Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians kick off the new year and their continued commitment to keeping pro boxing on the map in the Palm Springs area with their first fight of 2013 on Friday, January 11th. Headlining the fight card be Ronny Rios vs Rico Ramos fighting for the vacant NABF featherweight title and Coachella Valley's most popular fighter Randy Caballero.

Former national amateur boxing champion Ronny Rios (19-0-0, 9 KOs) of Santa Ana, California last fought at Fantasy Springs in July 2012 where he overwhelmed and stopped David Rodela of Oxnard, California in the 9th round.

Rico "Suavecito" Ramos (21-1-0, 11 KOs) of Pico Rivera, California is coming off a majority decision victory over tough previously undefeated Efrain "E-Bomb" Esquivias of Carson, California this past June.

Coachella's El Matador, Randy Caballero (17-0-0, 9 KOs) retired Rigoberto "Planchita" Casillas of Tijuana, Mexico on his stool in the 3rd round in November fighting on the Guerrero vs Berto undercard.

Tickets for January 11th fight at Fantasy Springs are priced at $25, $35 and $45 and are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 6:00 PM, first fight begins at 6:30PM.

For more information, visit goldenboypromotions.com, fantasyspringsresort.com, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @fantasysprings or visit on Facebook at facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or facebook.com/fantasysprings.

Headlining ShoBox's Saturday night fight card dubbed Night of Olympians will be 2008 United States Olympian Gary Russell Jr. (20-0-0, 12 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland who will step into the ring with Vyacheslav Gusev (20-2-0, 5 KOs) of Prokopyevsk, Russia for a scheduled 10-round featherweight fight.

Undefeated Russell, a top contender in the 126 lb division, looked impressive in his last fight at Fantasy Springs this past June when he stopped Christopher "Huracan" Perez (23-3-0, 14 KOs) of Culiacan, Mexico by 3rd round TKO. Gusev, Russell's opponent hopes to hand Russell his first loss. But that's going to tough because Russell is coming into the fight with a momentum of two knockout wins in a row.

Also fighting on the card will be five boxers who represented the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London this past summer who are making their pro debuts; Dominic Breazeale, Marcus Browne, Terrell Gausha, Errol Spencer and Rau'shee Warren. Pro debuts are so much fun to watch. These guys will be nervous as hell and their adrenaline will be pumping full blast which makes for interesting fights.

Tickets for Night of Olympians are priced at $25, $35 and $45 and are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 5:00 PM, first fight begins at 5:30 PM.

Headlining ShoBox's Friday night double header will be undefeated Randy "El Matador" Caballero (15-0-0, 8 KOs) verses Manuel "Suavecito" Roman (15-1-3, 6 KOs) in a 10-round WBO NABO bantamweight title fight. In the co-main event Michael "Michael Angelo, The Artist" Perez (16-1-1, 10 KOs) will take on Fidel "The Atrisco Kid" Maldonado Jr (13-1-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight fight.

Also appearing on fight night will be The Mighty Mites, local amateur boxers from the Coachella Valley ranging from ages 7 to 17 years old who will face off in the ring between scheduled fights.

Bernard Hopkins will be inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center from 7:00 to 8:00 PM on fight night to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.

Come meet the fighters at the pre-fight press conference and weigh-in in the LIT Lounge inside Fantasy Springs Casino on Thursday, August 23rd at 1:00 PM.

Tickets for the August 24th fight are priced at $25, $35 and $45 and are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 5:00 PM on fight night. First fight begins at 5:30 PM.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California will host another barnburner fight night on Saturday, July 28, 2012 featuring Southern California rising star Ronny Rios and Coachella's former IBF lightweight champion Julio Diaz in co-featured bouts on Golden Boy's TeleFutura Solo Boxeo Tecate fight card.

Julio "The Kid" Diaz (38-7-0, 27 KOs), 32 years old has not fought in over a year and is eager to make another run at a world title. He's won of two of his last three fights, defeating Herman Ngoudjo by unanimous decision in 2010 and Pavel Miranda by technical knockout in 2011. The last Diaz fought at Fantasy Springs on June 16, 2000. It was in the days when fights at Fantasy Springs were held outdoors in temperatures well over 100 degrees. This time Diaz will be fighting indoors in Fantasy Springs new Special Events Center.

