Ortiz "Doing Well" "Expected to return in Late Summer": April 29th card will be Headlined by William Zepeda

Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz, 19-0 (19) had to pull out of his April 29th showdown with Eimantas Stanionis due to a flare-up of his rhabdomyolysis diagnosis. The fight was originally scheduled for March 18th, and Eimantas Stanionins had to pull out of the fight for medical reasons as well. He needed emergency appendectomy surgery in January, pushing the fight back till April.

Ortiz had to postpone a 2022 fight with fringe contender Michael McKinson when he was originally diagnosed with the medical condition. According to the CDC'S website rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition that can be fatal or result in permanent disability. Rhabdo occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood. These substances can damage the heart and kidneys and cause permanent disability or even death. According to the National Institute of Health, Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by a litany of things, including but not limited to infections, muscle ischemia, electrolyte and metabolic disorders, genetic disorders, exertion or prolonged bed rest, and temperature-induced states.

According to Ortiz's head trainer Manny Robles, Vergil Ortiz is "Healing quickly and feeling a lot better" Robles went on to say that "He won't be out for long. We are expecting him to be back by late summer." that's good news for the undefeated knockout artists growing fan base in North Texas. Ortiz last fought in August at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth and scored and 9th-round TKO victory over Mckinson.

Golden Boy will keep the April 29th date that they had scheduled for Ortiz on the Grounds of UT-Arlington and it will be headlined by lightweight contender William Zepeda. Zepeda handed San Antonio-based contender Hector Tanajara his only career loss back in 2021 and has been surging ever since will battle with Jaime Arboleda of Curundu, Panama.

Fight Week: Bam Rodriguez Returns Home

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez 17-0 (11) has returned to the Alamo City To make history. "Bam" will look to become a two-division world champ as he moves down to 112-pounds and challenges for the vacant WBO Flyweight strap. Saturday night at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio's west side. Rodriguez will take on the largely unknown Cristian 'Chicharito' Gonzalez in a 12-round affair.

Fight week kicked off with a meet and greet as well as a face-off between the two combatants in front of the Alamo. The festivities continued on Wednesday with a media workout. Thursday is the final Press Conference, which will air on DAZN. Finally, Friday is the official weigh-in, which will also be aired by the streaming service at 1 PM local time at the Espee on E. Commerce Street.

Rodriguez captured the 115-pound WBC world title in February of 2022 by outpointing the legendary Carlos Cuadras in Phoenix, Arizona. He then gave a career-best performance and battered future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in the eighth round. He defended the WBC strap one last time on Mexican Independence Day Weekend against Israel Gonzalez on the undercard of Canelo-GGG II at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas. Rodriguez scored a UD victory. Gonzalez has two wins of note. In his last outing, he defeated fringe contender Juan Alejoz and scored a first-round TKO last March. Chicharito additionally has a win over Saul Juarez, a common opponent with Rodriguez, in which he secured a 10

-round unanimous decision victory in a tough and competitive fight. Rodriguez scored a sensational second-round KO and posterized Juarez. That was in late 2020 in the Top Rank Bubble in Las Vegas

Dallas-Based Trainer, Derrick James, Gets AJ Back in the Win Column

Dallas-based trainer and owner of World Class Boxing Gym Derrick James accepted a new challenge, a giant challenge, perhaps the largest of his career. James accepted the test to try and get 2x former heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua back to the top of the division, to get the fallen champ back to the top of the mountain, and to regain the most prestigious title in the world, The Heavyweight Champion of the world. The first stop in the journey back to the top was Saturday at the 02 Arena in London. Joshua, of London UK, took on Saginaw, Michigan, native Jermaine Franklin in the evening's main event. Joshua passed that test. He was calm and in control throughout the scheduled 12-rounder. The Brit boxed well from the outside and fired off a snappy jab that seemed to be landing with the impact of a power shot. Joshua appeared to fatigue a bit as the fight progressed. However, he remained in control, working well on the inside and scoring on the inside and in spots landed with his patented right uppercut. He rolled to a wide but competitive and hard-fought unanimous decision. The judges rendered scores of 118-111 and 117-111 x2. The Texan-trained Brit moved his record to 25-3 (22), and it was a less-than-spectacular but still dominant performance over a borderline top-ten heavyweight. A good heavyweight that isn't a pushover or a tune-up, but a legitimate threat.

James is a trainer of the year award who currently trains unified welterweight champ, Errol Spence of DeSoto, and undisputed Jr Middleweight champ Jermell Charlo of Houston. He also trains undefeated lightweight prospect, Frank Martin. This is the first world-class heavyweight James has trained. It's going to be a journey back to the top, and Joshua has had three trainers in his last three fights. It's going to take some time to adjust and get comfortable with one another. However, Saturday was a test, and it was a test passed with flying colors. Joshua gave credit to working with Spence, saying it serves as motivation. When you’re amongst other great fighters, it does help. We all train at different times, because there’s only one Derrick James, but we kind of cross each other's paths... It gives you motivation because you can see the good and the bad from a distance. Success breeds success, you put a dog with sheep, and it will become a sheep.”

Saturday in London was the first win for Joshua since 2020. He had lost two in a row and three of his last five. Despite the numerous losses, AJ has remained one of the sport's biggest stars.

Ortiz Jr Suffers Rhabdomyolysis Flare Up, Stanionis Title Fight Postponed

For the second time in about 12 months, Grand Prairie native Vergil Ortiz will have to pull out of a major fight due to rhabdomyolysis. He was scheduled to fight Eimantas Stanionis for his WBA Regular title on April 29th. A win in that fight would put him in line to fight the WBA Super champ, Errol Spence of DeSoto. The April 9th bout with Stanionis was originally scheduled for March 18th. However, Stanionis had to postpone the bout due to an emergency appendectomy. The bout was rescheduled for April 29th and is now, being pushed back again. The North Texan took to Instagram to release a statement saying he "had a flare-up rhabdomyolysis and not feeling anywhere near myself." Ortiz went on to say he is "optimistic that this fight will still happen just on a later date." Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Ortiz, and won the purse bid for the bout also released a statement saying, "Ortiz Jr is expected to make a full recovery and return to the ring later this year" and added that "More Information on the April 29th event will be announced shortly." Texas Boxing Scene reached out to Ortiz's manager Rick Mirigian, for comment and said that he had "no info yet" but would keep us posted.

