Felix Garcia Survives Adversity, Joshua Montoya Shines on Star-studded night in Laredo

On a night loaded with world champions, Roberto Duran and the Canizales were all in attendance at the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo. It was the youngsters that stole the show. Undefeated 17-year-old phenom Felis "Gatito" Garcia and Joshua "Spotlight" Montoya captivated the packed-out crowd in the main and co-main events.

At just 17 years old, Garcia is headlining shows in his home city, and throughout the night, he showed maturity and resolve beyond his years. To the delight of his hometown fans, "Gatitio" showed cat-like reflexes making his opponent Joe Casiano of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico miss over and over again. Garcia ripped hooks to the head and body, keeping Casiano uncomfortable and at bay. Throughout the middle rounds, Garcia's hook started wearing Casiano down, and started separating himself on the cards. With the fight still in doubt, the 17-year-old closed the show like a veteran. Landing big right hands. He began scoring with that punch constantly. One last big right scored for the Texan just before the 10-second clap. It sealed the round and the fight for Garcia, who won a hard-earned split decision by scores of 60-54 and 58-56, with the third judge scoring in favor of Casiano 59-55.

In the co-main event, Joshua "Spotlight" Montoya, of Lubbock, put on a show from start to finish and gave a career-best performance against Jorge " El Gallo Giro" Ramos in Ramos's hometown. After a careful start that saw Ramos having moments with his jab and follow-up right hand that seemed to disrupt the quickness and counter shots of the quicker and more athletic Montoya. However, by the middle rounds, the Lubboch native seized control of the fight, firing in counter left hooks and right hands. He would work his way onto the inside, unleash a lightning-quick combination and get out of the way before Ramos could return fire. Ramos rallied a bit in the fifth with his jab but couldn't sustain it, and Montoya came roaring back. The visiting Montoya began showboating and making Ramon miss while firing pinpoint accurate right hands. Ramos gave a Vaillant ever but seemed just a bit slower all night long. The pair touched up and exchanged toe-to-toe for the final 10 seconds. Ramos landed clean with a right hand. However, it was too little too late, as Montoya took a UD by scores of 60-54, 59-55, and 58-56. Montoya has now won four fights in a row to move his record to 6-4-2 (0) and take home the ABF Atlantic Super Featherweight title.

The undercard portion was loaded as well. US National champion Fabian Arredondo of Freeport made his pro debut a successful for taking a four-round decision over ring veteran Steveen Angeles. 14X national champ Jesus "Panterita" Martinez of Del Rio also chalked up a win with a dominant second-round TKO of Jaime Guevara. Martinez dominated behind a ferocious body attack and a busier jab than usual. He moved his record to 4-0-1 (2). Juan Garcia of Carrizo Springs went the distance for the first time and got good work with elusive veteran Ricardo Mena. Garcia improved his record to 3-0 (2) and dominated the action while Mena appeared to go into survival mode and was content with going the distance. Laredo native Alex Ramos also improved his record to 6-1 (3) while pressuring and overwhelming Frank Boston in a fan-friendly fight. Hector "Tito" Ferreyro moved his record to 6-0 (3), via a body shot just 2:46 into the opening round.

In the fight of the night, Jose Cardenas used a first-round knockout to win an all-out brawl with Hugo "Tigre" Castaneda to move his record to 7-0 (5), and Bruno Pola got up off the canvas after he was dropped just moments into the fight to blow out an overaggressive to Mario Jaramillo to pick up a second-round TKO and capture the ABF Super middleweight title.

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.

