Thompson Boxing Hosts KO Night

Thompson Boxing Promotions (TBP) hosted an entertaining night of fights held December 17 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.

The Southern California company (helmed by President Ken Thompson and General Manager Alex Camponovo ) has a very talented stable of young fighters who are all looking to add victories to their record and make a statement in their weight classes. Two of their rising stars (Saul Sanchez and Ruben Torres) were the main event and the co-feature on this “Path to Glory” card that closed out the year.

Both fighters won by knockout, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Sanchez and Torres are ones to watch and their fan bases continue to expand with each win.

These club shows are the perfect training grounds for the talented champs and prizefighters punching their way to the top. With the local COVID-19 safety precautions in place, it was a lively crowd in the venue. Live boxing on a Friday night, what could be better? And for those who couldn’t catch the action in person, Thompson Boxing streams all the action on their new app and on their social media sites as well.

During the night, I caught up with some familiar faces sitting ringside. Pro boxer Isaac “Dinamita” Zarate was there watching his younger brother and new pro fighter Ivan Zarate who was the opening bout of the event. The matchup was scheduled for four rounds, but Ivan only needed less than a minute to score two knockdowns for the win. It happened so fast, the crowd was stunned and then ecstatic, paving the way for an exciting evening of boxing.

Also watching the fireworks in the ring was Richard Brewart Jr. A Thompson signee, the unbeaten local hero (10-0, 4 KOs) says he’s looking forward to fighting in 2022. His last match was in June of this year and the 23-year-old expressed that he can’t wait to lace up again.

I chatted next with trainer/manager Eddie Gonzalez who mentioned that Danny Roman will be back inside the ropes soon. As the joint WBC and WBO mandatory challenger, it’s looking like the “Baby-Faced Assassin” should be facing Stephen Fulton in the future.

During the broadcast, ring announcer Sonny Franco introduced former champion Michael “Second To” Nunn (58-4, 38 KOs) to the audience watching live and around the globe online. Nunn was attending the fights with David Malow (whose father was involved in Nunn’s boxing career).

TBP founder Ken Thompson had a chance to chat with the champ again at the end of the night and after all the action had ceased. Thompson said he used to watch Nunn’s fights in the Southland as the men reminisced about when Nunn fought in the 80s and 90s. The Iowa slugger told Thompson he had a great time at the fights and hopes to be at the next live show too.

Ken says they’re already looking ahead to 2022 with a card scheduled for February 18.

So look for the fists to continue to fly in 2022 with a full schedule ahead!

FIGHT RESULTS:
This past Friday at Thompson Boxing’s “Path to Glory” event, rising super bantamweight contender, Saul “The Beast” Sanchez (18-1, 11 KOs), scored a third-round knockout against Jose “Hollywood” Estrella (23-18-1, 16 KOs). The event took place at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA.

In the opening round, both fighters were looking to establish their jabs but started to let their hands fly once they started to land hard shots. Sanchez was the aggressor, landing nice combos, while Estrella was countering landing some nice overhand right hands. Both fighters continued to let their hands go in round two, but it was Sanchez who was getting the better of the exchanges. In round three, Sanchez landed a left hook to the body that sent Estrella to the canvas. Estrella couldn’t recover and the bout was stopped at the 1:36 mark. With the win, Sanchez inches closer to a world title shot and has big plans for 2022.

“We were both going for it from the opening bell, and I knew eventually I was going to land a big shot,” said Sanchez. “When I landed that left hook to the body, it was a perfect shot, and I took him out. I’m hoping early next year I’ll be able to fight for a regional title, with the hopes of fighting for a world title by the end of the year. I feel I’m ready to take on all the champs at bantamweight and super bantamweight.”

In the 8-round co-main event, a battle of undefeated super lightweights commenced as Ruben Torres (17-0, 14 KOs) remained unbeaten as he defeated Francisco Armenta (12-1, 4 KOs) by way of a fourth-round knockout.

Torres came out firing and looked sensational from the opening round, landing powerful blows to the head and body. Armenta had a few moments where he landed some nice left hooks but Torres steamrolled him, dropping him twice in round three, and again in round four. Armenta’s corner saw enough and stopped the fight at .56 mark of round four.

“I felt very strong going into this fight and all the hard work I put into the camp was on display,” stated Torres. “I feel like next year will be a year where more people will start to see me as one of the top prospects in boxing. I’m still learning but I’m getting better as my career develops. 2022 will be a big year for me.”

In a super featherweight division crossroads fight, Brandon Benitez (18-2, 7 KOs) defeated Anthony Chavez (9-2-1, 3 KOs). In the first round, Benitez dropped Chavez with a jab to set the tone of the fight. Benitez was the one forcing the action as he applied a tremendous amount of pressure, forcing Chavez to fight on the inside. Chavez was landing some clean shots, but it was Benitez who was doing the most damage with his all-out attack. Benitez outworked Chavez throughout the fight and scored a unanimous decision. Scorecards read 77-74 and 79-72 twice.

“This was a huge win and it’s going to help me get closer to a big fight,” Benitez stated. “I’ve been training hard and I’m proving myself to be on a world-class level. I know if I continue to work hard, I’ll put myself in a position to fight a top name. I was very happy with my performance.”
In a scheduled 6-round super bantamweight bout, Manuel Flores (11-0, 8 KOs) defeated a game Leonardo Torres (10-15-1, 5 KOs). Flores who fights out of the southpaw stance thoroughly dominated the fight, but it wasn’t as easy as it looked on paper. Torres fought with a lot of heart but couldn’t withstand the pounding that Flores was giving him. Flores dropped Torres with a vicious body shot in round four and the fight was stopped at the 2:50 mark.

“I came out and did what I envisioned and got the knockout,” said Flores. “I was in control the whole fight until I stopped him. I feel like I’m taking my career to the next level with all the dedication I’m putting into my career. Soon I’ll be ready to fight any of the top prospects in my division.”

In the opening bout of the night, super bantamweight, Ivan Zarate (3-0, 1 KO) annihilated Roberto Rodriguez (1-1, 1 KO). Zarate dropped Rodriguez with an overhand right just 10 seconds into the contest, then again with a straight right at the 50-second mark. Rodriguez couldn’t get up and the fight was over.”

“My power showed up tonight as I wanted to make a statement in this fight,” said Zarate. “This guy was undefeated coming into this fight, so I wanted to show everyone that I’m on another level. This was my first knockout and it felt great.”

Photo by Michele Chong