IT’S LIGHTS. CAMERAS. ACTION
FOR UT ARLINGTON’S NEW COLLEGE PARK CENTER

ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
COMING TO ARLINGTON, FEBRUARY 17

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – College Park Center, the new home court for UT Arlington basketball and volleyball, also will be center ring for ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS come Feb. 17.

There will be plenty of hook shots when top-five world contenders John Molina (23-1, 19 KO’s…Covina, California) and Marvin Quintero (24-3, 20 KO’s, Tijuana, MX) battle in the main event at the new College Park Center, on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington. The Feb. 17 event is being promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with DFW’s -- Showcase Promotions. ESPN Friday Night Fights are sponsored by Corona Beer.

The No. 3 world-ranked Molina and No. 5 rated Quintero are set for 12 rounds in an IBF World Title Elimination bout, with the winner getting a shot at world champion, Miguel Vazquez. The Molina vs. Quintero clash is one of seven bouts scheduled on the nationally televised event, which begins at 7 p.m.

Also slated for action on the undercard are 2008 United States Olympians Shawn Estrada (13-0, Los Angeles) and Luis Yanez (4-0-1, Dallas). Ray Ximenez, a former multi-national amateur champion from Dallas is also set on the card.

Opponents for Estrada, Yanez and Ximenez are to be announced.  [read more]

WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma is well known for its high-class amenities and fantastic gaming. Saturday night was no different as they went all in with the King of The Cage: Total Destruction mixed martial arts event and the packed house of adoring fans cashed in on a great night of fights. 

World-renowned referees, Big John McCarthy and Herb Dean, were on hand to supervise the action. Oklahoma native and rising star, Sarah Maloy, was also ringside to support current training partners and catch the night's action packed excitement.  [read more]

From WinStar World Casino, January 21

Tim Means def Tyrel Brown, TKO, 1st rd

Dom O’Grady def Bill Albrecht, by split decision

Mike Maldonado def Treston Tomison, KO 31 seconds, 1st rd

Terrell Thomas def Cortez Coleman, by rear naked choke, 4:07, 2nd rd

Siriah Parker def Ryan McCurdy, TKO 2:27, 1st rd

Chris White def Tony Quintero, armbar, 30 seconds, 1st rd

Anita Rodriguez def Liz Carreiro, by unanimous decision

Terry Acker def Turrell Galloway, by rear naked choke, 4:20, 2nd rd

Brad Nordquist def Dave Roberts, by tapout,

Who:      On FEB. 18TH 2012, Back Alley Promotions in association with Corona bring to you Xtreme Knockout 14 (XKO - Professional MMA Fights) and the top Pro MMA fighters in Texas. XKO will be filming in HD for their Xtreme Knockout television show. Back Alley Promotions has produced over 1,000 “live” events including a reality show featured on the Discovery Channel. THE GYM Combative Sports Training Facility (and location of XKO 14) is also the home of “TEAM TAKEDOWN” the Next Generation of Fighters including Jonhy Hendricks, Jake and Jared Rosholt and Shane Roller!

What:      Xtreme Knockout, Back Alley Promotions in association with Corona bring Pro Mixed Martial Arts fights to Arlington!
Pre-Fight Party from 6-8pm. Belltime 8pm.Pre-Fight party includes: MMA & Sports Vendors including METROFELX SPORTS, HOOTERS RING GIRLS, THE GIRLS ROOM, BORN 2 BANG CLOTHING, REDEMPTION CLOTHING, THE MARINES, CUSTOM MOUTH GUARDS, KOS, ULTRAVIOLENT FIGHT GEAR, WEIRDOZ CLOTHING, AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY, BLU ENERGY, GIRLS FROM THE CLUBHOUSE, THE IMPROV COMEDY CLUB AND MORE!  10 professional cage fights, meet and greet with fighters, celebrity guest appearances, Bikini contest, live music and DJ!  Television Taping for the TV show “Xtreme Knockout”.  [read more]

Sean Reed (l) and Dallas’ own Charles Hatley.

For the first time in the three-year history of Black Gloves Promotions, the Hatley's were forced into postponing a show. Lesser men and promoters would've simply thrown in their licenses and called it a day, not the Hatleys. They pushed the scheduled December 17th, "A Christmas Knockout" show out, re-named it "New Year's Knockout" and looked to reap the fruits of their labor and persistence on Saturday, January 7th, from the Palladium at Gilley's, in downtown Dallas.  [read more]

The turnout was a bit light at The Palladium Ballroom for Black Gloves Promotions’ A New Year’s Knockout, but that didn’t take away from the energy once the fights began. Fans know they’ll get their money’s worth with Hatleys on the card, and this night was no different.

Charles Hatley (r) Lester Gonzalez (l) photo by T. Warner.

