PHOTOS: “Rumble in the Desert” in Lancaster!

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Champs Supporting the Antelope Valley

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There was a big commotion in the Antelope Valley as 14 prizefighters traded leather at the 2014 “Rumble in the Desert” on Saturday night. This SoCal showdown was a chance for several homegrown heroes and local boxers to shine while fighting in their own backyard of Lancaster, Calif. Here is my special report with exclusive photos from the night.

The event was hosted by Rodriguez Promotions, promoter Refugio Rodriguez and matchmaker Hervi Estrada. It was my first time at the Pioneer Event Center (The PEC at the University of Antelope Valley) and I enjoyed watching fights in this venue. The building is light and airy with high ceiling and good acoustics. The area was large and well-suited for droves of spectators that filled the arena but also provided a cozy setting in which every seat in the house was a good one. The seven-bout card featured a Jonathan Alcantara vs. Erik Ruiz main event (with Ruiz wining a unanimous decision) and the winning pro debut of the AV Boxing Club’s Poula Estrada.

The “Rumble in the Desert” was an opportunity for the neighborhood community to come out and support the local talent including Palmdale’s Poula Estrada and Lancaster’s Johnny Reyes, Helaman Olguin, Steven Zayas, Ismael Fernandez, who all won their bouts. Popular heavyweight Gio Sarran (SoCal Fight Factory) is also from Palmdale and he took on the tough Makanni Sarellano in a four-round clash. The crowd cheered loudly for their favorite fighters and roared even louder when they scored victories.

ChampsFans really flocked to this “Rumble in the Desert,” eager to catch the local talent while enjoying a good night of action in the ring. It’s not every day that live pro fights take place in this desert locale. Although they have a thriving amateur boxing scene in the area, most of the boxing aficionados told me they usually have to travel to Los Angeles or Las Vegas to see pro fights. And on Saturday evening, the locals had several champions in the hall.

Ring announcer Sonny Franco introduced the VIP guests in attendance including Israel “El Magnifico” Vazquez, Crystal “La Morenasa” Morales, Matthew “Mantequilla” Villanueva, Chris Avalos, Carlos “Macho” Lopez, Victor “El Niño” Castro and more. The Supreme Boxing crew including Nancy Rodriguez, Lalo Rodriguez, Arnold Vasquez and Rodrigo Jimenez Gonzalez also lent support at this boxing bash. There was also a dazzling trio of ring card girls Crystal, Amanda and Cindy that wowed the crowd throughout the night. And radio station The Edge 100.1FM was also there to greet the ticket holders and during breaks between bouts, the crowd enjoyed a fresh taco bar and T-shirt giveaways. The audience also got to bump fists with several champions and rising stars sitting ringside.

The boxing champs signed autographs and posed for photos, delighting the local crowd. Oxnard’s Crystal Morales was a big hit with the fans. Matchmaker Hervi Estrada has known her for years and he was happy to have her support at the show. The female slugger told me she is scheduled to fight September 12 in Las Vegas.

I also caught up with Mexican warrior Israel Vazquez. He was with his family and two of his young students working out of the Magnifico Boxing Gym. Carlos Lopez and Victor Castro are currently training with Vazquez, a former WBC super bantam champ. “Macho” Lopez is a Puerto Rican national champion and is on tap to fight in August. Israel is always a popular draw at any boxing event and this Lancaster show was no different. He had a steady stream of fans wanting to meet him. The other pro fighters had a chance to say hi as well. After her match versus Poula Estrada, boxer Blanca Raymundo and her twin sister got a photo op with “El Magnifico.”

Matt Villanueva was also there to support his fellow athletes. The former WBO champ grew up in the area and went to Palmdale High School. At the end of the night, Matt told me he had a great time at the show. “I hope they have more fights here,” he said. “This was a really fun night.”

Matchmaker Hervi Estrada and Rodriguez Promotions hope to continue this successful series of fight nights. Their next show is scheduled for October so look for more rumbles in the desert to ignite again soon!

More on Poula Estrada’s pro debut here:

Photos by Michele Chong

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Great to see this homegrown talent help put Lancaster on the boxing map. I’d love to see “club promotions” make a comeback, like the old days at the Olympic Auditorium. Events like the “Rumble in the Desert” have always been the heart and soul of boxing.

  2. Thank you for always giving young talent a chance to showcase their talent and have a forum to read the honest opinion of others in the business. Truly a blessing to the sport of boxing! See you inside the ring!
    Respectfully,
    Sonny Franco
    “Let the Battles Begin!” TM

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