On Saturday, August 30th, Triple A Promotions, in a collaborative effort with TMB Entertainment, staged a fan friendly, nine bout fight card at Nelson Wolff Stadium.
The customary home field of San Antonio Missions, Double-A affiliate of MLB’s San Diego Padres, was momentarily transformed into an Alamo City “Thunderdome” that featured some of the city’s best undefeated talent.
In the main event of the evening, Super Bantamweight Javier “The Pitbull” Rodriguez (11-0-1, 1 KO) kept his unbeaten streak intact while showing great improvement in a hard fought rematch with nemesis Guadalupe Perez (2-18, 0 KOs) from Garland, Texas.
All three judges at ringside scored the bout 60-54, all in favor of the undefeated “Pitbull” from San Antonio.
“My opponent’s record wasn’t really indicative of how tough he was in the ring,” admits the 20 year old prospect. “But all of the fights on this card were very competitive and the fans really got their money’s worth.”
Despite being in the ring with a deceptively tough veteran fighter, Javier seemingly dominated every round of the scheduled six round contest.
“Our game plan this time around was to get in with our offense and get out. We wanted to take advantage of those times when he would lunge in with the jab and leave himself out of position. We countered a lot better in this fight and were able to dictate the pace much easier as a result.”
In the co-main event of the evening, Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (9-0, 4 KOs) also kept his perfect record intact by brutally stopping his customarily durable opponent from Monterrey, Mexico, Leonardo Torres (4-9, 1 KO).
After dropping his opponent in the first and third rounds, the end of the bout finally came by way of a perfectly timed overhand right that floored the hard nosed fighter at the 2:25 mark of the fifth stanza. As soon as Torres’ head hit the canvas, referee Mark Calo-Oy immediately and intelligently called a halt to the contest.
“He had an awkward style that was difficult to time effectively,” states the unbeaten power puncher. “My focus was to just touch him wherever I could land punches, and I eventually was successful in stopping him. But when an opponent is just trying to survive, it makes for a very difficult and awkward bout.”
“Everyone needs bouts like this in order to become a more complete fighter. I learned a lot from this performance and I will continue to improve. But I was extremely happy to give the great boxing fans of San Antonio a decisive knock-out. That’s ultimately what fight fans want to see.”
Although Lopez currently lives and trains in the Alamo City, his decisive victory over Torres was his first appearance in San Antonio since August of 2012. It’s something that he hopes to rectify over the next several months.
“I think it’s important to fight in my hometown,” claims the 23 year old Super Bantamweight. “This is where I live, and I have a lot of friends and family here. This is where I want to build my career.”
The nine bout fight card also featured the successful professional debut of highly touted amateur fighter Cresencio Ramos (1-0, 1 KO). “Kid Thunder” battered his overmatched opponent and truly dazzled the fans in attendance with his hand speed and accurate combination punching.
After overwhelming Lightweight Daniel Sanchez (0-11, 0 KOs) for two minutes consecutively, the third man in the ring, referee Mark Calo-Oy, decided to call a halt to the bout at the 2:11 mark of the opening round.
The 19 year old student at UTSA had much to say about his impressive debut on Saturday night.
“I wasn’t necessarily looking for the early knock-out, but I was happy that it came,” stated Cresencio Ramos. “I was just focused on being sharp and putting my punches together in quick combination. I really wanted to impress the fans who came out to support me.”
A large percentage of the two thousand fight fans in attendance were there to cheer for “Kid Thunder”. After staging a captivating TKO performance and hearing the “thunderous” ovation for his efforts, the future definitely looks bright for Cresencio Ramos.
“I know that this is only the beginning of my pro career, but I believe in myself,” professes “Kid Thunder”. “I believe that I can eventually become a world champion in boxing.”
Other results from Saturday night’s fight card from Nelson Wolff Stadium:
Junior Welterweight Armando “El Cartero” Cardenas Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs) scored a unanimous 4 round decision victory over a surprisingly game James Burns (1-5-1, 1 KO) of Ft. Worth, Texas.
TCU Graduate, Brandin “Boom” Chalker (1-0, 0 KOs) also made his successful professional debut with a unanimous four round decision over fight veteran Ramiro Torres (4-26-1, 2 KOs).
Junior Welterweight Rick Huerta Nunez (3-0, 2 KOs) also kept his undefeated record intact with a technical stoppage over pro debut fighter Chris Garcia (0-1) when the 24 year old fighter failed to answer the bell for the fourth and final round.
Junior Middleweight Daniel Baiz (1-0, 1 KO) of Team Morones Boxing Club scored a successful TKO in his pro debut when his opponent, John Angel Arrevalo (1-2, 0 KOs), refused to answer the bell in the third round of their scheduled four round contest.
Middleweight Rudy Lozano (1-0-1, 0 KOs) gained his first victory as a professional by beating up Rodney Ledesma (0-2-1) and scoring a wide unanimous decision.
And in the opening bout of the evening, Junior Welterweight Marco Antonio Solis (3-0, 1 KOs) remained undefeated by out pointing Eric Butler (0-3-1) in a very entertaining four round contest.
To support the hungry, young fighters competing in “Battle at the Ballpark” on Saturday night, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout, two division world titlist and current WBO Super Featherweight Champion Mikey Garcia, and Light Heavyweight contender, and former WBC Super Middleweight title challenger Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez were present, enjoying the action at ringside.
“This is where it all begins,” stated Austin Trout. “It’s important to support these young talented fighters because I was exactly where they are right now not too long ago. If they continue to work hard and believe in themselves, these talented fighters can accomplish great things in the sport. I really enjoyed this fight card in San Antonio.”
