Friday Fights with Thompson Boxing
Fight fans in Southern California got a lot of bang for their buck as Thompson Boxing Promotions presented “Path to Glory” at the Doubletree in Ontario this past Friday night.
Headlining this five-bout card was local hero Artemio “King” Reyes Jr. who was scheduled for a ten-round fight versus Abraham Alvarez. After a spirited walkout with Team Reyes fans forming a “human tunnel” for Reyes to walk through, the welterweight took care of business, barely breaking a sweat. He demolished his opponent in less than two rounds. The aggressive Reyes dominated the overmatched Alvarez, scoring three knockdowns in their bout before referee Ray Corona was forced to stop the fight. With another KO scored, a jubilant “El Rey” jumped up on the ring post in triumph as the audience roared.
The Colton boxer (trained by Joel Diaz in Indio) continues to add to his win streak. The 27-year-old has compiled a professional record of 22-2 with 18 knockouts. Always “Fighting 4 Pops,” the popular local draw was flanked by family and friends whose support could be heard throughout the venue. The frenzied fans shook noisemakers and cheered as Reyes came out in a sombrero and glittering purple and white satin trunks. Look for Artemio to be back in the ring soon as his victory count continues to rise.
Thompson Boxing (with President Ken Thompson and General Manager Alex Camponovo) have been putting on these live boxing shows for fourteen years now. Boxing fans come early and line up, not wanting to miss the action. These monthly cards always have spirited matches and plenty of famous faces sitting ringside too.
Ring announcer Sonny Franco introduced a huge group of prizefighters and champs joining the crowd. Among the boxing stars were Josesito Lopez, Israel Vazquez, Sindy Amador, Isaac Zarate, Aron Martinez, Danny Hernandez, Richard Contreras, Roberto Crespo, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Mando Muniz, trainer Henry Ramirez, amateur champ Victor Lopez and future stars Josiah and Jorden Arellano (the young sons of fighter Jonathan Arellano, who fought on the card), and many more.
Always a fan favorite, Josesito Lopez posed with the spectators and signed autographs. The “Riverside Rocky” may be stepping inside the ropes soon as there’s talk of a fall fight in the horizon. His youngest brother, Victor Lopez, also boxes and has been blazing a trail of his own as Victor makes his way up in the amateur ranks. Boxing runs deep in the Lopez genes.
And at Friday’s fights, boxing fans got a chance to meet many of these past and current prizefighters who came out to support the “Path to Glory” warriors. Thompson greeted one slugger in particular with an extra warm welcome. Carlos “El Elegante” Bojorquez has the distinction of being the very first fighter in a Thompson main event. He faced Rosember Palacios back in May 2000 at the Oak Tree Inn to kick off Thompson Boxing Promotions’ foray into the world of promoting. Bojorquez still works out at the gym, training with California Hall of Famer Willy Silva.
And Thompson’s bond and loyalty to his fighters remains strong. Ken tells me that three from his stable of boxers currently work for him in the businessman’s other endeavors (Thompson Building Materials and Omega Products International). When not lacing up, Carlos Bojorquez, Danny “El Travieso” Hernandez and Rafael Lopez (younger brother of Josesito Lopez) are now employees in Thompson’s non-boxing companies.
The Southland promoter had a weekend of victories and a lot to celebrate with the “Path to Glory” show and also Darley Perez (co-promoted with Gary Shaw) winning a WBA lightweight title in his Saturday match against Argenis Lopez in the Dominican Republic.
Look for the winning streak to continue as Thompson Boxing is already planning their new show on July 25.
Photos by Michele Chong
