The first LA Fight Club of 2016 will feature a stacked card with stellar talent across a variety of weight divisions. Headlined by East LA’s undefeated top prospect Julian “El Camarón” Ramirez (15-0, 8 KOs) taking on Christopher “S.D. Kid” Martin (28-6-3, 9 KOs) of Chula Vista, Calif. in a 10-round fight for the vacant WBC Silver Youth Featherweight Title live on Estrella TV on Jan. 29. In the co-feature of the night, undefeated featherweight Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez (19-0-1, 14 KOs) of La Puente, Calif. in a10-round event against San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Valcarcel (14-6-4, 5 KOs), live from at The Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Fighting to make air time on the Estrella TV broadcast and also featured as part of the Ring TV live stream, Jonathan Navarro (3-0, 2 KOs) of East Los Angeles, will fight in a six-round super lightweight bout against Carlos “Coreano” Rodriguez (9-2, 4 KOs) of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. Also featured as part of the Ring TV live stream, Edgar Valerio (4-0, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles will fight in a six-round featherweight bout against Justin Lopez (5-4, 5 KOs) of Grandville, Mich. and Joshua Franco (3-0, 2 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas will face off against Juan Benavides (5-6-1, 2 KOs) of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico in a six-round super flyweight bout. Also, fan favorite Pablo “The Shark” Rubio, Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) of Whittier, Calif. will opening up the night and the Ring TV live stream in a four-round super bantamweight bout against Bryan Perez (2-2-1, 1 KO) of Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Hailing from East Los Angeles, Jonathan Navarro made a strong impression with his professional debut on the Aug. 6, 2015 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB where he defeated Andrew Lee Gomez via knockout in the first round. He quickly followed that impressive performance up one month later by defeating Gibran Gutierrez via unanimous decision at LA FIGHT CLUB on Sept. 4, 2015. A gifted boxer who began his boxing career at seven-years-old, Navarro won his first Golden Gloves at age nine and had a decorated amateur career winning gold in 15 tournaments, four of which were international while representing the U.S. on the national team. Navarro is a legacy fighter; his uncle Jose “El Angelino” Navarro was a 2000 U.S. Olympian and a flyweight title challenger in his professional career.
Carlos Rodriguez made his professional debut nearly four years ago in spectacular fashion with a technical knockout victory in the third of four rounds. Rodriguez steadily rose through the ranks the next year and a half by adding seven hard-fought victories to his record. In February 2014, Rodriguez fought against Robert “Tito” Manzanarez for the WBC Youth Intercontinental lightweight title in Puerto Vallarta but suffered a blow with a knockout loss in just the second round. He rebounded in December 2014 with a stunning technical knockout victory in the first of six rounds over Walberto “Fuerte” Gaxiola. Rodriguez fought only once in 2015, with a loss to Saul Rodriguez by knockout in the second round. On Jan. 29, Rodriguez will make his U.S. debut and look to avenge his last loss with a victory to kick off the New Year.
Edgar Valerio is determined to become a force in boxing since making his professional debut in September 2012. Valerio is part of the rising local talent from Los Angeles, and has fought all of his professional fights in the region before a hometown crowd. Valerio, was last seen in August 2014 securing a unanimous decision victory over Adrian Rodriguez. Eager to make his return to the ring Jan. 29, Valerio is ready to prove he has what it takes for championship glory.
30-year old Justin Lopez made his professional debut in December 2006 with a victory over John Mumford in Lansing, Michigan. Since then, Lopez has added an even mix of victories and losses to his record including a fight for the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) All America featherweight title in November 2014 against Ricky Lopez. Most recently, Lopez fought Joshua Davis in Maryland in November 2015 in a hard-fought four-round bout. Lopez will work furiously in the ring on Jan. 29 to get his first victory of 2016 with a win over Edgar Valerio.
Fighting at LA FIGHT CLUB feels like home for San Antonio’s Joshua Franco, having fought there for the three professional fights of his career thus far. Franco will fight his fourth time at LA FIGHT CLUB on Jan. 29 and look to maintain his perfect record with yet another victory. Franco made his professional debut as a new Golden Boy fighter on the August 6 edition of the hit monthly series, defeating Temoatzin Landeros via split decision, and quickly followed up with a victory over Saul “Bebe” Hernandez at the October installment. He ended 2015 on a high note, with a first round knockout victory over Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico’s Leonard Reyes in December.
Juan Benavides, of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico will return for his second fight on U.S. soil this Friday when he faces Joshua Franco at LA FIGHT CLUB. Having taken nearly a year off since his last fight, Benavides was last in the ring in March 2015 with a technical knockout win in the third of four rounds over Christian “Nino Raudry” Bartolini. On January 29, Benavides will look to secure a TKO once again as he continues to work to establish himself as a formidable opponent in the sport.
Hailing fromWhittier, Calif., Pablo “The Shark” Rubio Jr. had a successful 2015 with three victories under his belt since making his professional debut at the June 4 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB with a knockout victory over Julio Rodriguez. Previously, Rubio fought in the 2014 USA Boxing Junior and Youth Open in the youth lightweight class at 123 lbs., and has sparred with the likes of undefeated World Champion Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz. Rubio is determined to make a strong start for his second year as a professional fighter with a win on Jan. 29.
Puerto Rico native Bryan Perez will look to make a splash on the Los Angeles boxing scene with his first appearance at LA FIGHT CLUB on Jan. 29. The 21 year-old fighter made his professional debut in November 2013 against Hector Fernandez on hometown turf in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Since then, Perez has fought two more of his five professional fights, both victories over Ellito Reyes and Kevin Vazquez, in his native Puerto Rico. In March 2015, Perez ventured to the mainland to make his U.S. debut at the Sphinx Club in Washington, D.C. but suffered a rough knockout loss in the third round to opponent Marquel “Monster” Johns. Perez fought back in his next fight against Ricardo “Richy”Rodriguez, resulting in a draw after six rounds. Perez is eager to add another victory to his resume and will look to be victorious against Pablo Rubio on Friday.
