By David Finger
For boxing followers in Southeast New Mexico, the main target of Saturday night time’s battle card on the Lea County Occasion Heart was undoubtedly on the three native fighters from Hobbs, New Mexico who had been making their skilled debuts in entrance of their hometown crowd. However for boxing followers on the whole, the small Faculty of Onerous Knocks Promotions boxing present that went up in opposition to each the Usyk-Fury PPV battle and a pair of faculty soccer playoff video games, was on their radar for a special purpose. Making his skilled debut was a younger fighter from Odessa, Texas whom many take into account to be the Lone Star State’s high prospect and a surefire future world champion in welterweight Josh Franco.
Franco, a 4 time nation beginner champion and former #1 ranked nationwide beginner, had little bother as he dispatched one of many native fighters in Rony “The Final Ronin” Liranzo, 142, in two rounds. For boxing followers ringside, any hope that the native boy may pull off an Appalachian State like upset over the extremely touted Franco, 145.4, was shortly dashed as quickly because the opening bell kicked off the battle. Franco boxed intelligently to start out the battle, seeking to counterpunch his recreation, however clearly inexperienced, opponent. A two punch mixture to the face despatched Liranzo to the canvas within the opening minute, and though it was dominated a slip, there was no query that Franco had rattled his opponent with the barrage. Liranzo, missing the expertise to battle out of bother, resorted to a wild cost that resulted in each males stumbling to the canvas, prompting referee Alan Dominguez to warn Liranzo to not “cost him”. An overhand left from the southpaw Franco adopted, badly wobbling the Hobbs native, and one other lightning quick mixture adopted that. The convenience of touchdown large punches pushed Franco to up the stress, and he threw a fast two punch mixture upstairs that despatched Liranzo to the canvas with lower than 15 seconds left within the spherical. Liranzo acquired up on wobbly legs and was shortly felled once more within the closing seconds of the spherical with a proper hand. Though it appeared like the tip of the night time for Liranzo, he was capable of rise proper earlier than the referee reached the rely of ten and because the bell ended the spherical.
Nevertheless, spherical two noticed little change within the fortunes of the Hobbs boxer as Franco started the spherical with one other vicious mixture that ship him to the canvas within the opening seconds of the spherical. Seeing that their fighter was fully outmatched and visibly damage, Ronin’s nook surrendered, prompting referee Alan Dominguez to waves off the competition at 0:43 of the second spherical.
“It was all a part of the sport plan,” Franco stated after the battle about his dominant efficiency. “Really feel him out within the first, I knew we’d get him out within the second.”
Liranzo, who like Franco was making his skilled debut, sees his file now stand at 0-1.
Within the co-main occasion, one other proficient younger beginner standout from Texas, Damian Nieland, 166.6, kicked off his skilled debut in equally profitable style as he stopped the surprisingly recreation Gabriel Martinez, 166.4, of El Paso. Nieland, who received the Lubbock regional Golden Gloves event in 2023 and fought within the Texas State Championships, was initially slated to battle a 73-fight veteran in Larry Smith. Nevertheless he ended up having to accept the little identified Martinez when the Smith battle fell by way of on the final minute. However though the idea was that Martinez could be a downgrade, somebody apparently forgot to inform the El Paso fighter. Early within the battle Nieland boxed intelligently from the surface, using his lengthy attain benefit and his strong jab. After Martinez complained to referee Daniel Sandoval about being hit on high of his head (neither Sandoval nor this author noticed any infraction) he was subsequently taken to the ringside doctor and a few ringsiders fearful that the El Paso fighter was searching for a chance to give up. The battle had all of the makings of a mismatch as Martinez appeared genuinely confused about tips on how to conduct himself within the boxing ring, and maybe sensing that his opponent didn’t know what he was doing, Nieland determined to desert the cautious strategy and proceeded to unload on Martinez as soon as the motion resumed.
It was apparently simply the wakeup name Martinez wanted as he stood there and threw actual punches with the previous beginner standout. Though Nieland was profitable the exchanges, and touchdown some heavy blows to the physique of Martinez, he was additionally getting clipped by some strong counterpunches as properly, and because the opening spherical got here to a detailed, each Nieland and the followers knew that they’d a battle on their arms.