Ortiz had to pull out of a fight with contender Michael McKinson last March due to the same condition. McKinson won that night when he outpointed Alex Martin, who was a last-minute substitution for Ortiz. McKinson finally met up with Ortiz in August of 2022 at the Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth. Ortiz was pushed into the deepest waters of his career, going past the seventh round for the first time. Ortiz finally stopped the elusive McKinson in the ninth round to extend his consecutive knockout streak to 19, moving his record to 19-0 (19).

Juarez Gets Biggest Challenge of Career, May 13th in Vegas.

"El Relampago" Omar Juarez of Brownsville has taken a cosmic leap in 2022, taking two step-up fights and getting decision victories over two well-known opponents. In February, he outpointed former World title challenger "Cowboy" Ryan Karl of Milano, Texas, in what turned out to be a highly entertaining blood and guts scrap. Juarez took the split decision and captured the vacant WBC international welterweight title. He then came back in December on the undercard of Michel Rivera VS Frank Martin and scored a one-sided beat down of noteworthy contender Austin Dulay. Despite being deducted three points due to low-blows, the Rio Grande Valley native still rolled to a wide unanimous points victory.

Juarez has just gotten his next opponent, and it will be no easy task. "El Relampago" will battle 37-year-old former two-division world champion "Kid Blast" Rances Barthelemy on May 13th in the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas. Barthelemy 29-2-1(15) captured the IBF 130-Pound title in 2014 and defended once before moving up to lightweight and captured the vacant IBF title by outpointing the rugged Denis Shafikov in December 2015. He defended that belt once in 2016 before moving up to 140 pounds, where he twice challenged for a title and came up just short both times. He lost a decision to Kiryl Relikh for the vacant WBA strap at the Freeman Coliseum in 2018 and then fought Robert Easter to a draw in 2019 for the same belt.

It will be the first former world champion that the 23-year-old from Brownsville has faced. He has been moved along quickly and is 3-0, since his lone career setback, a hotly debated and very controversial loss to All Rivera in the summer of 2021. The winner will take another giant step toward a world title. The world titles at 140, are currently held by Scotsman Josh Taylor, who holds the WBO belt. WBC champion Regis Progrias who trains in the Main St Gym in Houston with famed trainers Bobby Benton and Aaron Navarro. The WBA champ is Albert Puello of the Dominican Republic, and hard-hitting Puerto Rican KO artist Subriel Matias owns the IBF strap. The latter two champions fight on the PBC side, as does Juarez, meaning a world title fight with Juarez versus either of those two would be very easy to make. Juarez has a 14-1 (5) record and turned pro in October 2018.

Gateway City Native to Be Honored on April 8 card in San Antonio

Gateway City Legend to be Honored on Bam Rodriguez Card in San Antonio

One legend will be honored, while another legend in the making gets to demonstrate his unique and formidable skill set in the Alamo City. That will be the scene at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio on April 8th. Legendary Laredo native Orlando Canizales is a 2009 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He compiled a 50-5 -1 (37) record and held the IBF bantamweight title from July of 1988 till December of 1994. He made 15 consecutive title defenses which equaled an all-time division record. The bantamweight division (118) is one of boxing's original seven weight classes, there are now 17 weight classes. Canizales made his first title defense at the Freeman Coliseum and did so in sensational fashion. He dropped Jimmy Navaro twice on his way to a first-round TKO. It was the first title defense in a legendary run. In addition, Canizales fought his second pro fight at the Freeman Coliseum. Also, a first-round TKO! This win came over Reymundo Eureste, an Eagle Pass native. He fought in San Antonio a total of six times, going 5-1 with the one loss, a very close and controversial loss to Wilfredo Vazquez in his bid to become a 122-pound world champ. The Gateway City native is regarded by most as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Bantamweight of all time.

In the evening's main event, San Antonio fan favorite and native Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (17-0) will look to become a two-division world champ as he moves down from 115 to 112 and captures the vacant WBO Flyweight title as he takes on Cristian Gonzalez of Tultitlán, México. Bam Rodriguez last fought in San Antonio in June of 2022 and scored a career-best win in stopping the legendary Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in eight absolutely one-sided rounds.

Barrios Likely To Face Ugas This Summer

"El Azteca" Mario Barrios, of San Antonio, will likely be back in the ring this summer. July is being targeted for a showdown with former WBA champ Yordenis Ugas of Cuba. Ugas is coming off a 10th-round stoppage loss to Errol Spence of DeSoto last April at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Ugas-Barrios bout will be for the WBC interim title, meaning the winner would likely be slated to fight the WBC World Champion. That champion at the moment is Errol Spence of DeSoto.

Ugas is currently ranked number two by the WBC, while Barrios is ranked fifth by the same organization. Typically the bout would be between the two top-ranked fighters in the weight class. However, Keith Thurman is currently ranked one by the WBC and is still expected to fight Spence in a non-title fight at 154 pounds. However, nothing on that fight has been made official, and Spence is still negotiating with WBO champ Terence Crawford.

Alternatively, the winner of the Ugas-Barrios interim title bout could also be ordered to fight the winner of the other WBC eliminator between Cody Crowley and Abel Ramos. That bout is scheduled for next week on the Plant-Benavidez card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Barrios sports a record of 27-2 (18), and bounced back off of his two consecutive losses last month in very impressive fashion. He stopped Jovanie Santiago in the eighth round of a one-sided bout. It was his first camp with trainer Bob Santos. Barrios previously held a 140-pound title from 2019 to 2021.

