Boxing Returns to the Westgate in Las Vegas on Saturday

Boxing returns to Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 3, with a show at the Westgate, the home to many storied fights when the property was known as the Las Vegas Hilton. It’s a welcome development for the city’s true boxing fans as the club scene has been dormant in Sin City since the start of the pandemic.

The curtain came down on boxing at Sam Town’s with a “ShoBox” card on Feb. 28, 2020. The bi-monthly events, promoted by Floyd Mayweather Jr’s “Money Team,” never resumed.

Earlier that same month, Stephen Reid, a local attorney, promoted a show at the Westgate with the promise of more to come. But Reid, who lost a considerable amount of money on his maiden voyage, never got the chance to recoup his investment. By the end of the third week of March, 2020, every casino-resort in the state had shut down, the stragglers by edict of the Governor.

The intrepid attorney proved to be a man of his word. Reid is the promoter of record for Saturday’s show at the Westgate. Former world title-holder Clarence “Bones” Adams and Robert Gonzalez are his chief lieutenants. A portion of the proceeds will go to a charity assisting Ukrainian refugees.

The 10-round main event is a super middleweight affair between Kevin Newman II (13-3-1, 8 KOs) and Mexico’s Hector Zepeda (21-4, 7 KOs). Born in LA, Newman resides in Las Vegas but has been training at Roy Jones Jr’s compound in Pensacola, Florida.

Granted, that isn’t a match-up likely to get the juices flowing, but the undercard is studded with some very intriguing prospects including 17-year-old featherweight phenom Robert Meriwether and heavyweights Antonio Zepeda and Skylar Lacy, both former college football standouts.

Zepeda earned all-state honors in high school as an all-purpose player in Arizona before lettering four years as a defensive end at UNLV. He turned to boxing after his football career was cut short by injuries.

The six-foot-six Zepeda, who spent his formative years in group homes – he never knew his father who died in prison where he was serving a life sentence for murder – may have found his calling in the sweet science. He’s 5-0 as a pro with all five wins by knockout. In Las Vegas, he has a built-in fan base.

Skylar Lacy was an all-state football player in Indiana and a starting offensive guard at the University of Louisville where he blocked for future Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. As an amateur, he advanced as high as #3 in the rankings of USA Boxing but, at age 27, figured it was better to turn pro than to remain an amateur and compete for a slot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

The Indianapolis native is 2-0 as a pro with both wins coming by knockout in the very first round. Akin to Antonio Zepeda, Lacy will be making his Las Vegas debut.

A scheduled six-rounder between undefeated featherweights Robin Ellis and Sean Brewer may steal the show.

A New Yorker of Jamaican descent, Ellis is trained by Jeff Mayweather. He brings a 6-0 (5 KOs) record with all of his bouts taking place in Mexico and Colombia.

Sean Brewer is 3-0 (2 KOs) in his young career. A native of Milwaukee who took up boxing after moving to Austin, Texas, Brewer (that’s him in the photo) moved to Las Vegas with his significant other in 2019 and has been a fixture at Bones Adams’ gym where regular visitors have marveled at the steady gains he has made in his skillset as his body has matured.

There is a web site out there that accords Robin Ellis a 72 percent chance of winning. Perhaps they know something we don’t.

The weigh-in, which starts at noon on Friday in the convention area of the hotel, is open to the public. Roy Jones Jr, Nico Ali Walsh, and Shane Mosely Jr will be in attendance signing autographs and boxing memorabilia will be up for auction with all of the proceeds, as well as 50 percent of pay-per-view sales, benefiting Ukrainian relief.

Tickets for Saturday’s show start at $30. Doors open at 6 pm. The fights will be live-streamed at https://dftsportswest.com/september-3-2022-las-vegas-nv/

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