Six Shooters: Six Young Texas Fighers who Could Emerge in 2023

1. Fabian Diaz Edinburg 3-0 (1) There's nothing not to like about Diaz, the best young fighter in the RGV is absolutely electric. He strikes so much similarity to a young Teofimo Lopez, a Teofimo Lopez who "still had it"! Everything Diaz throws is hard and violent. He's a seek-and-destroy fighter with superb skills and is always on the hunt. It's not a matter of if it's a matter of when for Diaz. The "Unknown Warrior" made his pro debut in July in San Antonio on a PBC and ran his record to 3-0 (1). He scored his latest win, a first-round KO earlier this month on a Marines Promotions Card. Look for the youngster to be back in the ring on another PBC Card early in 2023

2. Juan Garcia Carrizo Springs 1-0 (1) If you have never heard of Carrizo Springs you're about to the south Texas town in Dimmit County is about 80 miles northwest of Laredo and has a population of about 5,000. Garcia is about to put the small south Texas town on the boxing map. A pure boxer-puncher with excellent fundamentals and one-punch power got off to an explosive start to his career. He made his pro debut on a P4P card in San Antonio and scored a first-round knockout. Unfortunately, The least experienced fighter on the list should be 3-0 but had two victories removed by the Texas Commission, so the only knock on the kid is that he might want to be a little more careful of who he hangs around.

3." Panterita" Jesus Martinez Del Rio 3-0 (1) The Future Of Boxing! The Phenom. The youngest fighter on the list. The 13x US National Champ and International Champ is as complete a fighter as a 17-year-old can be, and under the tutelage of Robert Garcia, the sky is truly the limit. An extraordinary athlete with terrific speed, one-punch power, a high ring IQ, plus all the accolades to back it up. Panterita caught the eye of former world champs Joe Calzaghe and Darren Baker and was the first fighter signed by their Management company ISG. Panterita has already fought on Matchroom Cards and has been streamed on DAZN.

4. Daniel Cortez San Antonio 3-0 (1) the 20-year-old is already being touted as San Antonio's next great one. Cortez trains alongside fellow Alamo City natives and world champions Bam Rodriguez and Josh Franco, he served as one of Franco's chief sparring partners in his lead-up to the unification bout with Ioka. Cortez is a raw talent with unlimited upside, who after a brief but successful amateur career turned pro. He caught the eye of trainer Robert Garcia and has gotten off to an exceptional start in his professional career. He has a style that is made for pro success more than the amateurs and can band on the inside and his elite-level power but has the ability to use his height and reach and box from the outside. A gifted offensive fighter who can box at all three distances.

5. Javy Fernández San Antonio 12-0 (6) Guaranteed action! Fernandez is a pressure fighter, a raw power puncher, who had a way too wide-base. Fernendez was discovered by trainer Rick Nunez of the South Park Boxing Academy and Nunez has his man on the verge of being a breakout star. Fernandez is no longer just a relentless come-forward swarmer. He has learned how to cut the ring off, force his opponents to exchange, and can wear them down. He also snappy jab he uses to get on the inside and much-improved footwork. When on the inside Fernandez is deadly and relentless.

6. Sammy Castaneda Mercedes 9-0-1 (7)- Of all the Fighters on the list we know that Castaneda has the heart. He has that dog in him! The 9-0-1 prospect took a major step up and took on the biggest fight of his career as big-time boxing returned to the RGV as he battled Julio Sanchez in a lackluster fight that he still appeared to win but had to settle for a draw in. Castaneda didn't want to move on and forget it happened and his status as an A-side prospect to avoid a rematch. He was obsessed with the rematch, got his rematch, and delivered. He got up off the canvas and erased a three-point deficit on the scorecard after a second-round knockdown, shook it off, and dominated Sanchez for the remainder of the fight to pick up the MD victory.

