Two Rising Stars to Be featured on Ramirez-Smith Jr Undercard in Las Vegas

Tristian Kalkreuth is on weight at 199.3 pounds.

Photo Credit to "David Algranati/The Fight Photos"

Two rising stars from Texas will be featured again on Saturday's Golden Boy card in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan. On the undercard of the intriguing Cruiserweight fight between Joe Smith jr and Gilberto Ramirez, both "Sweet T" Tristian Kalkreuth and "DFG" Darius Fulghum will be featured in step-up fights.

Kalkreuth, 11-1 (8), also a cruiserweight, who hails from Duncanville, will battle rugged contender Aaron Casper, 7-4-2 (5) in an eight-round affair. It will be the first eight-rounder for Kalkreuth, who has fought three times in the last twice in the last three months. He picked up a tougher-than-expected decision over Jonathan Rice of Fort Worth in April and came back this summer and stopped Joe Jones in San Antonio. Casper is best known for his 2021 draw with Matchroom Prospect Khalil Coe.

Also on the Card is Destined for Greatness, "DFG" the amateur standout, is off to an outstanding start to his career, compiling a 7-0 (7). Saturday will be his fifth fight of the year and his third in three months. Fulghum stopped Jeremiah Curtright in July and then came back in September and stopped Ricardo Adrian Luna. He will now take on Alan Campa, 18-8 (12), who went the distance with Junior Younan in his last outing back in May in Orlando, Florida.

Ryan Garcia Returns to Alamodome on December 2

After spending the summer house shopping in the DFW area "King Ry" Ryan Garcia will return to the ring in the Lone Star State, On December 2nd. Garcia will look to once again pack out the world-famous Alamodome, on December 2nd. The 25-year-old is a native of Victorville, California, and last fought at the venue in April 2022 when he dominated Emmanuel Tagoe, scoring a unanimous decision. Garcia has teamed up with Dallas-based trainer Derrick James and will look to bounce back from his first career defeat, a seventh TKO by Tank Davis, as he takes on rugged contender Oscar Durate, 26-1-1(21) of Mexico. Garcia sports an impressive record of 23-1 (19), and this fight was rumored but still came as a bit of a surprise. Garcia has been in a feud with promoter Oscar De La Hoya, and the pair are set to meet in mediation to hammer out some legal and financial issues. A fight announcement was not expected until after the mediation. However, De La Hoya said, "It's business as usual." which suggests the pair are not far off, and the disagreement may not be as serious as initially thought. Durate last fought in Indio, California, on a Golden Boy Live card and stopped Houston native D'Angelo Keyes. The fight card will be aired live on DAZN, and rising prospect Kid Austin Floyd Schofield will likely be fighting on the card.

Barrios Shines in Las Vegas Captures Interim Title. Charlo Comes Up Short in Historic Bid

San Antonio native "El Azteca" Mario Barrios put on a career-best performance in Las Vegas on the undercard of Canelo vs. Jermell Charlo.

Barrios, a former 140-pound world champion, walked into the ring a 3-1 underdog against former welterweight champion and Cuban native Yordenis Ugas. It was the second fight for Barrios with trainer Bob Santos, and it was his second highly-impressive performance.

Barrios showed patience and a more disciplined jab after shaking off a nice body shot Barrios, stayed the course, and that jab scored in the second round and put Ugas down. The 37-year-old Ugas fought back valiantly and scored a right hand that hurt Barrios in the 3rd and landed another big right that affected the Texan. Ugas followed up with a flurry. The fighter seemed even through the midway point. It seemed the fight was up for grabs going into the second half of the fight. El Azteca certainly seized control and dominated the second half of the fight. A right uppercut in the 8th stunned Ugas. Barrios couldn't miss with the right hand as Ugas's eye began swelling. The ringside physician was called in by the referee, who appeared like he wanted to stop the fight, in each of the last three rounds. A fight that likely should have been stopped, by someone continued into the 12th and final round. The Texan scored another knockdown with a picture-perfect left hook in the 12th. Ugas fired back and had some moments with the right hand. However, Barrios continued to get the best of scoring with some right hands of his own. Ugas was deducted a point for spitting his mouthpiece out. Barrios rolled to a wide unanimous points victory by scores of 117-108 and 118-107x2. The Texan, who picks up the WBC Interim title, which will eventually make him the mandatory for the WBC champion, which is currently Jermell Charlo, out-landed the Cuban 193 of 810 to Ugas's 86 of 277. The Alamo City native improved his record to 28-2 (18).

In the main event, Houston native Jermell Charlo came up well short in his bid to become a two-division undisputed champion and dropped a lopsided decision to Canelo Alvarez 118-109X2 and 119-108.

San Antonio to Host Benavidez vs Andrade Plus Big Charlo's Return

Big-time boxing returns to Alamo City, according to 210 BoxingTV and multiple other sources. Undefeated and former two-time 168-pound world champion David Benavidez battles Demetrius Andrade on November 25th. The venue has not been pinned down yet. However, the AT&T Center seems like the logical choice. Benavidez, 27-0 (23), has become a fan favorite, and his last outing, a 12-round domination of former champ Caleb "Sweethands" Plant, has made him the boogieman of the 168-pound division. He held the WBC world title from 2017-18 but was stripped of his title. He reclaimed his title in 2019 by stopping Anthony Dirrell and was stripped yet again. This time, he lost it on the scales. Andrade, 32-0 (19), a former two-division world champion, captured world titles at Junior Middleweight and Middleweight. He held world titles as recently as late 2021 when he vacated his middleweight title to move up to the super middleweight division. He won a lopsided unanimous decision against Demond Nicholson on the Tank Davis-Hector Garcia card in January at 168 in his most recent outing.

