams- Houston

Abel Mendoza- El Paso

Edward Vazquez Fort Worth

Ramon Cardenas- San Antonio

Michael Angeletti- Spring

Adrian Taylor -Dallas

Floyd Schofield- Austin

Hector Tanajara- San Antonio

Ray Ximenez- Dallas

Omar Juarez Shines in Vegas, Moves One Step Closer to a World Title

Brownsville native "El Relampago" Omar Juarez made the 956 proud Saturday night in Las Vegas at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan as he scored a career-best win against touted 140-pound contender Austin Dulay of Nashville, Tennessee. Juarez may have been a bit of his own worst enemy having to overcome three points deducted for low blows. In all, Juarez landed just four low blows. Some were highly questionable. The first appeared to be a result of Juarez having his head pulled down. The third, which resulted in a second-point deduction in the second round appeared to be a legal blow landing right on the beltline. Juarez landed yet another low blow in the fourth, resulting in a third-point deduction. At that point, the RGV native was facing a disqualification loss in a fight that he was in complete control of otherwise. Head Trainer Rick Nunez said, "I told him, don't throw to the body at all. Everything chest and up."

The 23-year-old South Texan heeded the advice of his trainer and stayed upstairs. The young Texan stayed calm and in control of the fight. He controlled his aggression and was able to buckle his outmatched opponent with a right hand in the fifth and then staggered him again with a right-hand moments later. The TheBrownsiville native was in complete control as "El Relampago" struck again in the sixth as he landed a barrage of lightning-quick power shots that had Dulay holding on and in survival mode as Juarez landed a barrage of power punches toward the end of the sixth round. Dulay was able to muster up some offense in the seventh but Juarez regained control in the eighth. Scoring at will with his right hand he was able to walk his man down with power shots. The two stood toe to toe for much of the highly entertaining rounds, perhaps noy knowing what the cards would look like given the three points deducted Juarez opted not to run out the clock.

The cards were academic as Juarez had dominated the bulk of the action and despite the three points deducted the Texan picked up his third consecutive win, This one in unanimous fashion by scores of 96-91 x2 and a much too close 94-93 on the third card. Juarez improved his record to 14-1 (5) and takes a major step forward in getting a world title fight in a now wide-open 140-pound division. The division had all four belts back unified by Josh Tayloe back in 2021. Taylor defended all of them back in February but has since vacated the IBF and WBC belts. The WBC has since been captured by Regis Prograis, who trains with famed trainer Bobby Benton and the Main st. Gym in Houston.

RGV Native Omar Juarez Returns to Ring This Saturday in Las Vegas

Brownsville native "El Relampago" Omar Juarez returns to the ring this Saturday, December 17th, at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout will be on the undercard of Michel Rivera takes on Frank Martin who trains in Dallas in a battle of unbeaten lightweights and will air on Showtime.

Juarez is coming off the longest layoff of his professional career. It's been 10 months since he was last in the ring. He last fought in February against fellow Texan Ryan "Cowboy" Karl in a thrilling 10-round affair. Juarez outlasted Karl to capture the WBC international welterweight title and run his record to an outstanding 13-1 (5) The bout was part of the Keith Thurman-Mario Barrios undercard.

The Rio Grande Valley native will take on rugged contender Austin Dulay 15-3 (11). Dulay was a highly tortured prospect and is immensely skilled. A native of Nashville, Tennesse, packs solid pop. A formidable opponent for Juarez without a doubt. The winner of the bout takes a major step forward in the world title picture, while the loser takes a massive step backward.

Juarez has won two consecutive fights since his lone career defeat, a 10-round majority decision loss to Filipino All Rivera. A highly controversial decision that most spectators thought Juarez had done enough to earn the nod.

Golden Boy Wins Ortiz vs Stanionis Purse Bid

Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie defeated Michael McKinson back in August in Fort Worth at the Dickies Arena. He stopped Michael McKinson over nine-one-sided rounds to move his record to 19-0 (19). In doing so, he became the mandatory challenger for the WBA "Regular" Champion Eimantas Stanionis. The two were ordered to fight by the WBA and it was Ortiz's promotional outfit, Golden Boy Promotions, that won the WBA title fight with a bid of $2.3 million outdueling, TGB Promotions, which is closely tied to PBC, who bid $2.1 million. According to Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, the fight will take place in either L.A. or Texas and will likely be held in late March. Ortiz is guaranteed to make a minimum of $575,000, and Stanionins, the champ, will get 75% of the purse, or $1,725,000. The bout will stream on DAZN.

