Tickets are now on sale  for the event “A Night of Champions.” Tickets will be available online at ANightOfChampions.com and at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Avenue in Las Cruces.

“A Night of Champions” is an event presented by the Las Cruces Police Athletic League (PAL) and the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame scheduled to take place on Friday June 28, 2013 at the Las Cruces Convention Center. For the first time ever, the greatest names in New Mexico boxing history will be under one roof as the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame inducts its five newest members. The new inductees will include former world champions: Bob Foster, Danny Romero, Johnny Tapia, Holly Holm and Austin Trout. Currently, all but Foster have committed to being at the event, with Teresa Tapia representing her late husband, Johnny Tapia.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a VIP pre-party, when attendees will have the opportunity to meet the inductees along with complementary drinks. The NM Hall of Fame ceremony will begin at 7 p.m., with dinner being served to all attendees.

Ticket prices are as follows:

$50 – Ceremony & Dinner
$100 – Ceremony & Dinner plus VIP Pre-Party entrance
$600 – Reserved table for up to 10 people for Hall of Fame event *
$1100 – Reserved table for up to 10 people for Hall of Fame event plus VIP Pre-Party entrance *

*Tables will only be sold online or by contacting Lorenzo Alba at lalbajr@gmail.com

The Austin Trout Youth Boxing Classic, a regional amateur boxing event celebrating boxing in the Southwest, will be held on Saturday June 29, 2013 beginning at 2 p.m.

Admission for the boxing event is as follows (sold at door):

• $10 – Admission
• $15 – Admission w/ access to beer tent
• $1 – 4yrs & younger

Proceeds from both events will go to the Las Cruces PAL Boxing Club, a program that for over 40 years, has taken youth of all ages and backgrounds including “at-risk” youth off the streets and taught them discipline through boxing.

For more information on both events, please visit ANightOfChampions.com or contact Las Cruces PAL Director, Lorenzo Alba, Jr. at lalbajr@gmail.com

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Xtreme Boxing will host “4 Corner Brawl” on Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27, in Gallup, N.M. Boxing clubs from New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona are invited to participate in this USA Boxing-sanctioned event. The card takes place at Miyamura High School, 680 Boardman Dr., in Gallup. The first bell on both nights will ring at at 6 p.m. Weigh-ins are at 8 a.m to 11 a.m. (also the high school), followed by match-ups at 11 to 12. Physicals are at 4 p.m.

For pre-matching and more info, contact Joseph Olivas at 505.409.3916.

TAPIA chronicles the personal and professional life of the boxer, beginning with his poor childhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The film explores the glory of his punishing ring prowess and five world titles in three weight classes, forever mired by personal demons: his mother’s brutal kidnapping and murder when he was 8 years old, and his drug addiction, mental illness and near death experiences. Using first person narration from Tapia himself, archival footage, and personal photos, director Eddie Alcazar paints an intimate picture of the fighter and the man.

 TAPIA follows the champ’s winding road through victories, downfalls and redemption. Director Alcazar spent many hours with Tapia filming the biopic, just weeks before the fighter’s tragic death at age 45. Tapia’s last interviews now serve as the heartbeat of Alcazar’s revealing documentary. In it, the soft-spoken champ opens up about his ‘vida loca’ and the unending pain of his mother’s murder, which led to glory in the ring and struggle throughout his life.

Jackson, who has served as a producer and acted in a number of films including Righteous Kill, Twelve and Things Fall Apart states: “I was drawn to the intensity of this project. His story resonated with me because like Tapia, I too lost my mother to violence and grew up with limited means. It’s a heartfelt story and it was important for me to get involved with bringing this to a broader audience.”

“I’m thrilled to join 50 in acquiring this riveting documentary. This is not a boxing film, but a film about tragedy, triumph, demons and redemption,” said sports promoter and entertainment entrepreneur DiBella, who has produced films such as Viva Baseball!, Love Ranch and was associate producer of The Fighter. “Johnny gives us an honest assessment of his strengths and frailties; he reminds us of the power and resiliency of the human spirit.”

The unique style in which the film was structured and directed distinguishes it from most documentaries. Including the use of landscape cinematography covering the majestic Albuquerque terrain, shots of Tapia’s own son feverishly running across a field at dusk, and dramatic use of light and music during the interviews with Tapia.

“Every day Johnny and I spent together, he was so excited to be telling his story and helping others.” said Alcazar. “Just as quickly as he entered my life, a year later he was gone. He lived his life fast and with a sense of urgency, yet I always had a feeling that he would outlive us all. Filming the last interviews of his life was a special gift and I feel very fortunate to have 50 Cent and Lou DiBella share the same vision in bringing Johnny’s life to the bright screen.”

The film features Tapia in his own words and exclusive interviews with Mike Tyson, trainer Freddie Roach and Tapia’s wife Teresa.

TAPIA is set to world premiere as part of the Documentary Competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 15 at Regal Cinema L.A. LIVE 12. The Festival, presented by the nonprofit arts organization Film Independent, takes place in downtown Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE. The June 15^th screening is already sold-out. A second screening at the Festival will take place Wednesday, June 19 in Regal Cinema L.A. LIVE 14. Tickets are still available for the second screening. For more information visit www.lafilmfest.com and access documentary competition.

TAPIA, presented by G-Unit Film and Television and BK Blu Productions, is a Synthetic Creatures Production directed by Eddie Alcazar. The film is executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Lou DiBella, along with producers Andrea Monier and Eddie Alcazar, in association with Eric Drath’s Live Star Entertainment.

