San Diego/Tijuana boxing community updates
Attendance always goes up when you have a world title fight on the line.
On June 20, 2016, came news San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and the San Diego City Council would be presenting a proclamation to the Imperial Boxing Youth Athletics San Diego in recognition of their great work with the youth in their community. The founder and head coach of this program, Ruben Gutierrez, immediately thought how great it would be to share this recognition with all the gyms in the area. This is the reason for this dispatch to notify the fellow USA Amateur Boxing Gyms in the area and encourage all members of the San Diego Boxing Community to join Imperial Boxing in this commendation to show the City the strength and unity among all gyms.
Ruben Gutierrez, Founder/Head Coach: “We need to shed more light on our boxing achievements and this is a great opportunity to do so. It would be an honor if you can join us next Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 9:30 in the San Diego City Council meeting located on the 12th floor of the City Administration Building at 202 C Street, San Diego Calif., 92102. as we receive this great honor. Fellow boxers and coaches please let me know if you can attend and if at all possible, spread the word to each and every gym. We are calling out to all local gyms, gym owners, USA Amateur Boxing members, their families, their friends, and supporters to join us and represent the strong boxing Community we have here in San Diego. Feel free to represent your gym in the affiliates’ attire. Some of the children will likely be joining us with their parents, as well as celebrating this Imperial Boxing milestone! Any specific questions, please contact Coach Ruben Gutierrez at 619-800-1716 or via email @ caiprofessional@yahoo.com. Thank you in advance!
Saturday, June 18, 2016, Blackshear vs. Ortiz battle in Tijuana
Just prior to their WBA World Female minimum-weight Title fight on Saturday night at the Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, referee Rafael Ramos has the ladies, Jolene Blackshear (left) from San Diego, Calif. (9-7, 4 KOs) and the champion Anabel “Avispa” Ortiz (20-3, 4 KOs) from Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico meet in the center of the ring to listen to his final instructions.
Boxer Jolene Blackshear: “Life is meant to be lived, not feared. Always trust yourself, forget what others think or say, and move forward to author your life.” On Saturday night, Blackshear did just that but ended up getting the worst of it when facing Anabel Ortiz who is 17 years her junior. The constant pummeling lasted eight rounds before the bout was stopped.
The following day, Doug Dickey paid tribute to Jolene Blackshear after her valiant battle on Saturday night: “Jolene, you are what champions are made of. To think you started well before there was even amateur female boxing. What a ride. Congrats on all you have accomplished.”
Jolene Blackshear: “I believed in myself. Against tremendous odds. I still have the confidence and faith to know where I can go because of where I have been and who I know I am. To finally have the chance to fight in my own weight class, for a 3rd division title against the best in the world, I opted to say yes, even though I was only given two weeks to prepare. I lost this battle to a worthy opponent, but if I could instill spirit and courage in anyone over the course of these years, then there is no real loss. Time to move on and enjoy the rest of my life outside of the ring. Thank you all for the years of support.”
(left to right) Sandra “Perla Negra” Robles and Ana Victoria Polo.
On the Blackshear versus Ortiz undercard, they featured 22-year-old light flyweight Sandra “Perla Negra” Robles (13-2, 7 KOs) of Tijuana going up against Ana Victoria Polo (3-0) from Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. In the fifth round, due to a clash of heads, Robles ended up with a nasty cut over her right eye. Since the bout had gone the required distance, it was ruled that they should then go to the scorecards. As a result, Robles won herself a unanimous decision and improved her record to (14-2, 7 KOs). 
In the highly anticipated Jaime Munguia (14-0, 11 KOs) welterweight match with Seth Carrillo (4-1, 3 KOs), it didn’t take Munguia long before he had Carrillo lying flat on his back in the second round for another KO victory. With his sixth consecutive KO victory, Munguia improves to 15-0 with 12 KOs.
On the undercard, the IBF’s #1 ranked super middleweight José “Bolivita” Uzcategui (25-1, 21 KOs) who trains at the same gym as Blackshear, the Undisputed Fitness Downtown gym in San Diego, was victorious after his opponent Derrick “Superman” Findley (23-10, 15 KOs) stayed planted on his stool at the end of round three.
