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).