The advancing fighters were: Aaron Perez at 106 lbs, Zachary Jacquez at 114 lbs, Lorenzo Benavidez at heavyweight, Natalie Martinez  at 114 lbs, Brianna Herrera at 125 lbs and Jordanne Garcia at 141 lbs. Congratulations and good luck to the advancing fighters. (Thanks to Coach Steve Garcia for results)

You’re not likely to find a community as stubborn as the town of Atrisco, which hugs Albuquerque’s west side just south of Route 66. Settled by Spaniards in 1598 and fortified by a 1692 land grant that still continues to legally challenge the system, Atrisco is a living, breathing throwback of a town. Within its winding streets, over and around the ditches for which it is known, lives and trains another throwback, with a throwback name.

Technically an Atrisqueño, rather than an Albuquerquean, Fidel Maldonado has, for years, fought under the nom de guerre the “Atrisco Kid.” In New Mexico, there hasn’t been a “Kid” since Danny Romero donned the “Kid Dynamite” moniker early on his career – and that was half a century after New Mexican pugs had ceased to regularly use “Kid.” Once upon a time, there were “Kids” galore – the Insurrecto Kid, the Congo Kid, Kid Payo and Kid Mortio were just a few. Nowadays, there’s just one, though the “Atrisco Kid’s” distinction does not stop there . . . Click here for the full story

• Billing has been switched from “N.M. Stars of Today” to “The Aztec Warriors.”
• Cecilia Renova (1-0) of Albuquerque has been added to the line-up, in a four-rounder, opponent TBA.
• Tickets are $25 to $80 and are available by calling 505.261.1502 or the Reyna de Guerra Gym at 505.238.4455. Cash or credit cards accepted.
• A June 12 press conference is set for the Convention Center at 2 p.m.

In the main event, welterweights clash in a six-rounder: undefeated Cristian Cabral (5-0-1, 3 KOs), of Albuquerque, puts his undefeated record on the line in his toughest bout yet, against experienced Joe Gomez (18-7-1, 8 Kos) of Bloomfield.

In the co-main, Victoria Cisneros (9-14-2, 3 Kos) takes on Nicole Woods (11-12-2, 3 Kos), of Brooklyn. Woods is on a bad streak, having lost five of her last six, with one draw.

In a six-rounder, Arturo Crespin (8-2-1, 3 Kos), who fights this weekend, takes on Jose Garcia (3-5-1, 2 Kos) . . yet again. Crespin has already TKO’d Garcia in his last bout.

In a four-rounder, Robert Chavez (1-0) fights Mike Quezada (0-1).

For pre-matching and more info, contact Joseph Olivas at 505.409.3916.

Weigh-ins will be begin at 7:00AM on Saturday and Sunday at the Quality Inn Central located at 200 W 48th Ave  Denver, CO 80216. The hotel can be reached by calling (303) 296-4000. Bouts on Saturday will begin at 3:00PM and 1:00PM on Sunday.

For further questions call Coach Steve Garcia at (505) 620-2214 or Coach Mario Tapia at (505) 440-3872. Advancing fighters must present birth certificates. Winners will advance to national tournament to take place June 26-29th in Mobile, Alabama. Good luck to all NM amateur boxers participating. Results will be posted as they are received.

Biologist Thomas Huxley once wrote, “Misery is a match that never goes out.”

Huxley was, of course, referring to the sort of match that lights a candle or a powder keg, and definitely not a boxing match, but, lacking any sort of potential pop and with bouts unending, uneventful, last night’s local smoker at Crowne Plaza in Albuquerque just plain bombed.

That’s bombed, as in tanked, and not in any sense of a word related to a display of fireworks . . . Click here for full gallery and report

Topping off an uneventful card before a sparse crowd Friday night on the Johnny Tapia Presents card at the Crowne Plaza, both Josh “Pittbull” Torres (12-2-1, 5 Kos) and Joaquin Zamora (20-4-1, 12 Kos) picked up wins against opponents made to order. In the main event, Torres won a shutout decision over unwilling turtle-shelled Marcus Brashears (9-16-1, 2 Kos), of Amarillo, Texas. Scores were 80-72 x 3. In another less-than-thrilling eight-rounder, Zamora won a dull sparring session victory over Bernardo Guereca (17-18-1, 4 Kos), winning with scores of 79-72 x 3.

The undercard gave the 300 or so fans a bit of action:

In four rounds, Arturo Crespin (9-2-1, 4 Kos)  went to war against overmatched Charles Alderete (1-3) at middleweight, overwhelming him through much of the five-plus rounds before Alderete’s corner threw in a multitude of white towels at 1:19 of the sixth. In a light-heavyweight four-rounder, Adrian Lopez (5-1-1, 1 KO) outboxed Ricky Villafuerte (0-2) for the second straight time, winning with scores of 40-36 x 3. In the only really competitive fight on the card, between debuting bantamweights, Brandon Munoz (0-0-1) and Julio Gomez (0-0-1) fought to a majority decision. Look for a full report and photos tomorrow.

Joe Olivas has a USA Boxing amateur card in the works – “Four Corners Brawl” – July 26 and 27 in Gallup, N.M., pitting amateur teams from New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Stay tuned.

The Rocks Boxing Club in Ruidoso has a card slated for June 15. “Rumble For Bears” will take place at the Ruidoso Downs in Ruidoso, 361 East Hwy 70. Weigh-ins are from 8 to 10 a.m. Bouts begin at 6. For more info contact David Ordorica at 575.937.2441 or Andy Gonzales at 575.808.9081.

From today’s weigh-in for Johnny Tapia Presents’ “Next Chapter, Part Four” at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albuquerque tomorrow night:

Josh Torres 146.8 vs. Marcus Brashears 144.4
Joaquin Zamora 158.2 vs. Bernardo Guereca 158
Charles Alderete 157.4 vs. Arturo Crespin 158
Adrian Lopez 174.6 vs. Ricky Villafuerte 177.2
Brandon Munoz 113.4 vs. Julio Gomez 115.2

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