Ronny Rios (18-0-0, 8 KOs), 22 years old will be fighting for the first time at Fantasy Springs on July 28th. Rios turned pro in 2008 after a stellar amateur career winning two United States Amateur bantamweight championships and the 2007 National Golden Gloves bantamweight championship. Undefeated as a pro no one has come close to beating Rios.

Tickets for the July 28th fight card are priced at $25, $35 and $45 and are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 6:30 PM on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00 PM.

Headlining ShoBox's Saturday night fight card will be Cornelius Bundrage (31-4-0, 18 KOs) and Cory Spinks (39-6-0, 11 Kos) in a 12-round fight IBF light middleweight title fight. Spinks is coming off a unanimous decision win over Sechew Powell in a IBF light middleweight title eliminator fight in January 2012 in Springfield, Missouri. Bundrage is also coming off a unanimous decision win over Powell in a IBF light middleweight title fight in June 2011 in Saint Charles, Missouri. Bundrage vs Spinks will be contested for Bundrage's IBF light middleweight title.

Also appearing on the triple header fight card will be raising star Gary "Mr" Russell Jr (19-0-0, 11 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland facing contender Christopher Perez (23-2-0, 14 KOs) of Culiacan, Sinaloa in a 10-round featherweight bout. As well as Cuban Erislandy Lara (16-1-1, 11 KOs) of Miami, Florida squaring off against former welterweight champion Freddy "El Riel" Hernandez (30-2-0, 20 KOs) of Mexico City in a 10-round light middleweight fight.

Fighting on the undercard will be Mexican Antonio "The Simple Man" Orozco (14-0-0, 10 KOs) of San Diego, California who last fought at Fantasy Springs on July 1, 2011 where he KO'd Josh Beeman in the 3rd round. Now he's coming back to Fantasy Springs hoping to KO Puerto Rican Alberto Cruz (9-3-0, 8 KOs) in a scheduled 8-round light welterweight fight.

Also appearing on the undercard are Jesus Antonio Hernandez (10-0-2, 2 KOs) of Huntington Park, California vs Luis Molina (3-0-1, 2 KOs) of Nogales, Arizona and Javier Barragan (2-0-0, 2 KOs) of Indio, California vs Christian Lorenzo (1-0-0, 0 KOs) of Los Angeles, California.

Tickets are priced at $25, $35 and $55 and are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 3:30 PM, first fight begins at 4:00 PM.

Andrew Cancio (14-1-2, 11 KOs) vs Rocky Juarez (28-10-1, 20 KOs)

Junior Lightweight
Andrew Cancio UD Rocky Juarez

Fighting in the main event top junior lightweight prospect Andrew Cancio of Blythe, California took on veteran fighter Rocky Juarez of Houston, Texas in a 10-round junior lightweight/super featherweight bout. Both fighters traded heavily throughout the fight. Both scored knockdowns. Cancio was credited with a knockdown in rounds one and five although the first one was questionable. Juarez scored stunning knockdown of Cancio in round two with a combination of punches, a left jab followed by a straight right power punch ending with a left hook to the head that put Cancio on right on his ass on the canvas and backwards into the ropes. It was an action packed fight from start to finish. Neither fighter took a round off. Scores were 98-89, 97-90 and 97-90. Andrew Cancio wins by 10-round unanimous decision.

Hugo Centeno Jr (14-0-0, 8 KOs) vs Rahman Yusubov (8-8-0, 6 KOs)

Middleweight
Hugo Centeno Jr 4TKO Rahman Yusubov

Fighting in the co-main event was Hugo "The Boss" Centeno Jr of Oxnard, California and Azerbaijan Rahman Yusubov of Dallas, Texas in a scheduled 6-round middleweight fight. In round one 6'1" tall Centeno shook 5'7" Yusubov with a left hook but Yusubov stayed on his feet and came back swinging. Centeno the slicker fighter of the two switched back and forth from orthodox to southpaw in round three. Yusubov's face was bloodied and bruised by round four but he kept coming forward. In round four with Yusubov backed up into the corner taking punches his corner threw in the towel. Hugo Centeno Jr wins by technical knockout at 2:39 of round four.