Tanajara, Cortez, Impress in San Antonio Homecoming Fights!

Photo Credit: Alamo City MediaGroup

In the evening's main event, "El Finito" Hector Tanajara, of San Antonio, made it 2-0 in his comeback at 140 pounds, with a textbook, vintage, "El Finito" performance! Tanajara was as sharp as ever in scoring a lopsided unanimous decision over Johnny Arellano of Austin. Tanajara improved to 21-1-1 (6). The new weight seems to be a fit for the San Antonian. Tanajara has shown more pop on his punches. He was able to hurt Arellano time and again with clean, crisp combinations. He staggered Arellano in the second, again in the third, and nearly finished him a number of times, on his way to a lopsided victory by scores of 60-54xs and 59-55. It was the type of performance that reminds the world of the sharp skill, Tanajara posses that had him in the conversation with Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. "I give myself maybe a B or a B+. I would have given myself an A if I got the stoppage." a victorious Tanajara said "I felt great in there. I felt calm, more like myself, and more aggressive. That's thanks to my team" It was vintage "El Finito" but the San Antonian wasn't satisfied or resting. The victorious San Antonian plans on being back in the ring in May and said he's going to be right back in the gym tomorrow "I'm going to be right back in the gym tomorrow. This was only a six-round fight. I feel great." a motivated Tanajara explained. As motivated as ever, he gave thanks to his Dad and Robert Garcia for the great work they did and said there's still work to do "I could have done some things better. I could have caught and shoot a little bit better." It's the best Tanajara has looked since his Alamodome victory over Juan Carlos Burgos back in 2020. It was a great sign that Tanajara is back and close to competing at the most elite level again. When asked what's next "We have one more fight in May." Tanajara said, "after that, sky's the limit. We are looking at any fighter at the top of 135 or 140... whatever is the best opportunity. If I get a fight at 135 with the right amount of time, I can make 135, but I like how I feel at 140, but if I have enough time, I can make 135 as well."

In the Co-main Daniel Cortez improved his record to 4-0 (2) with a first-round stoppage. The highly touted prospect from San Antonio, patiently stalked his much larger opponent, Ruben Martinez. Walking down his man, the 20-year-old Cortez was the physically strong man, and in complete control, Snapping off his jab, Martinez was uncomfortable from the opening bell. Cortez dropped his man with a single jab just past the midway point of the opening round, displaying his unique power. Martinez was able to make it to his feet. However, Cortez stepped up the pace a bit and ripped his opponent with a left hook to the body. He stayed on the attack and again rattled his opponent, this time with a one-two combination. Cortez struck again, Just before the bell rang to end the opening round. He put together a perfectly placed left-hook and right-hand combination that again put his outmatched opponent on the floor. Martinez reached his feet, but his corner had decided he had seen enough and stopped the fight. Giving Cortez the first-round TKO victory.

Also on the card was fan favorite Mayra Rodriguez of San Antonio. Rodriguez is also a professional model and ring-card girl. She can now add successful professional boxer to her impressive resume. Rodriguez scored a third-round TKO at the 1:31 mark and moved her record to 1-1 (1) by stopping Domonique Hernandez of Seguin fell to 0-1.

In two other fights of note, Jason "El Gallo" Limon outboxed Alexis "Bam Bam" Balderas, from the Rio Grande Valley, for the Texas State welterweight title. Limon needed to stay away from the heavy bombs from "Bam Bam" and he was largely successful in doing so. Bouncing back from his first career loss, Limon secured the biggest win of his career via unanimous decision by scores of 60-54x2 and 59-55 to move his record to 6-1-1 (2).

Another one of Robert Garcia's pupils Sylvestre Quinonez improved his record to 3-0 (1) picking up a third-round stoppage of Keith Smart. Quinonez scored a first and second-round knockdown. Overcoming a cut over his left eye, from a head butt, Quinonez stayed calm and in control and dropped Smart again right at the end of the second. In the third round, he again rocked his opponent with another clean left hook that staggered Smart. Quinonez pushed hard and unleashed a whirlwind of pinpoint power shots that poured in one after another until the referee came in to waive off the bout at 1:12 of round three.

In what may have been the most fan-friendly fight of the night, Luis Gallegos and Mustafa Malik traded knockdowns in the first round. Gallegos stayed on the aggressive and scored with a big right hand that rocked and wobbled Malik late in the second. Gallegos scored again moments later with another right hand that sent Malik into the corner. A massive right hand followed that up and put Malik down again right at the end of the second, this time for good. Giving Gallegos a second-round knockout to move his recur to 5-1 (5).

Tanajara Continues Comeback Friday in San Antonio

It wasn't long ago Hector "El Finito" Tanjara's name was mentioned in fights with Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. Tanajara, one of San Antonio's brightest young stars, actually had signed a contract to fight Garcia on multiple occasions, when both fighters were promoted by Golden Boy. The Texan had signed to fight Garcia during the height of the pandemic. It was Garcia, who on multiple occasions, ducked the Alamo City native. "El Finito" Tanajara was regarded as one of the sport's brightest prospects before he suffered back-to-back hiccups. A stoppage loss to William Zepeda in the summer of 2021 and then a 2022 draw with Miguel Contreras on a Top Rank Card at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California.

It's been a year since the loss to Contreas, and Tanajara has regrouped and is rebuilding. He moved up to 140 from 135 pounds and picked up an impressive stoppage win back in November against Antonio Mejia to get back in the win column and get him back on track. There's a path for "El Finito" to get back to where he belongs. That's on the world-class stage among the most elite fighters in the world. The 26-year-old Tanajara's comeback continues Sunday afternoon in his home city at the Alzafar Shrine Auditorium. He will battle rugged contender Johnny Arellano in a six-round main event. There's a path back in place, Arellano is a step up, and assuming all goes well on Sunday, Tanajara is already scheduled to be back in the ring in May, where he will likely take another step up and get one step closer to a world title.

