Garcia vs. Flores in Main Event TONIGHT!
Tonight’s the night that the fighters will go “All In” at the live pro boxing card taking place in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Commerce Casino in Southern California.
Here’s what went down at the weigh-in yesterday as the “Chatter Box” gives you an exclusive scoop!
Entering the venue, I could already feel the anticipation, excitement and nervous energy boiling over in the ballroom as the fights neared. The “All In” boxing and MMA fight night presented by All Star Promotions, in association with Budweiser and in conjunction with Vince Young, will feature live pro boxing along with several pro and amateur MMA fights.
The main event will showcase Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (28-3, 21 KOs) vs. Jose Alfredo “Shibata” Flores (45-10, 26 KOs) in an eight-round high stakes collision. Both camps said they’re ready for war on the canvas tonight.
During the weigh-in, I caught up with the camps along with many familiar faces in our local boxing scene.
Team Garcia had a large group of supporters there (all wearing their gray “Amenaza” fight shirts) including two people who just arrived in town that day. I met Roberto’s brothers, George and Ralph, who flew in from Weslaco, Texas to catch their bro in action. The camp also mentioned some of his uncles will be flying in just for the fight too. The Garcias, along with Wild Card trainer Eric Brown, manager Vince Young, Garcia’s wife Nana, ring photographer Miguel Salazar, cutman Tony Rivera and others all gathered around for a team photo before the scale action began. Chino slugger Sammy Gonzalez also came out to show support to “La Amenaza” as well.
Team Shibata included former super middleweight and current trainer Eddie Sanchez, Flores’ wife Maria Isabel Peña, along with a big crew of supporters as he continues in his comeback for another world title. After an eight-year layoff due to his singing career, the southpaw has made his way back in the win column. Pro fighter George Moreno trained with Shibata and said he looked good in sparring. Moreno was to have fought tonight on the same card, but his own fight fell through due to Moreno’s opponent coming in overweight.
The City of Maywood was well represented with trainer Clemente Medina and his young charge Ruben Rivera, who will be facing off against L.A. Sands Gym’s Cleveland Ishe, who was flanked by his trainer, Anthony Sands. Included in the Maywood bunch were boxers Carlos Molina, Erik Alvarez and Emanuel Medina.
The evening’s emcee was in attendance too. Ring announcer Jim FitzGerald is a recognizable face in the sport since his time at the Fabulous Forum, back when the famed venue hosted their legendary fight nights. Fitz had a long stint at Forum Boxing and yesterday, he was even wearing one of his championship Laker rings. Tonight, he’ll trade in his “Got Cards” sweatshirt for his tux as he mans the microphone for boxing and MMA.
And the mixed martial arts side of the night had one high-profile mug in attendance. The “Ultimate Fighter 2” Champion Joe “Daddy” Stevenson was there for the weigh-in. He was in the corner of Joe Condon, one of the pro MMA bouts featured on the card and part of Stevenson’s Cobra Kai fighters. I asked Joe “Daddy” what he thought of the rise in amateur MMA fights taking place on these mixed combat events. “I think CAMO is doing a great job with the amateur fighters!” he nodded. CAMO stands for the new California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization that presides over these young hungry amateurs.
Also caught up with a veteran of the sweet science, trainer, manager and matchmaker Ruben Chavez. He’s part of Mikkel Kessler’s camp and he told me the team will be heading to Denmark soon as the “Viking Warrior” prepares to step back into the ring in the near future. The super middleweight suffered an eye injury in the Showtime tournament but will lace up again soon.
But lacing up TONIGHT will be four boxing matches interspersed between the pro MMA bouts.
Plenty of action going down in Commerce.
SO WHO’S “ALL IN”?
See you at the fights!
WEIGH-IN RESULTS:
8 rounds:
Shibata Flores 156* vs. Roberto Garcia 155 3/4
4 rounds:
Ruben Rivera 155 vs. Cleveland Ishe 156.5**
4 rounds:
Benjamin Diaz 187 vs. Danny Perez 185
4 rounds:
Steve Fierro 304 vs. Giovanni Sarran 237
*Flores originally came in at 157 1/4. After half hour, stepped on the scales again at 156.
**Ishe was given two hours to come in at contracted weight; team opted to give a percentage to opponent.
All-Star Promotions
“All In” Boxing & MMA show
Friday, March 25
Bouts scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
Crowne Plaza at the Commerce Casino
Tickets: (323) 816-6200
Photos by Michele Chong