Gerardo Juarez (1-1-0, 1 KOs) vs Luis Mora (3-0-1, 2 KOs)

Light Welterweight
Luis Mora 3KO Gerardo Juarez

In the first fight of the night Gerardo Juarez of Palm Springs stepped into the ring with Luis Mora of Los Angeles for a scheduled 4-round light welterweight bout. In rounds one and two Juarez and Mora fought in close in a phone booth trading heavily with both fighters having their moments. Then in round three Juarez went down from a right. He beat the count only to be knocked down again by another right but this time there was no need for a count. Juarez was out cold. His head hit the canvas hard. Paramedics were summoned and Juarez was taken to the hospital for observation. Luis Mora wins by knockout at 1:17 of round three.

Kenny Williams (3-0-1, 1 KOs) vs Joaquin Chavez (1-1-2, 1 KOs)

Light Welterweight
Kenny Williams MD Joaquin Chavez

Fighting in a rematch it looked liked Williams was going to knock Chavez out in round one but Chavez came back in round two and buzzed Williams. Sweat was flying in round three as Williams hit Chavez with several straight rights that sent Chavez bouncing off the ropes. A hard right in round five buzzed Chavez so much that he had to shake his head to get his senses back. The same thing happened in round six. The fight ended with both fighters throwing bombs non-stop, Williams' left eye swollen and blood streaming down Chavez's face. What a fight! Scores were 59-57, 58-56 and 57-57. Kenny Williams wins by 4-round majority decision.

Guadalupe Salcido (2-1-0, 0 KOs) vs Cameron Kreal (2-1-2, 0 KOs)

Light Welterweight
Cameron Kreal UD Guadalupe Salcido

Fighting in the walk out bout of the night were Guadalupe Salcido of Coachella, California and Cameron Kreal of Las Vegas, Nevada. In round one Salcido came out fighting aggressively but also got his head snapped back a couple of times by Kreal. Salcido was down in round two but the referee ruled it a slip. Kreal the more powerful of the two was nailing Salcido in rounds three and four teeing off on his head. Scores were 39-37, 39-37 and 39-37. Cameron Kreal wins by 4-round unanimous decision.

On Friday, May 11th legendary trainer, manager and boxing analyst Emanuel Steward returns to Pechanga Resort & Casino for another evening of world class boxing featuring Tony Harrison vs Ishwar Amador and Walter Sarnoi vs Jonathan Alcantara.

Kronk superstar Tony "Super Bad" Harrison (6-0-0, 6 KOs) of Detroit, Michigan touted by Steward as boxing's next big PPV fighter is a lanky fighter with a 100% knockout rate. Courtesy of his lethal right hand. Harrison's power and style is said to be similar to Tommy Hearns.

Harrison's opponent Ishwar "El Diablo" Amador (11-9-0, 7 KOs) of Riverside, California is a veteran of 20 fights winning 7 of 11 by way of knockout or technical knockout.

Also featured on the Knonk card will be Walter "Schoolboy" Sarnoi (10-2-0, 5 KOs) of Monterey Park, California. Sarnoi's moniker Schoolboy comes from the fact that he holds a Master's Degree which is very atypical of a fighter. But don't let that fool you he is a tough as they come.

Sarnoi's opponent Jonathan Alcantara (5-7-2, 1 KO) from Novato, California has been put in the ring with 9 undefeated fighters. In other words he's no tomato can.

Besides the above listed matchups the undercard will feature Kronk boxer Jacob Bonas (0-0-1, 0 KOs) of Bellville, Michigan taking on Eddie Cordova (3-1-1, 1 KOs) of Clearfield, Utah. The remainder of the card will feature several local matchups.

Ticket are priced at $35 and $55 and are available at Pechanga Resort & Casino Box Office, by telephone at 1-877-711-2946 and online at pechanga.com.

Andrew Cancio vs Rocky Juarez

Photos courtesy of Fantasy Springs Resort

On Saturday, June 2nd top junior lightweight prospect Andrew Cancio (13-1-2, 11 KOs) of Blythe, California and 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Rocky Juarez (28-9-1, 20 KOs) of Houston, Texas will be fighting in a 10-round junior lightweight main event on Golden Boy's and TeleFutura's fight card at Fantasy Springs Special Events Center in Indio, California.

