The dismantling of the Dominic Salcido boxing card of January 13
Super featherweight Dominic Salcido of Rialto, CA.
Every time the Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, CA announced a boxing show, you could be certain they’d be having an exciting lineup. In 2011, they featured Chris Arreola, Shawn Estrada, John Molina, Mike Dallas Jr. In December came news of another exciting boxing card planned for January 13, 2012.
The show was to be headlined by Dominic Salcido of Rialto, CA, Kaliesha West of Moreno Valley plus the world renown trainer/boxing color commentator Emmanuel Steward was coming to town with his latest protégé, phenom, Tony Harrison.
After a 15 month layoff and losing three of his last five bouts, Joel Diaz, Salcido’s coach wanted his boxer to do some serious soul searching about his future and chances of becoming a champion. Salcido (18-3 9 KO’s) was scheduled to face Leon Bobo of St. Louis, Missouri (18-9-1, 2 KOs) in the 10 round main event. How formidable is Bobo? He hasn’t won a fight in over three years.
Then last Thursday, January 5, came news the Salcido vs. Bobo fight was being reduced from a 10 rounder to a six rounder and Kaliesha West, an uninjured Kaliesha West, had been taken off the fight card.
Then, 4 p.m. on January 10, 2012, came news that Dominic Salcido had been injured in training.
At this point, the special guest of Kronk Junior Middleweight Tony Harrison, Steward’s prized pupil, has become the best boxer on the fight card. Harrison is 4-0 with four first round knockouts. His coach compares the lanky and powerful Harrison to Tommy Hearns and expects great things from him. Never has a boxing card gone through so many changes.
Below we see Mr. Harrison in his last fight, October 6, 2011, against Dorian Hatcher at the Motor City Casino in Detroit, Michigan.
Steward of course is one of the premier trainer/managers in boxing lore, a successful promoter with Kronk and current HBO lead boxing analyst. He has achieved success with boxers at every level and in 1997, he was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. After managing and training over 40 world champions (with 35 coming out of his famous Kronk Gym in Detroit), Steward now trains current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Steward has trained dozens of world champions to include: former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, featherweight star Prince Naseem Hamed, Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Leon Spinks, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Aaron Pryor, and Miguel Cotto. Middleweight Andy Lee and Jr Middleweight Tony Harrison are among those in his current crop of top prospects. For over three decades, his world famous Kronk Boxing Gym has been a cultivating ground for boxers of every age and size from legendary world champions to preteen Golden Gloves hopefuls.
Boxing card as of Wednesday morning, January 11, 2012: Junior middleweights, Tony Harrison of Detroit, Michigan (4-0-0, 4 KOs) will face Cleveland Ishe of Longbeach, CA (3-4, 1 KO); Featherweights, Walter Sarnoi of Los Angeles, CA (9-2-0, 5 KOs) will face Humberto Zatarain, Whittier, CA (3-0); Junior Lightweights, Kevin Hoskins, Moreno Valley, CA (4-0-0, 2 KOs) will face Angel Torres, Escondido, CA (2-6-2, 1 KO); Flyweights, Elizabeth Cervantes, Lancaster, CA (2-7) will face Susan Mellone, New York, N.Y. who is making her debut. An additional 4 rounder TBA is also scheduled.
Tickets available at Pechanga Resort & Casino Box Office, by telephone at 1-877-711-2946, and at www.pechanga.com.
For the January 13, event, the doors to the Grand Ballroom will open at 7 p.m. with the first fight to start at: 8:00 p.m. Ticket prices: $35, $45, $55.
