By Mario Ortega Jr. –

Middleweight prospect Victor Guerrero will meet his toughest test to date in veteran spoiler Moris Rodriguez as Upper Cut Promotions and Fisticuffs Productions bring live professional boxing back to the Gold Country Casino Resort in Oroville, California on Friday, April 26th. The six-round main event will cap an exciting night of action featuring some highly competitive match-ups. 

Guerrero (7-0, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Gilroy, California made his U.S. debut with a thrilling four-round unanimous decision over a determined Matthew Monroe in Sacramento, California in January. Representing the next generation of the fighting Guerrero family, Victor will meet the most experienced opponent of his young pro career as he moves up to the six-round scheduled distance for the first time. 

“I am just very thankful to be part of a great card with great fights, as well as being the main event,” says Guerrero. “I am truly blessed with the opportunity to perform in front of my friends and family. Being my first six-rounder, it’s driven me to put in that extra work and pushed me to push myself to that next level in training. I can’t wait for April 26 to show everyone what’s coming.” 

Rodriguez (8-16-2, 5 KOs) of Sacramento has been matched incredibly tough throughout his nearly fifteen-year professional career. Despite taking tough fights, sometimes on very short notice, Rodriguez has the scalps of several previously undefeated or well-regarded prospects on his mantle. Now, taking on one of the biggest opponents in his career, Rodriguez will aim to spring another upset. 

In a pick ‘em fight between two hard-nosed veterans, Salvador Briseño will take on Jonathan Garcia in a six-round welterweight clash.

Briseño (18-7-1, 11 KOs) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and representing the Jose Morales Boxing Academy in Roseville, California is fresh off an eight-round unanimous decision over veteran Cameron Krael on March 16th. 

Garcia (20-2, 16 KOs) of Watsonville, California will look to shake-off the second longest inactive period of his pro career with a tough assignment in Briseño. Garcia, once one rising prospects of the California scene, went 5-1 entirely in Mexico after ending his last layoff of over four years in 2019.

In a lightweight battle that promises action, Christian Avalos (1-1-2) of Carson City, Nevada will take on Pedro Angel Cruz (3-4, 2 KOs) of San Jose, California over a scheduled six rounds. 

Avalos broke through into the win column in his last bout after two successive wars with another San Jose-based fighter in Mark Salgado. The first Avalos-Salgado war took place at Gold Country Casino Resort last May. On that same May card, Cruz pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over tough David Reyes.

Ebert Diaz (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Richmond, California will return to the Gold Country Casino Resort to take on Clayton Hibbert (0-2) of Los Angeles, California in a four-round light welterweight bout. 

In a middleweight rematch, Marco Ortiz (0-2) of Red Bluff, California will attempt to avenge a hotly contested four-round split decision he suffered at the hands of Matthew Monroe (1-2) of Sacramento, California last November.

Two fighters with mixed martial arts backgrounds will throw hands in a four-round welterweight bout when Scott Hayward of Redding, California makes his professional boxing debut against Miguel Soto-Garcia (0-2) of Fresno, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. 

Maribel Guerrero (0-1) of Gilroy will take on Iris Contreras (3-0) of Richmond in a four-round super flyweight bout. Guerrero, cousin of Robert Guerrero and trained by her uncle Ruben Guerrero Sr., turned pro in March. Contreras, trained by her father Filemon Contreras, holds a win over top ranked Shurretta Metcalf. 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions and Fisticuffs Productions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

By Mario Ortega Jr. –

One month removed from Robert Guerrero’s unanimous decision win over Andre Berto, the next generation of fighting Guerreros from California’s Central Coast are poised to make their mark as they showcase their talents before their home state fans in the coming days. On January 30th, Jesse James Guerrero will take to the ring in San Jose. Getting the jump on his cousin, Victor Guerrero returns to the ring to make his United States debut this coming Saturday night as he takes on Matthew Monroe at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Sacramento. 

Guerrero (6-0, 5 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Morgan Hill, California launched his pro career in Mexico in 2019. After years of plying his trade on the road, the young Guerrero is excited to showcase his talents before his local supporters this weekend. 

