By David Finger
It’s been a long time coming, but the Sweet Science is about to make it’s comeback in the Duke City this Saturday (October 16th). The sport had, like pretty much everything else on the planet, suffered mightily thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. But if there is one thing that boxing in New Mexico has shown us over the years, it’s that our fighters always fire back when their back is against the ropes.
And for Legacy Boxing promoter Aaron Perez, he has put together a tremendous card that should whet the appetite of every fight fan from the Land of Enchantment. In the main event undefeated Aaron “Angel Baby” Perez (10-0-1, 6 KOs) looks to shine as he takes on the dangerous Diego Elizondo (3-2-3, 0 KOs) of Carson City, Nevada in a ten round lightweight fight. Despite the less than stellar record of Elizando, few boxing insiders see this fight as a mismatch as Elizando has established himself as a rugged and dangerous southpaw. Elizando’s two losses were by decision to undefeated fighters, and both were decided by a single point on the judges’ scorecards. For Perez, a knockout would clearly be something that could separate him from the rest of the pack, but he can ill-afford to underestimate his foe.
In the co-main event Aaron’s brother Abraham “Hammer” Perez makes his professional debut against fellow debutant Matthew Melton of Forrest, Michigan in a four round flyweight fight. “Hammer” is one of the most decorated amateur boxers to come out of New Mexico in years, and is looking to make a statement as he kicks off his professional career in front of his hometown fans.
Rounding off the card Albuquerque’s Leonid Grachev (2-0, 2 KOs) takes on debuting Brandon Heredia in a four round heavyweight fight. Undefeated Xavier Madrid clashes with fellow undefeated prospect Cristian “El Castigo” Castillo in a welterweight fight that promises to be a barnburner. Light flyweight Santiago Giron (1-1, 1 KO) of Albuquerque takes on debuting Anthony Bustillos, also hailing from Albuquerque. And kicking off the card Jordan Gregory, who may be the best 0-3-2 fighter in the country, looks for his first win as he takes on the durable journeyman Anthony Hill(1-28, 0 KOs) in a four round junior featherweight fight.
The Legacy Boxing show is set to kick off at the Kiva Auditorium at 6:30 PM. Some tickets are still available with general admission starting at $45. Tickets can be obtained by calling 1-505-382-5126.