Stanionis hails from Lithuania and sports a record of 14-0 (9). He captured the title back in April by outpointing Radzhab Butaev in a highly competitive fight that was the co-main event of the Errol Spence vs Yordenis Ugas unification bout in Las Vegas. Stanionis was moved along quickly after a very successful amateur career that included winning a gold medal at the 2015 European Championships in the welterweight bracket and had wins over Justin DeLoach, and Thomas Dulorme, and faced former champ Luis Collazo but it ended in a no contest after an accidental but vicious clash of heads in the fourth rounds.

Sammy Castaneda Sets Record Straight in Co-Main! Plus Incredible Undercard in RGV

RGV native and fan favorite "El Gallo Fino" Sammy Castaneda exacted revenge on the rugged Houston-based veteran Julio Sanchez to move his record to 9-0-1 (7). Castaneda suffered the first and only blemish on his record. However, he righted that wrong at the Payne Arena in Hidalgo on Friday night. He stayed calm and patient, jabbing and maintaining the pace of the fight. The two traded hooks early with Castaneda's landing cleaner. The RGV native had a few moments early with the left hook early in the first round. He later scored with a nice counter right to close a competitive opening round. Castaneda relied much more on movement than he did in the first fight. While Sanchez looked to load up one shot. Sanchez was able to score with right hands over Castanedas low lead hand. A counter left hook put an off-balanced Castaneda on the floor in the second. However, the undefeated RGV native got up, dusted himself off, stayed calm, and took control of the fight starting in round three. Castaneda, on the advice of his corner, picked up the aggression and appeared to carry the third with precise left hooks and precise power shots on the inside. Sanchez scored with some clean counters and had answers. However, Castaneda was breaking his man down and seemed to chip away at that lead Sanchez built after the two-point round in the second. Castaneda landed clean left hooks one after another and mixed in some uppercuts in round four. By the fifth, it was a dog fight with Sammy leading the exchanges and Sanchez scoring with counters and catching Castaneda when he left himself open. However, it was Sanchez that was really starting to slow down as Castaneda slammed on the gas and let it go in the final round. The two traded on the inside throughout the final stanza. Castaneda landed a beautiful it on the right hand and followed up with a body shot to put an exclamation point on the fight and capture a hard-earned but clear points victory. Taking a majority decision by scores of 57-56 X2, with the third judge scoring 57-57 even.

In the opening bout of the evening Alex "El Bazooka" Ramos of Laredo moved his record to 5-1 (3) and put on a highly impressive display of power, dropping his rugged opponent Irving Tapia twice. Ramos battered his veteran opponent for the full 2:21 of the fight before a vicious left hook from "El Bazooka" but Tapia down for one final time. Ramos had older brother Jorge in the corner, and the pair seemed to work well together. 

The undercard also featured former WBA super bantamweight title holder Oscar Escandon of Ibague, Colombia, who showed even at 38 years old, he still has the craft and skills to compete at the highest level. The former champ jabbed his way in and then unleashed powerful right hands from a variety of angels. He outworked and out-landed his opponent,  Angel Tamez Colombian, beating his man up throughout a six-round affair. The Colombian scored with a thudding body shot late in the second that hurt his opponent badly. He stayed downstairs and dropped his man. Just moments later Escondon struck again with a left hook and right upper combo.  The battering continued throughout the fourth and fifth and the only question left was could it go the distance able to go the distance. A determined Tamez survived to the final bell. However, the scorecards were academic as Escandon took a wide decision by scores 60-53  and 59-54x2.

McAllen Native, knockout artist, and fan favorite Javi Vargas suffered his first career loss and dropped to 2-1 (2) when he dropped a competitive decision to Damian Guajardo of Zapata. Guajardo was not intimated by the power and reputation of the McAllen native and pressured Vargas and took the fight to him in what was an all-action fan-favorite slugfest. The judges preferred the constant pressure and punch output of Guajardo over Vargas's more precise punching and counter shots as the judges scored in favor of the Zapata native 40-36x2.

In a rematch of September's all-out slugfest between Laredo native Nick Molina and Edinburg native Eduardo Guerra. The first bout ended in a controversial draw in which most spectators thought Molina rolled to a clear victory. In the rematch, Molina was jabbing and moving a bit more and was scoring with a stiff jab that kept Guerra at bay. However, as the fight progressed the Edinburg native was able to get on the inside and apply pressure that wore Molina down and land chopping right hands on the inside. It was another highly competitive fight the judges ruled in favor of  Guerra's pressure as opposed to Molina's skills and jab. Two of the three judges scored for Guerra 39-37 with one scoring by the same tally in favor of Molina.

