Boxing returned to Sparkle City, Corpus Christi. for the second time in four months. Ernest Reyna, CEO of Reyna Promotions, is bringing boxing back to Corpus Christi in a major way. Hometown hero, 20-year-old Travis Crawford stole the show in the evening's co-main event with his dominant second-round knockout of Michael Haynes to pick up his fourth straight win, his second win in two weeks, moving his record to 4-0 (2) after starting his career with two consecutive losses. At that point many would have given up, not Crawford, who has come roaring back and is now the talk of Corpus Christi. The 20-year-old scored with a couple of straight right hands that caught the attention of Haynes. Crawford was able to score at will on Haynes, who was diving in with power shots. Setting the pace in the opening round, Crawford slammed on the gas in round number two. Scoring with a left hook early in the round that hurt Haynes. Moments later, he scored with a right hand to the body that sent his opponent into the ropes. With his opponent backed into the ropes, the hometown hero unleashed a whirlwind of power shots that had Haynes in a world of trouble. Late in the round, a left hook from Crawford doubled over his outmatched opponent and put him on the floor. Haynes, an extremely tough, and durable opponent, somehow made it to his feet. However, the writing was on the wall, and like a professional, Crawford stayed downstairs and focused on the body. He scored with a right hand and a left hook to the body that dropped his opponent for a second and final time giving Crawford the second-round KO with about 30 seconds left in the second round.
In the night's main event, Mercedes native "El Gallo Fino" Sammy Castaneda gave another A+ performance in outpointing Julio Chaves Infante of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and moved his record to 11-0-1 (7). Castaneda dominated the six-round affair in relentless vintage "El Gallo Fino" fashion. Non-stop pressure from the Rio Grande Valley natives overwhelmed Infane. Castaneda's relentlessness not only broke Infante down but took away his heart and turned the KO artist into a defensive-minded fighter. Castaneda closed the show like a pro, mixing up head and body shots, like the energizer bunny. He kept firing on an overwhelmed Infante. The final scores were academic as they all came in wide in favor of the Rio Grande Valley native 59-55x2 and 60-54. Castaneda, who is emerging as one of the top 140-pound prospects in the world, showed improved footwork and defensive skills in making Infante miss. He scored with crisp clean counter shots throughout the six rounds. The 24-year-old Rio Grande Valley Native has a premier team behind him that includes Head Coach James Payton, Agent Kerry Daigle, and cutman Aaron Navarro who works with world champion Regis Prograis and O'shaquie Foster. The team has Castaneda on a path to be fighting at the highest level by next year.
The undercard portion of the card was sensational. The opening bout was an absolute barnburner. Carlos Torres of Corpus Christi and Luis Fernendez of Austin Treated fans to an all-action slugfest. The pair traded second-row knockdowns. Fernandez evened the score late in the round and had Torres in serious trouble. However, Torres survived the scare and closed the show well. In the fourth and final rounds appeared to be in better condition as he was the one that got the better of the haymakers that were changed throughout the fourth round. The Corpus Christi native was rightfully awarded the close split decision victory by scores of 40-36, 38-36, and 39-37 in favor of Fernandez to move his record to 2-3 (1).
In the second bout, Corpus Christi native Patrick Haro got off the canvas to rally and make his pro debut a successful one. Haro scored with a right hook in the 4th round that dropped Tyler Pacheco, of San Angelo. Pacheco got back on his horse and chased after Haro, and scored with a straight right of his own to close out a highly competitive and very close four-round affair. Two of the three judges favored Haro, with the third judge scoring it a draw.
Supper Middleweight Veteran Justin Williams scored with a picture-perfect uppercut that dropped his opponent, Eduardo Alvarez, just seconds into the first round. The laser-like shot left Alvarez with blurred vision and unable to continue. Williams officially picked up the KO victory via 55 seconds of the first round.
Also on the card was hometown favorite Christian Perez, who picked up a unanimous decision victory. Perez rallied late and scored with a ferocious combination that laid to a 30-second barrage of power shots that left his opponent Steveen Angeles Cruz in a world of trouble. Perez nearly got the stoppage in the fourth but had to settle for the points victory as his rugged opponent survived till the final round