The Squared Circle

Golden Boy Fight Night

Thursday September 7, 2023  – Fantasy Springs Casino Indio, CA

In one of our favorite and home venues where GB hosts the majority of their events, Raul Curiel was the main event and Manny Flores was the co-main looking to rebound from a defeat in his last bout. Deuces were wild as three of the fights ended in Round 2, and it was an easy night for the judges as all but one fight went the distance.  

1130  lbs – 8 Rounds – Leonardo Sanchez (6-0)  KO 2 over   vs. John Alimane (8-5): Referee Ray Armendariz waves this one off at the second round as Sanchez easily dominates Alimane. 

126 lbs – 6 Rounds – Jorge Chavez (8-0) KO over Marvin Solano (24-11) : Chavez from San Diego impressive in his dismantling of Solano, a rugged veteran from Nicaragua. 

135 lbs – 4 Rounds – Daniel Luna (3-0) KO over Alexander Gutierrez (0-3)  Vicious body shot from Luna polishes off Gutierrez who drops to 0-3 as Luna improves to 3-0 and moves on to bigger and better things. 

154 lbs – 6 Rounds – Grant Flores (3-0) UD over Jaleik Bogle (4-2-2):  In the only fight of the night that went the distance, local fighter Grant Flores easily outpointed Bogle from Tampa, FL after dropping him in round 5. Bogle had a few moments but not enough to sustain any type of momentum as Flores improves to 3-0. 

122 lbs – 10 Rounds – Manny Flores (16-1) KO over Jerson Ortiz:  After being dominated in his last fight against Walter Santibanes in the same venue, Flores was able to dominate a much lower caliber opponent in round 2. Although impressive, Flore’s opponent in Ortiz offered zero resistance and the match-up here favored Flores which made sense to get him back on track. Flores was asking for a rematch after the fight that should absolutely happen. 

147 lbs – 10 Rounds – Main Event – Raul Curiel (13-0) TKO over Courtney Pennington (17-6-3)  The main event showcased another welterweight in the GB stable. Raul “Cougar” Curiel was patient in breaking down the rugged Pennington who had only been stopped twice entering this contest. Referee Gerard White had seen enough and stopped the fight with less than 10 seconds remaining in the final round. Pennington had simply taken too much punishment and White halted the fight against the wishes of his corner. The outcome was inevitable as Curiel showcased his talents in 10 rounds and is clearly ready for higher level competition.  

Top Rank 

Saturday August 12, 2023  Glendale, AZ

In the Main Event for the WBO junior lightweight title Emanuel Navarette improves to 38-1-0 with a
Unanimous Decision victory over Oscar Valdez who’s record is now 31-2-0. Official scores were 116-112,
118-110, & 119-109. Pacific Coast boxing had it 116-112 for Navarette. This was very pro Valdez crowd
at the start. Navarette used his height and reach advantage to win the fight. Valdez had a tough time
getting inside and landing anything hard. Navarette’s punch output made hard for Valdez to find an
opening. Navarette clearly won the last three rounds to cement the victory. Valdez’s face showed the
damage after the fight, his right eye swollen shut and face was bruised and swollen. Navarette’s face
did not show any damage.
In the co-main event Junior Welterweight Lindolfo Delgado now 18-0-0 wins a unanimous decision
victory over Jair Valtierra now 16-3-0. Scores were 98-2 and 99-91 twice. Pacific Coast Boxing had it 99-
91. Delgado was not impressive in this bout and the crowd let him know about it. This was a chance to
make a statement. This bout was originally set to be on the undercard on ESPN+ and was elevated to
the main card when Raymond Muratalla was injured and his fight with Deigo Torres was canceled. Best
round of the fight was Round 10 when both fighters decided to exchange.
Heavyweight Richard Torrez improves his record to 6-0-0 with a Knockout victory over Willie Jake Jr who
drops to 11-4-2. Torrez hit Jake with right hook for the first knockdown. With Jake hurt badly Torrez hit
him with several uppercuts and forced the referee to stop the fight, one last left to the body and Tate
went down again. The knockout was at 1:22 of the first round. Torrez was impressive with his power
shots and has won all six fights by knockout.
Lightweight Emiliano Vargas improved to 6-0-0 by knocking out Jorge Luis Marquez Alvarado now 3-6-1
in the second round. Vargas won the first round my being more accurate and not letting Alvarado turn
this in to dirty fight. He was warned for consistently pulling down on Vargas’ head. In the second round
Alvarado was knocked down for the first time in his career by a Vargas hard right hand. Vargas then
took a page out of his father’s book by taunting Alvarado while he was down. Alvarado went down
again and when he got back up spit his mouthpiece out and the referee stopped the fight. Vargas was
impressive in this bout, showed off his skills switching back and forth from southpaw to orthodox.