In a highly competitive and entertaining lightweight affair, Joshua Montoya of Lubbock outlasted "Hot Hands" Nelson Hampton to move his record to 4-3-2 as Hampton dropped to 9-6. After a career-best performance and capturing the Texas title Montoya celebrated with a backflip that he stuck perfectly. Montoya who is a natural 126-pounder took a big challenge in Hampton and did so at a sizeable weight disadvantage. The newly minted 135-pound Texas champ will likely not be spending much more time at the lightweight limit and will likely go back down to 126.

Austin Trout Leaves No Doubt! Dominates in the RGV

Former WBA 154 Pound World Champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout of Los Cruces, New Mexico, headlined the Payne Arena in Hidalgo as big-time world championship-level boxing returned to the Rio Grande Valley. 37-year-old Trout removed any doubt if he can still compete at the highest level. Trout dominated rugged veteran Jose Charles of nearby Reynosa, Mexico.

The New Mexican showed all the craft and skills he possessed when he upset Miguel Cotto in Madison Square Garden in 2012. Moving in and out, jabbing from the outside, and flurrying on the inside. Trout was controlling a very strategic opening few rounds. Trout, a southpaw, was able to control a determined opponent in Jose Charles. Trout rocked him with a straight left hand that shook Charles up at the end of the second. The former world champ picked up the pace in the third and again rocked Charles late in the round. Charles rallied a bit in the fourth and scored with a double right hand that backed Trout up into the ropes. Charles had a few more moments forcing Trout to go backward.

However, the momentum was short-lived. Trout was able to get back in control in the fifth behind an educated jab and slick movement. He continued to shop shoot with the straight left, preventing Charles from getting into rhythm. Trout landed a ride hook and a big left-hand midway through the fifth that hurt his now badly outmatched opponent however Charles, determined as ever, answered with a straight right hand of his own! Trout seemed to be completely in his comfort zones knowing he was well ahead on the cards he would fire off a combination and would then appear to talk a little trash to his opponent. He landed a big lead right hook in the seventh and unleashed a bunch of unanswered power shots that had Charles in real trouble for the first time. Moments later a straight left bucked the Mexican again. Landing at will, Trout ran out the clock on the sided fight and scored with a double left hook towards the end of the eighth and final round for good measure. The scorecards were academic with each judge scoring the bout 80-72, every judge giving every round to Trout who took home the Texas State title. Post-fight Trout's trainer Bobby Benton was satisfied with the performance "He looked good, sharp combinations much better than his last performance." Trout said in a post-fight interview he wanted "a rematch with Jermell Charlo or anything that gets him closer to a rematch with him" Trout lost to the Houston native, who now holds all the belts at 154 in very close and competitive fashion back in 2018 via majority decision.

Rugged Texans Look To Pull Upsets On The East Coast

Brownsville native John "Blaze" Tapia will head up to the Mecca Of Boxing Madison Square Garden to battle New York City's next great prospect "Shu Shu" Bruce Carrington on a Top Rank card that is headlined by Teofimo Lopez vs Sandor Martin. Tapia, a master boxer-puncher, has previously traveled up to NYC to fight at The Garden Twice. Both times he fought very competitively and came up on the wrong end of very controversial decisions. In March 2019 he dropped a six-round majority decision to Vladimir Nikitin and then again he stopped a disputed decision to Staten Island native and fan favorite James Wilkens last year/ A fight nearly everyone except the three judges had Tapia winning. Tapia sports a 12-4 (4)  record and has a win at AT&T Stadium over Dallas-based super bantamweight Fernando Garcia on the undercard of Errol Spence vs Danny Garcia. The Brownsville native is currently riding a two-fight winning streak since dropping the disputed decision to Wilkens last year. He most recently fought in September in his home city and stopped Pedro Melo, a veteran of over 40 pro bouts, over three one-sided rounds. Carrington made his pro debut back in October of 2021 on the undercard of Wilder-Fury III and outpointed fellow 956er Cesar Cantu.

About 90 miles southeast of New York in the heart of Philadelphia at the world-famous 2300 Arena, Houstonian Eric Manriquez (7-14-1) looks to upset undefeated 21-year-old Julian Gonzalez of Reading PA. in a six-round affair. Manriquez is a rugged veteran who has been in the ring with some of the most touted prospects in the spot, he came up just short to Otha Jones III in Chicago in a fight so competitive OJ3's promoter Eddie Hearn assured Manriquez and his team that he deserved at least a draw. He has also been in with Malik Warren, Raymond Ford,  Pablo Rubio, and Dallas native Angel Alejandro. He also has a draw with  Laredo native Jorge Ramos. He has provided a substantial test for each of the names mentioned. Also on the card is Alamo City native Bryan Spring, a slick 5'10 southpaw who is always hard to deal with. He will battle Allentown, PA, based welterweight Thanjhae Teasley in a six-round affair. 

