Sames Auto Arena in Laredo to Host Star-Studded, Talent-loaded Card on July 1

Big-time boxing returns to "the Gateway City" Laredo, Texas, in a major way. A talent-loaded and star-studded card invades the Sames Auto Arena on July 1. Laredo natives the legendary Canizales brothers will be in attendance, and so will four-division, seven-times world champion Roberto Duran. The card itself is headlined by the future world champion, all-world featherweight prospect, 17-year-old Felix "Gatito" Garcia, 5-0 (1) of Laredo. The undefeated hometown fighter puts his perfect record on the line against Jose Casiano of Nuevo Laredo. Casiano has gone the distance with other big-time undefeated prospects from Texas, including Rick Medina and Biggie Rodriguez, both of San Antonio. It will be a metric to see exactly how far the 17-year-old phenom has progressed. The card will also feature a must-win, super featherweight match-up between the surging Joshua Montoya, 5-3-2 (0), and hometown fan favorite "El Gallo Giro '' Jorge Ramos, 8-3-1 (5). Ramos has been featured on Top Rank cards and has world-class talent, as does Montoya, who has won three fights in a row against stiff competition. His last three opponets have a combined record of 20-5, including his last win, an upset victory of a 10-0 fighter, Marshall Sanchez of Houston. Ramos's little brother Alex will also be on the card. He will battle with San Antonio native Frank Brown in a four-round lightweight scrap.

Other bouts of note include Laredo native Nicholas Molina, who was featured on the Benavidez-Plant PBC card. He will scrap with Jermaine Whittington, the older brother of Legendary Texas Longhorns wide receiver Jordan Whittington. Additionally, undefeated blue chip prospect Jesus "Panterita '' Martinez 3-0-1(1), a 14x US national champ and international champion from Del Rio will be featured on the card. He takes on Laredo native Jaime Guevara in a battle of undefeated prospects. Also featured on the card is 20-year-old KO artist Juan Garcia, 2-0 (2) from nearby Carrizo Springs. Hard-hitting 6'3 super middleweight Bruno Pola, a southpaw, originally of Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, now fighting out of San Antonio, will also return to the ring. Pola looks to follow up on his spectacular fourth-round KO in his last outing in April in San Antonio.

Relentless! Bam Makes History in San Antonio!

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez made history at the Boeing Center at Tech Port Arena in his hometown of San Antonio. Rodriguez made an epic ring walk as the capacity crowd chanted, "210! 210! 210!" The hometown hero did not disappoint. The tempo of the fight was established early as Rodriguez was relentless in his attack. Firing off a jab that landed like a power shot and mixed in straight lefts and right hooks that he mixed up to the head and body. Cristian Gonzalez, a long-rangy flyweight, was on his back foot and determined to use the entire ring to keep the pressuring Rodriguez at bay. The first punch of consequence was landed by the San Antonian, to the delight of the crowd. A straight left found its mark just past the midway point of the opening stanza. Bam continued on the front foot and would keep his opponents back to the ropes. Straight lefts poured in for Rodriguez, but it was largely one shot at a time. However, a double jab stunned Gonzalez in the second round. As Bam got off to another strong start in the second round. A straight left from the Texan had Gonzalez in real trouble for the first time with about 30 seconds left in the round. The third picked up, where the second ended with Bam on the attack. He received a warning for a low blow but then had his most dominant round of the bout. The only question that remained while going into the middle rounds became whether could Gonzlaez withstand the relentlessness of the San Antonian and make it to the final bell. Rodriguez suffered what is perhaps a broken jaw in the sixth but fought through it and continued to break down his Mexican opponent.

