(OCT 30) On Thursday night at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, in Highland, California, the casino presented "Live Championship Boxing". The card was promoted by Patrick Ortiz. Ortiz commented to me that he tries very hard to make good, and even matches---and with this card he succeeded without a doubt.

Sean Soliman vs. Floyd Smith

In the first bout of the evening, super bantamweight Sean Soliman, now 1-1-1, of Riverside, California, won a split decision over Floyd Smith, 0-2, of Apple Valley, CA. Smith was knocked down in the first round. Final judges scores were 39-36 (Soliman) , 38-37 (Smith), and 40-35 (Soliman).

Sindy Amador vs. Blanca Raymundo

In the second bout of the evening, Sindy Amador, 109, Riverside, CA,  (She spells her name Sindy - not Cindy), made her pro debut. They call Amador the "Scorpion" in Spanish [alacrana] as her ring name, but she fought more like a Tazmanian Devil!

In the first round, her opponent, Blanca Raymundo, 107.5, of Highland, CA., a taller fighter than Amador didn't know what she was in for. From the beginning of the bell in the first round, Amador threw countless combinations, going after Raymundo, who was more in "defensive mode" than offensive. Amador appeared to be extremely hungry for a first round KO.

In rounds 2, 3, and 4, Raymundo raised the heat, and both of them went toe-to-toe for the remainder of the fight. Amador won the bout by a unanimous decision with all three judges scores of 40-36.

Dario Castillo vs. Martin Armenta

In bout 3, in a men's bout, junior welterweight Dario Castillo, 140.5, now 6-10-1, of Pittsburg, CA., won a four-round unanimous decision over Martin Armenta, 14-26-3 (10KO), of Los Mochis, Mexico. It was a solid four-rounder on the card.

Aris Ambriz vs. Hector Alatorre

In bout 4, junior welterweight Aris Ambriz, now 13-1-1 (8KO), of Duarte, CA., won by a six-round unanimous decision over Hector Alatorre, 16-12-0, (5KO), from Tulare, CA. The final judges scores were 60-54. Just one minute or so left of the sixth round, Ambriz, unfortunately received a substantial cut on his cheek bone, and requiring stitches after the match. As the decision had been called out as a  unanimous decision for Ambriz, Alatorre kept repeating in the ring to anyone who would listen, "It should have been a draw, It should have been a draw....."

Artemio Reyes vs. Martin Vierra

In bout 5, Artemio Reyes, now 7-1-0 (6KO), of Riverside, CA., KO'd his opponent Martin Vierra, 5-4-1 (2KO), of Phoenix, Arizona. Reyes proved again to be a powerful, quick, and heavy puncher when the fight was stopped in the fourth round. In that last round, Reyes threw a devastating body blow, that sent Vierra to the floor. It was a great and even matchup up to that point. The fight was stopped at 2:08 of the fourth round. The doctor came into the ring and examined Vierra, who appeared to recover from the blow after the fight.

MAIN EVENT Rhonda Luna vs. Ela Nunez

	Photos by Sue TL Fox Ringside

In the main event, Rhonda Luna, 129, took on the tough New Yorker Ela "Bam Bam" Nunez, 129, in a 10 rounder to fight for the GBU super featherweight title. The bout was nothing short of a barnburner in the first degree! 

This fight was changed to a title bout about one week prior due to a men's bout that had fallen off the card.

It was obvious from the beginning that Luna has a huge fan base in this area. From the very beginning of the first round, and throughout the bout, her fans chanted many times.... "Luna, Luna, Luna".

Did those chants distract her out-of-town opponent?  Well, I can tell you firsthand that it did not.  Nunez remained very focused throughout this bout---regardless of what was chanted from the audience.

In the first round---it appeared to me that Nunez was a tad bit hungry for that GBU belt----and she came out quite strong in the earlier rounds.  But tides began to turn as the fight progressed and Luna got her own artillery warmed up  and the battle was on. 

The 10-round fight was an absolute action-packed bout from start to finish with the eighth round being the biggest war for the both of them.  At times----boxing fans were off their seats at the end of each round, and were in a frenzy as the two exchanged powerful and exciting combinations.

I personally did not know how the final tally of the judges scorecards would come out and if Luna or Nunez would be announced the winner.  But in the end, Luna won out as the referee read out, "98-92, 96-94, and 97-93"---all for Luna.

The two women's bouts that were on this card did women's boxing "proud" as we say in the USA.  These four women boxers who were featured on this card are tremendously skilled boxers. 

Many boxing fans, including my own thoughts were that the Luna vs. Nunez fight WAS the fight of the night.  But with that said, the second best fight on the card was none other than the female bout of Amador vs. Raymundo.

Another nice side note to covering this fight ringside in Highland, was the fact that I got to be ringside with world champion Kaliesha "Wild Wild" West who was also a photographer this night. Boxing fans will definitely be seeing a lot of West.  I look forward to seeing what she does in the sport throughout her boxing career.

Another highlight of my visit in Highland, was to meet up with Jolene Blackshear. She is a veteran boxer and world champion, who has come back into the sport fighting as a junior flyweight. I hope to see her in more fights, and being able to be active in the sport.

Lastly, I would like to thank Lori Steinhorst of "Bad Girls Boxing" who picked me up from the airport and hauled me around town!  Steinhorst has been covering boxing events for WBAN for a long time, and I am very appreciative how she has been sending in fight reports and photos from the action at many of these events. Also, I would like to thank her for making the WBAN attire that I see boxers wear, and the attire she has made for me---they are great additions to WBAN!

I am planning to be ringside at more of the boxing events in the future. Going recently to New Mexico for the "All Women's Boxing Card", and this card in Highland, California, has been a great experience and I will try to be on hand in the future to meet more of you in person.

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