Juan Garcia Scores 1st Round KO in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Hard-hitting 20-year-old Carrizo Springs native Juan Garcia impressed Saturday evening, just south of the border in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Garcia, a highly touted 130-pound prospect with sensational power, got off to a quick start against his opponent, Angel Castaneda of Durango, Mexico. The Texan worked behind a snappy jab and mixed-up head and body shots. Keeping his opponent off-balance. Garcia was in control from the opening bell on and was clearly the classier fighter. A right hand scored early in the first stanza that seemed to stun Castaneda. Moments later, a big right hand from Garcia wobbled his opponent. The hard-hitting 20-year-old followed up with a barrage of power shots that overwhelmed the Tamaulipas native on shaky legs and in a world of trouble. When the moment presented itself, the South Texan scored with a picture-perfect left hook that dropped his opponent. Castaneda was able to make it to his feet, but it was short-lived. Garcia stayed on the attack and hunted his man down. The patient youngster waited for his opening and scored with a right hand that rocked Castaneda again. He then scored with a violent left hook to the body, which put his overmatched opponent down for a second and final time. The referee waived the bout off at 2:30 into the opening round. Giving Garcia the first-round TKO victory.

World Championship Level Boxing Returns to the RGV

The Rio Grande Valley will once again host elite-level boxing. Former Junior Middleweight world champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout will battle local favorite Jose Charles in the main event of an absolutely stacked card that is promoted by Pound 4 Pound Entertainment and will be held at the Payne Arena in Hidalgo and aired on ESPN Knockout.

Trout captured the WBA 154-pound strap back in 2011 when he outpointed Rigoberto Alvarez. From 2011 to 2012, he successfully defended it four times, most notably against Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden. Trout was able to outbox the Hall of Famer and Puerto Rican legend and pull a massive betting upset in what became fairly one-sided down the end of the fight. In his next fight Trout came to the Lone Star State and came up on the wrong end of a very close and controversial decision with Canelo Alvarez at the Alamodome. Trout, a native of Las Cruces, New Mexico, sports a career record of 35-5-1. In addition to Cotto and Alvarez, he has shared the ring with both Charlo Twins, Jarrett Hurd, and Erislandy Lara, He has a win over Delvin Rodriguez and a draw with former US Olympian Terrell Gausha back in 2019. He last fought in July and outpointed Florin Cardos in Germany.

Trout will battle local fan favorite Jose Charles, 20-2-1. Charles last fought in May at the Freeman Coliseum, dominating and outpointing Adam Ealoms of Bryan, Texas. He has won four fights in a row since being narrowly outpointed by touted Spanish prospect Cesar Nunez back in 2017. Charles's best win came in May of 2021 when he outpointed Raul Ortega in Reynosa, Mexico.

The Co-main event features highly touted 140-pound prospect and Rio Grande Valley native Sammy "El Fino Gallo" Castaneda. Castaneda, a hard-hitting prospect, ran off eight consecutive victories to start his career before settling for a disputed draw with Julio Sanchez of Houston in September at the Payne Arena. He looks to settle the score and fix the lone blemish on his track record. Castaneda, a highly regarded prospect, wanted the rematch and was willing to do whatever necessary to get it. He was able to secure the rematch and looks to make things right and get back on track to a world title.

The card will also feature former title holder Oscar Escandon who looks to get back in the world title picture in the featherweight division. Several other south Texas-based fighters will also be showcased in an absolutely stacked and exciting undercard. Quick-fisted and hard-hitting bantamweight Jaime Jasso of Laredo will battle with Roberto Cantu Pena. Fellow Gateway City natives Alex Ramos and Nicholas Molina will also be in intriguing four-round bouts. The card will also feature Rio Grande Valley native and knockout artist Javier Vargas. Vargas scored two knockouts in his two professional bouts. He scored a KO of the Year type of knockout when he fought in the Payne Arena back in September.

