By Austin Killeen Ringside                

Newly selected New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame nominee Pat Holmes Sr. will probably have another sellout on his seven bout boxing card Saturday night. Take Holmes out of the picture and boxing wouldn’t exist in the northern part of the state. The featured fighters on his cards have changed over the years, but the final result is always the same; sellout! Whether the main event features Tony Valdez, Pat Holmes Jr., Brandon Holmes, Antonio Martinez, Fidel Maldonado, or Matthew Griego, the fans consistently support his fight cards. I’ve been covering his cards for seven years and he always fills the seats because his cards deliver excitement. Gave the fans what they want and they will show up. It would seem like a simple formula, but few promoters have the successful track record of Pat Holmes. On Saturday night his card features Antonio Martinez and undefeated Matthew Griego in separate bouts and the result will probably be another sellout.

All the co-feature bouts are scheduled for six rounds.

In the main event of the evening, Antonio Martinez (9-4-4, 6 KO’s) 133.2 lbs. of Espanola, NM will face Luis Gerardo Avila (6-12-3, 4 KO’s) 134.4 lbs. of Nogales, Mexico. This is a fight that Martinez needs if he hopes to put his career back in the fast lane. Joining forces with Promoter Holmes a few years ago the Espanola boxer ran off a nine bout win streak. Things were looking good for Martinez when his career suddenly hit a roadblock. In his last three fights he suffered two setbacks by decision. He hopes Saturday night he will be able to put things back on course. He’s very popular with the fans, as his tickets sales will prove, but only if he’s able to turn things around. I’ve never seen Avila fight before, but promoter Holmes doesn’t believe in feeding his established fighters soft touches.

 

In the co-feature, Matthew Griego (8-0-0, 7 KO’s) 111.8 lbs. of Albuquerque, NM faces Rondarius Hunter (2-3-1, 2 KO’s) 109.5 lbs. of Atlanta, GA. Like Martinez, Griego needs a win to remain relevant. He hasn’t had a fight in nearly a year, which isn’t the way you catch the eye of promoters and fans. Griego can punch as his record indicates, but he knows he needs to move to the next level to prove he has the talent to have a successful career. In his last fight Griego looked impressive in stopping veteran Alejandro Moreno in three rounds. It was a nice win, but he failed to follow it up with more activity. Instead, he chose to have his picture placed on a milk carton in the hopes that someone would find him. That’s not the way you build a successful career. Hopefully Hunter will provide a stiff test tomorrow night, the kind of opposition that will prove Griego is still someone worth following.

 

The five remaining bouts are scheduled for four rounds.

In a battle of unbeatens, Leanna Martinez (3-0-0, 2 KO’s) 111.4 lbs. faces Danielle Saldanha (2-0-0, 1 KO) 110.1 lbs. of Fort Collins, CO. I’ve seen all of Martinez’s fights and this girl impresses me. I’m not sure she is five feet tall, but what a left jab for someone so short. I’m amazed by her ability to fight from the outside. Needless to say, once she gets inside, Martinez is a beast. In her day job Martinez is a nurse, apparently she is building a clientele with her night job. Obviously Saldanha is a solid opponent with an undefeated record of her own. It figures she didn’t travel to Buffalo Thunder with the plan of losing.

 

 

In a battle of debuting fighters in the heavyweight division, Jesus Sanchez 238.9 lbs. of Albuquerque, NM will face Lorenzo Benavidez 211.0 lbs. of Albuquerque, NM. I’ve seen Benavidez fight many times in the amateurs and he’s a very entertaining fighter. He is very short for a heavyweight, but is difficult to handle once he works his way inside. Steve Garcia is his trainer and Garcia knows his business. I’ve never seen Sanchez box, but there is nothing like a hometown rivalry to bring out the best in both fighters.

 

 

 

In a contest of undefeated boxers from Santa Fe, Ernesto Salvidrez (1-0-0, 1 KO) 150.3 lbs. will face Loreto Olivas (1-0-0, 1 KO) 151.6 lbs. I’m not familiar with either fighter, but once again you have a hometown rivalry between undefeated boxers. I would assume that neither boxer plans on giving up his unblemished record without a struggle.

 

 

 

Hot prospect Ronnie Baca (3-0-1, 2 KO’s) 145.9 lbs. of Albuquerque will face debuting Jimmy Archuleta 143.1 lbs. of Santa Fe, NM. Baca is a live prospect, who has knockout power in both hands. Tall for a welterweight, Baca is surprisingly effective when he gets on the inside. He is promoted by Jacob Maes and trained by Sergio Chavez which are two reasons to believe that Baca has a bright future. I know nothing about Archuleta, but assume he must have some talent or his management would not accept such a difficult fight.

 

 

In the opening bout of the card, Mark Jimenez (0-1-0) 157.7 lbs. of Santa Fe, NM will square off against Daniel Flores (0-3-0) 157.9 lbs. of Albuquerque, NM. Don’t be fooled by the records of these boxers, I’ve seen them both in action and they’re solid. I saw Jimenez in his debut against a very difficult opponent and he fought with grit and determination. The same can be said about Flores in the two contests I witnessed. Flores is trained and managed by Ray Lopez out of the J.S.C. Memorial Gym. This should be a good bout and the one with the greater willpower should prevail.

 

 

 

The New Mexico Hall of Fame banquet is scheduled for Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 6-10 pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1000 Woodward Place, NE, Albuquerque, NM. The public is invited to meet and dine with the inductees, past Hall-of-Fame members, and other boxing celebrities. Formal business casual attire is requested. Because of the length of the event children under the age of 12 are not encouraged. Tickets are $40 per person and reservations may be made at my email [email protected]. or to my phone at 505-681-8151. The deadline for paid reservations is October 19, 2017.