Southern California Update: L.A. Fight Card, “Chingonskyy” and More

Downtown Los Angeles will be the location for the final All Star Boxing show of this year that features a sparkling array of Southern California prospects on Saturday.

You never know which star will emerge from an All Star Boxing show.

A number of current boxing stars made their pro debuts on promoter Ed Holmes boxing cards in Southern California including Mikey Garcia.

On Saturday Nov. 25, All Star Boxing will stage another at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in L.A.

Throughout the past 30 years world champions like Sergio Mora, Nonito Donaire, and Mariana “Barby” Juarez have battled on All Star Boxing fight cards in the Los Angeles area. Recently, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and James “Lights Out” Toney mingled with the crowds.

It’s always been a haven for fans looking to do something bouncy castle water slide different other than watch a movie and dine at a fancy eatery.

The Westin Bonaventure with its rotating bar called the Bonavista Lounge makes almost a 360 degree turn 30 stories above the ground.

For the past several years All Star Boxing has staged fight cards at the downtown hotel with great success. That’s no accident. With its first class bars, restaurants and various retail stores it’s a virtual enclosed mini-city.

Boxing Card

 The number of successful prizefighters that appear on All Star cards is impressive. On Saturday a female super bantamweight fight pits two women who had sterling amateur careers but were forced to put boxing aside for almost a decade before finding the lure of combat too enticing. Ironically, both re-entered boxing in the professional level and here they are ready to clash.

Dalia “La Pantera” Gomez (1-1) and Adelaida “La Cobra” Ruiz (2-0) meet in a four round super bantamweight contest.

Ruiz, 29, lives in Los Angeles and has three children. She has fought twice on All Star Boxing cards and has dropped down in weight with each fight. Ruiz fought her pro debut at 135 but this fight is scheduled to be below 120 pounds. A video clip of her belting females one after another on the Jerry Springer Show has been circulating on social media sites.

Gomez, 35, lives in Oakland and does not have any of her own children, but as a physical education teacher works with more than 300 students. This is her first pro fight in Southern California but she was raised in nearby Oxnard which she calls “BOXnard.” She also teaches boxing at a gym in Northern California and is nervous because mom is going to be in attendance.

It could easily be the fight of the night.

Aside from the female clash there are seven other bouts planned for the fight card and feature some solid prospects.

The boxing card is held in the California room at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel with the doors opening at 6 p.m. and the first bout scheduled for 7 p.m.  For more information call (323) 816-6200.

Chingonskyy

Very few prizefighters have a nickname that can incite cheers and yells like Vyacheslav “Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy of the Ukraine.

Whenever an announcer talks into the microphone and says “Chingonskyy” the fans in whatever arena cheer loudly and applause.

But now the Ukrainian light heavyweight is venturing into the East Coast.

Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) challenges Russia’s Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) for the vacant WBO light heavyweight world title on Saturday Nov. 25, at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. HBO will televise.

Kovalev, 34, is the big favorite and though he lost to Andre Ward by stoppage due to body shots, it’s not the primary target for Shabranskyy.

“Nobody likes it to the body,” explained Shabranskyy, 30, to another reporter when asked if that would be his focus. “If I hit you to the body you are not going to like it.”

When Shabrasnkyy was first seen by trainer Manny Robles it was his aggressive style and toughness that impressed. It was also what sparked the trainer to add the moniker “Chingonskyy,” a play on words on Shabranskyy’s last name which in Mexican slang in Spanish loosely translated means “Bad M.F.”

It’s a reason fans in the West Coast cheer and follow Shabranskyy. But will the nickname carry weight in the East Coast? And can he compete with the ex-world champion?

“All I can do is work hard,” said Shabranskyy.

That would be chingon.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland

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