The card will also feature the return of long-reigning but inactive middleweight champ and Houston native Jermall Charlo, 32-0 (22). He will battle rugged contender Jose Benavidez Jr, 28-2-1 (19). Charlo has been the WBC middleweight champ since 2019. However, Big Charlo hasn't defended his belt in well over two years. He last fought in June of 2021 and dominated Juan Montiel. Benavidez, lost a close contest to Danny Garcia in 2022 and bounced back nicely earlier this year with a one-sided beatdown of Sladan Janjanin, scoring a fifth-round knockout.

New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki Jr. 15-1 (10), is also confirmed for the card.

Charlo and Barrios in Action on PPV Card in Las Vegas

Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion Jermell Charlo of Houston and San Antonio native and former WBA junior welterweight champ Mario Barrios will look to make it a Texas two-step in Las Vegas.

Charlo, 35-1-1 (19), captured the fourth belt at 154-pounds in his last outing, back in May 2022. He rallied and stopped Brian Castano in the 10th round of a thrilling rematch. Charlo set the record straight following their 2021 draw. He will now jump up two weight classes and look to become undisputed in his second weight class, a feat accomplished only once in the history of the four-belt era, Terence Crawford accomplished it two months ago by stopping DeSoto, native Errol Spence. He will face Mexican legend and four-division world champion Canelo Alvarez. Alvarez became undisputed in 2021 by stopping Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium, and Callum Smith. He then attempted to move to 175 and lost a one-sided affair to WBA champ Dmitry Bivol. He went back down to 168 and has outpointed GGG and John Ryder.

On the undercard is San Antonio-based fan favorite "El Azteca" Mario Barrios, 27-2 (18), who will battle former welterweight champ Yordenis Ugas of Cuba. Ugas last fought in April of 2022 and was stopped by Spence. Barrios moved up to 147 in 2022 and was outpointed by Keith Thurman, but bounced back nicely, in his first fight with trainer Bob Santos by stopping rugged contender Jovanie Santiago in February. A crossroads fight for each man, a win gets Barrios one giant step closer to being a two-division world champion. There has only been one two-division champ, that called Alamo City home. Bam Rodriguez accomplished the feat in April when he outpointed Cristian Gonzalez.

Rick Medina Gets Huge Opportunity VS Former World Champ Jo Jo Diaz

When recent San Antonio world champions Josh Franco, Bam Rodriguez, and Mario Barrios were all asked who the next Alamo City native to get a world title would be. They answered unanimously, Rick "El Castigo '' Medina. Medina has now received the chance of a lifetime as he will battle former world champion and Olympian JoJo Diaz on October 21st in Inglewood, California, in the co-main event of the Alexis Rocha vs. Giovanni Santillian card.

"El Castigo", 15-1 (8), suffered the lone loss of his career to Raymond Ford back in 2022 on the undercard of Bam Rodriguez-Srisaket Sor Rungvisai at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio. The loss to Ford was described as a "learning lesson," according to Medina's trainer Rick Morones, who added, "Boxing is about styles, and this matchup is the type of style fight Medina thrives on." Medina, who has won twice since his lone setback, beating Stever Garagarza and rugged veteran Tony Lopez of Fort Worth, will move his camp to Las Vegas to train with legendary trainer Jorge Capetillo. "

Diaz, 33-4-1 (15), was linked to a fight with Austin native Floyd Schofield. That fight never materialized, and Medina seized the opportunity. Diaz, a South El Monte, California native, last fought in San Antonio in July and outpointed Jerry Perez. He held the IBF 130-Pound title from 2020 to 2021 when he lost it on the scales. Diaz was a member of the 2021 US Olympic Boxing team.

Bam Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards Face Off in Orlando Ahead of December's Unification Fight

Thursday afternoon in Orlando, Florida. San Antonio's own Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez and "Showtime: Sunny Edwards, of Surrey, England met face to face at the press conference announcing their December 16th Flyweight unification fight in Glendale, Arizona.

Rodriguez, 18-0 (11), currently holds the WBO belt, and Edwards 20-0 (4), holds the IBF strap at 112-pounds. The pair of champions kept the press conference respectful and spoke well of each other. Rodrigeuz said, "I’ve never been one to say no to a fight. This is the best fighting the best. This is what every boxer dreams of." The Texan is a two-division world champion. He won his first world title at 115 pounds by stepping in on a week's notice and dominated Carlos Cuadras over 12-one-sided rounds he defended the belt twice before vacating the belt and moving back down to his more natural weight of 112. He outclassed Cristian Gonzalez in April to capture the WBO Flyweight title. This will be his first defense of that title. Rodriguez added that "this is the biggest fight of his career" and expressed much confidence in himself saying, "He hasn’t faced anyone like me. Someone with good footwork and determination. December 16th is going to be a good one."

