Martyniouk on Oct. 20 Fight, Training with Virgil Hunter

By Ryan Maquiñana
BoxingScene.com

Lightweight prospect Stan Martyniouk (11-1, 2 KOs) of Antelope, Calif., is preparing for an Oct. 20 main event against Johnny Frazier (2-9-4) at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, Calif., which is located in the Sacramento area.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring,” Martyniouk told BoxingScene.com on Monday afternoon.  “From what I’ve seen, Frazier’s a counter-puncher so I’ve been getting ready for him and his style.”

Holding training camp in Hayward, Calif., with reigning Trainer of the Year Virgil Hunter, Martyniouk has fully recovered from a separated rib cartilage injury that forced him to pull out of a fight with Javier “Pelos” Garcia (8-2-1, 7 KOs), the nephew of celebrated cornerman Robert Garcia.

“The injury was so bad it hurt when I moved from side-to-side, ran, or did anything,” Martyniouk said.  “Now I’m back and I feel good.  I sparred 18 rounds this week, and I’ve been getting sharp.”

Since his charge Andre Ward’s late-round stoppage of Chad Dawson, Hunter has become a hot commodity in the fight game, as Fernando Guerrero, Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo, and Amir Khan have all stated that they would join the Bay Area trainer’s stable.  At first, Martyniouk was concerned that Hunter would be spread too thin, but has since grown accustomed to the new additions.

“Having all these great fighters around and seeing what they’ve done drives me to work even harder,” Martyniouk said.  “I was already getting good work with Karim [Mayfield] and Mike Dallas, and I can’t wait to work with Khan when he gets here.”

The Oct. 20 card will feature exciting cruiserweight brawler Joe Gumina (3-1, 2 KOs) as well as the pro debuts of 2011 Olympic Trials super heavyweight runner-up LaRon Mitchell of San Francisco and local amateur star Mario Ayala, a national quarterfinalist at 123 pounds.  Tickets start at $50 and can be purchased at Showclix.com.

Ryan Maquiñana was the boxing producer for NBCOlympics.com during London 2012 and writes a weekly column for CSNBayArea.com.  He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Ratings Panel for Ring Magazine. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at Norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

VIDEO: Postfight Interviews from Sacramento

By Ryan Maquiñana
CSNBayArea.com

Postfight interviews and some behind-the-scenes action from last Saturday's card at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium with Yoshihiro Kamegai, Jorge Silva, Jorge Linares, Guy Robb, Andy Vences, Jonathan Chicas, Preston Freeman, John Abella, and Hugo Centeno.

FULL RESULTS: Kamegai Draws with Silva, Linares Outpoints Velazquez

By Ryan Maquiñana
BoxingScene.com

LINK: http://www.boxingscene.com/kamegai-linares-provide-thrills-fight-fans-sactown--57922

Sacramento fight fans reacquainted themselves with an old friend as the Memorial Auditorium played host to welterweight sensation Yoshihiro Kamegai’s American television debut, a majority draw with Jorge Silva.

In a compelling brawl, Kamegai (21-0-1, 18 KOs) made good on his reputation as an action fighter, continuously exchanging onslaughts with Silva (18-2-2, 14 KOs), who gave an equally thrilling performance in a very close bout that could have tipped in either direction.

Kermit Bayless and Bruce Rasmussen scored the bout 95-95, while Steve Morrow had it 96-94 for Kamegai.

“The scoring is done by the judges,” Kamegai said.  “To me, I just had to do more to get better scores.  I would like to go back and start from scratch, watch the video, and decide from there [if I want a rematch].”

Silva was more adamant about garnering a return bout.

“I thought I won the fight.  It was well-fought,” Silva said.  “Definitely, I would want a rematch.  Either that or something better.”

In the co-feature, former titleholder Jorge Linares (32-3, 20 KOs) broke a two-bout losing streak with a bruising unanimous decision over faded but rugged veteran Hector Velazquez (52-18-3, 35 KOs) in the second half of a twinbill that was televised by Fox Sports.

In his first fight back with trainer Sendai Tanaka after parting ways with Freddie Roach, Linares captured a classic battle of boxer versus brawler by using his movement and pinpoint punching to outwork his foe over 10 rounds.

Kermit Bayless scored the bout 100-89, Steve Morrow 98-91, and Bruce Rasmussen 97-91 for Linares, who returned to the win column and is looking to fight again in December before pursuing a title fight in 2013.