23-year-old Andrew "Chango" Cancio has won five fights in a row since his only loss to Carlos Vinan in 2008. Three of those fights were won at Fantasy Springs against Lowell Brownfield, Fernando Carcamo and Gerardo Zayas in front of his growing fan base.

32-year-old Rocky Juarez with his aggressive style and willingness to go toe-to-toe with his opponents hopes to break his five fight losing streak when he steps into the ring with Cancio on June 2.

Tickets are priced at $25, $35 and $45 are on sale now at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 6:00 PM on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00 PM.

For more information, visit goldenboypromotions.com, fantasyspringsresort.com, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @fantasysprings or visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or facebook.com/fantasysprings.

Photo courtesy of Fantasy Springs Resort

On Friday, March 16th Golden Boy Promotions will return to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California with Showtime to present a ShoBox double header.

In the main event will be Omar "Panterita" Figueroa Jr against Ramon "Nino de Oro" Ayala in a 10-round fight contested for Figueroa's WBO Intercontinental Youth lightweight title.

In the co-main event will be Randy Caballero making his second WBC Youth Intercontinental title defense against Jose Luis "Tapitas" Araiza in a 10-round bout.

Tickets are priced at $25, $35 and $45 and can be purchased at Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at Fantasy Springs. Doors open at 6:00 PM on fight night and first bell rings at 6:30 PM.

For more information, visit goldenboypromotions.com, @goldenboyboxing, facebook.com/goldenboyboxing or fantasyspringsresort.com, @fantasysprings, facebook.com/fantasysprings or sports.sho.com, @shosports, facebook.com/shoboxing .

Paulie Malignaggi has never been one to hold back. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. Here is what Paulie Malignaggi had to say to Robert Guerrero when he heard he turned down a fight with him.

An Open Letter To Robert "The Disappearing Ghost" Guerrero from Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi

Dear Robert:

For the past 3 months, you and your team have attempted to trick the media and boxing public into believing that you were on a short list to fight the best fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather. You also called out every Golden Boy Promotions boxer you could between 135 to 147 pounds, proclaiming your health after shoulder surgery and your readiness to step into the ring in a big fight on May 5th. Every time you had a big bowel movement, your publicist sent an email blast about it.

Two days ago, you and I were offered to fight each other on May 5th as an important supporting pay-per-view bout on the Mayweather vs. Cotto blockbuster PPV. I am sure you will agree that Mayweather vs. Cotto will be the biggest pay-per-view show of the year and on the biggest platform imaginable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and on HBO PPV. Millions of boxing fans will have the opportunity to finally see if you can back up your recent widespread chatter on the internet.

Robert, I accepted the challenge to fight you within 2 hours of being offered the fight. But I have been informed by our promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, that you have categorically refused to fight me. This news was absolutely shocking to me because I have seen you transform yourself from a cute, soft spoken, California kid to well, someone like me. I give you props for trying to wake up the old boxing farts with sound bites like telling Mayweather to "Step Up Punk" or telling Victor Ortiz 3 days ago that "if you're really a true warrior, you'll step in the ring with me." But take it from an older and wiser Magic Man that has never needed to hide behind a publicist and has always backed up his words by stepping into the ring with the best fighters in the world, if you start talking the way you have been talking, you better be ready to accept whatever challenges come your way.

Robert, I know that you and your team have been present in the Arena for my past three fights and you have seen how good I have looked in dismantling my opponents. And maybe your advisors think that all the garlic in Gilroy won't protect you should we fight on May 5th. But you need to find the Mexican warrior within yourself and back up your hot air by stepping into the ring on the day of pride and heritage for your people, Cinco De Mayo. Because if you think you deserve to fight the elite boxers in this world, you need to earn it with more than just a trigger happy publicist. You are a paper Champion that has never fought anyone in the Top 100 of boxing. Beating a geriatric Joel Casamayor or the Australian punching bag that is Michael Katsidis does not earn you the right to call out Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, and Victor Ortiz. Beating me on May 5th might get you one step closer to that honor.

So come on, Robert. Don't become a big joke with the boxing world. Listen to your own words and step up punk. If you're really a true warrior, and not just some internet loud mouth, you'll step in the ring with me on May 5th. What are you afraid of? Coming off shoulder surgery? I have had more surgery on my hands than an aging Beverly Hills housewife. Are you for real or are you truly just a ghost with a good publicist?

