Boxing returns to New Mexico Saturday night in Hobbs

By David Finger

Boxing fans in New Mexico have suffered mightily under the Covid-19 pandemic, with almost no shows or events in the Land of Enchantment for the last year. But things are slowly starting to return to normal in the squared circle, and tomorrow night boxing fans will get a chance to see two of Southeast New Mexico‘s hottest prospects square off in an exciting card promoted by Isidro Castillo and School of Hard Knocks Promotions. The ten fight card will take place at Club La Sierra in Hobbs, New Mexico Saturday night (August 7th) with the first fight set to kick off at 6:15 PM.

In the main event undefeated junior middleweight prospect Mario Gonzalez (4-0, 3 KOs) of Hobbs, New Mexico takes on his first major test as he squares off against fellow undefeated prospect Luis Luna (2-0, 2 KOs) of Seminole, Texas. Neither Gonzalez or Luna have faced any serious competition yet (the combined record of all six of their opponents was 0-4) but both fighters have shown legitimate talent and many local boxing fans are chomping at the bits to see the two undefeated sluggers go at it in what may just prove to be an absolute war.

In a featured co-main event light heavyweight prospect Desmond Hill (6-0, 4 KOs) of Odessa, Texas looks to extend his win streak to seven as he takes on Midland’s Michael Sanchez (2-6, 2 KOs) in a four round fight. The undefeated Hill is heavily favored over Sanchez, the loser of five straight. But Hill has shown a “take two to land one” mentality that has made for some explosive fights in the past, and Sanchez has shown himself to be a fighter who isn’t afraid to mix it up despite being the underdog. Many insiders are wondering if Hill’s aggression could turn what on paper is an easy fight into a war.

Rounding off the card will be an intriguing heavyweight fight between undefeated Ramon Huerta (2-0, 2 KOs) and Mark Martinez (1-1, 1 KO) of Hobbs. Martinez exploded onto the scene in his professional debut back in 2019, stopping Ruben Sanchez in four rounds. The affable Martinez promised local fans that he was going to make a serious run for a heavyweight belt, but his championship dreams were derailed in his very next fight when he lost by way of disqualification to Nick Tipton in a fight that he was in control of. It’s certainly too early to close the book on Martinez as a prospect, but his fight with Huerta is very much a crossroads fight. A second loss in a row will almost certainly mean that a serious run as a heavyweight will not be in Martinez’s future, and some fans were somewhat surprised at the extra 30 pounds of weight that he put on since his last fight in 2019. But for the undefeated Huerta, a dominant win over Martinez could establish him as New Mexico’s top heavyweight prospect in his own right and he is undoubtably looking to impress.

In a highly anticipated super middleweight fight, undefeated Texan James Land (2-0-1, 1 KO) takes on debuting Emany Rendon of Odessa in a four rounder that will open up the show. Land, who came in at 167.4, has shown flashes of brilliance in his first three fights, but he will need to impress against the rookie in order to establish himself as a national prospect.

Debuting Conrad Martinez will take on 39-fight veteran Manuel Rubalcava (4-34-1, 0 KOs) of Mexico. Rubalcava doesn’t possess much of a record, and he has never beaten a fighter with a winning record, but he is a surprisingly durable and gritty journeyman. Having only been stopped in ten of his fights, Rubalcava is expected to test the young Odessa prospect and give boxing fans a chance to assess how good this talented young fighter is and what we can expect from him as a professional.

Also on the card debuting Ira Herrera of Lubbock takes on Issac Sifuentez (0-4) in a middleweight fight slated for four rounds. Johnny Soto (0-1) of Mission, Texas looks for his first win against Larry Sanchez (0-4) of Midland. Jorrel Sparenberg (1-3, 1 KO) of Hobbs takes on Ricardo Reyes (2-2, 1 KO) of Belen, New Mexico in an intriguing lightweight fight. And in a heavyweight fight Farmington’s Jonathan Abeyta makes his professional debut against fellow debutant Ricky Martinez of Texas.

Also on the card will be a historic fight between Daniel Arriaga as he takes on Anthony Sanchez in a junior welterweight fight that will go down as New Mexico’s first sanctioned bare knuckle boxing match since the days of Wyatt Earp refereeing fights up in Elizabethtown. Tickets are still available and can be obtained at Club La Sierra or by calling promoter Isidro Castillo at 1-575-263-4942.

Weights from Hobbs, New Mexico

Mario Gonzalez 153.8

Luis Luna 153.8

Ramon Huerta 253.2

Mark Martinez 263.6

Conrad Martinez 130

Manuel Rubalcava 134

Michael Sanchez 174

Dez Hill 181.6

Jonathan Abeyta 248.8

Ricky Martinez 247

Johnny Soto 150.2

Larry Sanchez 149.6

Issac Sifuentez 163.4

Ira Herrera 166.2

Jorrell Sparenberg 133.8

Ricky Reyes 134.2

James Land 167.4

Emany Rendon 167.6

Anthony Sanchez 141.6

Daniel Arraiga 142.8

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