(top, l to r) Christopher Martin, Jhonny Gonzalez at their weigh-ins on June 23, 2016 in Toluca, Mexico. (bottom) Martin is down on one knee after Gonzalez (r) landed this powerful right uppercut to Martin’s chin.
Also on Saturday night, at the Agustin Millan Gym in Toluca, Mexico, Christopher Martin (126 lbs.) never got flustered and fought a cagey evasive fight but try as he did, he couldn’t handle the notorious left hooks and thundering rights from the champion Jhonny Gonzalez (129 lbs.). By the fourth round, Gonzalez, who was constantly on the attack, started to land the really hard shots. In the fifth round, Gonzalez landed a right uppercut to drop Martin. What can only be described as admirable courage and class, Martin got back up and fought back only to be battered against the ropes right up until the bell. Gonzalez matched that fifth round performance by landing another right uppercut in the seventh round which again had Martin on wobbly legs. In the ninth round, Gonzalez landed a left hook to the liver which nearly had Martin bent over. In the tenth and final round, with Martin’s nose already bleeding, Gonzalez landed a left uppercut to break Martin’s nose. At that point, Martin’s corner was up on the apron imploring the referee to stop the fight, despite Martin’s spirited protests. At that point, the referee did stop the bout. After defending his WBC International silver super featherweight crown, Gonzalez improves to 61-10, 51 KO’S, while Martin now drops to 29-8-3, 9 KOs.
After all the work in the gym, these young ladies are ready to have at it on Saturday night. Anabel Ortiz (l) versus Jolene Blackshear (r) who is joined by her trainer Jose Cital and sports nutritionist Brandy Augustine giving the hug.
On Saturday, June 18, the 46-year-old, former IFBA Flyweight/light Flyweight Champion Jolene Blackshear (9-7, 4 KOs) of the Undisputed Downtown Gym, returns to the ring after a 13 month layoff to take on the 29 year-old WBC minimum weight world champion Anabel Ortiz from Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico who has just three losses over a 9 year career with all three of the losses being to world champions – Yesica Yolanda Bopp, Naoko Fujioka and the current World Champion Ibeth Zamora Silva. Blackshear’s losses were also against the top tier fighters, champions with a combined record of 79 wins, 16 losses and five draws. This Zanfer Promotions battle royale will air on TV Azteca and BEIN Sports from the Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana.
Also on this fight card they have southpaw Rigoberto Hermosillo (4-0-1) who back on April 19, 2014 battled Alimkhan Jumakhonov to a split decision draw; City Boxing’s Denis Grachev (13-5-1) who has lost five of his last six and been inactive for almost two years; 21-year-old super lightweight Rafael “Furioso” Guzman (17-1-1) of Ensenada; 22-year-old light flyweight Sandra “Perla Negra” Robles (13-2, 7 KOs); super welterweight Jaime Munguia of Tijuana (14-0, 11 KOs); super middleweight Jose “Bolivita” Uzcategui (24-1, 20 KOs) who is making his return after that second round destruction of Julian Jackson on National TV. Uzcategui from El Vigia, Venezuela lives in Tijuana and trains locally with Jose Cital at the Undisputed Downtown Gym; and finally, they have welterweight Carlos “Chema” Ocampo (18-0, 12 KOs) from Ensenada, B. C., Mexico. You can bet the house that all six of these blue chip boxers will win and win handily.
In Toluca, Mexico, Chula Vista featherweight Christopher Martin (29-7-3, 9 KOs, 29 years of age) who trains at the Alliance Training Center with Sergio Melendrez, will be battling the 34-year-old, former two-division world champion Jhonny Gonzalez (60-10-0, 50 KOs) who trains with Nacho Beristain in Mexico City. Check your TV listings as this bout is scheduled to air on Televisa.
(l to r) Chris “The San Diego Kid” Martin has his arm raised in victory by Hall of Fame referee Raul Caiz. Martin’s opponent on Saturday night is Jhonny Gonzalez who has his mind set on earning a fourth World Title belt.
“Our plans involve going after a 4th world title and Saturday’s fight with Martin is seen as a step in that direction,” said Gonzalez at a recent Press Conference. “Martin is a tough, experienced fighter, who has faced a lot of good fighters. He is fast and moves well. I must close all the exits. I will have to work very hard.” When you consider Martin has only been stopped once in his career, you’d have to say “tough” is an understatement.