“Sacramento is only about two hours from my hometown of Gilroy, so I have a lot of family and friends that are going to come out and support,” says Guerrero. “It pushes me that little extra to put on a performance for everyone out there and to make them proud. Obviously, fighting out there in Mexico, it was a pretty long drive, but right there in Sacramento, that is pretty much my backyard, so I am grateful to Upper Cut Promotions for this opportunity and having me on the card. I am ready to make my hometown proud and I am very excited.”

By design, Guerrero would have made his debut in the States last year, if it were not for a bit of bad luck. As can be the case, several fights fell out on short notice. Guerrero’s last scheduled bout in November was canceled by the threat of rain in Fresno. 

“It is just part of the game,” explains Guerrero. “Fights get canceled. I just get ready and stay in the gym. I train year-round. I stay out here in Vegas, training with a lot of the big names out here. I got a lot of good work and I feel that I have improved, even though I didn’t get to fight and show the people [those improvements.] On January 20th, I am ready to show what I have been working for and that all this training has been for a reason.”

Despite not getting the opportunity to add to his official record in 2023, Guerrero continued his development as a fighter by gaining ring experience in the gym with top fighters and trainers. “I have been training out of Pound 4 Pound in Vegas and they have a lot of good guys there,” says Guerrero. “I was in camp with Carlos Adames this summer, getting him ready for one of his fights. I got a lot of good experience working with him and learning from him. I was grateful to be a part of his camp. I was also working with Sports Illustrated Trainer of the Year Bob Santos as well. So being in there with those experienced guys, I feel like I learned a lot. I feel like I added a lot of tools to my arsenal and now I am ready to show out.” 

Guerrero, the grandson of respected trainer Ruben Sr. and nephew of former world champion Robert, is trained by his father and former fighter himself Victor Guerrero Sr. Many of the most successful fighters in recent history have been trained by their fathers. At times it can be a difficult dynamic to navigate, but the young Guerrero is grateful to have his father guiding him.

“For the most part it has been great,” explains Guerrero. “We are undefeated right now and we are going to keep the streak going. There’s times that we bump heads, but that is only natural for a father-son. My dad pushes me and I like that he pushes me. There have been things that I wasn’t comfortable with yet and he shows me and guides me. He’s been in the ring as well, so he understands what to expect. Me and my dad’s relationship, we’ve always been close but sharing the sport of boxing together brings us even that much closer. I am thankful to have him in my corner. We are going to keep on rising from this fight on.”

Victor is just one of young pugilists the Guerrero family has in the pipeline. “It is exciting,” says Victor. “We’ve got Jesse. His fight got pushed back to the 30th, but he’s been training extremely hard. He was in camp out here in Vegas too for a little bit. We’ve got my cousin, little Robert, he’s on the come up as well. He should be turning pro in March, so I am excited for that. We can’t really get work like that in the ring, because I am a little bigger than them, but I go with them when they get sparring and they are coming along really good. I’ve even got my little brother Andre, he just turned twelve yesterday, so he’s a little guy, but he’s coming up too. We are the next generation and we are ready to take over the sport of boxing. Pretty soon the whole world will know who us Guerreros are.”

In addition to making his home state debut, Guerrero will be taking on a southpaw for the first time as a professional on Saturday. However, Guerrero feels well prepared as he heads into battle against Monroe. 

“I’ve been sparring a lot of southpaws out here in Vegas,” explains Guerrero. “That is the good thing about Vegas, you see every type of style: southpaws, orthodox, awkward guys. I’ve been sparring a few different southpaws here and my uncle Robert is a southpaw too, so he’s been showing me some things on how to move with a southpaw, what to do and what not to do. So I feel really good and confident going into this fight. I am just ready to go.”

After a year of training without the reward of stepping into the ring under the bright lights, Guerrero is primed and ready to get his career rolling again beginning this Saturday in Sacramento. 

“After this fight, we are going to just keep going,” says Guerrero. I have a fight lined up in San Jose after this one, so I will probably take a couple days off and then get right back to it. I hope to fight at least 4 or 5 times this year to help make up for the fights I didn’t have this past year. I want to stay active and I want to stay busier. That’s the goal this year. In 2024 we are going to come out with a bang.”

Tickets for the event, promoted by Upper Cut Promotions, are available online at uppercutpro.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com