Frank Gore Headlines TMB Promoted Card in San Antonio

Frank Gore is the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,000 career rushing yards. The list is:

1. Emmit Smith

2. Walter Payton

3. Frank Gore

That's the list. That's the level Frank Gore operated at in the NFL during an incredible career that ran from 2005-2020 that also saw Gore collect 81 career rushing TDs and 3985 receiving yards. The future football hall of Famer has now embarked on a successful prizefighting career. After an exhibition bout with former NBA legend and graduate of The Colony High School in the DFW Metroplex, Deron Williams. Gore embarked on a professional career that got off to a spectacular start knocking out Olasehinde Olorunsola in the fourth round in their fight back in May in Biloxi. Mississippi. He returns to the ring on a Team Morones Boxing Card in San Antonio at the Freeman Coliseum. He will scrap with San Antonio local Joshua Romero (0-2) in a four-round heavyweight affair.

The co-main event will showcase the return of one of San Antonio's favorite fighting sons Richard "El Castigo '' Medina (13-1). He looks to bounce back off of his lone career defeat in June when he was outpointed by Raymond Ford at the Tech Port Arena. He will battle with fellow Alamo City native Steve Garagarza (3-5-1)

Also on the card is hard-hitting fan favorite "Worldstar" Arredondo, who returns to the ring after his draw with "Fort Worth Wolf" Tony Lopez in Frisco. Arrendondo, 8-1-1, will battle with rugged veteran Rafael Reyes, 20-15, in a scheduled six-rounder. Undefeated Flyweight prospect Guillermo Gutierrez will also be in action.

The card also has two very intriguing women's bouts. Professional model, ring girl, and amateur stand-out Mayra Rodriguez will make her pro-debut against undefeated Dallas native Abril Anguiano in a scheduled four-rounder. Also, all-action fan favorite Mi Vida Loca" Brittany Ordonez returns to the ring and will battle Destiny Jones in a six-round affair.

Bam Rodriguez Confident WBO Flyweight Title Fight Will Happen

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez of San Antonio has had a remarkable 2022. A year that saw him go 3-0 and go from hardcore darling to megastar who took the boxing world by storm. As a result, Rodriguez will likely win the Fighter of the Year of Award.

The Alamo City native is looking to start 2023 where 2022 left off, winning world titles. Rodriguez vacated his WBC Super Flyweight title to move back down to Flyweight, a more natural weight class. Rodriguez jumped from 108 to 115 on six days' notice and gave the performance of the year back in February when he dropped and dismantled future Hall of Famer Carlos Cuadras. He successfully defended his belt at 115 pounds twice.

Now Rodriguez will look to become a two-division world champion. It appears a deal has been reached for Rodrigues to fight Cristian Gonzalez of Mexico for the vacant WBO Flyweight title, a belt vacated by long-reigning champ Junto Nakatani last month. Rodriguez is currently ranked #1 by the organization, and Gonzalez is ranked #2. Promoter Eddie Hearn has targeted the month of March to host the fight. Reaching the deal will allow the fighters to avoid purse bids. Rodriguez was confident that the fight was going to happen. While attending Hector Tanajara's fight at the Tech Port Arena, Rodriguez said, " Yea, that fight is going to happen." It looks like that will come to fruition.

The Alamo City Native is 17-0 (11) and last fought in September when he outpointed Israel Gonzalez in the co-main event of Canelo-GGG III at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gonzalez sports an impressive record of 15-1 (5). His lone defeat came back in 2019, a split decision loss to highly touted world title contender Angel Ayala Lardizabal in a six-round affair. Gonzalez last fought in March and blew out Juan Alejo Zuniga in the first round. His most impressive win came back in the summer of 2021 when he outpointed rigged veteran Saul Juarez.

As for the future for Rodriguez, it's still unclear what weight class he will compete at long term. Rumors have circulated that when Rodriguez wins the WBO belt, he will look to unify with IBF Flyweight champ Sunny Edwards, who has called Bam out multiple times. Rodriguez said, "we have to see how the weight cut goes." Rodriguez is still just 21 years old and his body is likely still getting bigger.

Sammy Castaneda's Road to Redemption "I've seen the bottom of the pit of hell and came back out of it."

Undefeated 140-pound prospect and Rio Grande Valley Native "El Gallo Fino" Sammy Castaneda looks to set the record straight on Friday, December 9th at the Payne Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Right in the heart of the RGV. The exact location and against the same opponent that marked the first and only blemish on his record. Back in September Castaneda headlined the Payne Arena. It was his first fight in the RGV since 2019 and the first big card in the region post-pandemic. A card put on by Pound 4 Pound Promotions that was well-attended by a litany of world champions such as Jorge Arce and Orlando Canizales. It was a great stage set for Castaneda, who has world title aspirations. Except things didn't go as planned. Castaneda had to settle for a disputed draw with Julio Sanchez. a skilled and tough journeyman who sported a 5-6-1 record and was probably better than his record suggests. Ringside most spectators thought Castaneda had eeked out a close decision in a tougher-than-expected fight. However, the judge handed in a majority decision draw. Something El Gallo Fino makes no excuses for saying, "I watched it 3 or 4 times. It was just a terrible performance from me. There are no excuses. It was a bad day. We know what it was, and it's something that can easily be changed, and this fight peope are going to see that."