Arellano, an Austin native, despite having been inactive since 2019, is nobody's tune-up. He lost to Mykal Fok in Philadelphia in December of 2019 and has not fought since. Arellano, who sports a 10-2 (9) record, is a 6'2, long, rangy, hard-hitting boxer-puncher. He was a fairly well-regarded prospect not too long ago as well. Arellano suffered an early loss in his career. A controversial stoppage loss in his fourth pro bout, that he bounced back from. Following that loss, the Austin native scored seven consecutive victories, six of them by stoppage. He improved his record to 10-1, picking up high-caliber wins over respected names like D'angelo Keyes and Xavier Wilson on fairly big stages. Those wins got Arellano a big fight on a big stage against Fox. A fight that Arellano came up a little short in via unanimous decision. Although he has been inactive over the last three years Arrelano, given his size, skill, and pop, is always a threat and should be a decent metric to judge how far along Tanajara is in his comeback.

Spence-Crawford Direct Negotiations, Allegedly Agree on Split.

A potential mega fight between undefeated unified welterweight champ Errol "The Truth" Spence of DeSoto and WBO champ Terence Crawford is not dead. reportedly the two are self-negotiating a deal to unify all four belts at 147 pounds. The good news is the mega fight that has been the talk of the boxing world for years isn’t dead yet. ESPN has reported that the superstar welterweights have communicated via phone calls, absent promoters, managers, and networks and have agreed on an undisclosed purse split.

This is obviously good news for fight fans, but it creates more questions than it answers. Who will be the promoter of the fight? Crawford and Spence had allegedly agreed on a split of the gross PPV revenue for November of 2022. Crawford alleges the PBC refused to open the books and show what money they were spending on promoting the fight, which would decrease the bottom line of each fighter. There is also no venue, date, or television/streaming attached to the fight. All of that would certainly have to be worked out prior to a fight. Those are major, not minor details.

In the interim, the WBO has ordered Crawford to fight Alexis Rocha. Spence has also been in deep negotiations with former unified welterweight champ Keith Thurman who has again been inactive for over a year. That fight, which was rumored to be at 154, as opposed to 147, never materialized. So a potential Spence-Crawford fight still has all those obstacles to overcome, plus each fighter will like to take a fight in the interim where anything could happen and Spence will have to continue to be able to make the 147-pound limit which he has seemed to outgrow.

Spence has not fought in nearly a year. His last outing was in April of 2022, he stopped Yordenis Ugas in 10 rounds at AT&T Stadium in Arlington to capture his WBA belt in addition to successfully defending the WBC and IBF belts and moving his record to 28-0 (22). Crawford fought in December and stopped fringe contenders and stopped him in six rounds to move his record to 39-0 (30). The other remaining factor is that each fighter would have to fight twice in a single calendar year, something neither fighter has done in quite some time. Crawford has fought just once a year each year since 2020, and Spence is even less active, having fought just twice since September of 2019. Spence fought once in 2020 and once in 2022.

With each fighter well into their 30s, it seems unlikely that either man, let alone both men, will fight twice in one calendar year. So, yes, there is reason to be optimistic, but it should be cautious optimism.

Nick Molina Returns on Plant-Benavidez card at MGM Grand Las Vegas

Laredo native Nicholas Molina will look to bounce back from his first career blemish and will get to do so on boxing's biggest stage. Molina, whose record stands at 4-1-1 (3), dropped a split decision to Rio Grande Valley native Eduardo Guerra at the Payne Arena last December. The loss didn't keep the Gateway city naive down for long. He will now square off with undefeated prospect Daniel Blancas on the undercard of Caleb Plant VS David Benavidez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A massive opportunity for the 22-year-old Molina, an opportunity that he fully understands the magnitude of "It's a blessing, it's a huge blessing, I'm super grateful. For my hometown, I'm very happy, and I'm grateful. It's the biggest opportunity I have ever gotten in my life. It means the world to me to be able to show my talent, and show the world who I am and show what happened in the past, is in the past, and how I can move forward and overcome obstacles." Molina explained. Luey Villarreal, trainer and owner of Ferocious Fitness Boxing Gym in San Antonio, where Molina trains, doubled down on the youngster's motivation and said of Molina, "He came back to the gym dedicated and motivated. He's working harder than ever, and I appreciate that."

Molina turned pro in his home city back in April of 2019 and ran his record to 3-0 before the pandemic started. He came back after a 16-month layoff, jumped up two weight classes, shook off the rust, and scored a second-round knockout on short notice to move his record to 4-0. That's when Molina relocated to San Antonio to train.

The lone career loss in Molina's career has not kept him down for long. He actually describes it as a blessing in disguise "I know I could have changed the outcome easily, but ever since then, I have been getting a lot of calls, call after call, to fight in New York and California and different places where I wasn't getting calls before... It is a blessing in disguise... It's just a loss. I'm not going to keep dwelling on it. It's not over yet. I still have a long way to go... I needed it [the loss] to change my whole mindset."

Molina, for the first time, will enter the ring as an underdog. A new role that the 22-year-old accepts and expects to thrive in. He has actually always viewed himself as the underdog and has approached all of his fights with that mentality. The Laredoan explained, "My whole career, I have felt like the underdog, people didn't really see me, and I was worth more. You always have to have the underdog mentality. I just need to be focused and be ready."

Molina will certainly be taking the biggest challenge of his professional career when he steps into the ring on March 25th with Blancas. A win at the MGM grand on that Pay-Per-View card will put the kid from Laredo on a fast track to becoming the next world champion from Laredo, a city that is home to two former world champs, the legendary Canizales brothers, Orlando and Gaby.

