By Austin Killeen December 30, 2015     (Click on thumbnails for larger images.)

In the “Land of Enchantment” boxers are rated in the original eight weight divisions. The big boys are Austin Trout and Fidel Maldonado Jr. as they will fight anybody, any place, any time, and win. Trout is working on a four bout win streak, three by stoppage. Look for him to get a big money television fight early in the year. Trout is also the second world ranked junior middleweight contender in the prestigious Transnational Boxing Rankings. Maldonado lost a thriller on the tube earlier in the year, but bounced back with a KO win at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino in September. He’d love a rematch with Michael Perez who he lost a controversial decision to back in 2012.

Josh Torres and Tony Valdez fight difficult opponents in the “The Land of Enchantment.” Torres won a thriller in Albuquerque over Ranee Ganoy, but suffered a setback against Cameron Kreal in August. He looked sensational in December stopping journeyman Daniel Gonzalez. He weighed 150 pounds and looked fast and strong. I’ve often found myself overly critical of Tony Valdez, not giving him credit for his willingness to fight tough imports. Since launching his comeback in 2012, he’s had seven difficult opponents. If you want to get to the top, you do it fighting 50/50 contests, not handpicked opponents. Trout, Maldonado, Torres and Valdez are all willing to dive into the deep end of the pool. I almost forgot to mention Hector “The Hurricane” Muñoz. All he does is go into the backyard of some of the best fighters in the country and fight tough. I’d love to see Hector get a fight in New Mexico, because his nickname says it all.

No pun intended but the heavyweight division has doubled in size. Gallup’s Ronnie Baca continues to win behind excellent footwork and a fine left jab. Elijio Sena of Clovis is new to the dance but has a solid amateur pedigree. He also has an excellent jab and a powerful right to back it up. I’d love to see a Baca/Sena matchup in 2016. Don’t be sleeping on Manuel Eastman and Manuel Otero as they come to fight.

At light heavyweight Arturo Crespin and Gerardo Quintana are on top. But, are they in the right weight class? If Crespin gets in shape he would lose at least ten to fifteen pounds. He has the skills, but is he serious about getting into shape? Quintana is a beast, but is a small light heavyweight at best. I saw Ambrocio Bautista fight a few times and was impressed. He’s lacks the experience of Crespin and Quintana but showed skills in controlling both of his fights.

The middleweights are puddle deep, but the welterweight division has the longest list of names of all the weight classes. In addition to Torres, Brian Mendoza, Adam Vasquez and Antonio Martinez are at the top of the list. Undefeated Mendoza was a busy boxer with eight fights this year. It would have been nine fights but Santa Claus backed out of a fight on the twenty fifth of December, sighting a previous commitment. Brian is the complete package and has signed a managerial contract with Cameron Dunkin and Empire Promotions.

Vasquez of Las Cruces reminds me of my box turtles that I keep in the back yard; slow but steady. Did I mention he is also undefeated? Although he doesn’t have a lot of pop in his punch, he’s very strong. He’s a master at controlling the pace of a fight, usually resulting in a victory by unanimous decision. Unless someone takes Adam out of his comfort zone, he’ll stay unbeaten for awhile. Antonio Martinez had been licked more times than a dog bone when he hooked up with Pat Holmes. Suddenly he doesn’t know how to lose and has become a hot ticket seller. There must be something to this recycling talk, because Martinez has a swagger when he walks now.

In the smaller divisions, Brandon Holmes, Augustine Banegas, Jason Sanchez and Angelo Leo are all undefeated and appear poised to have a breakout year in 2016. If they fought each other in a round robin tournament it would be even money as to who the winner would be. Holmes took his foot of the pedal in 2015, due to school commitments. Banegas had a big year in spite of having two fights canceled. Sanchez showed some power while working off some ring rust due to inactivity. While Angelo looked impressive in his two wins. I’d love to see Holmes vs Sanchez and Banegas vs Leo in the fall of 2016.

