The Coachella Valley will see fireworks on February 5, with a card at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. In the main event of the evening, hometown hero Randy “El Matador” Caballero (22-0, 13 KOs) will make his grand return to the ring in a 10-round super bantamweight bout against Ruben Garcia (15-1-1, 6 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico, televised live on Estrella TV.
In the co-main event on the night and part of the Estrella TV broadcast, East Los Angeles’ undefeated welterweight Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (19-0, 13 KOs), will face off against former IBA Super Lightweight Champion Silverio “Chamaco III” Ortiz (29-16, 15 KOs) of Chicxulub, Yucatan, Mexico in a 10-round welterweight fight. Hoping to make airtime on the televised broadcast but featured as part of the Ring TV livestream, San Antonio’s rising super featherweight Hector “El Finito” Tanajara Jr. (4-0, 3 KOs) will fight in his first six-rounder against the undefeated Clay Burns (3-0-1, 3 KOs) of Alexandria, La.
Part of the non-televised undercard and streaming live in Ring TV, Las Vegas’ Rocco Santomuro (12-0, 1 KO) will fight in a six-round bantamweight bout against Jose “Hollywood” Estrella (14-9-1, 10 Kos) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Top undefeated prospects from the Coachella Valley, Neeco “Rooster” Macias (10-0, 5), and Alberto Fundora (6-0, 2 KOs) will be looking to make their hometowns proud as they put their records on the line in respective bouts for the first time in 2016. Macias,from Palm Desert, Calif. will fight in a six-round super welterweight bout against Paul Mpendo (8-13-4, 4 KOs) of Kampala, Uganda while Fundora will face Cesar Ruiz (2-2, 1 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico in a four-round super middleweight bout. Making his professional debut and opening up the night, Jesus Sanchez of Indio, Calif. will take on newcomer Gibran Gutierrez (0-1) of Santa Ana, Calif. in a four-round welterweight fight. Also part of the non-televised portion of the night, but fighting after the main event, Shane Mosley Jr. (4-1, 4 KOs) of Pomona, Calif., will have his father and former world champion Sugar Shane Mosley in his corner when he takes on Daniel Henry (3-4-3) of Lewiston, Maine in a four-round middleweight fight sure to close out the night with a bang.
In addition, former eight-time world champion in three weight divisions Sugar Shane Mosley will be in attendance to host a meet and greet with fans at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino Special Events Center from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Fans with tickets to the fight will have an opportunity meet and interact with the living legend before the Estrella TV live broadcast begins.
Tickets for the event are on sale now and are priced at $75, $65, $45 and can be purchased at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Hailing from San Antonio, Hector “El Finito” Tanajara Jr. has been fighting since 2007 and during that time has won eight national championships. In 2012, he qualified to attend the Veles Cup in Kurgan, Russia and took the gold medal in his weight class and was selected as one of seven to go to the 2016 Olympic trials. Instead to become a professional boxer and sign with Golden Boy Promotions in 2014, Tanajar Jr. is now the owner of an undefeated record of 4-0 with three knockouts. Tanajara will look to continue his winning streak in 2015 when he fights on Feb.5.
Alexandria, Louisiana’s Clay “Third Degree” Burns clearly has fighting in his blood, as he has not only compiled an unbeaten boxing record, but has done the same thing in mixed martial arts as well. Yet while the 28-year-old has had success in two combat sports disciplines, he put his time and effort into boxing exclusively in 2015, with three knockout wins being the result as he prepares for his bout against Hector Tanajara Jr.
Featherweight prospect, Rocco Santomuro of Las Vegas is looking to kick off 2016 with a victory in his first fight of the year on Feb. 5. Undefeated since his professional debut in 2009, the 29-year-old, was last seen in the ring against Daniel Quevedo in May of 2014 winning the bout via unanimous decision. Now, the fighter is ready to take his career to the next level when he faces Jose Estrella on Feb. 5.
Tijuana’s Jose Estrella may be nicknamed “Hollywood,” but his fighting style is all business, leading him to 10 knockouts among his 14 professional victories. Looking to get back in the win column when he squares off with unbeaten Rocco Santomuro, the 26-year-old seasoned fighter, whose last four opponents have held a combined 51-1 record is looking forward to kicking off his 2016 campaign in impressive style.
Coachella Valley favorite, Neeco “Rooster” Macias from Palm Desert, Calif. is a familiar face to fans in Indio, having fought at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino for most of his professional career. The popular southpaw, knows how to attract a crowd and will look to add to his win total and fan base when he fights on Feb. 5. A professional since 2013, 24-year-old Macias, is coached by his father Al and this family affair has resulted in 10 consecutive victories without a loss.
Paul Mpendo of Kampala, Uganda has had a long career in and out of the ring since his professional debut in 1997. Now fighting out of Portland, Orgenon the 44-year-old is looking to start fresh in 2016 and enhance his record with a victory. Mpendo, was last seen in the ring in March of 2015 taking on Marcelino Pineda and December of 2014 facing Joshua Conley.
20-year-old Alberto Fundora of Coachella, Calif. is quickly making a name for himself in the super middleweight division. Undefeated since his professional debut in 2014, the newcomer has stayed busy fighting frequently in front of his hometown at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Fundora was last seen in the ring taking on Philip Lars, defeating the fighter via first-round technical knockout and defeating Ricardo Romero via unanimous decision.
Fighting out of Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico, 24-year-old Cesar Ruiz is a determined competitor who comes to fight every time out, leaving the fans cheering regardless of the end result. A professional since 2015, Ruiz stayed busy in his debut year with four fights and he hopes that his Feb. 5 battle with Alberto Fundora will be the start of a busy 2016.
In the four-round welterweight opener, Indio’s Jesus “Baby Face” Sanchez will make his pro debut against Santa Ana’s Gibran Gutierrez. A respected amateur, Sanchez is expected to thrill his local fans as he begins his journey to the top of the 147-pound weight class.
Hailing from Pomona, Calif. Shane Mosley Jr. is a relative newcomer with great punching power. The 25-year-old broke into the professional boxing scene in 2014 with a first-round knockout victory over Mark Cordova. Since then the fighter stayed active in 2014 and 2015 adding three more victories to his career and a lone loss with four-knockouts. Mosley Jr., will be looking to impress Southern California fans in his 2016 debut.
A professional since 2012, Daniel Henry of Lewiston, Maine, who is now fighting out of Austin, Texas will be looking to secure a victory when he faces Shane Mosley Jr. on Feb. 5. An active fighter since his debut, Henry has had a career full of ups and downs, with a majority decision victory in December 2015 against Andrew Sosa.