As the rounds progressed and the action moved into the second round of the fight it became evident the straight left from Rodriguez could not miss as he cut off the ring and kept his opponent against the ropes it's amazing at this point Gonzalez is still on his feet ba had him cornered late in the 8th but he again slipped out. Going into the championship round the fight was completely one-sided as Gonzalez is strictly looking to survive. It was also obvious that he was content with not winning, not engaging, and surviving till the end and that's exactly what Gonzalez did. He made it to the final bell but the lopsided scores came in, 118-110, and much too close scores of 116-112 and 117-111 all in favor of the San Antonionian. Making Bam the first two-division world champ from Alamo City. He also apparently suffered a fractured jaw.

Two other Texans were featured on the card. Houston-based middleweight Raphael Igbokwe challenged unbeaten boogeyman of the 154-pound division, Israil Madrimov of Uzbekistan, Igbokwe, a southpaw, moved well early and landed his jab and quick counter shots that kept Madrimov honest. However the Uzbek's pressure and skill on the inside were just too much. The Houstonian continued battling valiantly and fighting to win, scoring with straight lefts and right hooks on the inside. The battle moved to the middle of the ring, which favored the pressure fighter, and Madrimov rolled to a hard-earned and competitive unanimous decision victory.

In the night's opening bout was 18-Year-old phenom and 14x national champion Jesus "Panterita" Martinez of Del Rio in a major step-up bout. Martinez battled Queens, NY, resident Jose Lopez. After a sensational first round that Panterita was able to dominate from the outside and put together lightning-quick combinations. Lopez, bigger, older, and more experienced at the professional level, was able to impose his will to a degree and get on the inside and make the fight happen at close range. It appeared Martinez was landing the cleaner, flusher, shots. However, he Panterita was beginning to fade, and Lopez rallied in the fourth. The judges saw that as enough to award the bout a three-way draw. With one judge scoring it 39-37 each way, and the third had it 38-38 even.

Tanajara and other undefeated Prospects Shine at Tech Port Arena

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kid Austin Shines in Indio in Golden Boy Main Event

The Future of Texas Boxing is in great hands as another unbeaten prospect surges up the rankings. "Kid Austin" Floyd Schofield, fighting out of Austin, made his main event debut Thursday in Indio, California. He officially signed with Golden Boy Promotions this summer after his spectacular performance on the Ortiz-McKinson card in Fort Worth. He also has a co-promotional deal with San Antonio-based promoter Davies Entertainment. Kid Austin made a spectacular debut and did not disappoint the new company in his fight as an official part of the team. The 20-year lightweight predicted a first-round knockout and did just that. Completely overwhelming the outmatched Daniel Rosas in just 97 seconds.

Just a minute into the bout Kid Austin backed his man into the ropes and dropped Rosas momentarily, but was ruled a slip and not a knockdown. However, it was obvious at that point that Rosas had nowhere to go and it was just a matter of time. Schofield picked up the onslaught once Rosas got u, and continued the assault. Attacking with head and body shots, driving Rosas back into the ropes again. Schofield set him up whim with the jab, then landed a thudding right hand, and followed it up with a well-placed left hook that knocked Rosas down and out. Giving the Austinite the 12th consecutive win and 10th stoppage to start his young and emerging career.

The youth movement in Texas boxing is on a whole another level. In addition to WBC Super Flyweight Champ 22-Year-Old Bam Rodriguez who has taken the world by storm and should win Fighter of the Year for 2022, there's a 17-year-old phenom, 2-0 bantamweight prospect Jesus "Panterita'' Martinez of Del Rio. Now Schofield is taking the boxing world by storm! The future of boxing is Texas!

Schofield also has an excellent chance to become the first world champion from Austin. The Capital City has produced plenty of good fighters James Kirkland, Casey Ramos, Kurtiss Colvin, and others but none ahve gotten all the way to the top of the mountain. Schofield certainly seems to be headed to the top of that mountain and likely in the very near future and in multiple divisions.