Heavyweight Antonio Mireles now 8-0-0 stopped Dajuan Calloway now 7-3-0 in the sixth round. It was
back and forth action in the first round, but Calloway was tired by the second and did not throw as much
as he did in the first. The fight was lopsided in Mireles’ favor for all 6 rounds. In the sixth Calloway was
hurt and was against the ropes getting hit cleanly. Calloway was not throwing back and the referee
stopped the fight.
Middleweight Sergio Leon Rodriguez now 8-0-1 knocked out Eduardo Ayala in the second round. In
round two Rodriguez caught Ayala with a straight right. Ayala was badly hurt and stumbled around.
Probably should have been stopped there. Ayala quickly down again was hit with a wild looping right
and the referee was forced to stop the fight.
In the opening bout Junior Welterweight Ricardo Ruvalcaba now 10-0-1 knocked out Adrian Orban now
6-4-0 in the second round. In the first round Ruvalcaba knocked down Orban with a right to the body.
Orban went down two more times from body shots in the second round and the referee stopped the
fight.
Overall an exciting night of action. Desert Diamond Arena is a great venue. The crowd was very loud
and intense. Top Rank delivered an excellent show for the fans.

Thompson Boxing – Locked ‘N Loaded

Friday June 23, 2023 – Ontario, CA

It was an exciting night of boxing at the DoubleTree Hotel in Ontario, CA one of our favorite venues for the sweet science where the intimacy of the room, great atmosphere and good vibes all around never disappoint. Thompson boxing also loads its cards with competitive fights in addition to showcasing their strong stable of fighters. It was a 6 fight card as follows:

147 lbs – 8 Rounds – Angel Beltran (16-1) vs. Abraham Afful (12-4-1): Angel Beltran made quick work of the fighter from Ghana who could not sustain the vicious body attack of Beltran.  Afful did not make it off his stool after round 1 and Beltran won by 1st round TKO.

140 lbs – 8 Rounds – Emiliano Moreno ( 5 -0) vs. Cristian Dominguez (11-5): In this reporters opinion as the fight of the night, Emiliano Moreno earned the unanimous decision after two 1st round knockdowns. Referee Thomas Taylor took a close look at Dominguez in round 1 and almost halted the fight. Thankfully, Dominguez was allowed to continue and had Moreno hurt in round 2 in back and forth action that continued as Moreno eventually established his dominance over 8 rounds. Great action by both fighters and Dominguez commended for showing the heart of a champion. Look for bigger fights for the talented Moreno.

140 lbs – 4 Rounds – Tayden Beltran ( 5-0) vs. Gerardo Alberto Fuentes (2-7-1): Beltran made short work out of Fuentes chopping him up cleanly and leaving no excess fat on this performance as the “Butcher” showcased his talents.

140 lbs – 6 Rounds – Jesus Gonzalez (6-0) vs. Levy Josue Garcia (2-0): In a contest of undefeated fighters, the fighter hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico won a unanimous decision in a hard fought 6 rounds over the local fighter from Santa Ana. Garcia came in with a record of 2 – 0 that was questionable given his superior fighting skills that he demonstrated right from the first round. Gonzalez had his moments and rocked Garcia on several occasions but could not sustain the momentum enough to sway the judges.  Both fighters have a bright future and we’re looking forward to seeing both in action soon. 

160 lbs – 6 Rounds – Nelson Oliva (6-0) vs. Miguel Angel Barajas (3-3): Nelson Oliva improved to 7-0 with his 4th KO in round 1. Coming off a tough contest in February, Oliva was back in form punishing Barajas with hot sauce to the ribs. Oliva has been extremely impressive and we’d like to see another step-up in opponent quality to test his skill sets.