As spherical two kicked off, Nieland confirmed a bit extra respect in the direction of the gritty Martinez, however his benefit in measurement and expertise was nonetheless the deciding issue within the exchanges. Maybe most notably, it was clear that Nieland’s nook acknowledged how efficient the physique assault was and instructed the Levelland native to make use of it extra in spherical two, one thing he properly adopted by way of on. A devastating physique shot dropped Martinez’s arms for only a second, opening up his chin for an image excellent proper hand that badly wobbled him. Referee Daniel Sandoval didn’t watch for a 3rd punch as he jumped in and stopped the battle as Martinez stumbled ahead into Sandoval. Though Martinez complained concerning the stoppage, there was little query that he was badly damage. Nonetheless, Martinez definitely received over loads of followers and ringsiders together with his grit and dedication. With the loss, Martinez drops to 0-1 whereas Nieland improves to 1-0 (1).
In the principle occasion, Hobbs native Austin Voight, 159.8, destroyed Daniel Arriaga, 155.4, stopping him at 1:04 of the second spherical. Voight, who was making his skilled debut, appeared to have a comparatively secure opponent in Arriaga, who was coming into the battle with a 0-6 file in boxing and a 0-1 file in bare-knuckle boxing. As Arriaga had been stopped in all seven of his professional fights, most ringsiders assumed that Voight would come out on high. However with restricted beginner expertise, the query was how he would look in opposition to the skilled, albeit winless, Arriaga.
Properly the reply was fairly darn good.
Combating out of a southpaw stance, Voight dropped Arriaga early within the opening spherical with a strong mixture upstairs. Though Arriaga rose from the knockdown and tried to fireside again with some heavy punches of his personal, he was shortly dropped a second time when one other laborious punch upstairs ship the Texan reeling into the ropes. As referee Stan Saavedra legitimately acknowledged that the ropes had been the one purpose Arraiga didn’t hit the canvas, he appropriately known as it a knockdown. With two knockdowns within the opening spherical, Arriaga determined to try to trip out the storm, prompting Voight to spend money on physique pictures versus head looking. Though Arriaga survived the spherical, the veteran transfer of going to the physique versus wildly searching for a knockout, confirmed a degree of professionalism in Voight that didn’t bode properly for Arriaga’s possibilities going ahead. With Voight stalking Arriaga within the second spherical, Voight continued to assault the physique, which in flip arrange the proper left hand counter that dropped Arriaga within the opening minute of the second. Though Arriaga acquired up, a second counter proper hand despatched him again to the canvas just a few seconds later and referee Saavedra properly waved off the battle at 1:04 of the second spherical.
“It feels superb,” Voight stated after profitable his skilled debut in entrance of his hometown followers. “I really like my metropolis, I really like Hobbs!”
Rounding off the cardboard was one other debuting native fighter in middleweight Joseph Garcia. Very similar to Voight, Garcia was a fighter with restricted beginner expertise who appeared to have drawn a reasonably secure opponent for his skilled debut within the winless Larry Sanchez Jr. from Midland. Sanchez, who had by no means made it previous the second spherical in any of his six skilled fights (5 had been knockout losses and one resulted in a no-contest) might have been anticipated to lose to the debuting New Mexican, however somebody apparently forgot to inform him. Garcia, 159.6, appeared supremely assured as he entered the ring, strolling as much as Sanchez, 160, and stomping his toes loudly as he stood proper in entrance of the Texan in an obvious try and intimidate his opponent. However the veteran Sanchez was fully unfazed and shortly took management of the battle from the opening bell. Sanchez had little bother touchdown upstairs and, recognizing that his opponent had little protection in opposition to the fitting hand, Sanchez started to unload on the Hobbs native and dropped him with a 3 punch mixture upstairs. The visibly rattled Garcia appeared at a loss as to what to do as he acquired up on wobbly legs, and though referee Stan Saavedra had a protracted dialogue with him as to if he needed to proceed, Garcia appeared unable or unwilling to offer Saavedra an indication that he may. Referee Saavedra elected to wave the battle off at 2:52 of the opening spherical, giving Sanchez the battle skilled win of his profession.
Opening the battle card was a heavyweight battle that includes Brazilian heavyweight prospect, 252.4, in opposition to debuting David Cody Murillo, 220, of Las Cruces. Dos Santos, who now fights out of Amarillo, Texas, who was combating in his second skilled battle, had little bother with the smaller New Mexican, dropping him twice within the opening spherical. A 3rd knockdown within the opening seconds of the second spherical promoted referee Daniel Sandoval to properly wave off the battle at 0:58 of the spherical. With the win Dos Santos improves to 2-0, 2 KOs.