Edwards captured his IBF world title back in 2021 by outpointing Moruti Mthalane, at York Hall in London. Showtime has successfully defended his title four times, winning all his defenses via decision, including his most recent victory in a tougher-than-expected battle with undefeated Andres Campos. Edwards compared himself to a "Rubik's cube", saying "No one can figure him out."

The pair will then continue the media tour for the event in London next week, with media activities to be confirmed around the fight week for Jai Opetaia’s IBF World Cruiserweight title defense against Jordan Thompson at the OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, September 30th, airing live on DAZN.

Ramon Cardenas Shines in San Antonio on SHOBOX

In front of a packed out crowd at the Boeing Center that included former world champions like Joshua Franco, Bam Rodriguez, and James Leija, as well as San Antonio Spurs great Keldon Johnson. The often overlooked and underappreciated "Dinamita" Ramon Cardenas vaulted himself into the world title picture in spectacular fashion. Cardenas, who has started slow in the past, got to work immediately, bringing the action to Rafael Pedroza. Cardenas landed clean power shots. One particular straight right-hand buckled Pedroza. The Alamo City native dominated the opening three minutes. The next 1:17 changed his trajectory. Cardenas scored with a picture-perfect left hook, caught Pedroza flush on the side of the head, and sent him to the canvas and hard. Pedroza got right up and showed more heart than was good for him. Pedroza went right after  Cardenas. The Texan scored with another left hook over the top that dropped Pedroza like a building imploding on himself as the crows erupted. Referee Rafael Ramoswaved the bout off immediately as Cardenas improved his record to 23-1 (12). 

In the evening's co-main event, Argentinian power hitter Mirco Cuello was able to track down Rudy Garcia. In a bull vs. matador style fight, it was Garcia who appeared to get off to a fast start, working behind a quick jab Garcia mixed in body shots. However, he couldn't keep the hard-hitting Argentine off him forever as Cuello closed the gap and was able to force the fight onto the inside. Cuello's left hook began slowing down his speedy opponent and opened up a cut near his eye. Cuello never relented. He was awarded a controversial knockdown in round five and kept the pressure on throughout the second half.  Garcia continued to offer constant movement and had many moments, especially to the body. However, he just couldn't keep the pressure of Cuello at bay as he continued to land the more meaningful shots as he took a much too wide decision of 99-90x3.

Several other Texans were featured on the card, including 18-year-old phenom from Laredo Felix 'Gatito" Garcia, who moved to 7-0 (1). Gatito showed vast improvement as he cut off the ring on the speedy Joseph Johnson. Throughout the scheduled four-rounder. He applied pressure and landed thudding body shots that broke Johnson down over the four rounds.  Garcia took a split decision by scores of 40-36x2, with the third judge handing in an inappropriate 38-38 draw.

Speaking of draws, Arturo Ramos, of San Antonio, and tested veteran Bryan Springs, also of San Antonio, battled to a disputed draw. Ramos chased down Springs and landed in combinations and did good work when he was able to cut off the ring and get Springs in the ropes. However, he simply wasn't active enough. Springs antagonized the pro-Ramos crowd with his antics and used every square inch of the ring to score with a jab and would mix in flurries at times. The fight, which was quite a challenge to score, due to the contrast in styles ended in what seemed appropriate, a three-way draw with scores of 39-37 each way and 38-38. 

In the lone women's bout, hometown fighter Ravven Brown made quick work of Kavarcia Polk, scoring a first-round KO to move her record to 1-0 (1).

Eddie Vazquez to Challange Joe Cordina for IBF Title, November 4 in Monte Carlo

Edward "Kid" Vazquez will look to become the seventh world champion from Fort Worth, and he will get that chance when he meets up with IBF Super Featherweight Champion 31-year-old Joe Cordina, of Wales. The bout will be on November 4th in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Cordina captured the crown twice, first in 2022 when he epically stopped Kenichi Ogawa in the second round. He was stripped of his title shortly thereafter due to an injury and had to fight for his belt back and narrowly outpointed a very game ShavkatdzhonRakhimov in April. He will now make his inaugural defense against the Fort Worth Native on the French Riviera.

It's been a long, winding road for Vazquez, 15-1 (3), to get here. A career that was stalled by inactivity, promotional issues with then-promoter Roy Jones Jr. that seemingly looked to hold him back, to have four consecutive fights canceled during the height of the COVID pandemic. Major fights for Vazquez that were to be aired on ESPN that would have showcased "The Kid" to the world. When he finally did get a big shot to go in as the B-side and fight the highly touted Raymond Ford on the undercard of the Bam Rodriguez-Carlos Cuadras world title fight on DAZN. The north Texan made the most of his opportunity, as he always has, and dominated the hot-shot prospect over the 10-round featherweight fight, It appeared to be an easy points decision victory for Vazquez. A victory that was stolen from Vazquez by the egregious action of two judges, Rubin Rocky Taylor (92-98) and Chris Wilson (93-97), handed in cards in favor of Ford. The bout was the "Robbery of the Year" for 2022, and the cards handed in by Taylor and Wilson were perhaps two of the worst scorecards in recent boxing history. A fight so bad that Ford's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he had to go back and tell his fighter that he lost. There was no way to sugarcoat how bad that decision was.