Always,

The Magic Man

Friday the 13th marked the first fight card of the year at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. The house was packed and for those in attendance the fights on the card that they saw were real barnburners fought fast and furious but for promoters Roy Englebrecht and Emmanuel Stewart it was the fights that weren't on the card that made Friday the 13th their unluckiest date of the year. First, main event fighter Dominic Salcido was injured 3 days before fight night so his fight with Leon Bobo was scrapped and it was announced that Kaliesha West one of Inland Empire's top female fighters was also off the card. Then the new main event featuring Stewart's prized pupil Kronk boxer Tony Harrison was cancelled 30 minutes before it was supposed to go on when the commission's doctor found Cleven Ishe, Harrison's opponent with the side of his face swelled up looking like a grapefruit from an abscessed tooth. There was no way the doctor could let Ishe fight because one punch to the jaw could rupture the abscess sending pus and infection into Ishe's brain. Apologizing to the crowd Stewart said that this had never happened to him in 50 years. But despite all the bad luck Stewart was bolstered by the large crowd and expressed his desire to put on monthly fights at Pechanga.

Walter Sarnoi (10-2-0, 5 KOs) vs Jose Miguel Cota (8-6-0, 6 KOs)

Featherweight
Walter Sarnoi UD6 Jose Miguel Cota

In the featured fight of the night Thai-American Walter Sarnoi (10-2-0, 5 KOs) coined school boy because he has earned an Associates Degree, Bachelor's of Science in Finance and a Masters Degree in Business Administration stepped into the ring with Jose Miguel Cota (8-6-0, 6 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico for a 6-round featherweight bout. From the opening round Sarnoi demonstrated that he has a good left hook to body which he landed thuddingly and frequently on Cota's body. Cota was down in round one but the referee ruled it a slip. Round two saw Sarnoi landing multiple jabs and straight rights from his long reach. Cota came on stronger in round four backing Sarnoi up with his punches. In round five Sarnoi strayed low with his body shots but that didn't stop Cota from pressuring Sarnoi and forcing him to retreat. In round six Sarnoi went to the body again landing thudding body shots to Cota's liver and ribs along with numerous low blows to Cota's nether region but it didn't Cota from moving forward. Sarnoi was also down in six but it was slipped a slip. The two fighters continued to brawl until the final bell. The fight went to the scorecards. Scores were 59-56, 58-56 and 58-56. Walter Sarnoi wins by 6-round unanimous decision.

Elizabeth Cervantes (3-9-0, 1 KO) vs Susanna Mellone (0-1-0, 0 KOs)

Bantamweight
Elizabeth Cervantes SD4 Susanna Mellone

There's nothing like a good girl fight and that's what Elizabeth Cervantes (3-9-0, 1 KO) of Lakeside, California and pro-debuter Susanna Mellone (0-1-0, 0 KOs) of New York and put on. Mellone came to fight and was definitely not a flailer. She had good boxing skills and it looked like she was going to knockout Cervantes in the first round. But Cervantes who had Lee Espinoza of Coachella Valley Boxing Club in her corner came on strong in round two overcoming any ring rust she may have had since not fighting since July 2008 when she was KOed by Kaliesha West. It was back and forth trading with Cervantes getting the best of Mellone who she had pinned up against the ropes peppering her with combinations of punches. There was no let up as the fight went on. The two went toe-to-toe until the final bell not afraid to take a punch to land a punch. Scores were 39-37, 39-37 Cervantes and 39-37 Mellone. It was a very close fight that could have easily ended up a draw. Elizabeth Cervantes wins by 4-round split decision.

Ulises Soriano (2-0-0, 0 KOs) vs Alonso Loeza (1-3-1, 1 KO)

Junior Welterweight
Ulises Soriano MD4 Alonso Loeza

In what turned out to be an all out war Ulises Soriano (2-0-0, 0 KOs) stepped into the ring with Alonso Loeza (1-3-1, 1 KO) for a 4-round junior welterweight fight. There was no feeling out process. From the opening bell it was back and forth trading. Just went you thought that Soriano who got hit with a left and a right was going to get KOed he came back and caught Loeza with an overhand right. The first round ended with Loeza bleeding from the nose. Round two was fought at a fast pace with both guys throwing everything they had at each other. Both fighters wanted to win badly. Soriano tagged Loeza with an uppercut as the bell for the end of the second round rang. In round three Soriano was bleeding and appeared tired having punched himself out in the previous round. Loeza caught him multiple times with right hooks and straight rights but Soriano was still standing and fighting back but clearly hurt. In final round Soriano caught Loeza with multiple uppercuts which turned out to be Soriano's punch of the night. What a brawl! Soriano has a great chin and both guys had heart. Scores were 40-36, 39-37 Soriano and 38-38. Ulises Soriano wins by 4-round majority decision.