“I’m really happy and it was a good win for me,” Linares said.  “I was happy to come out with the victory.  Out of a scale from one to 100, I give myself an 80.”

Several local legends were in attendance, including three-time world champion Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, his brother Sal Lopez,  former 140-pound titlist Loreto Garza, and state champion Richard “Mr. KO” Savala, who all fought under the auspices of promoter Don Chargin.  The Hall of Famer held the event in association with Golden Boy, Paco Presents, and Jorge Marron.

Photos and Weights from Sacramento

By Ryan Maquiñana 
BoxingScene.com

LINK: http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-weights-kamegai-silva-linares-velasquez--57864

MAIN EVENT: 

Yoshihiro Kamegai (21-0, 18 KOs) – 147 vs. Jorge Silva (18-2-1, 14 KOs) – 147.6

CO-MAIN:

Jorge Linares (31-3, 20 KOs) – 135.5 vs. Hector Velazquez (52-17-3, 35 KOs) – 134.4

UNDERCARD:

Hugo Centeno (15-0, 8 KOs) - 153 vs. Justin Williams (4-5-2, 2 KOs) – 154.4

Sacramento's Guy Robb (9-1, 4 KOs) – 125.8 vs. Adolfo Landeros (22-27-2, 10 KOs) – 126.4

S.F.'s Jonathan Chicas (7-0, 3 KOs) – 139.5 vs. Ralph Prescott (2-6) – 139

Sacramento's John Abella (2-0, 1 KO) – 123.6 vs. Pablo Cupul (6-8, 4 KOs) – 122.8

San Jose's Andy Vences (debut) – 130.8 vs. Carlos Gonzalez (1-1) - 131

Salinas's Preston Freeman (debut) – 142.5 vs. Jose Mendoza (7-7, 3 KOs) - 143

Chris Pearson (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Frank Gedeon (4-0, 3 KOs) was cancelled when Gedeon did not get medical clearance in time.

Photos: Erik Killin
Fight Date: Oct. 6, 2012

Location: Sacramento, Calif. (Memorial Auditorium)

TV: Fox Sports Net

First Fight: 4 p.m. PT

Promoter: Don Chargin/Paco Presents/Golden Boy/Jorge Marron

Tickets: pacopresentsboxing.com, Sacramento Convention Center Box Office ($35-60; $20 sold out)

Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly boxing column for CSNBayArea.com.  He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Ratings Panel for Ring Magazine. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at Norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

LINK: http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-weights-kamegai-silva-linares-velasquez--57864

VIDEO: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium Memories

By Ryan Maquiñana
CSNBayArea.com

A MUST-SEE video on some of the wackiest moments in Sacramento Memorial Auditorium history before Saturday's card. Stories from Tony Lopez, Richard Savala Jr., and Hall of Fame promoter Don Chargin, who once pulled a GUN on a reluctant heavyweight!

Region 11 Amateurs Head to Ohio for National PAL

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

The 2012 National PAL takes place at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio, from Oct. 6-13.  Last year's contingent from Region 11 took home two medals in the Open division, as SFC Boxing's Raquel Miller (women's middleweight) and Andy Vences of San Jose PAL (men's lightweight) took home the bronze.

This year's group of men's regional stars is headed by 2011 Olympic Trials light flyweight champion Eros Correa, who also fights out of San Jose PAL.  He is joined by lightweight gymmate Rosino Legan, who will compete in the Junior Olympic Division.

The women are led by Casey Morton of San Mateo's B Street Boxing, who has responded to her new 119-pound weight class by winning the National Adidas Tournament in Oxnard earlier this year.

Keep coming back to Norcalboxing.net as we will provide coverage throughout the week.

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, his archive for BoxingScene.com, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.

DOUBLE GIVEAWAY: Nonito Donaire Signed Poster & Ava Knight Signed Photo!

Leading up to Nonito Donaire's title fight against Toshiaki Nishioka on Oct. 13 in Carson, Norcalboxing.net is giving away a fight poster signed by Donaire himself

AND
an 8x10 signed by fellow world champion Ava Knight, who meets Mariana Juarez
in Mexico City on the same night for a championship bout of her own:

HOW TO WIN (TWO EASY STEPS):

1. FOLLOW Ryan Maquiñana on Twitter (@RMaq28).

2. In the comments section below, leave YOUR TWITTER HANDLE/SCREEN NAME and your PREDICTION on who you think will win either Donaire-Nishioka or Knight-Juarez.