The travesty didn't keep the Fort Worthian down as he bounced back and scored big wins on big cards. He outpointed Ukrainian prospect Viktor Slavinskyi, which aired on Showtime as part of the Sebastian Fundora-Carlos Ocampo card at the Punch Bowl in Carson, California. He then fought fellow touted 126-pound prospect Misael Lopez, a fight promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Lou Dibella that also aired on Showtime. Vazquez was so impressive in the win that the promoter signed the Texan and set up his homecoming fight in nearby Frisco on July 29th, where Vazquez rallied in the second half and defeated a rugged Brayan De Gracia of Panama.

Vazquez just turned 28 and made his pro debut in 2016. He has now won four fights consecutively since the Ford incident.

Laredo's Blue Chip Prospect Felix "Gatito" Garcia Returns to Ring September 15th in San Antonio.

When arriving at the Laredo International Airport, there's a sign, that says the home of boxing world champions Gaby & Orlando Canizalez. With the recent surge of top-notch fighters coming out of The Gateway City, they may have to make room on that sign for some new world champions. Among the names in that current surge of talented fighters from Laredo, perhaps none have a better chance of capturing a world title than 18-year-old Felix "Gatito" Garcia. The 18-year-old who comes from a fighting family turned professional at the age of 16 and scored a third-round KO in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He has already headlined cards in his home city, captured the Super Featherweight Texas Title, and has compiled a 6-0 (1) record. He will take another major test on September 15th at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio when he battles fellow undefeated prospect Joseph Johnson, 3-0-1 (0), on the undercard of Ramon Cardenas-Rafael Pedraza, a card that will be televised on Showtime as part of their legendary SHOBOX series.

Garcia, at just 18, has already fought a six-rounder and seems to be well on his way to big things. He has a massive cheering section and a degree of fame and notoriety in his home city. However, you would never know that from speaking to him. The college freshman is amazingly humble for an 18-year-old, who has that level of success. "My Parents raised me right," Garcia Jr. said. "They told me to stay humble and remember where you came from." They certainly did raise him the right way inside and outside the ring. Gatito turned professional last April while in 11th grade. When asked about turning pro at such a young age, Garcia explained, " I honestly feel like I made the right decision. The amateurs really weren't for us with my style. So we decided to turn pro." Garcia is a rugged come-forward fighter whose style is tailor-made for the professional ranks. That proved to be true right away! The Gateway City native scored a third-round TKO of an undefeated fighter by the name of Jesus Dorado Cruz in Nuevo Laredo in his pro debut. Something Garcia describes as "an amazing experience! Nuevo Laredo opened their doors to me... When I came out, I had a lot of fans cheering for me. It was awesome!" He won his second fight in Nuevo Laredo as well. The touted prospect then turned 17 and could fight in Texas. He made his Texas debut in his home city at the Sames Auto Arena last July. He battled a veteran of nearly 20 professional bouts, and Garcia took care of business, dominating the bout and winning every round on every card. By this summer, Garcia had run his record to 5-0 (1). In July, he took on Jose Casiano of Nuevo Laredo, a hard-hitting Mexican Knockout artist in the main event again at Same's Auto Area, and Gatito got to work delivering another unanimous decision victory, improving his record to 6-0 (1). He captured a win for his enormous and vocal cheering section and took home the Texas title in the super featherweight division.

The teenage sensation has built up a massive fan base in his hometown. The packed crowd was a sea of "Gatito" Felix Garcia, something the humble undefeated super featherweight described as having a massive fan base at such a young age, "At first, it was unbelievable. It felt like I was in a dream. As the fights progressed, I got used to it. My goal is to inspire the youth in Laredo."

Many of those fans will make the journey with him to cheer on "Gatito" as he takes on another undefeated fighter, Joseph Johnson, in San Antonio on September 15th at the Tech Port Arena.

Garcia has gotten off to such a quick start that the fans and his hometown are expecting him to follow in the shoes of the legendary Canizalez brothers and win a world title in the not-so-distant future. That's a lot of pressure for a kid who just graduated high school. The blue-chip prospect took the expectations graciously saying, "It's unbelievable to me the amount of support I get from the City. Laredo has been filled with talent. There are a lot of boxers that could be world champions. I am just glad to be in that category."

He also has lofty goals, ultimately Garcia wants to become the "youngest world champion." That title is currently held by San Antonio native Bam Rodriguez. Rodriguez captured his first world title at 22. Gatito will have to move quickly to get there, but thinks it's a realistic goal he explained, "By the way we are moving, I think it's possible. By the age of 20, or 21, I think I can say I am a World Champion." Coming from a fighting family, Garcia was born to do this, and as lofty as that goal is, it's certainly not out of the question. Garcia will look to take another step in that direction this Friday at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio and move to 7-0.