Kevin Hoskins (5-0-0, 4 KOs) vs Angel Torres (2-8-2, 1 KO)

Junior Lightweight
Kevin Hoskins TKO1 Angel Torres

Fighting for the second time at Pechanga, Kevin Hoskins (5-0-0, 4 KOs) of Moreno Valley made a short night of it fighting Angel Torres (2-8-2, 1 KO) in a scheduled 4-round junior lightweight fight. Within seconds Hoskins had Torres up against the ropes hitting him with combos and uppercuts. Torres visited the canvas briefly jumping up quickly beating the count but he looked out of it. His right temple was red and bruised. Hoskins immediately pounced on Torres and landed another uppercut snapping Torres' head back. Again Hoskins backed Torres up against the ropes and proceeded to hit him with a barrage of punches. With Torres holding his gloves up in a high tight guard and not throwing back the referee jumped in and waved off the fight at 2:08 of round one. Kevin Hoskins wins by 1st round technical knockout.

Nicholas Balestra (2-1-1, 1 KO) vs Eduardo Hernandez (0-1-0, 0 KOs)

Super Welterweight
Nicholas Balestra D4 Eduardo Hernandez

In the opening fight of the night Nicholas "The Freak" Balestra (2-1-1, 1 KO) of Sacramento stepped into the ring with Eduardo Hernandez (0-1-0, 0 KOs) of North Hollywood for a 4-round super welterweight bout. It was the tall man vs the short man with Hernandez being at least a head shorter than 6'2" Balestra. But that didn't deter Hernandez from making a fight. He knew how to fight a taller guy. He kept moving forward so he could get inside and throw overhand rights and uppercuts and smother Balestra's ability to punch. For the most part it worked although when Balestra had range his punches had power evident by the heavy thudding sound his right hook made when it landed on Hernandez's body in round one and the stunning effect his left hook had on Hernandez and when it landed on Hernandez's head in round two. But Balestra's lack of defense caused him to walk right into punches to the chin in rounds one and two. All three judges saw the fight the same 38-38. Nicholas Balestra and Eduardo Hernandez fight to a draw.

Luis Ramos Jr (21-0-0, 9 KOs) vs Raymundo Beltran (25-6-0, 17 KOs)

NABA USA Lightweight Title
Luis Ramos Jr UD Raymundo Beltran

Fighting in the main event of the evening on ShoBox's first telecast of the year southpaw Luis Ramos Jr stepped up to fight Manny Pacquiao's chief sparring partner veteran Raymundo "Sugar" Beltran in a 10-round lightweight bout for the vacant NABA USA lightweight title. From the opening bell Beltran was the aggressor. Beltran has a good left hook which he landed several times on Ramos' head in the first two rounds. Ramos retaliated in round two with a rabbit punch to the back of Beltran's head as the referee broke up a clinch initiated by Ramos. In round three after a clash of heads a cut opened up above Ramos' right eye. Sensing that his time might be limited Ramos came on strong hitting Beltran with several hard shots. In round four Beltran landed left and right hooks to Ramos' head hurting Ramos. In round five both fighters traded left hooks. Then mid round Ramos grabbed his right eye and bizarrely the referee called a time out and had the ringside doctor look at Ramos' cut for a second time. In round six Beltran continued to target Ramos' cut with left hooks. In round seven Beltran rocked Ramos. Finally in round eight Beltran went to the body. In round nine Beltran staggered Ramos and Ramos held on which he did repeatedly throughout the fight. In round ten Beltran and Ramos traded heavily knowing that it was a close fight and a must win round. Surprisingly the judges scored the fight 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94 for Luis Ramos Jr. Beltran was so upset his corner had to restrain him. The crowd didn't agree with the decision either and erupted in an uproar. Most ringside including the announcers had the fight 96-94 for Beltran or a draw. Luis Ramos Jr wins by 10-round unanimous decision.