Juan Garcia Scores 1st Round KO in Tamaulipas, Mexico

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

Jairo Castaneda Scores Impressive UD victory, Picks up ABO strap

On what was a star-studded crowd at the Hangar 9 in San Antonio that featured a room full of world champions, including Marco Antonio Barrera, Austin Trout, and John Michael Johnson. The "Takeover" has begun. The first boxing card by Pound For Pound promotions and Luey Villareal was a ringing success. In the main event, "El Increible" Jairo Castaneda of San Antonio, made it a Texas Two-step for the Castaneda brothers. Younger brother Kendo scored a knockout of the year type knockout last week in Florida, and big brother Jairo scored a dominant 6-round unanimous decision victory over Leonardo Esquivel Carrizales of Brownsville to capture ABO welterweight strap. Castaneda struck first with a picture-perfect left hook around the midpoint of the opening round that caught the attention of Carrizales, "El incredible'  followed up with a left hook downstairs just moments later. The older Castaneda brother stayed aggressive and was heavy on the front foot forcing his opponent backward. Then staggering him with straight right hands was taking their effect as he began to look sluggish. By round three, the Rio Grande Valley native appeared sluggish and was wearing down. Castaneda stayed on the gas, firing off am educated jab and putting thudding right hands behind it, not letting up or slowing down for the remainder of the six-rounder on his way to taking a hard-earned but clear-cut decision by scores of 60-65 and 59-55 X2. It marked the fourth consecutive win for Castaneda, who improved his record to 14-2 (5).  He took nearly three years off following a loss to Reshard Hicks in late 2018. 

In the co-main "Jersey Boy" Glen Tapia, originally from New Jersey and now trains in San Antonio, returned to the ring for the first time since August of 2021 and for just the second time since 2017. In what was an incredibly entertaining five and half minutes of action. Tapia emerged victorious, picking up his second consecutive win in his comeback and moved his record to 25-5 (17).  After an action-packed first round, which saw each fighter throw and land plenty of heavy artillery. The Jersey Boy figured out his opponent, Tyrone Sanders, knockout artist. Tapia rocked the Houstonian with a right hand to start the second, and the onslaught that continued as Tapia stayed on his durable opponent and unleashed a whirlwind of power shots that rocked Sanders and ultimately left him defenseless, causing the referee to call a halt to the bout at the 2:27 mark of the second round.

A loaded undercard also featured highly talented flyweight/super-flyweight prospect Jaime Jasso, Of Laredo, who looked spectacular in his first fight with new head trainer Luey Villarreal. Jasso showed off lightning-quick combinations and put his punches together in spectacular fashion. Jasso landed with precision-like power shots to the head and body that finally put the outmatched Austin Rivas away in the second round. The young Gateway City native ended his two-fight skid in spectacular fashion moving his record to 3-2 (1) and winning his first fight with his new trainer at his new weight of 115. Jasso said he can move down further & can easily make 112 also.

14x national champ Melissa "La Joya'' Holguin, Of San Antonio made her highly anticipated professional debut. After having multiple flights canceled due to opponents opting to pull out instead of fighting the 14x national champion. La Joya boxed beautifully, mixing up head and body shots. After someone of a sloppy start, perhaps due to the nerves of making her pro debut. Holguin got cooking in the second round, hurting her opponent, Kim Colbert of Dallas, to the body several times and ripping beautiful hooks and uppercuts on the inside. Holguinn hurt Colbert several times and appeared to have a chance to get the stoppage late in the third round when she froze her with a left hand to the body and followed up with a barrage of shots on the inside. Colbert was to endure till the final round as the San Antonian won every round on every card in the one-sided beatdown taking her pro debut via unanimous decision by scores of 40-36 x3.

If you have not heard of Carrizo Springs, you are about to. Amateur superstar Carrizo Springs native Juan Garcia also made his much anticipated professional debut and scored a sensational third-round knockout of Michael Land of Dallas to move his record to 1-0 (1). Post-fight super bantamweight prospect "Goyo" Gregory Morales said of Garcia, "He's a monster. He is going to be really good. We were on the Mexican national team together." 

In what was the fight of the night. San Antonios own Trenton Gibson and Vincente Loredo provided violent entertainment for the fans, and for the second time in five months Gibson proved too much Loredo, scoring four total knockdowns on his way to picking up a third-round TKO to move his record to 2-1(1). After seizing control of the fight in the first round with a flash knockdown of Loredo. The two traded heavy artillery in the second, and Loredo momentarily took control of the fight. Hurting Gibson with a right hand and then dropping him. Gibson cleared his head, got to his feet, and scored another knockdown of Loredo, this time with a straight right hand to regain the momentum. He scored two more knockdowns in the third as the referee waved off the bout and secured the victory for Gibson.