A Special Night of Specia Talent in San Antonio

Saturday night at the brand new state-of-the-art, Tech Port Arena in San Antonio was a special night, to say the least. WBC Bam Rodriguez acknowledged this the next day on social media, saying it was a special night. The crowd was electric, and they knew they weren't just watching good fighters. They were watching generational talent, the future of Texas boxing, and the future of the sport.  It wasn't just Rodriguez, who was absolutely flawless and electric in stopping Sor Rungvisai over eight, absolutely one-sided rounds, even though he was. In the opening bout of the night 17-year-old, 14x-time, US national champ and international champion "Panterita" Jesus Martinez of Del Rio. The highly touted blue-chip prospect put on another strong performance. 

The teenager has a beyond his years, type of ring IQ and patience in the ring, and that is matched by his humble, low-key personality outside the ring. After scoring a knockdown in the first round of his pro-debut Panterita stayed calm and patient, and didn't sell-put or bum rush his wounded opponent. He stayed calm and outboxed his out-matched opponent, and took the UD victory. In his second pro fight, he was well in control. When a glancing blow brushed off his shoulder in the third round an off-balanced and slipping Martinez ended up on the canvas. On what appeared to be a slip but was ruled a knockdown. The 17-year-old got to his feet and brushed it off. he went to his corner and was told to stay calm, shake it off, and reminded him he was very much in control of the fight. He did just that and finished the fourth round like he started the first two working behind a jab and a stiff right hand and wobbling his opponent with a crisp left hook to pick up his second decision victory in two weeks.

Martinez's talent is noticed by some of the biggest and best in the boxing world. Given his immense talent and beyond-his-years- maturity, it's not really a question of if he gets to a world title. It's when and how many. The 118-pounder is already really big for his weight class and carries quite a bit of power. He scored posterizing knockouts in the amateurs. What weight does he grow into? 126, 130, maybe 135? It stands to reason he can win titles all the way up through those weight classes. He has the right team behind him. He is managed by two former world champions in Darren Barker, who held the IBF middleweight title, and Hall of Famer Joe Calzaghe who held titles at 168 pounds for a decade and was the lineal Ring Magazine champ at 175. He is trained by the best stable at the RBGA he is working and growing under the tutelage of Robert Garcia. Where he trains alongside a pair of world champions in Bam and Josh Franco, each of the two speaks very highly of Panterita. Mentioning just how good he looks in the gym. After his pro debut, President of Matchroom Boxing Eddie Hearn took to social media to see where the 17-year-old would be allowed to fight. Hearn got him immediately back in the ring in Texas, just two weeks after his successful pro debut. The Del Rio phenome will likely be back in the ring in August in Mexico on his next stop to potentially like his stable mate, becoming the youngest world champion in the sport. 

Bam Scores Spectacular TKO in Tech Port Arena

Choclatito couldn't do it, Estrada couldn't do it, Cuadras couldn't do it, but Bam certainly could. The 22-year-old, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, of San Antonio became the first man to stop future first ballot hall of famer Sisaket Sor Rungvisai, and he did so not only in spectacular fashion but in front of a sold-out crowd in his hometown. Bam started the offense with a beautifully well-placed jab and sliding out of the way seamlessly making Rungvisai miss wildly. Showing off dazdazzling to close out the opening stanza. The hand and foot the speed was vastly different as Rodriguez was able to land with picture perfect hooks and avoid the heavy artilary in return from his That counterpart.

By the fourth round it appeared to already be decided with the only question being can Runvisai survive Bam for 12 rounds? Rodriduez continued putting the laer-like left behind the south paw jab and Rungvisai was a sitting duck. Adding in an amazing display of foot work consistently put the San Antonian in position to score over and over again with the straight left hand, right hook two-piece late in the fifth that badly hurt the Thai opponent. Another perfectly placed left hand in the seventh put Rungvisai down less than a minute into the round. A vicious rally and combination in the 8th round sealed the deal and gave Rodriguez the sensational knockout! Moving his record to 16-0 (11) and making him the front runner for Fighter of the Year.