Michael Perez (15-1-1, 9 KOs) vs Omar Figueroa (14-0-1, 11 KOs)

WBO Inter-Continental Youth Lightweight Title
Omar Figueroa TKO6 Michael Perez

In the co-main event of the evening Omar "Panterita" Figueroa stepped up in class to challenge Puerto Rican Michael "The Artist" Perez in a 10-round lightweight title fight. Perez tried to box Figueroa in round one but Figueroa kept coming forward and in round two it was heavy trading in the center of the ring. The two fighters fought in a phone booth in round three. It was Perez for the first half of round four then Figueroa took over in the second half backing Perez up against the ropes and landing head shots. Perez was in trouble. His hands were down and he wasn't punching back at the end of the round. In round five Perez was holding on a lot. He was standing straight up and his legs looked weak. During round six the referee checked to see if Perez wanted to fight on. He indicated that he did but once again he ended up against the ropes not throwing back at the end of the round. During the break after round six Perez's corner stopped the fight with Perez retired on his stool. Post fight Perez said that from the 2nd round on he had no legs, had no power. Ironically one would have thought that it would have been Figueroa to have suffered that fate since he had to deplete himself to make weight on Thursday. Omar Figueroa wins by 6th round technical knockout.

Michael Finney (8-0-0, 7 KOs) vs Hector Orozco (4-10-9, 0 KOs)

Welterweight
Michael Finney UD6 Hector Orozco

In the third fight of the night Michael Finney, a good looking Irish kid from Alabama now fighting out of Pahrump, Nevada home to a couple of the more famous legal brothels in Nevada stepped into the ring with southpaw Hector Orozco of Minnesota. Finney who has a great left hook put Orozco "The Fighting Chihuahua" down on the canvas with it in round one. Rounds continued with Finney landing thudding left and right hook body shots along with well placed right uppercuts. It's not that Orozco didn't land punches. He did. He has fast hands but Finney's high tight guard blocked them. By round five Orozco was on his bicycle back peddling only intermittently throwing little flurries of punches. Then pow a right hand from Finney to Orozco's kisser sent Orozco flying back into the ropes and bouncing off like he was tethered to a bungee cord. It looked like Finney was going to knockout Orozco. In final round Orozco's nose was bleeding and he spent the entire round running backwards. Scores were 60-53, 59-54 and 59-54. Michael Finney wins by 6-round unanimous decision.

Naphi Mohammad (0-2-0, 0 KOs) vs Rocco Espinoza (2-2-0, 0 KOs)

Junior Lightweight
Rocco Espinoza UD4 Naphi Mohammad

Naphi Mohammad, a Manny Pacquiao look-alike hoped to win his second fight as a pro but unfortunately his physical resemblance didn't include Manny's boxing skills. Rocco easily won all four rounds making Mohammad hold a lot and look like a punching bag. Oddly the judges returned scores of 40-35, 40-35 and 40-35 even though there was no knockdown or near knockout of Mohammad. Rocco Espinoza wins by 4-round unanimous decision.

Christopher Pearson (2-0-0, 1 KOs) vs Cleven Ishe (3-5-0, 1 KOs)

Middleweight
Christopher Pearson UD4 Cleven Ishe

In the first fight of the night amateur standout Christopher Pearson from Trotwood, Ohio who recently signed with power broker Al Haymon used his superior boxing skills to easily defeat Cleven Ishe. The punch of the night for Pearson who is a southpaw was his straight left which repeatedly found home on Ishe's grill. Although Ishe did manage to snap Pearson's head back once in round three and got in some counter punches and a couple of upper cuts in round four. Scores were 39-37, 39-37 and 39-37. Christopher Pearson wins by 4-round unanimous decision.

Ricardo Malfavon (2-7-1, 2 KOs) vs Stephen Rubalcava (0-8-0, 0 KOs)

Middleweight
Ricardo Malfavon TKO2 Stephen Rubalcava

In the walkout fight of the night Ricardo Malfavon of Santa Ana made a short work of it by dominating Stephen Rubalcava of Exeter, California causing him to quit after two rounds. Ricardo Malfavon wins by 2nd round technical knockout.