“King Shock is Back in Action” in Enemy Territory

Orange native O'Shaquie Foster's life story reads like a Hollywood movie script. That script is about to get another chapter "The Title Run!" Foster won the WBC Super Featherweight World title in February with a "Performance of the Year" type performance by beating down Rey Vargas at the Alamodome. He will now make his first title defense against Eduardo "Rocky" Hernandez in Cancun, Mexico on October 28th. Discussions with IBF 130-pound champ Joe Cordina for a possible unification bout fell through/ Foster and his team then  came to terms to fight Hernandez, his mandatory challenger. Hernandez is a native of Mexico City, Mexico and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rugged Mexican challenger sports a 34-1 (31) record and has won six straight fights, most notably against Laredo native Jorge Castaneda via first-round TKO in Mexico last year. He last suffered defeat at the hands of Roger Gutierrez in 2019 via first-round TKO at the "Punch Bowl '' on the undercard of Rey Vargas-Tomoki Kameda and last fought Hector Garcia Montes back in July and scored a third-round TKO, also in Mexico. 

Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Promotions, secured the fight via purse bids last month, meaning Matchroom will be the promoter and the fight will air live on Dazn.

Undefeated "Gusto" Sean Brewer Returns to Ring on Nationally Televised Card

Highly touted super bantamweight/featherweight prospect Sean "Gusto" Brewer of Austin will make a quick return to the ring after his draw with fellow unbeaten prospect Texan Joel Martinez.

Brewer rallied and put together a rock-solid fourth round in his battle of undefeated prospects with Martinez of Fort Worth in Frisco on July 29th. The fight was a major risk for both men and ended appropriately in a draw. Now, just five weeks later, the Austinite returns to the ring. Brewer will take on once-beaten Cuban prospect Deiniel Santiago Alegre this Saturday in Long Beach, California, at Thunder Studios. No, easy fights for the slick-moving and rangey Austinite who now trains, and lives in Las Vegas, and works with former world champion Bones Adams.

Brewer got a late start in the sport but has a ton of athleticism and speed. He quickly became a top-rated amateur and had a massively successful amateur career before teaming up with Adams in Las Vegas. He had gone on as the B-side and pulled upsets early in his career and spectacularly to make a name for himself. His break-out moment came back in 2022 when, after a few contests fell through, Gusto was bumped to the main event, where he took Christian Renteria and destroyed Renteria in less than one round at the DoubleTree in Ontario, California. He also scored a first-round at the same venue in February of 2022 when he destroyed undefeated and highly touted prospect Ivan Zarate. Zarate has since lost a decision to Santiago Alegre. Making him a common opponent of the two combatants. The fight will air live on BeIn and Fox Sports.

Brewer remains "100% to a rematch" with Martinez. Should Gusto get the win on national television, perhaps Texas fight fans can get Brewer-Martinez II before the end of 2023. The first fight was taken on short notice above each fighter's best weight, so a rematch on full notice at their natural weights and perhaps a six-rounder, not a four-rounder would be a lot more telling on who is the brighter prospect.

Top Rank Returns to Texas for Middleweight Unification

Top Rank can't resist the Lone Star State. Next week they'll be in Sparkle City, Corpus Christi, for the Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Joet Gonzalez world title featherweight fight. They have already made plans to return to the great Republic just four weeks later with another thrilling world title fight. This time the stakes are even higher as WBO middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly will put his WBO belt on the line when he squares off with IBF title holder Vincenzo Gualtieri on October 14th at the Fort Bend Community Center in Rosenberg. Rosenberg is a town of about 38,000 people located roughly some 30 Miles from Houston.

Also on the card is Giovanni Marquez, the son of Houston legend, Olympian, and junior middleweight world champion Raul Marquez. Marquez will be in a six-round 130-pound fight. The prospect-loaded card will additionally feature three of the brightest prospects in all of boxing. Featherweight and 2021 prospect of the year Duke Regan, 8-0 (1), will return after a nearly one-year layoff and take on Jose Perez, 11-1-2 (5). Regan has not fought since he disposed of Luis Lebron at the Mecca of Boxing last October. Duke Regan took home a silver medal in the 2021 Tokyo Games. Fellow silver medalist Keyshawn Davis, 9-0 (6), is also on the card and will battle Nahir Albright in an intriguing 10-round lightweight affair. Finally, Richard Torrez Jr., 6-0 (6), will take the biggest challenge of his young and promising career as he takes on Don Haynesworth in a six-round heavyweight scrap.

Spence Activates Rematch Clause. Will Fight Crawford a Second Time

Desoto native Errol "The Truth" Spence, 28-1 (22), has officially activated his rematch clause with the undisputed welterweight champion and the man who took the "0" from his L column last month. According to Crawford's trainer, Brain Mcintyre (Bo Mac) Spence has activated the rematch clause, and the pair of future first ballot hall of famers will run it back. The date, venue, and even the weight have not been confirmed. According to the trainer, his fighter "texted me yesterday and said that Spence activated his rematch clause. The rematch is confirmed, but we don't have any date and stuff like that yet."

There was a two-way rematch clause, meaning the loser had the first right of refusal and could run it back if they chose. Everything went wrong for Spence in the ring on July 29th. He was knocked down in the second round and got worse from there on out things got far worse for the North Texan, who was knocked down a total of three times before having the bout waved off for good in the 9th round by referee in charge Harvey Dock. A humbled Spence never made a single excuse, which has become unheard of in the boxing world. Things started going poorly for the DeSoto High School project long before he stepped in the ring on July 29th. Spence was in a fairly bad car wreck in December of 22, and camp did not go well into the lead-up of the biggest fight of his career. The World Class Boxing Gym where Spence trains with Derrick James was loaded with big fights all in the same time span. In addition to the Jermell Charlo fight with Canelo in a month, James was working with Ryan Garcia, who was in Dallas house shopping, plus the biggest, most valuable name in his stable, two-time former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua fought, just two weeks later in the UK and two weeks before Spence-Crawford, James's hottest young prospect Frank Martin headlined the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, in a harder than expected contest with Artem Harutyunyan in which Martin rallied late to secure the victory. All three of the James' trained fighters had subpar performances, and on top of that, Garcia and Charlo were preparing as well. It may have simply been too much plate of the plate of the trainer of the year.