Castaneda is in camp with Jose Charles, who will be battling former world champ Austin Trout, in the evening's main event. The two are pushing and motivating each day in camp " I've learned a lot this training camp we've made the adjustments were doing what we're supposed to. It can't go any smoother than this."

A highly motivated Castaneda knows what is at stake. Unlike many other fighters in his stage of development, did not shy away from a rematch. He didn't look for an easier stylistic fight, or being the touted prospect, just move on to something else that fits him better. He was adamant in wanting to set the record straight with Sanchez. "I was trying to do anything I could do to get this rematch to happen! I needed it! That [ the draw] was never supposed to happen, so I needed it! I made it clear I needed that fight. I don't even need that check. I need that fight! That's really my mindset. Right away, I wanted to fight him. There were obstacles that almost made it fall through, but I just made it real clear that I needed it. I would do anything on my side to make it happen and we made it happen." The young Rio Grande Valley native explained.

A win against Sanchez, in the co-main event which will be televised internationally on the ESPN platform, will put the youngster back on course and will give him a huge platform to show off his skills and talents something he has kept a positive mindset about and describes what happened back in September as a blessing in disguise "Yea God has a plan for all of us. God has a plan for me, and I guess that's a part of his plan, for that to happen. Now I get to prove myself on TV. So yea, I feel like it is a blessing in disguise."

The unbeaten jr welterweight is a fighter and has been through worse than a draw and has fought his way back as he describes " I'm a fighter, man I've gone through the worst in life. I've seen the bottom of the pit of hell and came back out of it. That's what made me, and I know what I have because of that. I know what I got! Nothing's going to stop me!"

It's that motivation that will take Castaneda to the top and in the one of one of the most talent-loaded divisions in the sport. A division that features unified champ Josh Taylor, as well as 2x world Champ Regis Prograis. As well as a ton of young studs like former undisputed lightweight champ Teofimo Lopez, fellow RGV native Omar Juarez. The division will also, likely soon feature Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney as well. Meaning when Castaneda gets to the top, not only will there be world title opportunities, but huge mega fights and massive pay days. Something Castaneda always saw coming "my dream is a world title at 140...the big names are motivation. We all ran the same national tournaments! We're all going to be in the same area in the big leagues. Now it's becoming a reality. There's so much talent we can't ignore it. That's what I'm training for, and I'm ready for it."

Castaneda is ready and extremely confident in his skills, talents, and abilities. He wasn't deterred by the verdict last September "it happens to a lot of fighters. It's a blessing. I know what I got! I know my heart, I know my skills, and I know my talent, the most important thing is that I know my heart."

The path to redemption begins on December 9th for Castaneda, right back where it all started. In the heart of The Rio Grande Valley, which is now one of the budding hotbeds of boxing, and it will be aired for the world to see on ESPN.

Amateur Star Mayra Rodriguez to Make Pro Debut on December 3rd TMB Card

Mayra Rodriguez, of San Antonio, has a lot of titles: amateur boxer, model, ring girl, and now she's about to add one that is particularly important to her, professional fighter! She will be making her pro debut in her home city, on a Team Morones Boxing Card at the Freeman Coliseum on December 3rd. The card is headlined by NFL Legend Frank Gore and co-mained by one of San Antonio's favorite fighting sons, Rick Medina Jr.and will be streamed all over the world. The moment isn't getting to her as she insists she's ready for the moment " I'm Ready... It's a dream come true. I'm super excited about all this'', and she should be. She has prepared herself well as an amateur and won't get stage fright as a result of a successful career as a model and ring girl which has prepared her well for having all eyes on her.

The modeling and being the ring girl has prepared her in a sense she explained, "the opportunity to be a ring card girl came up, and I took it. It helped me get comfortable with the ring and with the people. I feel really good! It's fun." It helped her get over the little stage fright she felt in the first round of her amateur career. She described how she became a ring girl "I have a bestie, who did the ring girl thing and she asked me if I wanted to do it. I said but, I'm a boxer... are you sure? She showed them [the promotion] a picture, and they were like sure!"