*   *   *

Two winners will be selected at RANDOM (scout's honor) on  
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10 at 11:59 p.m. PT  

and contacted via DM on Twitter minutes later.

The first of the two winners to respond via DM with their mailing address will get to choose
which of the two prizes they prefer.  The second winner will receive the other prize.

I want to send the winners their prizes IMMEDIATELY on THURSDAY MORNING (OCT. 11),
so please be ready to supply me with a mailing address ASAP!

To see how our last giveaway went (a press kit signed by Robert Guerrero), CLICK HERE. 

GOOD LUCK!

Arnett Off Sacramento Card, Likely Headed to Puerto Rico

By Ryan Maquiñana
BoxingScene.com

Arnett will no longer appear in Sacramento on Saturday. (Boxrec)

Daquan Arnett is off Saturday's card in Sacramento after his opponent Arturo Rodriguez pulled out due to family reasons.

LINK: http://www.boxingscene.com/arnett-off-sacramento-card-head-puerto-rico--57768

VIDEO: My Appearance with Nonito Donaire & Victor Conte on Chronicle Live

By Ryan Maquiñana
CSNBayArea.com

Unified junior featherweight world champion Nonito Donaire and his nutritionist Victor Conte joined Jim Kozimor and me on CSN Bay Area's Chronicle Live last Thursday to talk about his upcoming Oct. 13 title fight against Toshiaki Nishioka, his year-round random drug testing program, and even his feature role in a new Filipino movie.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Nonito Donaire's Random Drug Test

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

Ever wonder what an athlete does during random drug testing? I joined a VADA agent earlier today as she administered blood and urine tests to the "Filipino Flash" before his upcoming Oct. 13 fight with Toshiaki Nishioka. My exclusive video and article that will outline the whole process will be coming soon. Special thanks to Team Donaire for allowing me this behind-the-scenes access to show the fans.

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, his archive for BoxingScene.com, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the content or material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.

Bout Sheet, Weigh-in, Ticket Info for Oct. 6 Sacramento Card

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

Here's the tentative bout sheet and weigh-in information for the Oct. 6 card at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.  First fight is at 4 p.m.  Fox Sports Net will handle the broadcast.

MAIN EVENT: 

Yoshihiro Kamegai (21-0, 18 KOs) vs. Jorge Silva (18-2-1, 14 KOs), welterweights

CO-MAIN:

Jorge Linares (31-3, 20 KOs) vs. Hector Velazquez (52-17-3, 35 KOs), lightweights

UNDERCARD:

Hugo Centeno (15-0, 8 KOs) vs. Justin Williams (4-5-2, 2 KOs), jr. middleweights

Chris Pearson (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Frank Gedeon (4-0, 3 KOs), jr. middleweights

Sacramento's Guy Robb (9-1, 4 KOs) vs. Adolfo Landeros (22-27-2, 10 KOs), featherweights

S.F.'s Jonathan Chicas (7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Ralph Prescott (2-6), jr. welterweights

Sacramento's John Abella (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Pablo Cupul (6-8, 4 KOs), jr. featherweights

San Jose's Andy Vences (debut) vs. Carlos Gonzalez (1-1), lightweights

Salinas's Preston Freeman (debut) vs. Jose Mendoza (7-7, 3 KOs), welterweights

*   *   *

PUBLIC WORKOUT

The public workout will feature several of the fighters on the card, including Kamegai and Linares.  It will occur on Friday, Oct. 5, at Urijah Faber's Ultimate Fitness on 1705 I St. in downtown Sacramento at 11 a.m.

*   *   *

WEIGH-IN INFORMATION

The weigh-in also takes place on Friday, Oct. 5, at Purgatory Restaurant on 1616 J St. in downtown Sacramento, just one block away from Ultimate Fitness.  The fighters are expected to arrive at 5 p.m.

*   *   *

TICKET INFORMATION

Ticket prices are $20, $35, $45, and $60 for ringside seats.  They can either be purchased at the Sacramento Convention Center Box Office on 1301 L St., at Paco's Restaurant in Woodland by calling (530) 669-7946, or online at Tickets.com (click HERE).

Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, his archive for BoxingScene.com, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.

Arnett, Pearson Ready for Sensational Saturday in Sactown

By Ryan Maquiñana
BoxingScene.com

Daquan Arnett has looked impressive so far as a pro.

A pair of unbeaten prospects with crowd-pleasing styles will find themselves in uncharted territory on Saturday when Daquan Arnett and Chris Pearson travel to Sacramento for the first time to face separate foes.