140 lbs – 10 Rounds – Main Event – Jesus Saracho vs. Tarik Zaina: The main event proved to be a very competitive contest that ended in a majority draw.   Zaina was clearly the better boxer who used his reach, hand speed and foot work to win several rounds. However, at various points in the fight, when it appeared Zaina was on his way to taking the fight, he seemingly allowed the smaller Saracho to plod forward and establish himself as the aggressor that was enough to impress the judges.  Judge Lou Moret was the lone judge who had the fight 6 – 4 for Zaina.  We had a draw that was extremely hard to ascertain certain rounds where neither fighter established a clear dominance.

Marvnation
Pechanga Casino

Friday June 2, 2023

Great night of boxing in front of a packed and raucous house hosted by the great Marvin Rodriguez who is seemingly establishing his boxing promotion of Marvnation as one of the elite establishments in boxing. A night hosted by legends Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns. Three fighters out of the local House of Pain Boxing gym ran by David Trujillo, with two (Morgan & Redfern) making their pro debut while Jimmy Nunez looks to better his 3-1 record. 

Mike Diorio picks up his first win with a Unanimous Decision victory vs Ian Morgan making his pro debut.  All 3 judges had it 39-37 for Diorio.  Morgan fought his heart out and promises to be back. 

Orlando Salgado improved to 3-2 with a Unanimous Decision Victory vs Squire Redfern making his pro debut.  Two judges had it 40-36 and one had it 39-37 for Salgado. The last 10 seconds of this fight were as impressive a finish as a fight at any level. 

Mario “El Matador” Ramos from San Diego, CA improved to 11-0 with a 4^th round knockout of Jesus Silva.  Ramos a southpaw looked impressive and had Silva hurt causing the referee to stop the fight.

Lawrence “Dawg” King from San Bernardino, CA improves to 13-1 by stopping Marco Reyes at the end of the 6^th round.  King a southpaw was too strong and fast for the veteran Reyes who resorted to questionable tactics trying to frustrate the younger fighter. 

Jimmie Nunez from Soboba Indian Reservation improves to 4-1 by TKO over Deljerro Revello.  Nunez charging forward was too much for Revello. Revello down from a body shot in the 2^nd and the fight was stopped in the 4^th.  Nunez looked impressive in his homecoming of sorts and did not disappoint the local crowd. Look for bigger fights for Nunez as his trainer and manager David Trujillo looks to navigate this dedicated warrior’s path. 

Adelaida Ruiz from Los Angeles, CA was impressive in knockout victory over Maria Roman and improves to 14-0-1.  The fight was stopped in the 8^th round, Roman was taking a lot of punishment.  Roman was also knocked down in the 6^th.  Ruiz really started to open up in the 3^rd round. She’s clearly ready for the other title holders in this division. 

Fernando Vargas Jr. from Las Vegas, NV improved to 9-0, when Heber Rondon did not come out for the 3^rd round because of a shoulder injury.  Vargas Jr was starting to figure out Rondon’s awkward style and hitting him with a lot of powerful shots. Disappointing that we didn’t get to see more of Vargas Jr. due to the shoulder “injury” sustained by Rondon.

Jonathan Lopez from Orlando, FL by the way of Puerto Rico looked really sharp against veteran Eduardo Baez, knocked Baez down in the 9^th and got a Unanimous Decision Victory 97-92 x3.