Spence will however get a chance to turn that all around and exact revenge on Crawford.

DFG Darius Fulghum Returns to Ring On September 16th

One of Texas's brightest prospects returns to the ring on September 16th. The undefeated Darius "DFG" Fulghum, 6-0 (6), looks to keep his perfect knockout streak against rugged Mexican contender Ricardo Adrian Luna (25-10-2, 16 KOs) at Commerce Casino and Hotel in Los Angeles.

Fulghum, a 26-year-old Light heavyweight from Houston, last fought in San Antonio on the undercard of Floyd Schofield vs. Haskell Rhodes. DFG made quick work of an overmatched opponent named Jeremiah Curtright. The Houstonian stopped his man in the third round. Currently, Fulghum is a promotional free agent but has found a home fighting in big cards in Texas and has fought on Golden Boy Cards the last two times the promotional outfit was in the Lone Star State. He stopped Jay Williams in two rounds in April in Arlington on the undercard Of William Zepeda vs. Jaime Arboleda.

September 16th will be the fourth fight in five months for Fulghum, and it will also be his first eight-rounder. On top of all that, it's by far the toughest and most experienced fighter Fulghum has ever been with. However, the Texan is unphased saying, “ I’d like to ramp it up even more because it builds my experience. I haven’t suffered any damage in my fights, and I’m always in the gym training.” In regards to stopping every man he has been in with thus far in his career, Fulghum felt no pressure to extend the streak and said “I’m not putting pressure on myself to get a knockout. Every fighter will tell you, that if a knockout comes, it comes. My style is wear-and-tear to break down my opponent. Will I take a knockout? Yes, but I’m not planning for it.”

The Next Era of Great San Antonio Fighters Shine at Alzafar Shrine

Saturday night in Texas was a loaded night for boxing, and of the four cards, none were more loaded with talent than Saturday's card at the Alzafar Shrine in San Antonio. The Triple-A promoted card featured the next generation of great Alamo City fighters. In the evening's main event, Javy "El Indio" Fernandez took on Fort Worth tough Guy Clay "3rd Degree" Burns in the six-round main event. Burns represented perhaps the most rugged test the unbeaten 20-year-old from San Antonio has ever faced, and he got off to a quick start, scoring a first-round knockdown and securing a 10-8 round courtesy of a right-hand that put a slipping Burns to the canvas, it was officially ruled a knockdown. Early on Fernandez was able to keep the North Texan at range using his jab, as Burns swarmed forward, Fernandez showed off an ability to jab and box off the back foot. Fernandez, typically the come-forward pressure fighter, adopted being the boxer and showed off another dimension. In the fourth round, "El Indio" battered Burns with a barrage of right hands that sent him backward, another clean right hand came in, and Burns started barking at the San Antonio native. The always-game Fort Worthian had moments of his own and scored with a snapping right hand in the fifth that stopped the forward march of Fernandez. Burns had moments throughout most of the six-round affair. However, they were too few and far between as the multifaceted skills of Fernandez carried the night as "El Indio '' by lopsided scores of 60-53 X2 and 59-54, improving his record to 13-0 (6).

In the co-main event, another one of San Antonio's brightest young stars, 3x national champion David "El Giro" Cardenas, absolutely put on a show. The youngster was accompanied to the ring by a massive entourage that featured San Antonio Spurs leading scorer and starting Small Forward Keldon Johnson and two-division world champion Bam Rodriguez. Following such an extravagant ring walk, Cardenas needed to impress, and that's exactly what the 18-year-old did. Fighting a highly unconventional Rodric Cherry, who hails from Oklahoma, Cardenas got to work scoring with a well-placed uppercut on a charging Cherry. He was able to avoid Cherry's unconventional aggression and scoring with the jab that set up right hands. The San Antonian stayed patient and scored with a right hand at the midway point of the opening round. Moments later, a pair of right hands scored flush on the chin of the Okie, who swung widely at "El Giro", who stepped aside avoided the shot, and scored with another right hand that put Cherry on the canvas with about 20 seconds to go in the opening stanza. Cherry again came out ultra-aggressive to start the second, and again Cardenas stayed composed, and Cherry was dropped again with another right hand that left him unable to beat the count. Cardenas improved to 2-0 (2) with a pair of second-round knockouts.

Also on the card was "Pretty Boy" Rick Nunez, a fan-favorite who had an enormous cheering section and who is also the son of famed San Antonio trainer Rick Nunez. The hard-hitting teenage prodigy was instructed by his dad/trainer to focus on the body, and his son obliged. A barrage of body shots that affected an outmatched Ruben Martinez in the opening minute. Nunez began sizing his man up and sharp shooting with the right hand. A right-hand left hook combination staggered Martinez around the midway mark of the first round. The right hand to the body came again and dropped Martinez very late in the opening round. Martine thought long and hard and decided to get up, and the bell rang to end the first. Nunez finished the jib quickly in the second and dropped Martinez with another pair of body shots a right-hand left hook to the body put the outgunned opponent on the floor for a second time, who again beat the count. Like a dog in fear, Nunez attacked, and a pair of right hands upstairs brought in referee Dock Ellis to wave off the fight. Nunez improved to 2-0 (2).