Collage of the photos you took on your wondrous vacation to Toluca, Mexico.
Sights to see in Toluca? Check out the Cosmovitral botanical gardens with its beautiful stained glass, plus you should visit the historic Cathedral.
The big news in San Diego is the opening of a brand new gym at 5910 Santo Road in the Tierrasanta neighborhood of San Diego, 92124. They are situated just up from the street from the Navy’s largest Military Housing site – the Murphy Canyon Naval Housing Center. Plus Steel MMA & Fitness will have Marvin Madariaga as their Muay Thai Coach and captain of their 26-member Fight Team. Madariaga has 10 years of martial arts experience and is currently one of the most exciting Muay Thai fighters on the west coast with his aggressive style and ability to finish a fight with a single blow. He will be teaching both fitness and Muay Thai classes and will be available for private training sessions. If you send an email to info@steelmma.com, they are promising to send you a printable FREE WEEK PASS to try out their programs.
Super Flyweight Jose Toribio heads up north for his next encounter.
San Diego’s Jose Toribio (6-3) from The Arena Gym in Point Loma will be back in action on Friday, July 8th at the Quiet Cannon Country Club in Montebello, Calif. fighting in a show dubbed “Battle of the Rising Stars”.
July 15
July 16
For a month now, Chris Arreola has been working extremely hard to prepare for his third and possibly final shot at winning boxing’s coveted world heavyweight title. (bottom, right) Arreola poses for a photo with his son Alexander Allen Arreola, Triple AAA.
At the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, the WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) will be defending his title against our very own Chris Arreola (36-4-1, 31 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. This bout can be viewed live on FOX/FOX Sports. In preparation, Arreola has been training at the House of Boxing in Paradise Hills, San Diego, Calif.
July 30
At the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York: Undefeated featherweight world champ Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz (32-0-1,18 KOs) and fellow unbeaten Irishman Carl “The Jackal” Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs) will meet with a world title and two perfect records at stake. This Showtime Championship Boxing telecast begins at 6 p.m. PT.
News you might have missed:
Rumor has it The Arena’s head boxing coach Joe Vargas might be thinking of taking up another profession after he landed this monstrous Marlin. At times, the record catch needed to be restrained by four and sometimes five people.
On Wednesday, June 15, the following message came from the head Boxing/Muay Thai coach Preston Peters of the Undisputed Fitness Gym on Main Street in El Cajon: “Hey everyone after five years, I will no longer be teaching at the Undisputed Fitness Gym in El Cajon, Calif. I will finish up this week sticking to my regular schedule today Thursday and Friday and I hope to see you all there. It’s been a fun five years. I met a lot of cool people and made a lot of great friends. But all good things must come to an end.”
On June 11, news spread quickly that cutman/cornerman Joe Chavez had passed away from cancer. Many of his dear friends, to include promoter Roy Englebrecht, expressed their heartfelt sentiments: “My personal condolences go out to the Chavez Family on the passing of one of the good people in the sport of boxing. I have lost a good friend in Joe Chavez who was always there for any of my shows to help out in any way he could. From wrapping hands at the last minute to delivering me the needed gloves, or to step in and work a corner. Besides being one of the best cut men and hand wrappers in the sport, he was a kind, courteous, and hard working person. He gave a tremendous amount of his personal time to teach many young boxers the craft as well as teach them meaningful lessons on life. Joe, many of us will miss you!”
Here we see some of Joe Chavez’s favorite photos. Photos (right) of the revered trainer, coach, cut man, and hand-wrapper are with boxing fan/photographer extraordinaire Michele Chong.
Participating in the Fight Club OC Show at the Hangar on June 9th, was 29-year-old heavyweight Trent Rawlins (3-0, 3 KOs) of San Diego by way of Australia. In this one, Rawlins had a difficult time with Mike Kyle (1-2-1) and their fight ended up being scored a unanimous decision Draw. On the same fight-card was heavyweight Rafael Rios (2-2) of San Diego who lost every round to his opponent Adam Stewart (2-0) from Huntington Beach, Calif.