Rodriguez got into boxing after she had her second daughter. She needed something to help relieve stress and boxing filled the need. "I was playing soccer at that time and the gym was around the corner, I had a friend that boxed and I tried it out and I really liked it." the San Antonian explained. She started from the absolute beginning and built herself up quickly. She retells a story of her first day in a boxing gym and her coach telling her to jab and she asked, "what's a jab? How do I do it? My coach was like man you hit like a girl... now he knows I'm good."

The model picked up boxing quickly, had a brief but successful amateur career, and decided it was time to turn pro. After fights got canceled during the covid pandemic and the gym was closed her amateur career got put on hold. When she came back from the layoff she knew it was time to turn pro, "I don't want to do the amateur things anymore. After COVID I had to get back on track. I couldn't do amateur boxing anymore I couldn't see myself doing that anymore. I'm ready!!

Now her time has arrived, she will do battle with Abril Anguiano of Dallas and enters the fight extremely confident when asked about her opponent Rodriguez said "I know she's a professional MMA fighter and boxer, and she's from Dallas. That's all I know, I've been training, and that's all I need to know. I'm ready!"

Rodriguez has excelled at every level and in everything she's done thus far. So it stands to reason that boxing at the professional level will be no different and she's definitely in the right city for a successful pro career. San Antonio has produced a list of elite-level women fighters, Selina Barrios had an excellent career, Melissa Houglin is a 14x US national champion and off to a 3-0 start in her pro career and the are other high-level female Alamo City fighters like "Mi Vida Loca" Brittany Ordonez, who will also be featured on the TMB card, however, none have gotten to the peak of the mountain top, none have gotten to a world title and Rodriguez seeks to become the first!

It's not every day that a ring girl and model have expectations like this to become a world champion. The Alamo City native explained that people often think she's different people, including a photographer who was in the same boxing class as her "there was this time I was doing boxing classes, just in my workout clothes. One of the guys that works out with us. He does the shoot for the ring girls. So I go to the shoot dressed as the ring girl, and he tells the coach that she kinda looks like the girl from the class." Not knowing the girl in the boxing class and the ring girl was actually the same person. She told of going to her weigh-ins for her fights and everyone thinking she was the ring girl, not the fighter.

When asked if Mayra the fighter and Mayra the ring girl gets treated differently she replied with the obvious "Yes. of course, as the ring girl you have to be super friendly, and very girly, it's all about what you're wearing, the makeup, as a fighter is the complete opposite. you're tough, you have a different following.'

As you could imagine Rodriguez will have a big crowd next Saturday at the Freeman Coliseum. However, she's not sure if perhaps her biggest fan will be there, her dad. She explains " My dad has been to all my amateur fights. My mom won't go to any. She'll tell me to take care and throw some chingasos! My Dad this time has not said no but has been putting some excuses on why he isn't gonna go. He doesn't want to watch me fight. I get it, I am his baby girl.

Perhaps after scoring a sensational victory on December 3rd at the Freeman Coliseum, as she is expected to do, her Dad will be a little more comfortable watching her daughter take care of business in the professional ring, just as she did as an amateur.

Tanajara and other undefeated Prospects Shine at Tech Port Arena

"El Finito" Hector Tanjara showed the boxing world as well as the packed-out crowd at the Port Tech Arena in the west side of San Antonio, just a stone's throw away from where the touted prospect grew up, that he's still a world-class fighter. Tanajara was defined by his skills and speed, which got him to contender status, As he built up a 19-0 record by the time he was barely 23. Those elite-level skills are still intact. As he took apart rugged Mexican opponent Antonio Meija and stopped him in five. Tanajara had not secured a stoppage victory since early 2018 when he blew away Eduardo Rivera in the opening round.

Tanajara got going early behind a snappy jab. He set up his power shots like a savvy pro. A left hook dropped Meija in the opening round, which was a sign of things to come. The San Antonian used excellent movement and stayed calm and patient. Out jabbing, outworking, and out-landing his opponent over a one-sided affair. Tanajara measured his man perfectly and scored with thudding right hands, which eventually brought the bout to a halt as Meija's corner stepped in and waived the bout off after five brutal rounds.