"It's everybody's dream to have that belt around their waist." Molina explained when asked about potentially joining them, "I think it would be a blessing to my family and everyone who has been around me since day one. I have been through a lot in my life, ups and downs, but that would be the top of the mountain."

Brandon Figueroa Outlasts Magsayo! Becomes Mandatory for WBC World Title

Nearly a decade ago, "Panterita" Omar Figueroa of Weslaco put the Rio Grande Valley on the boxing map. He became the first world champion from the "valley" when he out-hustled and beat down Nihito Arakawa to capture the WBC Lightweight title. Nearly a decade later, with the 956 as one of boxing's newest hotbeds, his little brother, Brandon, will look to become the RGV's first two-division world champion. He secured the right to fight current WBC featherweight champ Rey Vargas by disposing of former champ Mark Magsayo at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

After somewhat of a slower start, a slow start for Figueroa's standard at least, the younger Figueroa brother got cooking in the middle rounds. Pressing forward and switching between the conventional and southpaw stances, "The Heartbreaker" began breaking his man down with body shots and hooks, along with a pinpoint uppercut that he landed from both hands from both stances. Figueroa's pressuring styles started to pay dividends as Magsayo was twice deducted a point for holding and clinging to the Rio Grande Valley native. Facing disqualification, Magsayo could no longer hold on, and Figueroa slammed on the gas and wore Magsayo down in a highly entertaining final few stanzas. Removing any doubt and swinging the fight in the south Texans' favor. With two judges scored the fight 117-109, and the third had it 118-108. As he now moves on to fight Vargas for his WBC featherweight belt.

Vargas found out what happens when you mess with Texas when he was outclassed by Houston-area native O'shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC super featherweight strap. He will now battle with the RGV native for his WBC belt.

An Incredible Weekend in South Texas

Three action-packed cards invade the south Texas area. Plus, Rio Grande Valley native and former world champion Brandon " The Heartbreaker" Figueroa headlines a Showtime card in southern California.

The action kicks off in Floresville on a Team Morones Boxing Card. A small town of about 7,000 people located about a half hour south of San Antonio will host a major card. In the evening's main event, two unbeaten south texas based bantamweights put their undefeated record on the line as San Antonio native Guillermo Gutierrez puts his 6-0 record on the line against Rio Grande Valley native Jaden Burnias (2-0-2) in the evening's main event. The card also features undefeated Victoria native, Ramon Acosta and Joshua Moreno, 2-0 will battle with Jesus Angulo Leija in a welterweight bout.

Boxing returns to the home of the legendary world champ Orlando and Gaby Canizales Laredo, The Gateway City. Triple AAA promotions will bring you a card live from Sames Auto Arena. Fan Favorite "Tito" Hector Ferreyro Jr returns to the ring for the first time in three years and will look to move his record to 5-0 as he battles Tre' Dobbins of Topeka, Kansas in a four-round Cruiserweight scrap. Also, on the card will be two up-and-coming Laredo natives Jose Cardenas (6-1) and teenage sensation the blue-chip prospect Felix Garcia.

Saturday's other card will be held in boxing's newest hotbed. The Rio Grande Valley. The Hynes Event Center in Mercedes will host the return of three RGV fight legends, each in separate fights. Raul Casarez and Roberto Garcia, who were originally scheduled to fight each other will be in action in separate fights. Casarez will battle for the vacant ABF Mid America Title as he takes on Rodrigo Octavio Gonzalez, who hails from the Austin area. Garcia will also be in action. Also, fans will get to see the return of hard-hitting cruiserweight and Harlingen native Raphael Murphy returns to the ring for the first time in nearly two years as he battles Leopoldo Reyna of Brownsville in an all RGV scrap.

In southern California, former 122-pound world champ and Weslaco native Brandon Figueroa will headline the evening's main event that will take place at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be aired on Showtime, Figueroa, 23-1-1 (18), held world titles from 2019-2022. The now 26-year-old is on a new journey to become a two-division world champion. He battles former featherweight champ Mark Magsayo in a 12-round affair. The bout will be for the WBC interim featherweight belt. The winner will be in line to fight WBC world champ Rey Vargas, who lost his bid to become a three-division world champ when he was shut out by Orange native O'shaquie Foster in the Alamodome last month for the WBC 130-pound strap. Vargas still holds the belt at 126 pounds.

Spectrum Cable Sharing Blind Spence-Crawford Optimism

Spectrum is the trade name of Charter Communications, which is used to market consumer and commercial cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the company. Spectrum has officially listed Spence VS Crawford as a PPV for purchase for $74.99 in June. However, there s no specific date beyond June. Unfortunately for fight fans who have been salivating for Spene-Crawford for years, this is pure optimism from the digital cable provider. Sources close to Spence have said "there is nothing signed or in the works to be signed" and that "there are ongoing negotiations with Crawford and others." The other is likely Keith Thurman. The two fighters were rumored to be closing in on a deal to meet up at 154 in a non-title fight. That fight was rumored for April. However, it is already late February, and no deal is in place. So if that fight is to happen at all, it will certainly not take place in April. Spence has been out of the ring since last April when he unified his third strap at 147 pounds by stopping Yordenis Ugas in the 10th round of their fight at AT&T Stadium.

Spence and Crawford were allegedly close to a fight in 2022 when talks broke down after Crawford alleged PBC wouldn't open the books for the Crawford team to see what expenditures were being deducted from the bottom line. That's a bigger deal than it may appear to be. There were no guaranteed purses for the fighters. Each fighter was to get a portion of the total PPV revenue. If PBC is spending money without Crawford knowing, that directly impacts the gross revenue, thus increasing Crawford's bottom line. Crawford opted to fight with David Avanesyanz, a fight that was a PPV bust. Highly contradicting numbers have been reported. Reports ranged anywhere, from 5,000 to over 100,000 buys, depending on who you asked. Either way, none of those would be good for team Crawford if they wanted to renegotiate a better deal with Spence.

