By Ricardo Ibarra
After having spent the last year and a half impressing Pacific Northwest fight crowds with a string of eye-catching knockouts, undefeated nineteen-year-old Cris Reyes (6-0, 5 KOs) will step into his first main event slot on Saturday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, headlining Brian Halquist Productions’ 121st installment of the long running ‘Battle at the Boat’ series. In only his seventh professional fight, Renton, Washington’s Reyes will step up to take on Phoenix, Arizona’s Jose Marrufo (12-8-2, 1 KO), squaring off with the eight-year pro in a ten round welterweight match-up.
Reyes, who claimed a National PAL title and competed in several other national tournaments in his relatively short amateur career, turned pro in October of 2017, defeating Johnathan Arias by decision in his only pro fight to go the distance. The young fighter has been on a tear since, using an aggressive approach, fast hands, and accurate punching to score a five fight stretch of consecutive knockouts, with all ending within two rounds. In his last fight, he scored a second-round stoppage win over Abdul Kamara this past March, displaying a growing array of skills in the process. Regional observers have been curious to see how the young fighter does when he fights stiffer competition, and this next challenge will be a big leap up in the level of fighters he’s faced so far.
A veteran of twenty-two professional fights, Marrufo has faced some stern opposition over the course of his pro career. The Arizonian fought for the vacant WBC United States (USNBC) welterweight title in 2014, battling to a draw against Josh Torres. More recently, he took on world ranked Maxim “Mad Max” Dadashev in August of 2017, losing by KO in the eighth round. Nine months later he dropped a decision loss to surging Jr. welterweight Ladarius Miller.
He’s currently riding a two-fight win streak and looking to claim another victory over an undefeated fighter. This past March he surprised Northern California’s Willie Shaw, taking a majority decision win over the previously unbeaten fighter.
Reyes and Marrufo will battle over ten rounds in the welterweight division. In addition to the main event, promoter Brian Halquist and matchmaker Andy Nance have lined up a five-fight undercard featuring local fighters.
In what promises to be an action-packed semi-main event, Vancouver, Washington’s Sean Gee (4-10) and Yakima, Washington’s Antonio Neal (4-10, 3 KOs) will battle in a six round rematch. The two met in 2015, with Gee taking a hard-fought four round majority decision win. Both fighters are looking to break lengthy losing streaks, with Gee having lost his last four and Neal coming up short in his last five fights. Interestingly, both lost to rising Northwest prospect Nicholas Jefferson in their most recent fight, with Gee dropping a five round unanimous decision to him in April, and Neal suffering a four round unanimous decision loss to him in February. The bout will be contested in the welterweight division.
In a four round heavyweight bout, Pendleton, Oregon’s Justin Milani (2-5, 1 KO) will square off with Nick Mills, of Renton, Washington. Both fighters come from an MMA background and were actually scheduled to face off in a mixed martial arts contest a few weeks ago, though the fight never materialized. Milani has been inactive in boxing since October of 2017 when he scored a first round TKO over Kevin Roberson, though he’s stayed busy in MMA, competing in multiple matches since then. Mills, who’s had three pro MMA fights, will be making his pro boxing debut.
Hoping to add another win to his current winning run, Kent Washington’s Niko McFarland (4-4-1, 1 KO) will take on undefeated Nick Brindise (2-0), of Chicago, Illinois in a four rounder. McFarland, who began his career going 0-4—albeit against tough competitors like Giovanni Cabrera, whom he lost to twice—has been gaining momentum over the last sixteen months, claiming four consecutive wins. He last fought in March, defeating Manuel Ortega by unanimous decision. Brindise, meanwhile, has been inactive for nearly two years, with his last fight taking place in September of 2017, when he defeated Matt Murphy by unanimous decision. The two will meet in a Jr. welterweight contest.
Northwest female amateur stand-out Brittany Simms will make her anticipated pro debut in a four round Jr. featherweight contest, taking on North Carolina’s Myasia Oglesby (0-1). Simms, though only having a small amount of fights, left a positive impression as an amateur, winning the 2017 National Golden Gloves at 125 lbs., and claiming the 2017 Ringside World Championships title. In addition to boxing, the Salem, Oregon resident also competes in MMA and made a successful pro debut in that sport last May, scoring a first-round win. Ogelsby is winless in her pro boxing career, with her last fight being a second-round loss to Taylor Starling in March.
Lastly, in a Jr. welterweight contest, Anchorage, Alaska’s William Parra-Smith (1-3, 1 KO) will take on pro debuting Jacob Kremer in a four rounder.
Doors to the Emerald Queen Casino I-5 showroom will open at 6 p.m. with the first bout set to kick off the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are available through the EQC box office and all Ticketmaster Outlets. For more information, visit the Battle at the Boat Facebook page and www.halquistproductions.com