The surprise of the night occurred in the evening's co-main event when fan favorite and hometown hero Robert "Biggie" Rodriguez had to settle for a draw with Irving-based opponent Dominique Griffin. A determined Griffin made it a fight using movement and refusing to stand in front of Biggie. After a close and competitive opening round Rodriguez, a southpaw, appeared to carry the second round with harder and more precise punches. He hunted the quicker North Texan down with straight left hands. However, Griffin stayed on the move and after an odd incident where he slipped out of the ring. Griffin regained momentum and used his jab to keep Biggie from walking In. He mixed in a good right hand in a competitive fourth. Griffin stayed to the game plan and continued to make Biggie miss, who appeared to grow a bit frustrated. Biggie rallied in the 6th. Scoring with a perfectly placed double uppercuts, and stayed on the attack. Perhaps taking the final stanza. To eek a very close and competitive draw. The judges scored it 57-57 and 58-56 each way.

The card also featured a litany of other highly touted prospects, such as Del Rio's own "Panterita" Jesus Martinez who scored the first stoppage victory of his young and promising career. A third-round knockout that came via a barrage of body shots, a well-placed body shot dropped Israel Camacho. In a veteran move, the 17-year-old Deo Rio native stayed down to the body and finished off his wounded opponent. Dropping him a second time which instantly brought in the referee to waive the bout off.

San Antonio native Daniel Cortez and 14x national champion Melissa Holguin both moved their record to 3-0 as well. Cortez took a giant step up in competition and took on an 8-8 fighter by the name of Jesus Arturo Guzman. Cortez showed off his immense skills on the inside, ripping uppercuts and hooks in close range. He was able to block most of his opponets return fire and remained in control, dominating the fight on the inside and outside picking up a unanimous decision by scores of 40-36 on all three cards of the scheduled four-rounder.

Decorated amateur and undefeated professional "La Joya" Melissa Holguin also of San Antonio stayed that way in a one-sided drubbing of rugged veteran and Chicago native Kim Colbert. Holguin put together a ferocious body attack that would have made Roberto Duran proud. She had her veteran opponent badly hurt several times and was on the verge of a stoppage. However, Colbert was able to endure till the final bell and for the second time La Joya picked up a lopsided decision over Colbert winning every round on every card. The judges were all in agreement 40-36.

Hector Tanajara Looks to Get Back

Photo Credit: John Ramos @ South Park Boxing Academy

Things have come full circle for "El Finito'' Hector Tanajara, the 25-year-old San Antonio native, is literally back where it all started. Tanajara will battle rugged journeymen Antonio Mieja in Friday night's main event at the Tech Port Arena. Tanajara, a west-side kid, talked about how he remembers kicking around a soccer ball in the area which is now the arena he will headline.

It has been quite a journey for the San Antonian to get here. Not long ago he signed a contract to fight Ryan Garcia. A contract that was never signed by Garcia. A Garcia-Tanajara would have been a mega fight in late 2020 or early 2021. The high-level scrap between two all-world unbeaten lightweight prospects never materialized. A duck by King Ry! Tanajara takes a more humble approach. When asked if he was ducked by the undefeated star. El Finito said "All I know is I signed that contract multiple times."

Tanajara had compiled a 19-0 record and was in discussions for huge fights with both Garcia and now undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney. Fights that would have put the Texan in another stratosphere and fights he could have won. When Fort Worth-based journeyman Clay Burns, who fought both Tanajara and Haney at similar stages of their careers, was asked who had better skills, Haney or Tanjara? Burns responded without hesitation, "Oh, Hector! That kid is sharp!" That's the level the San Antonian was operating. He still has those "sharp skills" and he still has Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia in the corner.

However, things have taken an unexpected turn for Tanjajara after the mega fight with Garcia fell through. Tanajara returned to the ring against undefeated prospect William Zepeda and suffered his first loss. An unexpected loss in a fight that was supposed to put him in position for a world title. He came back 8-months later in a must-win fight. He looked incredibly sharp in the first half of his battle with Miguel Contreras before running into a brick wall and struggling through the second half of the fight and having to settle for a draw in a fight where he was clearly the sharper and more skilled fighter.

It has been 34 months since Tanajara last won a fight. It was perhaps a career-best win, a one-sided beatdown of Juan Carlos Burgos. He looks to get back on track at a new weight class. He moves up to 140 (jr welterweight) in a move that seems to make sense. He should have more power in the weight class and better stamina which seemed to be his downfall in the second half of the Contreras fight which caused him to have to settle for a draw. "El Finito" seemed to be suffering from the weight cut. 140 looks to be a better fit for Tanajara, who says he "feels good at 140." Head trainer Robert Garcia noted, “Hector is coming off a loss and a draw, and I want to build him back up slowly.” That rebuild starts Saturday night, right back where it all started. The west side of San Antonio, right by where that little kid was once kicking around the soccer ball. He now looks to get back into the world title picture.