The Future (l) jabs Lester Gonzalez Photo by T. Warner

The main event featured Black Gloves’ own Charles “The Future” Hatley (17-0-1, 12 KO’s) and Lester “El Cubanito” Gonzalez (12-6-3, 6 KO’s) of Havana, Cuba. Gonzalez looked calm and confident as he entered the ring to take on the undefeated Hatley, no doubt wondering if this would be the fight to break Hatley’s record, a thought that is on everyone’s mind when Charles Hatley enters a ring. But Hatley once again gave the crowd what they expect from him: victory.

Round one was not too eventful; both fighters stared intently at each other, gauging the other’s moves. Gonzalez was much more reserved in this round than Hatley, who threw more punches but still seemed hesitant. In round 2, both fighters still seemed to be calculating more than hitting, but Hatley was much more aggressive this round and unleashed a battery of punches in the last fifteen seconds, a preview of what was to come. By the end of round 3, Gonzalez was staggering a bit and looking tired as Hatley grew increasingly generous with the punches. Gonzalez attacked in the beginning of round 4 with what seemed to be a burst of regained confidence, but he quickly lost that as Hatley maneuvered him into the ropes and once again left him sprawling when the bell rang. Hatley dominated round 5, though he did receive a reprimand for what appeared to be a head butt. Gonzalez started the final round with another burst, charging at Hatley in his last chance to take him down. But this only added fuel to Hatley’s fight; determined to protect his undefeated status, Hatley ferociously countered Gonzalez’s attack, pounding his opponent mercilessly until the bell rang. Hatley won by unanimous decision, all three judges scoring the fight 60-54.  [read more]

Main Event – 6 Rounds
Charles Hatley, Dallas, TX def Lester Gonzalez, Havana, Cuba by Unanimous Decision

4 Rounds
Greg Hatley, Dallas, TX def Tyrone Jackson, Tyler, TX by Unanimous Decision

4 Rounds
Kuin Evans, Little Rock, AK def Noe Bravo, Tyler, TX by TKO 2:00, 4th Rd

FORT WORTH, TEXAS --- After a great 2011 that saw Paulie Ayala Productions, led by former world champion and Fort Worth boxing legend Paulie Ayala, put his stamp on the Dallas-Fort Worth fight scene with the Battle of DFW and Fright Night, Paulie Ayala Productions looks to raise the stakes even greater with their first event of the year, Gloves & Guitars, on Saturday, January 28th at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Gloves & Guitars will combine an exciting night of professional boxing with seven bouts followed by a live performance from Fort Worth’s own Tejas Brothers.  The Tejas Brothers debut CD was recognized as the seventh most played album for 2009 by the American Music Association.

The card will headline Miguel “The Fighting Marine” Buendia (7-1, 4KO) against Angel Rodriguez (5-7-2, 4KO) in a lightweight battle.  Local crowd favorite Buendia has rallied off seven consecutive wins after losing his pro debut in 2009.  Although Rodriguez has lost three straight decisions, he won’t be intimidated fighting in Buendia’s backyard.  Rodriguez has been in the ring with some of the best prospects in the division including Casey Ramos, Adrien Broner, and Diego Magdaleno.

Also featured on the card will be Ayala’s own Manuel “The Punisher” Rojas (3-0) who kicked off his pro career with three impressive wins in 2011 after a stellar amateur career, which included the 2008 Junior Olympic State Championship, 2008 National Junior Olympic Finals, 2008 World Ringside Finals, and 2009 National Silver Gloves Championship.  [read more]

Weigh-ins for Black Gloves Promotions’ Saturday’s show A New Year’s Knockout at The Palladium Ballroom in Dallas were held Friday, January 6 at the Hard Rock Cafe. Though more bouts were originally scheduled, no-shows at today’s weigh-in have reduced the number to three. But, with both Hatleys fighting tomorrow night, fans will not be disappointed.

Lester Gonzalez and Charles Hatley.

Tyrone Jackson and Greg Hatley.

Kiun Evans and Noe Bravo.

The main event will feature Charles “The Future” Hatley of Dallas, TX (16-0-1, 12 KO’s) and Lester “El Cubanito” Gonzalez of Havana, Cuba (12-5-3, 6 KO’s). Hatley weighed in at 159, Gonzalez at 162.

Gregg “The Technician” Hatley of Dallas, TX (5-1, 5 KO’s) will take on Tyrone Jackson of Tyler,TX (8-37-3, 5 KO’s). Jackson lost to Gregg’s brother Charles in October of 2011, so it will be interesting to see him take on “The Technician”. Hatley weighed in at 177, Jackson at 173.

Making their pro debuts tomorrow night are Kiun “The Boss” Evans of Little Rock, AK and Noe Bravo of Tyler, TX. Evans is the 2011 Arkansas State Golden Gloves Champion, so this promises to be an interesting debut for both fighters. Evans weighed in at 124, Bravo at 122.

Dallas fighters Larry “Slow Motion” Smith and Jesse “The Dallas Kid” Lara were at today’s weigh in, but unfortunately, their opponents did not show. Regardless, tomorrow night will kick off the New Year with some entertaining fights.