RGV Trainer James Payton Has Rejuvenated Two Top Prospects

Renowned trainer James Payton is no stranger to world-class fighters, not just in the Rio Grande Valley when he worked with world-ranked heavyweight title challenger Eric Molina, as well as long-time contenders Robert Garcia and Raphral Murphy. Prior to that, he worked with some of the most elite names in the sport in Las Vegas. Payton had been involved with former world champions like Shamba Mitchell, "The Pocket Rocket" Wayne McCullough, and the Dirrell Brothers. He knows a world-class fighter when he sees one and he recognizes that he has two new ones on his hands. Each of those fighters was in action sporting vastly different styles in Corpus Christi this past Saturday. Both fighters, Mark Beuke and Sammy Castaneda didn't just take unanimous decision victories, they each won every round on every scorecard. Both men pitched shut-outs. He has done an amazing job turning around each fighter. Beuke, who resides in Corpus Christi, makes the 1.5 to 2-hour drive several times a week to train with Payton at the Legacy Boxing Club in Harlingen. The results have been eye-opening. Beuke started his career with a record of 3-3 and has now been with Payton for the past two years. He has won seven fights in a row improving his record to 10-3 and capturing an ABO title. Payton described Beuke's shut-out performance against veteran Adam Ealmos on Saturday night as a "Picasso masterpiece" "He didn't exhort a lot of energy" adding "he was calm and in control" Beuke did seem like he was barely breaking a sweat "he wasn't bouncing around exhorting a lot of energy he could have done that for 12 rounds" Payton said. It was a picture-perfect nearly flawless performance from Beuke in the evening's main event.

In the co-main event, Rio Grande Valley native "El Gallo Fino" Sammy Castaneda was equally impressive but in a completely different style. So many trainers train fighters to one particular style. Payton has done the opposite. Maximizing what his fighters do best. With Beuke it was using the entire 24-foot ring, moving and avoiding Ealoms, setting traps and staying composed, not letting the hard-hitting Ealoms set his feet " If he can't set his feet, he can't land any heavy shots. He can't generate power. It's impossible." Payton explained. With Castaneda, it was the opposite approach. Castaneda cut the ring off and overwhelmed his fleet-footed and highly athletic opponent Bryan Springs. Castaneda unleashed a relentless attack "I was counting he was throwing about 77 punches a round." Payton noted. A tremendous work rate for a 140-pounder. Castaneda broke the athletic springs down and wouldn't allow him to run and move and use the gigantic ring. He took away the very game plan away from Springs that Payton and Beuke executed to perfection in the main event. Springs "wanted to quit after the fourth round but his corner (Chato Martinez) made him continue ''Castaneda gets better every fight," Payton says "He listens and he has a great work ethic" the RGV-based trainer added. "He runs 5 to 6 miles a day. He is at the gym twice a day six days a week"

It's the journey that Payton and Castaneda have traveled together over the past two years, which is the most impressive feat. Castaneda made his pro debut in 2019 in Brownsville and scored a third-round knockout. A knockout that was later overturned, by the Texas commission and changed to a No Contest. The Rio Grande Valley native then disappeared for nearly two years before he resurfaced and told Coach Payton that he was ready to fight again. Except at this time, Castaneda hadn't just not been in the rin. He was 230 pounds and working at Wal-Mart, nowhere near anything that would resemble a fighting shape. Payton agreed to train the young fighter but under his terms. " I told him if you don't work hard. If you miss one day of training without a valid excuse, you're done! You're out of the gym... It's my way or the highway." Payton explained. A hungry and determined Castaneda, who is now married with a young daughter, obliged. It's been two years, and Castaneda has not relented at all. Payton described Castaneda, at that point, as a flat-footed pressure fighter. Payton has been able to take the raw talent that he had and what Payton describes as "that dog in him" and transformed Castaneda into a complete boxer puncher. Who can box from the outside and has that tremendous work rate and really solid pop. and can break you down and overwhelm you on the inside.

When Payton, who has taken numerous fighters to the world level was asked how far away is 24-year-old Castaneda away from fighting at the highest level a realistic Payton said "hes 3 to 4 fights away" According to Castaneda's handler, the legendary Kerry Daigle said he plans on fighting Castaneda four to five times this year. Meaning in less than three years, he would have gone from 230 pounds and working at Walmart to being a world-class 140-pound title contender. An amazing transformation credited to Castenda's incredible work ethic and Payton's incredible boxing mind and tutelage.

Fort Worth's Edward Vazquez Wins on Showtime, Moves Closer to World Title Fight

Fort Worth Native Edward "Kid" Vazquez took a major step forward in his goal to become the next world champ from Fort Worth. The 27-year-old scored a split decision victory over Misael Lopez Friday night in Topeka, Kansas, that aired live on Showtime. In a close and competitive 10-round affair. Vazquez got the momentum going late in the first round. When he scored with a right uppercut that buzzed Lopez. The momentum really started building on the "Kids" side in round two. Vazquez was able to cut off the ring and began having success with the left hook. One, in particular, scored above the ear of Lopez and put him on the canvas just past the midway mark of the stanza. The Fort Worthian had his man in trouble again in the fourth when a big right hand this time staggered him.

Vazquez was able to keep his man on the backfoot throughout the middle rounds while Lopez was trying to establish his jab and keep the Texan at bay. Vazquez was able to slip onto the inside and score with his hook and occasionally mixed in an uppercut in what was developing into a tight contest, The fight turned one more time late in the eighth, with the fight likely tightening on the cards, Vazquez he landed a left hand that backed Lopez into the ropes with about 30 seconds to go in it. It seemed to make steam out of Lopez, who spent the ninth round working off the jab and apparently fading. Vazquez stayed on the gas and closed out the ninth and 10th rounds and kept Lopez uncomfortable with the left hook. A big one landed for Vazquez less than a minute into the 10th and final round. Sealing the did for the North Texan given him a split decision victory by scores of 95-94 and 96-93, with the third judge favoring Lopez by a score of 95-94. Vazquez moves his record to 14-1 (3).