On Saturday, June 4, San Diego’s Genaro “El Conde” Gamez (now 2-0 with 2 KOs) returned to the ring to beat up 31-year-old featherweight Juan Bryand (1-3) of Laredo, Texas at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif. Bryand’s one win came against Daniel Sanchez of San Antonio (0-17).
After his second victory, the fashionable Genaro “El Conde” Gamez took a much-deserved vacation with his family.
On Saturday, May 28, 2016, the 44-year-old Shane Mosley (49-10-1, 41 KOs) of Pomona, Calif. lost in his bid to become the interim WBA Welterweight Champ when he got outworked by David Avanesyan from Pyatigorsk, Russia at the Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona.
Emmanuel Robles
On Friday, May 20, LIVE on CBS Sports from the Casino Del Sol at the AVA Amphitheater in Tucson, Arizona, it was like taking candy from a baby as super lightweight Emmanuel “Renegade” Robles of Old School Boxing, San Diego, scored a fourth round TKO victory over welterweight Gerardo “Pipino Cuevas Jr.” Cuevas (17-15-1) of Mexico City.
That same week, Gabriel “Baby Bull” Hernandez (1-0) of the Tiger Smalls Boxing Club, San Diego traveled north to visit Freddy Roach’s Wild Card Gym where he had an opportunity to spar with the 24-year-old, 5’8” lightweight Joel Diaz Jr. from Palmdale, who is now 21-0 with 17 KOs. Diaz’s most notable victory came over Guy Robb, TKO in seven. Hernandez also got to spar with top prospect Marcos Hernandez (7-0) who is signed with Al Haymon.
May 21 at the Richmond Auditorium Center, Richmond, Ca.
Also from The Arena in Point Loma, it was Raquel Miller returning home to the Richmond Auditorium Center in Richmond, Ca. to win her Pro debut on May 21. Next up, light heavyweight Ulises Sierra from The Arena, signed to fight for the California State Light Heavyweight title in July. In the meantime, he hopped on a plane to Minnesota to support stablemate Stephan Jabari Shaw who won a unanimous decision over 232 pound Danny Kelly (9-2-1) on May 17 to remain undefeated. With his impressive win, the undefeated Shaw improved to 7-0 with 5 KOs.
On May 14, at the Ice Arena in Cardiff, Wales: Lee “Playboy” Haskins (33-3, 14 KOs) of Bristol, Avon, United Kingdom defended his IBF bantamweight title for the first time against the 24 year-old Ivan “Niño Maravilla” Morales (29-2, 17 KOs) of Tijuana, the youngest of the acclaimed Morales clan. According to the judges, the 32-year-old Haskins took every round except for two.
(left) On May 28, 2016, Jorge Marron Jr. was the center of attention after he defeated Fernando Ramirez in his Pro Debut. (right) Pablo Cupul poses for a photo after being weighed in for a match on a Top Rank Boxing fight card.
Also on May 14, it was the 28-year-old Pablo Cupul (now 8-20, 5 KOs) from the Marron Boxing Camp, Lakeside, Calif. by way of Merida, Yucatán, Mexico going to Detroit, Michigan to do battle against James Smith. In a bout that went the full six rounds, all three judges had Smith winning every round. From the same gym in Lakeside, comes welterweight Jorge Marron Jr. who on Saturday, May 28, ended Fernando Ramirez’s night early. After only 18 seconds, the white towel came flying into the ring. After the fight, the victorious Marron posed for the above photo with is his father, the well-known matchmaker/co-promoter Jorge Marron (l) and trainer Ramiro Rodriguez.
Friday, May 13
At the Salon Mezzanine, Tijuana, B. C., Mexico: the Borizteca Boxing Management Group presented the successful pro debuts of Hector Lopez’s sons, Hector Lopez Jr. and Adam Lopez, local Amateur standout Kevin Ottley from the Bomber Squad Boxing Academy, El Cajon, Calif., Roberto Meza from Temecula Boxing and Simon Torres from San Diego’s House of Boxing, plus they featured the return of House of Boxing’s Armando Tovar, San Diego’s George Escalante and Alimkhan Jumakhonov from Reseda, Calif.
