Article by Austin Killeen                           Photos by Sid Ware

 

You have to go back to April 11, 2015 to capture the excitement of Saturday’s fight card at the Route 66 Casino. On that evening Josh “Pitbull” Torres faced Ranee Ganoy at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Ganoy had been brought to the “Duke City” from Australia by manager/promoter Jacob Maes. Torres had a chin of granite and Ganoy had fists of steel. That bout lived up to its prefight hype, with Torres winning a narrow decision by majority vote. This Saturday we have not one, but two neighborhood grudge matches that appear to have captured the imagination of local fight fans. The same Josh Torres will be facing Cristian Cabral and Mike Alderete will face his old rival Max Heyman for the third time. Both contests will be for bragging rights to the city, as well as for New Mexico State Titles.  

In the evenings main event scheduled for 10 rounds, Josh “Pitbull” Torres 17-6-2 (9 KO’s) 144.6 lbs. will face Cristian ”El Puma” Cabral 8-1-1, (4 KO’s) 146 lbs. for the New Mexico State welterweight title and bragging rights to Albuquerque. Clearly Torres has to be the favorite in the contest due to experience, punching power and quality of opposition. This will be Torres’ twenty sixth pro fight, versus Cabral’s eleventh trip to the ring. The level of competition clearly favors Torres, having faced Mike Alvarado, Dusty Harrison, Jose Marrufo (2), Ranee Ganoy, Cameron Krael, and Moris Rodriguez. They have one common opponent Joe Gomez; Torres won a split decision and Cabral was stopped in five rounds. Additionally Torres has to be considered one of the top three P4P fighters in the state, along with Austin Trout and Fidel Maldonado Jr.

 

So why is there so much interest in the Torres-Cabral contest, as it looks to be a one sided contest on paper. Simply put, because the fight will take place in a ring, not on a piece of paper. The night Cabral was stopped by Gomez his head wasn’t focused on his opponent because he was dealing with personal issues. On that evening Cabral lacked the maturity to focus on the issue at hand and couldn’t compartmentalize his personal problems until later. This is not to take away from Gomez’s showing, as he was prepared for the task at hand and his opponent was not. For the record Gomez has launched a successful comeback and most likely has his eye on a second fight with the winner.

 

The Cristian Cabral who will enter the ring on Saturday night is now happily married and the father of a beautiful little boy, possessing the maturity he lacked three years ago. He has a solid chin and has displayed the ability to survive when he has been in trouble. Although he lacks a knockout punch, his four stoppages coming by TKO, he’s physically strong and shouldn’t be pushed around by Torres. To successfully compete with Torres, Cabral will need a stiff left jab and lateral movement. Otherwise Torres walks straight in on Cabral, throwing punches with bad intentions. Cabral has never had to fight beyond the 6^th round, which obviously raises another issue; stamina. The winner tomorrow night will be in an advantageous position. A Torres win and he will most likely get an opportunity to face a big name opponent. A Cabral upset and suddenly he’ll be in big demand, with the ability to pick and choose his next opponent. 

In the evenings co-main event scheduled for 10 rounds, Mike Alderete 7-7-2 (3 KO’s) 181.2 lbs. will face Max Heyman 25-13-4, (14 KO’s) 183.6 lbs. for the New Mexico State cruiserweight title and bragging rights to Albuquerque. When this bout was announced from the ring, during intermission, at the Route 66 Casino on March 17^th I thought it was a joke. Just two old guys fighting for a tube of Ben-Guy to rub on their aching muscles. Two weeks ago when I visited their training camps, I found both Alderete and Heyman already at weight and looking sharp. Unlike many young fighters who don’t know how to read a scale, both Alderete and Heyman showed me they were professionals who were taking this rubber match seriously.

 

Their first two fights took place in 2010, Alderete winning a split decision in bout I; Heyman scoring a TKO victory in eight rounds in bout II. They have a great deal of respect for each other, but unlikely sharing Thanksgiving dinner come November. Their friendship will not be a risk, as there isn’t any. The game plan for this fight is obvious to anyone who has followed their careers. Heyman has to keep the fight in the center of the ring, where he can use his boxing skills, create openings and land the harder punches. Alderete wants to take his rival into the ropes or corners where he can mug him. Alderete believes in a clean fight with all punches landing above the sock line. Like Torres/Cabral this bout has the potential to be the fight of the night.

 

In the evenings fifth bout scheduled for 6 rounds Jason “Alacransito” Sanchez 12-0-0, (6 KO’s) 124.8 lbs. of Albuquerque will face Danny Flores 15-13-1, (8 KO’s) 124.8 lbs. of Mexico City. Sanchez has built his record facing some stiff competition along the way. He has a punishing left jab, which he throws with the intent of causing pain. Sanchez also takes his power into the late rounds, scoring some impressive KO’s in the last half of his fights. If you think Sanchez is just a brawler who takes one to land one you would be wrong. He has some defensive skills and is always looking for ways to penetrate his rival’s defense. Flores has some power of his own and will be looking to unload, but he better unload first or it will be a short night.

 

The remaining bouts are all scheduled for four rounds.

In the evenings fourth bout between “Duke City” fighters Aaron “Angel Baby” Perez 2-0-0, (2 KO’s) 125.6 lbs. will be facing George Roybal 0-4-0 125.8 lbs. Perez is a highly decorated amateur having had over 150 fights for trophies and medals. Perez was on the Olympic training team and has fought in international competition. Perez has a powerful build and a solid punch, as his first two opponents discovered. I’ve seen all of Roybal’s fights and this young man has shown improvement each time out. But it’s a tall order to expect Roybal to find the victory circle in this contest. 

 

 

In the evenings third bout Brandon Trujillo 0-2-0 145.2 lbs. of Albuquerque  will be facing debuting Isaac Luna 144.2 lbs. of El Paso, TX . Luna is replacing Ronnie “Mongoose” Baca 3-0-1, (2 KO’s) of Albuquerque. Baca ripped his finger nail while working on his car. If you ever ripped a finger nail you know how painful that can be. Trujillo and Luna appear to be evenly matched and should provide an entertaining bout. No one ever said the life of a fight promoter was easy, just ask the Perez brothers.

 

 

 

In the evening’s second bout Matthew “Papitas” Esquibel 10-0-0, (5 KO’s) 146.2 lbs. of Albuquerque will face Tavorus Teague 5-20-3, (3 KO’s) 147.2 lbs. of Bakersfield, CA. Esquibel turned pro in 2006 but has had only two fights since 2008. In November “Papitas” had to climb off the canvas in the first round to score a sensational knockout with his very next punch. Esquibel has talent, but he needs to fight more often than twice in ten years if he hopes to develop his skills. Don’t be fooled by the record of Teague as he has a win and a draw in the last three months. This isn’t the first time fans have seen Teague in action as he gave Cristian Cabral a tough six round bout last November. This bout could be the sleeper on the card, with Esquibel facing a difficult challenge.

 

The opening bout of the card has Agustin “el Chicano” Perez 1-0-0 130.8 lbs., of Roswell, NM facing Ernesto Hernandez 1-8-0 (1 KO) 136.4 lbs. El Paso, TX. “el Chicano” is the younger brother of Jordan and Aaron Perez and the uncle of Angel  Perez. He turned pro last year in his home town. Most boxers don’t turn pro after thirty, but Perez looked like the Energizer Bunny in his pro debut. He is a volume puncher who sucks the oxygen out of the ring, reducing his opponent to a boxer gasping for air. I know nothing about Hernandez, but I do know he better be in shape or it will be a long night for the Texan.