Vazquez is known for his incredible work ethic."Kid" said before the fight "I won't take any time off after this fight. I plan on running a half marathon when I get back to Texas on Saturday." It's that type of work ethic that has put Vazquez in the top 10 126-pounders in the world and has taken him from relative obscurity to knocking on the door of a world title shot in a relatively quick span.

Franco Headed Back to Japan for Ioka Rematch

When famed manager Rick Mirigian said that his fighter, WBA Super Flyweight champ Joshua Franco of San Antonio, was willing to go back to Japan to set the record straight with legendary little man Kaz Ioka. Mirigian was deadly serious. . Franco, 18-1-3 (8), had to settle for a very controversial draw with Ioka on New Year's Eve in Japan. A fight in which everyone scored in favor of Franco and by a relatively wide margin. Everyone that is, except for judges Ferlin Marsh and Jose Roberto Torres, who somehow managed to score the bout even.

Ioka, a four-division world champion, vacated his version of the super flyweight belt, the WBO belt, and agreed to fight the Texan. Ioka was quoted post-fight saying he thought Franco was the rightful winner of the first fight. He opted not to fight fellow countrymen and former 112-pound champ Junto Nakatani. Meaning only Franco's WBA belt will be on the line.

Both fighters were in apparent negotiations with WBC champ Juan Francisco Estrada. However, they ended up opting for a rematch. The rematch is targeted for June, according to multiple sources. Most observers thought the Alamo City native outworked the 33-year-old Japanese legend and also landed the cleaner, more authoritative shots.

Vergil Ortiz Returns Home on April 29th to Challange for First World Title

Grand Prairie's favorite son will return home, officially, On April 29th, or about as close to home as possible. Virgil Ortiz, the #1 contender per the WBA will fight for his first major world title as he takes on WBA "Regular" World Champ Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) of Kaunas, Lithuania. The bout will take place at College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington campus and will be aired on DAZN! The North Texan took to Facebook yesterday to formally announce his fight that was originally set to take place on March 18th. However, Stanions had to pull out due to emergency Appendectomy Surgery.

Ortiz expressed his excitement about the official announcement “I am beyond happy, knowing that we’re finally here, fighting for a world title" He also took to Facebook to let the announcement be known posting" I’m back on April 29th at UTA in Arlington, Texas

This one will be for the WBA Welterweight World Title. I’ll announce when the tickets go on sale. I’m looking forward to seeing everybody there I’m very excited about this one "

Recent DFW natives Maurice Hooker and Errol Spence had to travel to England and win their world titles on the road. Making this a unique opportunity for Ortiz and a special moment for his hometown fan base, who will get to celebrate winning the world title with him. The north Texan has built up quite a fan base in the DFW metroplex. He has continued to fight in the area over and over again. He has fought in the metroplex a total of six times and is 6-0, with all six wins coming by stoppage. He will look to continue that perfect streak on April 29th.

It is what potentially comes after this fight that makes this fight even more interesting for the undefeated Grand Prairie native. Should Ortiz win, which he is expected to, he becomes the mandatory challenger to fight the WBA super champ, Errol Spence of Desoto. That would likely be at AT&T Stadium and would be one of the biggest fights in Texas boxing history! It has been rumored, however, that Spence was going up to 154 to fight Keith Thurman, those rumors have not come to fruition but there is much speculation if Spence, a giant 147-pounder, is all done at welterweight and moving up to Jr middleweight. If that's the case, Ortiz would likely be looking at a unification fight with pound-for-pound elite and WBO champ Terence Crawford. Crawford has been in negotiations with Ortiz's promoter Golden Boy to discuss a potential multi-fight deal that would put the two champions against each other.

Ortiz last fought in August and stopped Michael Mckinson inside of nine rounds to move his record to 19-0 (19) at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Stannions is no stranger to Texas. He last fought at AT&T Stadium on the undercard of Spence vs Ugas last April. He scored a controversial and close 12-round split decision over Radzhab Butaev to capture the WBA regular strap.

Joel Martinez Shines in Epic Night for Fort Worth Boxing and FHG Gym

6ft tall southpaw Featherweight Joel "The Owl" Martinez of Fort Worth said before Saturday's fight at the Southern Junction in Irving that he has been inactive lately due to no one wanting to fight. Apparently, no one wants to fight the freakishly tall and long southpaw with incredible one-punch power. If Martinez found it hard to find a willing opponent before Saturday night, he did himself no favors in destroying unbeaten Xzavier Jackson. After a quick start in the opening round, a beautiful straight left from the long rangey southpaw put Jackson on the canvas to the surprise of most in attendance and to "The Owl" who said, " I am surprised he got up." Martinez got backed to work and swarmed a wounded Jackson, who was somehow able to survive the round. However, in the third round, Martinez unleashed violent shots from the opening bell and put the finishing touches on his opponent. This time a body shot put Jackson down and out early in the third. Securing Martinez his second professional win in two official bouts. "I kept my composure the whole time. I took my time, I fought my fight." Martinez said of his performance. It was also the third win for the guys from FHG gym in Fort Worth. Gary Hampton Jr ran his record to a perfect 3-0 with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Rensley Washington of Cincinnati by scores of 40-36x2 and one score of 39-37. In the evening's opening bout, Desmon White put on a master-class performance and dominated Devon Jones of Tyler. Scoring a unanimous decision to move his record to 1-0-1.