San Antonio's Finest Young Talent on Display this Saturday

The next era of great San Antonio fighters is upon us, and the Saturday night Card at the Alzafar Shrine highlights the elite talent that the Alamo City is pumping out led by fan-favorite pressure fighter Javy Vargas Jr., 12-0 (6), the unbeaten 20-year-old will battle Fort Worth tough guy Caly "3RD Degree" Burns 10-20 (2) in the six-round main event. Burns has a deceiving record and has fought many of the top prospects on their way up, including Hector Tanjara, Devin Haney, and Demler Zamora. Burns will prove to be a good litmus test for the young San Antonian. Despite his 20 losses, Burns has been stopped just once by Jose Valenzuela in 2021.

The card also features a pair of unbeaten prospects with world championship ambitions. 3X National champion David Cardenas, 1-0 (1), who made his debut earlier this month and scored a second-round KO, will return to the ring and battle Rodric Cherry 0-2 in a four-round super flyweight fight. Cardenas plans to fight at the minimum weight class of 105 pounds in the future but to secure fights now and stay active, he will move up and down the weight classes and fight as high as 115 as needed.

Also on the card is the hard-hitting teenage phenom "Pretty Boy" Ricky Nunez, 1-0 (1). He also made his professional debut on August 4th in Mexico alongside Cardenas. Nunez, whose style is much more fitting for the professional ranks, showed off the power in the little 8 oz gloves and no headgear by absolutely annihilating Pedro Abdiel Alatorre, finishing him in just 45 seconds. He will lock up with Ruben Martinez Jr. in a four-round Jr welterweight affair. Martinez was stopped by fellow San Antonio Prospect Daniel Cortez in his last fight. Nunez, is trained by his father, the famed San Antonio-based trainer and owner of South Park Boxing Academy Rick Nunez, who has worked the corner for would-class fighters like Mario Barrios and Omar Juarez.

Also on the card is "The Fighting Ring Card Girl '' Mayra Rodriguez, 1-1 (1), the fan-favorite turned pro in late 2022 and picked up her first career win in March of this year when she stopped Domonique Hernandez in the third round. Rodriguez will battle El Paso native Roxanne Ceasear, who is making her pro debut.

Big Time Boxing Returns to RGV as Vargas Brothers Headline Bert Ogden Arena

Big-time boxing returns to the Rio Grande Valley this Saturday at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, as undefeated prospect "El Feroz" Fernando Vargas Jr., son of the legendary former world champion and brother Amado Vargas, will headline the card. Plus, former WBC Super Bantamweight world champion and top-ranked Featherweight Brandon Figueroa will be the night's special guest.

In the evening main event, Vargas Jr., 11-0 (11), will battle rugged Colombian veteran Luis Eduardo Florez in a six-round Jr. welterweight affair. Also on the card is highly touted and undefeated featherweight prospect Nathan Rodriguez, 11-0 (7), who will battle Jonas Castillo of Nicaragua in a six-round scrap.

Two other highly touted Texas natives will also be featured on the card. Rio Grande Valley native Xavier Bocanegra, 2-0 (1), a hard-hitting KO artist from Donna, will face off with Julian Yanez, a Rio Grande Native-based fighter. Bocanegra trains with legendary trainer Ronnie Shields in Houston and looks to bounce back from a hand injury that has kept him sidelined for over a year. Also,14X national champion and undefeated bantamweight Jesus "Panterita" Martinez of Del Rio returns to the ring 4-0-1 (2) and takes on Kenneth Jamerson.

In addition to Saturday's thrilling fights, there is a full, fan-friendly fight week that includes a "Team Vargas" Media workout and meet and greet with the Vargas boys on Thursday at the Moon Rock in Harlingen. On Friday, the official weigh-in will be held at the Los Lagos Golf Course in Edinburg at 12 p.m.

Barrios to Meet Up with Ugas on Canelo-Charlo Card in Las Vegas

San Antonio's fourth-ever world champion, former WBA 140-Pound title holder Mario "El Azteca" Barrios, will officially meet up with former WBA 147-pound world title holder Yordenis Ugas. The fight will be a part of the Jermell Charlo, Houston, 35-1-1(19) VS Canelo Alvarez 59-2-2 (39) on September 30th at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas.

It's a crossroads fight for each man for the WBC interim title. It's an absolute win for each of the two combatants. Barrios suffered his first two losses consecutively to two future Hall of Famers in 2021 and 2022 to, Tank Davis and then Keith Thurman. Barrios bounced backed earlier this year with an eight-round demolition of Jovanie Santiago at the Alamodome. Barrios will look to pull the Texas two-step on Ugas, who lost his WBA world title to Errol Spence of DeSoto, Texas, at AT&T Stadium in April of 2022 via 10th-round TKO.

