Fans Attend Sold Out Event
The pandemic affected everything and temporarily halted all sports.
But, now, in Southern California, live boxing with fans in attendance is coming back stronger than ever.
After 540 days, Thompson Boxing Promotions (TBP) proudly proclaimed: WE. ARE. BACK.
Held at the outdoor Omega Products International Event Center in Corona, California, the Saturday bash featured five bouts; the clashes were competitive and the crowd showed their appreciation during the night.
TBP’s Ken Thompson and Alex Camponovo were happy to host their August 14 show with fans finally able to attend in person (under the safety of California rules). During the COVID-19 era, the promoter still put on action-packed shows (“3.2.1 Boxing”) under the safety of “the bubble” and California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) mandates. Their popular shows were live streamed on their website and social media channels.
Ruben “Ace” Torres continued to shine as he faced Richard “Diamante” Zamora in the main event, winning by a knockout in the fifth frame. The co-main showcased local boxer Louie Lopez versus Demarcus Layton in a rematch of their early war. With chants of “Louie, Louie, Louie” ringing out from the stands, the town favorite bested Little Rock, Arkansas’ Layton with a unanimous decision win.
Before the fights began, I ran into a couple of Thompson Boxing’s young rising stars. Michael Dutchover notched his 15th pro victory at the Omega location in June. Since then, he’s been keeping very busy training and has also been a sparring mate for Oscar Valdez. While chatting with the “West Texas Warrior,” the 23-year-old said he’s looking forward to his next matchup, training is going well, and says he loves all the support from his family and friends back home in Midland, Texas.
I caught up with Richard Brewart Jr., 23, who also fought at Omega in June and has 10 wins on his professional ledger. Brewart officially signed a promotional agreement with Thompson Boxing in June. The Rancho Cucamonga boxer is planning to be back in the ring in October and aiming to keep his unbeaten record intact. Trained by Henry Ramirez, Brewart was there to cheer on his stablemate Louie Lopez.
I also spoke to Team Silva. Hall of Fame boxing coach Willy Silva was there with his daughter and grandson, Sebastian (who just might be fighting on a future Thompson card soon) and former champ Carlos Bojorquez (who was the main event on the very first Thompson Boxing show back in May 2000). Bojorquez now works for Thompson Building Materials and is happy to see Sebastian choose a career in the sweet science.
From start to finish it was a great boxing event with an energetic audience, talented young sluggers, food trucks and perfect summer weather under the stars.
Calling the action was Rich Marotta, Doug Fischer, Steve Kim and Jessica Rosales ringside. The ring announcer was Sonny Franco and the evening’s anthem singer was Elvia Cadena (Round 2 Entertainment).
Thompson Boxing’s next show looks to take place in October!
FULL RESULTS:
In the 8-round main event, super lightweight prospect, Ruben “Ace” Torres (16-0, 13 KOs) scored a fifth-round knockout against Richard “Diamante” Zamora (19-5, 12 KOs). Torres was methodical in his approach as he broke down Zamora with crisp accurate punches. In the opening round, Torres rocked Zamora with a powerful left hook that set the tone for his dominating performance. Zamora, who was in great shape, didn’t have enough fire power to keep off Torres’ attack. Zamora couldn’t withstand the punches he was taking from Torres and was stopped by a left hook to the body in the fifth round.
“I felt good going into this fight because I put in the hard work during training camp,” said Torres, who is from nearby South Central, Calif. “I hit Zamora with a nice shot in the first round and I knew I had him hurt, so I slowly broke him down and got the stoppage. I feel with a few more fights, I’ll be ready to step up to higher competition, but I’m still young and I’m constantly learning. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to stay busy, my promoter Thompson Boxing is doing a great job building me. I’m hoping to fight two more times before the end of the year.”
In the 6-round co-main event, hometown hero, welterweight Louie Lopez (9-1-1, 4 KOs), of Corona, Calif., defeated Demarcus Layton (8-3-1, 5 KOs) by way of unanimous decision. This was a rematch in which their first fight ended in a draw. This time, Lopez was determined to leave the ring with a victory, as he came out guns blazing from the opening round. Layton was doing his best to box and use lateral movement, as Lopez was coming forward. Both fighters were digging to the body early, but it was Lopez who was landing the more powerful shots. When the final bell rang, Lopez was crowned the victor. Scorecards read 59-55, all in favor of Lopez.
“I really wanted to get the knockout, but Layton is a tough guy, and he wasn’t going down that easy.” said Lopez, “It was great to get the win in this rematch, especially at home in front of my family and friends. I’m ready to take on all challenges and I’m looking forward to my next fight.”
In the third fight of the evening, featherweight Katsuma Akitsugi (6-0, 1 KO) defeated Dihul Olguin (15-19-4, 10 KOs), to remain unbeaten. Akitsugi outworked Olguin over six rounds by using his superior boxing skills. Olguin had his moments, but it wasn’t enough, as Akitsugi was landed more punches. Scorecards read 59-55 in favor of Akitsugi.
“With each fight I’m getting more comfortable in the ring,” stated Akitsugi. “I know I have a long way to go but I’m happy with my development. I have great trainers and soon I’ll be knocking on the door of a big fight. Right now, I’m focused on getting better in all aspects of my game.”
In the second bout of the evening, power punching super lightweight slugger, Miguel “El Explosivo” Madueño (24-0, 22 KOs), annihilated Manuel Martinez (6-4-4, 3 KOs), by way of first round knockout. A powerful left hook to the body sent Martinez to the canvas in the later part of round one.
“Even though I ended the fight in round one, I felt I took my time to land that body shot,” Madueno said. “I didn’t just come out swinging wild, I set everything up with my jab and right hand. People are going to know my name more and more with every fight that I’m in. I’m coming for everyone in my division.”
In the opening 4-round super bantamweight bout, two undefeated prospects were putting their undefeated records on the line. Alexis Alvarado (3-0, 2 KOs), of La Puente, CA, defeated Lazaro Vargas of Indio, Calif. (1-1, 1 KO), by way of a majority decision. Both fighters set the tone for the night with an all-action slugfest. Alvarado landed more power punches to edge out a game Vargas. Scorecards read 39-37 twice, and 38-38.
“I knew this was going to be a tough fight,” said Alvarado. “Vargas was putting his undefeated record on the line, as was I, so I knew I had to come out aggressive with a lot of pressure. I came out on top and now it’s on to the next fight. I’m taking every fight seriously and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”
Photos by Michele Chong