On Friday, January 13th legendary trainer and HBO boxing analyst Emanuel Steward of Kronk Boxing and Roy Englebrecht will present a night of boxing for Southern California fight fans in Pechanga's Grand Ballroom.

In the main event of the evening Dominic Salcido (18-3-0, 9 KOs) of Rialto, California will take on challenger Leon Bobo (18-9-1, 2 KOs) of Saint Louis, Missouri in a 6-round junior middleweight bout.

In the special featured bout Detroit, Michigan's Tony Harrison (4-0-0, 4 KOs) will square off with Cleven Ishe (3-4-0, 1 KOs) of Long Beach, California in a 6-round junior middleweight fight.

Also appearing on the fight card will be local boxers from the Inland Empire and Southern California including Monterey Park's Walter Sarnoi (9-2-0, 5 KOs) vs Humberto Zatarain (3-0-0, 0 KOs) of Whittier, Moreno Valley's Kevin Hoskins (4-0-0, 3 KOs) vs Angel Torres (2-7-2, 1 KOs) of Escondido and pro debuter Susan Mellone (0-0-0, 0 KOs) vs Elizabeth Cervantes (2-9-0, 1 KOs) of Lancaster.

Tickets are available at $35, $45 and $55 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino Box Office, online at pechanga.com or by calling 1-877-711-2946.

Photo courtesy of Fantasy Springs Resort

On Friday, January 6th at the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center in Indio, California, Golden Boy Promotions and Showtime will kick off the new year with a ShoBox fight card headlining undefeated Luis Ramos Jr (20-0-0, 9 KOs) of Santa Ana, California and Mexican Raymundo Beltran (25-5-0, 17 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona a 10-round NABA/USA lightweight title fight.

Luis Ramos Jr last fought at Fantasy Springs on June 3, 2011 where he defeated veteran fighter Francisco Lorenzo (36-10-0, 16 KOs) by 8-round unanimous decision. Ramos Jr to his credit remained composed despite Lorenzo using every dirty fighting technique ever invented and demonstrated a good chin making it to the final bell and having his hand raised in victory despite being hurt in the last round. Working his way up the division hard hitting Ramos Jr went on to knockout David Rodela (15-5-3, 6 KOs) in the 5th round on September 30, 2011 in Costa Mesa, California.

Raymundo Beltran now 3-1 since returning to the ring on January 9, 2011 after a 16 month layoff has defeated David Torres (21-2-0, 13 KOs) by 7th round TKO, forced Carlos Vinan (10-9-4, 2 KOs) to retire on his stool after the 7th round and knocked out Darien Ford (11-22-0, 4 KOs) in the 2nd round. His only loss of late has been to Sharif Bogere (20-0-0, 12 KOs) in a very close, hotly contested fight on ShoBox on May 13, 2011 in Primm, Nevada.

Tickets for the fight are priced at $25, $35 and $45 and are on sale now online at Fantasy Springs, at the Fantasy Springs Box Office or by calling 800-827-2946. Doors at Fantasy Springs will open at 6:00 PM PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 6:30 PM PT.

For more information, visit goldenboypromotions.com, fantasyspringsresort.com, follow us on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @fantasysprings or visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or facebook.com/fantasysprings.

Antonio Margarito's Swollen Right Eye 12/3/2011

Pawel Wolak's Swollen Right Eye 7/15/2011

Both fights were fought in New York under the New York State Athletic Commission. Both fights were refereed by the same referee Steve Smoger. Both fighters wanted to continue. Pawel Wolak was allowed to despite being unable to see out of his grotesquely swollen shut right eye. Antonio Margarito was not allowed to despite being able to see well enough out of his swollen right eye that he could correctly tell the ring doctor how many fingers he was holding up. So why was Wolak allowed to continue and Margarito not? Different ringside doctors.

According to the New York State Athletic Commission boxing rules the ringside doctor's recommendations for terminating a fight are to be complied with immediately by the referee. We all know that referee Steve Smoger, the best referee in boxing doesn't step in and stop fights early on his own accord but in Margarito's case ringside doctor Anthony Curreri told Smoger to stop the fight even before the fighters had a chance to enter the ring for round 10. Too bad. It would have been interesting to see how the championship rounds would have played out.