Ugas rejuvenated his career at 147 after suffering consecutive losses in 2014 at 140 pounds. Ugas went on a tear that started in 2016 and culminated with a world title-winning performance with a win over Abel Ramos in 2020 and then beating the legendary Manny Pacquiao into retirement in 2021. At 37 years old and coming off a 16-month layoff from the brutal loss to Spence, Ugas needs a win over a young warrior like Barrios to show he still belongs in the world title picture. "El Azteca" is 1-1 (1) as a welterweight and needs a win over an elite world-class fighter like Ugas, which will propel him into a world title fight with Terence Crawford.

In April, Bam Rodriguez became the first ever Alamo City native to become a two-division world champion when he outclassed Christian Gonzalez to capture the WBO Flyweight title. Barrios will put himself in a position to challenge for the WBC welterweight title and join his friend Bam as San Antonio's only two-division world champions.

Castaneda and Juarez Score KO's on Night of Mixed Results for Laredo Fighters

Photo Credit: Cristian Rios Photography

It's been four years since Jorge Castaneda last fought in his home city of Laredo, and the now 26-year-old was eager to put a show on for his hometown fans, and he did exactly that. After somewhat of a slow start, Castaneda got cooking and sealed the deal with a thudding one-punch knockout that put Rio Grande Valley native Nestor Medellin out cold. In what was a highly competitive fight early, it ended abruptly. The early rounds saw Castaneda jabbing and boxing beautifully but may have given some rounds away by letting Medellin back him against the ropes and unleash power shots and outwork him on the inside. Castaneda got going in the third Castaneda began circling and firing off his jab. The pin-point jab set up a left hook that scored on Medellin's body and took some steam out. Medellin answered back immediately with a hook to the Gateway City native's head that slowed Castaneda down. When the Laredo native jabbed and circled, he had success the RGV native found his success on the inside, where he could score his hooks and uppercuts. However, the body attack from Castaneda was persistent. The scrap was very competitive but saw Castaneda start to pull ahead in the second half of the scheduled eight-rounder. In the eighth perhaps Medellin saw the fight slipping away on the cards, and he valiantly slammed on the gas, bringing the fight to Castaneda. He scored with a left hook early sending the hometown fighter reeling into the ropes. However, Castaneda slid off the ropes and got back behind his jab. Medellin worked his way back on the inside, and the two exchanged power shots in the close range. However, his punches no longer had the same steam, and with just under a minute to go in the fight, Castaneda unleashed the right hand from hell! A perfectly placed uppercut that about took his opponets to head off and put him on the canvas and out as the referee immediately waved the bout off without a count. Castaneda moved his record to 15-2 (11).

It was the first fight for Castaneda with his new trainer Marcos Caballero who is the trainer of legendary four-division future hall of famer Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez. Caballero was highly impressed with Castaneda, who he has worked with for just over a month "We made a lot of improvements, and he listens well." Caballero said.

"El Mago" Josh Juarez started his career and had the bulk of his success in the light heavyweight division. He tried his hand last year as a smaller heavyweight and scored a first-round knockout. Juarez Saturday night as a 241-pound heavyweight and gave forth a dominating performance. He possessed the same hand speed and skills that he sported as a light heavy. He rocked Leopoldo Reyna with a right hand around the midway point of the first round showing his power carried up through the division. He got back behind his jab and was landing it with accuracy. He was able to consistently make Reyna miss and tag him with a counter shot when he did. Another left hook came in and rocked Reyna again just moments later. He scoffed with another right hand just before the bell to end the opening round. The second picked up exactly where the first left off, with Juarez in complete control. The Laredo native walked his man down with his jab and landed clean right hands. A barrage of right hands put the overwhelmed opponent down a minute into the second. Juarez stayed patient, and another right hand rocked Reyna as the two exchanged some words. Clearly, on wobbled legs, Reyna was eating one big shot after another, and his corner came in and called a halt to the bout. The stoppage gave Juarez his 11th win and 6th stoppage in 11 pro bouts. The goal for Juarez is to stay busy and be back in the ring before the end of 2023. The 26-year-old showed the speed, power, and skill set that can take him far in the heavyweight division.

Other Laredo fan favorites had their comebacks stalled out. Hector "Baby Hurricane" Ferreyro Jr suffered the first loss of his young and promising career. The son of the former heavyweight belt holder was caught with a right hand early from Jesus Gomez, and he never fully recovered from it. He found himself on the canvas and was able to beat the count, but Gomez slammed on the gas and landed a barrage of power shots that put the Laredo native out cold. Ferreyro dropped to 6-1 (3), and Ferreryo was 2-0 with two first-round knockouts after a three-year layoff from March 2020 to March 2023.

Leopoldo Martinez returned to the ring for the first time since back-to-back losses to Kingsville native Oscar Cantu and fellow Gateway City native Jaime Jasso in 2020. The three-and-a-half-year layoff proved to be too much for Martinez as he was knocked out in the first round by Jose Casiano of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

Also on the card was Laredo native Mario Ramirez, who made his pro debut a successful one scoring a dominant one-sided point victory over Alex Ramirez, also of Laredo, who was also making his pro debut. Mario dominated the fight with a pin-point accurate jab and a thudding left hook and won the four-round jr middleweight affair by scores of 40-36 x2 and 39-37 to move his record to 1-0 (0).