Golden Boy Boxing
Commerce Casino & Hotel

December 17, 2022

Golden Boy Promotions last event of 2022 making their debut at the Commerce Casino was an absolute hit. The venue itself is certainly more local and accessible for the SoCal boxing  fans looking to catch the sweet science live. As for the 8 fight card that took place, major kudos to the matchmakers who didn’t the line it up with significant mismatches that pitted a prospect against the proverbial fighter from south of the border that has as much a chance as winning as trying to successfully unsubscribe from all of your junk email. This card was filled with matches that had the both the Blue and the Red Corner coming out with victories. Also, the “First Lady of Boxing” Cecilia Braekhus was in the house making her comeback right here in Commerce! Gregory Morales started the action with a win against a  very game Diuhl Olguin. Ricardo Quiroz from Oxnard then pulled off the first “upset” by besting Martin Leon. Both fighters came in with a lone defeat on their records. Cecilia Braekhus then outboxed here opponent Marisa Portilla easily in 6 rounds. Next was a battle of undefeated fighters with Angel Vasquez coming out on top against Nick Sullivan .Jousce Gonzalez was next, who headlined the 7/28 GBP card in Indio, going the distance for the first time essentially in earning a hard fought contest. The performance of the night goes to Aaron Silva, making his GB debut blasted Alan Campa in 5 rounds, watch for Silva making noise at 168. The Co-main event featured Diego De La Hoya who scored multiple knockdowns to finish off Jose Gonzalez in round 8 in what turned out to be a technical draw that was a foregone conclusion as to victor. The main event featured Raul Curiel finishing off journeyman Brad Solomon in round 2. Solomon has played the role of gatekeeper for all of GB’s welterweight prospects having previously been beaten, by Vergil Ortiz Jr., Blair Cobb, and Alexis Ochoa. It’s still too early to say how high Curie can go, but for this night, he took care of business quicker than his stablemates. 

Golden Boy Boxing
Omega Fantasy Springs Casino 
Thursday October 20, 2022

Main event and California debut for Golden Boy’s new fighter Floyd “Kid Austin’ Schofield.  Kid Austin did not disappoint as he made short work of his opponent Daniel Rosas in just 97 seconds of Round 1. Schofield came out hot hitting Rosas with a series of combinations that ended with a left hook that prompted referee Ray Corona to step in and count Rosas out. It was an impressive debut as both Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins were both in attendance for an up-close look at GB’s latest prospect. The fight took place at Fantasy Springs where current stablemates Ryan Garcia and Vergil Ortiz Jr. established themselves as top prize fighters. 

In perhaps the best fight of the night, Joshua Garcia from Morena Valley, CA pulled out a unanimous decision that was anything but unanimous. Fight should have been a draw at 2 – 2, or 3 – 1 at worst, one judge had it 4 – 0 that really discredited the effort of Lorenzo who landed more punches 66 – 661 than Garcia. In the Co-main event, Anabel Ortiz easily outpointed Mario Santizo. 

Angel Beltran earned a hard fought decision against Rance Ward. Eric Tudor ripped body shots to easily take out Ramon Marquez in round 1. Mexicali’s Jorge Estrada starts slow but builds momentum in the 3rd round of a 4 round fight to outpoint Sergio Gonzalez in a tougher fight than it should have been. It was a majority decision only, although one judge had it a draw

Thompson Boxing
Path to Glory
Omega Products International
Saturday August 20, 2022

There was a sold out crowd to watch an exciting night of fights. In the main event Ruben Ace Torres from South Central LA improved to 19-0 with 16 KOs with a 7 th round knockout of Cristian Baez of Venezuela. In a great back and forth war both fighters scored knockdowns in the second round. Torres scored the knockout in the 7th when
Baez disputed a knockdown earlier in the round and was caught with a tremendous left hook that knocked him out cold. Protect yourself at all times.
In the co-main event Louie Lopez from Corona, CA improved to 12-1-1 scored a unanimous decision victory over a tough and previously undefeated Elias Diaz. Most of the crowd was there to see the local fighter in his hometown.
In a battle of two unbeaten fighters Pedro Valencia from Pacoima, CA improved to 11-0 with a unanimous decision victory over Adrian Corona. Valencia used a lot of switching to the southpaw stance to get the decision. Nelson Oliva from Fontana, CA improved to 4-0 with 4 Kos with a 2 nd round knockout of Eduardo Reyes from Mexico. Ioannis Manoullidis originally from Athens, Greece improved to 2-0 with a split decision victory over Edgar Palacios
of Mexico. Anthony Saldivar from Ontario, CA opened the night with a unanimous decision victory over Antonio Duarte of Mexico.

Ryan Garcia returns in dramatic fashion overpowering Javier Fortuna. The fight was really never close as Garcia hit Fortuna early and often. Garcia was very gracious in victory, thanking God, and asking the audience to find their purpose in life. His purpose of course, is a pugilist at the highest level in boxing, where he destroys competition. The next chapter is what remains to be seen as Garcia called out Tank Davis in what presumably will have challenges to make, but one can only hope…..