Tickets previously purchased for the December 17, 2011 fight will be honored tomorrow night.

Errol Spence

Roberto Marroquin (l) and Paul Reyes Sr.

Jose Hernandez

Manuel Rojas

Roberto Marroquin for the second time in three years was at the top of the heap when our pound-for -pound votes were tallied. But, this was the year of Errol Spence. Even though he was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the AIBA world championships, these championships are where Spence qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.

We’ve never designated an amateur as “Fighter of the Year” so there was discourse if this was the acceptable thing to do. Still, the manner in which De Soto’s Spence dominated his weight class to punch his ticket for London is an occurrence too good not to recognize. Hopefully, after London, we have this dilemma again.

Another familiar name to our list of bests is Fort Worth native Jose Hernandez. It is implausible that at just 24 years of age, he is even considered to be making a comeback, but that is the case. He is not to blame; unfortunately, previous management lacked the expertise, knowledge, and connections to guide him properly. Maybe now Hernandez can reach his full potential.

A new and exciting addition to the North Texas boxing scene is Dallas’ Manuel Rojas (3-0-0). In his last two fights, he pitched shutouts. Rojas is just 18 and as cliché as it may sound, his ring generalship is impressive. We look forward to what 2012 has in store for young Mr. Rojas.

In previous years, we named Fight & Round of the Year and even toyed with naming a Venue of the Year but with the mega-fight Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hosted at his stadium, it seemed a bit unfair to wade into those waters this year. Though for sheer take your breath away night of boxing, Paulie Ayala Productions’ “Battle of DFW” show April 30th is one we will be talking about for years to come.

Congrats to Messieurs Spence, Marroquin, Rojas, & Hernandez, we lift our glasses to you.

NTB 2011 Fighter of the Year: Errol Spence
NTB 2011 New Comer of the Year: Manuel Rojas
NTB 2011 Comeback Fighter of the Year: Jose Hernandez

NTB 2011 Top Ten Pound for Pound
1. Roberto Marroquin, Super Bantamweight, Dallas (21-1, 14 KO's) - Came out on the wrong end of a split decision loss, but still finished the year 4-1, with 1 KO. Seems to have found a home at WinStar Casino, up I-35 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, where he appears on Fox Sports Southwest regularly. The sky's the limit for this talented boxer / puncher.  [read more]

The WinStar World Casino in Thackerville OK hosted yet another amazing night of boxing on Saturday, December 17, 2011. Of the seven bouts on the card, surprisingly not one ended with a knockout, though a few came close.

Valcarcel (l) Marroquin (r).

Marroquin showing signs of the battle.

Marroquin (l) lands left hook.

The main event of the night had the crowd excited from the minute Roberto Marroquin (21-1, 14 KO’s) made his way into the ring, where he took on Carlos Valcarcel (12-4-4, 5 KO’s) of San Juan P.R. From the first round, Marroquin showed the skill that has earned him his reputation, not to mention his record. He dominated each of the ten rounds with precision, speed, and force, and seemed energized by the screaming fans in the arena. In the earlier rounds, Valcarcel held his own and defended well against Marroquin’s  quick, precise punches, but from round six on, he appeared increasingly tired, understandably so. Marroquin pushed Valcarcel to the ropes in rounds 6 and 7 and pounded him mercilessly. By round ten, Marroquin seemed a little more hesitant, perhaps tired. He intermittently threw punches, many of which were dodged by Valcarcel. But a few bursts of quick punches by Marroquin took Valcarcel back to the ropes and excited the crowd further. The cheering grew enthusiastically louder as it became clear that Marroquin would win, though not with the knockout fans were hoping to see. During the last few seconds, it was hard to hear anything over the chanting fans: “Mar-ro-QUIN! Mar-ro-QUIN!” When the bell rang, he made his way to each corner of the ring, climbed on the ropes, and waved to the still-cheering crowd. Marroquin won by unanimous decision, all three judges scoring 100-90.

Hector Vasquez.

Vasquez (l) Rangel (r).

Rangel (l) Vasquez (r).

The fourth bout was between two Dallas fighters who both have a strong following, Welterweights Hector Vazquez (7-1-0, 2 KO’s) and Julio Cesar Rangel (8-5, 5 KO’s), though the fans seemed to favor Vazquez. As the rounds progressed, the intensity grew, not just between the fighters but in the crowd as well. Vazquez came out strong in round one, aggressively swinging at Rangel, who defended strategically. In round two, both seemed a little hesitant; there were fewer punches overall, though Rangel landed some well-executed blows. Both showed a bit more confidence in round three and seemed increasingly confident until the end, by which time Vazquez had a cut below his right eye and Rangel appeared tired. Vazquez had the crowd going crazy in the last thirty seconds as he punched wildly, attempting to knock Rangel to the mat, but the bell rang before he could do so. Vazquez won by unanimous decision, all three judges scoring 59-55.  [read more]