Also on the card was rising prospect "Panterita" Jesus Martinez of Del Rio got to work right away. After sizing up his opponent, Keven Monroy, with the jab Panterita landed his first thunderous shot at about the midway point of the opening round. Scoring with a sweeping right hand that rocked Monroy. Just moments later a patient Martinez snapped his mans head back with a shotgun jab. A lead right hand and then a follow-up counter left hook put Monroy on very shaky leagues late in the second round. After surviving a scare in the third round, which saw Martinez on the canvas after a punch grazed off his shoulder and Panterita alipped to the canvas, it was ruled a knockdown, however. Panterita again stepped on the gas and regained control of the fight. The teenager closed the show in the final stanza like a rugged veteran. He rocked his man with solid right hands. However, Monroy embodied the true warrior spirit and fought valiantly surviving to the last round. Panterita moved his record to 2-0 picking up his second decision. Manager and former world champion Darren Barker gave Panterita a "7 out of 10. I am happy but there are things he could have done better" he said. The plan is to continue to keep the young fighter active and Barker suggested they could be back at it as soon as August.

Rick Medina Jr came up short in a points loss in a competitive fight with Raymond Ford.

Jesus "Panterita" Martinez signs with Joe Calazaghe and Darren Barker

Former World Champions Joe Calzaghe and Darren Barker are again throwing their hats into the boxing ring with the announcement of the launch of their management group, International Sports Group (ISG). The pair wasted no time making a major splash in the Lone Star State, signing 14x amateur US National champion, and former International amateur champion, Jesus "Panterita" Martinez of Del Rio, Texas. Martinez compiled an outstanding amateur record of 137-9 and won every conceivable amateur tournament in the US and just recently went viral when he scored a vicious knockout in the opening rounds of the USA Boxing national championships in Shreveport, Louisiana, last month. Martinez had considered staying in the amateur ranks but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. Martinez said of Joe Calzaghe " I looked up to him and I still look up to him. He was one of my favorites. I use to always watch the greats, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, and Joe Calzaghe were one of them. It's amazing to be signed by him and Darren Barker" 

An exciting opportunity for the kid from Del Rio, who has incredibly lofty goals. "I think by like 21, 22 I want to have my first world title and then over the years gain my other world titles... I want to be a five or six-division world champion. I wanna make history and I don't want to be one of the best, but the best to ever do it." He additionally dreams of bringing home the first world champion from Del Rio, a boxing-crazed border community Panterita describes what being a world champion from Del Rio would mean " It would just mean the world to me, to win a world title and they announce me being from Del Rio would mean the world to me. That's my birthplace, I grew up here in Del Rio. It would mean everything to me"

Martinez has been equally credited for his incredible punching power as well as his tireless work ethic. He said of his incredible one-punch power that it "doesn't really surprise me, I see it every day in the gym.. what does surprise me is the way it happens" he also explains where his incredible work ethic and drive comes from saying it's his "Passion for the sport. I come from a boxing family, my uncles my dad, my grandpa my cousins everyone boxed. Our dream always was to become a world champion. I want to make everyone proud" he says but "I also want to achieve my dream and be the best who has ever done it" He want on to add that being targeted and being the favorite in so many tournaments serves as extra motivation, saying  "Even though I had God-given talent I know there are kids who have my head as their target they are training to beat me and I slip and stop training head or I get distracted they're gonna be right on my head. So I cant slip up I have to be focused"

It looks like April will be the month Martinez makes his pro-debut but as of now, nothing is written in stone for his pro debut. The 17-year-old explained "right now April is looking good. Mid-April or end of April, but fingers crossed that pulls through. It's looking good. By April I should be 1-0" Whenever he does make his pro debut he is under the tutelage of the right people and his career is on the right path to meeting his lofty goals. When asked how cool it is to be signed with two ring legends, Martinez explained "It's surreal being signed to two-notch fighters...I got to talk to them and they're amazing, lovely people. I trust them I know they are going to guide me to a good career. They've been through it all."