Fort Worth-based amateur standout and Regional and State Champ Sammy "Cobra" Brown made his highly anticipated professional debut, a successful one in scoring a unanimous decision victory over a rugged and determined Austin Dulworth of Dallas. Brown got going with a big right hand that hurt Dulworth just a minute into the fight. A punch Brown would have success with throughout the fight. A punch that seemingly hurt Dulworth every time it landed. Brown found the mark with that shot again a minute into the second round and then would again double up with it later in the round. The Cobra also sported excellent movement and was able to avoid much of his opponent's artillery. Brown continued outboxing and outworking his opponent, building a lead on the cards. With the fourth and final round still in doubt, the Fort Worthian saved his best for last and put together his best rally of the night late in the final stanza. Brown scored with a body shot that slowed Dulworth down and then scored with a big right hand that snapped his head back and put a left hook behind it for good measure. The cobra would strike again with two more big right hands just before the bell sounded to end the fight. Putting an exclamation point on his pro debut and sealing the victory. All the judges scored it in favor of Brown 39-37. Brown fought this fight at 168 pounds, but plans on moving down to 154 in the future, He said he potentially could go as low as 147. Post-fight, a victorious Brown said, "It felt good... All the hard work finally paid off." Sporting the nickname Cobra carries a lot of weight in Fort Worth. It's the nickname of the legendary hall of Famer Donald Curry. While Brown has a long way to go to get to the level, he got his career off to a great start Saturday night in Irving.

In the main event, Dallas native Edgar Ramires improved his record to 6-1 (4) in pulling the upset over Rashad Coulter. Ramirez was able to overcome Coulter's reach advantage and was able to get on the inside and fire heavy artillery while in there. Outworking and outlanding Coulter. Ramirez was able to slide onto the inside and land the cleaner blows, and it was clearly breaking his opponent down. Ramirez carried the middle rounds for him. Fighting off the ropes in the sixth round, Ramirez put together one last brilliant rally that secured the upset for him as he rolled to the unanimous decision victory. A combination resulted in a cut above the eye of Vargas in the third as Foster was in complete control.

A New Champ a Former Champ and A future Champ Shine in the Alamodome

"Ice Water" O'Shaquie Foster has a backstory that reads like a Hollywood script. From touted blue-chip prospect to two ShoBox losses in eight months to splitting with his promoter to a prison sentence. To resurgence and then, ultimate redemption and winning a world title against Rey Vargas, a former two-division world champ, in his home state. Foster may be the best 130-pounder in the world, and he most likely is. Those skills, reflexes, and ring IQ were on full display in Alamo City. As the 29-year-old, Orange native dominated from start to finish. Foster boxed brilliantly throughout the 12-round affair. Dominating the opening with just a jab. Dictating the pace, and getting in position to land while avoiding Vargas's heavy artillery. The opening few rounds were the same story Foster, the quicker sharper fighter would land in short combinations and Vargas would swing at air. Controlling the action early, the Texan began getting a bit more aggressive and started firing with right hands that started landing with laser-like precision, one in particular, staggered the former world champ at the end of the second round. Hitting and not getting hit, Foster remained in control throughout most of the middle rounds. However, Vargas began battling back and had his best moment in the ninth with a straight right that landed about midway through the round. The moment was short-lived as Ice Water seized control of the fight again scoring with left hooks in the final minute of the 10th that completely halted the temporary momentum put together by Vargas. Foster remained in control and the Hollywood script was completed. Foster Captured the vacant WBC title and responded by saying, “Man, it feels great. Man, this journey been crazy.” The final tallies were 119-109,117-111, and 116-112, all for the East Texan.

In the co-main event was the comeback of one of San Antonio's favorite sons, "El Azteca" Mario Barrios. Barrios became the first of the current crop of Alamo Citr fighters to capture a world title which he did back in 2019 when he outpointed Batyr Akhmedov. Barrios bounced back nicely off of his two-fight losing streak and secured his first win since Halloween 2021 when he stopped Milan, Texas native Ryan Karl, also in the Alamodome.

A new look Barrios sported a Misfits tattoo and a new trainer in Bob Santos, and the new, more offensive and aggressive Barrios was on display immediately against Jovanie Santiago. As Barrios was applying pressure, jabbing, and firing off right hands backing his opponent up. He would then fire off a barrage of body shots that began taking its toll. By the sixth round, it became abundantly clear that Santiago was a sitting duck and not going to get through the 10-round affair. The beatdown continued into the seventh as Santiago was showing effects from the culmination of power shots and began backing down. Barrios jumped on his wounded opponent like a dog on fear. Santiago finally went down a minute into the eighth after getting hit by a left hook to the body. Santiago, tough as nails, was able to get up and continue. However, El Azteca slammed on the gas and unleashed another flurry of shots as the referee waved off the bout giving Barrios his first win in over two years and putting him back on track to regaining a world title and becoming a two-division world champion. Barrios moved to 6-0 (5) in his home city and 10-0 overall in the Lone Star State.

In a preliminary bout, our number one prospect to watch in 2023 kicked the new year off in spectacular fashion! "The Unkown Warrior" Fabian Diaz of Edinburg scored his second consecutive first-round KO moving his record to 4-0 (2). Diaz spent the opening moments of the fight working behind a snappy jab and looking to set up his power shots, the right hand in particular. Just past the one-minute mark, Diaz landed a right uppercut that staggered his opponent Eleazar Mendietta. Diaz then scored with a right hand to the body that hurt his opponent. The instructions flew in from the Rio Grande Valley native's corner that, "He's done!... Knock him out." The Unknown warrior obliged and scored with a barrage of power shots. Scoring with one overhand right after another and putting in a left hook here and there just for good measure. With just under a minute to go in the opening round Diaz wound up on a right hand that sent Mendietta reeling across the ring. The Unkown Warrior kept on the gas and kept on firing until the referee came in and called a halt to the bout after a perfectly placed uppercut from the RGV native about took his head off.