Zachary Ochoa and Ronny Rios Win Big at The Belasco

By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña (At ringside)
Photos by Cynthia “Cindy Lou” Saldaña (At ringside)

Friday night inside the Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles, Golden Boy Promotions brought fight fans a night of action as two Southern California fan favorites, Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada and Santa Ana’s Ronny Rios took to the ring for their LA Fight Club debut.

In the main event Ronny Rios, 25-1, 10 KO’s took on another Southern California local Efrain Esquivias, 17-4-1, 10 KO’s in an action packed 10 round Featherweight showdown. Rios came in the ring with a vengeance, knocking Esquivias down in the first round with his powerful punches. The Belasco was a full house tonight chanting “Ronny” throughout his entire bout as they watched Rios take down Esquivias in the second round by technical knockout.

After the fight Rios proudly displayed his WBC Silver Featherweight title. “I knew Esquivias from my amateur days, and I remember him being a tough fighter,” said Rios after the bout. “I know that I trained harder, and prepared for this fight as if I would have prepared for a championship fight. This is just another step in the ladder to get my shot at a world title.”

In the co-main event Brooklyn, New York native Zachary Ochoa, 14-0, 6 KO’s battled fellow Puerto Rican Luis Joel Gonzalez, 11-3-1, 6 KO’s from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. For both fighters much of the fight was very technical. Then in the 3rd Ochoa seemed to lose his balance going down for a brief second. Ochoa regained his foot work and continued pressure on his opponent throughout the fight. Then in the 8th Ochoa caught Gonzalez with a devastating overhand right knocking Gonzalez completely out, the KO by Ochoa was one of the most brutal knockouts I have ever seen. “In this fight, I proved that I could make it all eight rounds, while maintaining all my power,” said Ochoa. “The endurance in my legs kept me steady throughout the fight. I saw the opportunity, and in the moment that I threw my right overhand punch, I knew he wasn’t going to get back up. This victory is just another win to get me closer to my dreams.”

To kick off the T.V. Opener East Los Angeles’ very own Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada, 6-0, 1 KO made her Fight Club debut against Christina Fuentes, 4-7-5 from Laredo, Texas in a 6 round Super Flyweight bout. As Seniesa made the ring walk the crowd inside the Belasco went wild as “Super Bad” entered the ring with a cape made of bot the flags of the United States and Mexico. From the opening bell Estrada took complete control of the fight landing powerful combinations and heavy shots to the head of the outclassed Fuentes. Christina eventually made it out of the 1st round dazed by the onslaught of punches Seniesa had landed. Round 2 brought much of the same as the barrage of punishment continued to land on the face and body of Fuentes.

Round 3 brought a shocking turn of events as Seniesa was caught with a huge overhand right flooring her, and as Seniesa hit the canvas Fuentes continued to strike Estrada while she was down. Referee Raul Caiz, JR. stepped in and deducted a point from Fuentes for an illegal strike to a downed opponent. The rest of the fight brought toe to toe action as both ladies showed all heart. At the end of the contest the three judges had it 59-54 (twice) and 58-54 all for the winner and still undefeated Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada. After the fight Estrada stated “I came determined to win. Being in the sport since I was eight, I have the boxing skills to take on anyone. I wasn’t hurt at all in the fight, not even when I tripped up, and like the true fighter I am–I got back up. We both put in the work to be able to get on live television, and as female boxers, that’s no small feat. I am so thankful to Golden Boy for recognizing the value in us female fighters, and look forward to more fights like these.”

In other action:

Tenochtitlan “T-Dog” Nava, 1-0 vs. David Montes, 0-2, 4 rounds Super Featherweight
Result: Nava by unanimous decision improving to 2-0.
Pablo “The Shark” Rubio, 5-0, 3 KO’s vs. Jorge Perez, 2-2, 1 KO, 6 Rounds Super Bantamweight Results: Pablo Rubio unanimous decision, Rubio moves to 6-0, 3KO’s.
Rafael Gramajo, 7-1-1, 2 KO’s vs. Harold Reyes, 2-5-1, 6 rounds Featherweights Results: Gramajo Unanimous decision, Gramajo moves to 8-1-1, 2 KO’s.

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