The personal favorites of mine are Alex Holquin and Pat Holmes Jr. I’m not surprised at Holguin’s success as he had a solid amateur pedigree before entering the punch for pay business. He throws sweet combinations, but can think on his feet if things suddenly go south. Holmes lost his first fight by stoppage, not surprising as he has no amateur pedigree. His background was in soccer and college basketball, which all boxers do before turning pro. Yeah, right. Pat hasn’t lost since, in a large part due to his athleticism. Now there’s talk of a Holquin vs Holmes showdown. Talk like this a year ago would have been a joke, but not anymore. Holquin would be the favorite, but this fight has eye appeal.

Being labeled an opponent can be the kiss of death in boxing, just ask Jose Osorio, Jesus Pacheco or Gene Perez. When the phone rings, they want you to travel to the other guy’s back yard and oh yeah; he’s undefeated. Even though they live in Albuquerque, Osorio and Pacheco have acquired the “other guy” label. There’s no handpicked opponents on their dance cards; just opponents with Corporate backing. In spite of this, they’ve found their way into the winners circle on a regular bases.

Gene Perez is proof in the old saying, “that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I can’t believe how much Perez has improved since I first saw him. He’s a solid infighter who will turn things around  if he improves his bob-n-weave skills. What is most amazing, he is allegedly self trained.

I hope I didn’t forget anybody as I did Hector Muñoz last year. New Mexico is a nice place to live if you’re a fight fan. Thanks to promoters Joe Chavez, Isidro Castillo, Pat Holmes and Eric Martinez there are boxing cards scheduled all year long. They are the ones who stick their necks out every time they announce a program. As soon as they commit to having a date scheduled, they are on the line for at least $20,000. Without promoters there would be no boxing.

 

 

HEAVYWEIGHT

1. Ronald Baca, Gallup
2. Elijio Sena, Clovis
3. Manuel Eastman, Los Lunas
4. Manuel Otero, Peralta
5. Randy McCarty, Las Cruces
6. Cody East, Los Lunas

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

1. Arturo Crespin, Las Vegas
2. Gerardo Quintana, Hobbs
3. Ambrocio Bautista, Albuquerque
4. Lucas Galle, Rio Rancho
5. Frankie Quintana, Albuquerque
6. Richard Urquizo, Clovis
7. Andrea Galarza, Albuquerque
8. Ricky Villafuerte, Albuquerque

MIDDLEWEIGHT

1. Austin Trout, Las Cruces
2. Hector Munoz, Albuquerque
3. Frank Maruffo, Las Cruces

WELTERWEIGHT

1. Josh Torres, Albuquerque
2. Brian Mendoza, Albuquerque
3. Adam Vasquez, Las Cruces
4. Antonio Martinez, Espanola
5. Omar Quevedo, Albuquerque
6. Eduardo Dominguez, Los Lunas
7. Beto Torres, Las Cruces
8. Ronnie Baca, Albuquerque
9. Ivan Lucero, Las Cruces
10. John Rozema, Las Cruces
11. Alex Estrada, Las Cruces
12. Conrad Padilla, Albuquerque

LIGHTWEIGHT

1. Fidel Maldonado Jr., Albuquerque
2. Jose Salinas, Las Cruces
3. Alex Holquin, Albuquerque
4. Pat Holmes Jr., Albuquerque
5. Serrano Farley, Peralta
6. Brian Garcia, Santa Fe
7. Mike Turrieta, Albuquerque

FEATHERWEIGHT

1. Brandon Holmes, Santa Fe
2. Jason Sanchez, Albuquerque
3. Jose Osorio, Albuquerque
4. Jesus Pacheco, Albuquerque
5. John Herrera, Roswell
6. Gene Perez, Belen
7. Alan Lerma, Las Cruces

BANTAMWEIGHT

1. Tony Valdez, Espanola
2. Augustine Banegas, Las Cruces
3. Angelo Leo, Albuquerque
4. Brandon Munoz, Albuquerque