By Austin Killeen

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On Saturday night Promoter Eric Martinez will host a seven bout fight card at the Elegante Hotel, featuring the rematch of Josh Torres vs Jose Marrufo. This is a highly anticipated rematch. Their first fight, which took place on August 30, 2014 in Albuquerque, was a back and forth barnburner resulting in a draw. Since that night Torres has been brought along carefully, improving his value on the open market. Maruffo, on the other hand has had an up and down career. There’s a lot at stake for both fighters, a win for Torres probably leads to a big payday; while a win for Marrufo stops the bleeding and resurrects his career. The undercard appears to be solid also, with some interesting matchups.

Josh “Pitbull” Torres (15-5-2, 7 KO’s) 146 lbs of Albuquerque will face Jose Marrufo (9-5-2) 146.4 lbs. of Phoenix, Arizona in the eight round main event.  In their first fight, Marrufo used left hooks and overhand rights to force Torres to back up much of the night. Torres landed the cleaner punches all evening but fans liked Marrufo who was throwing punches in bunches. This resulted in Torres playing the role of counter puncher for much of the fight, clearly not his usual style. As the bout progressed Marrufo was turning boos into cheers, and had clearly won the fans over by the final bell. The rounds were hotly contested, making this a difficult fight to score. In Torres last fight he lost a close majority decision to world class Mike Alvarado on television, a verdict that many felt Torres deserved. In his last bout, also on television, Marrufo lost a unanimous decision to Alfonso Olvera.   The big question; which boxer has made the most progress in the last two years?

The semi-final matches Jason Sanchez (7-0-0, 3 KO’s) 122.4 lbs of Albuquerque against Juan Carlos Guillen (7-4-1, 3 KO’s) 124.4 lbs of El Paso, Texas. Don’t let Guillen’s record fool you; he has been in the ring with some tough customers on the road. If Sanchez spends his time looking for an opening, he could still be looking at the final bell. To beat Guillen you have to hit anything that’s available; elbow, shoulder, glove, but hit something. If he fails to turn this into a street fight, Guillen will slap him silly. The power belongs to Sanchez, but the slick moves belong to Guillen. This is the classic contest of slugger versus boxer.

In the evening’s fifth bout, older brother Jose Luis Sanchez (5-1-0, 2 KO’s) 154.8 lbs will face Arturo Crespin (13-7-1, 4 KO’s) 154.6 lbs of Las Vegas, New Mexico. This could be the fight of the night, a contest between two powerful forces on a collision course. Like his brother Jason, Sanchez has some power. In his last fight he gave an excellent performance against a live opponent. Sanchez showed power, defense and endurance in winning a unanimous decision. Crespin is a boxer who has never lived up to his potential, but a wife and a new baby might have changed that. He has lost some serious weight and appears to have a new outlook on his career. He has experience against tough competition, something the young Sanchez lacks on his resume. This should be six rounds of war.

In the evening’s fourth bout, Jesus Xavier Pacheco (5-5-0) 124.8 lbs will face Gustavo Sotomayor (3-11-1, 1 KO) 126 lbs of Mexico. If you wanted to learn all about boxing, I’d recommend spending time training with Pacheco. With the exception of having a punch, he appears to be the complete package. He’s always in shape, has solid boxing skills, good balance and is not afraid to get inside the power of a slugger. You can’t always run from a puncher, as it makes you predictable. But if you want to have a future in this sport you have to be comfortable inside the punching range of a slugger without trading toe-to-toe. I’ve seen Pacheco fight many times and seen him victimized by out of town close verdicts. I’ve never seen Sotomayor in action, but his record indicates he has a solid chin.

In the evening’s third bout, Ronald Baca (7-3-1, 2 KO’s) 260.8 lbs of Gallup, NM will face Manuel Otero (2-6-0, 1 KO) 223 lbs of Peralta, New Mexico. This is a return bout, with Baca winning a decision last summer. In that bout Otero pressured Baca the entire fight, determined to make it a contest fought on the inside. Baca had other ideas, using an excellent left jab and lateral movement to create space. It was fought at a fast pace with little clinching. Otero has a solid chin, while Baca doesn’t have your typical heavyweight’s punch. Look for this contest to go the distance, with both fighters looking to impose their wills.

In the evening’s second bout, Jose Osorio (5-3-1, 2 KO’s) 129.2 lbs of Albuquerque will face Gabriel Braxton (2-16-0, 1 KO) 130.4 lbs of Red Oak, Georgia. I witnessed Braxton’s fight against undefeated Angelo Leo last summer. Braxton came to fight and extended his rival for the entire six rounds. Having seen Braxton in action, his win loss record makes no sense. Osorio is an aggressive fighter who likes to work behind a strong left jab. He has been in against tough competition, building a winning record the hard way. If Braxton can take away Osorio’s jab, it could be a long night for the “Duke City” boxer.

In the evening’s opening bout, Katie Ramirez (0-1-0) 125.4 lbs of Bosque Farms, NM will face Briana Gonzalez (1-0-0) 121.4 lbs of San Antonio, TX. I saw Ramirez’s pro debut against a boxer with pedigree. After a slow start Ramirez warmed up to the task at hand, making it a competitive contest. Her opponent needed her experience to capture the decision. I would assume that Ramirez should look better as a result of this experience. I spoke with Gonzalez at today’s weight-in and it appears that she has a strong amateur background. This could be an interesting contest if Ramirez has improved from her first fight.

Eric Martinez puts on good shows and tonight’s card looks to be a solid program. For the past two years local promotes have been trying to get Torres and Marrufo  back in the ring and Martinez has done it. When you can’t pick winners with confidence in each fight, it indicates competitive contests. The popular Dennis Chavez will serve as ring announcer on Saturday night. Chavez is always fair and balanced making sure the out of town boxers are treated with the same respect as the home town heroes..  I’m looking forward to the opening bell, as long as I’m sitting at ringside and not on a stool in the corner.