In a brawl that only LA Fight Club could bring its devoted and knowledgeable boxing fans, Manuel “Tino” Avila (19-0, 8 KOs) is ready for a showdown as he moves up to featherweight to face off against Nicaraguan warrior Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (23-6, 16 KOs) in a 10-round main event on April 1 at The Belasco Theater and live on Boxeo Estelar on Estrella TV.
In the televised co-main event, Mexican warrior Gilberto “El Flaco” Gonzalez (25-3, 21 KOs) of Mexico City will return to make his second showing at LA Fight Club to compete in an eight-round super lightweight bout against an opponent to be named soon.
“Manuel Avila is one of Golden Boy’s top fighters and rising stars to watch so his move up to featherweight on April 1will be an exciting event to see,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
On the non-televised undercard and streaming live on Ring TV, Columbian transplant Oscar Torres (8-0, 4 KOs), who is now fighting out of Los Angeles, and former martial arts WLF Champion Melsik Baghdasaryan (3-0, 1 KO) of Glendale, Calif. will put their undefeated records on the line in an exciting six-round welterweight bout. Opening up the night and Ring Tv live stream, Tenochtitlan “T-Dog” Nava, of Los Angeles, the latest prospect to emerge from the venerable Westside Boxing team, will make his professional debut in a four-round super featherweight event. Opponents will be announced shortly.
Once ranked among the top three amateurs boxers in the world, Manuel “Tino” Avila is looking to solidify his professional boxing career by seeking a world title shot this 2016. The Fairfield native concluded 2015 with three solid victories in a row and earned the interim NABF super bantamweight title where he finished off his opponent former world title challenger Yoandris “El Nino” Salinas via technical knockout victory in the sixth round. “Tino” is ready to deliver this in 2016, beginning as he moves up for the first time to featherweight in a main event brawl against Alvarado in another career defining test, as he is prepared to bring on the fire to prove to his fans that he means business.
Managua, Nicaragua’s Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado comes into the ring with much experience under his belt, owning several titles over the course of nearly eight years. “Gemelo” has earned the respect from his peers and boxing fans all over the world for his hard-nosed style and willingness to fight all. The 27 year old’s biggest win was the complete stoppage at the ninth-round of current top featherweight contender Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos in 2014 which earned him the WBC Silver Featherweight Championship. If Alvarado can defeat Avila, he places himself neatly in line for a highly-anticipated re-match and remains in the running for a featherweight world title shot.
Hailing from Mexico City, Gilberto “El Flaco” Gonzalez has made a steady climb and has proven to be one of Mexico’s top talents to watch out for. Making his way through the super lightweight division since turning professional in 2005, and having impressive wins over 15-0 Puerto Rico’s Jeffrey Fontanez and David “Nene” Rangel, “El Flaco” has been turning heads and grabbing the attention outside the local boxing scene in Mexico. The former Youth WBC Youth World Lightweight Champion made his debut in the United States, knocking out Hevinson Herrera in the third round. He is ready for his audience to sit up straight as he makes moves this April 1 in his return to The Belasco Theater.
Hot welterweight prospect Oscar Torres brings his native Colombian fire as he makes Los Angeles his new home. Making his LA Fight Club debut, he brings with him four notable wins from Mexico and California most recently defeating Evincii “Prize Fighter” Dixon via unanimous decision in December 2015. The 26-year-old has created a buzz around him, guaranteeing that the boxing fans will be in for a treat as he takes on fellow unbeaten fighter Melsik Baghdasaryan at The Belasco Theater.
Armenian-born Melsik Baghdasaryan is an exciting up-and-coming fighter who competes out of the Glendale Fighting Club along side MMA star “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Having fought previously as a mixed martial arts professional, he has turned all his focus onto boxing. Winning all three of his pro fights, two of them at The Belasco Theater, Melsik has garnered the attention of fans as one to watch. Fresh from a decision win over Diego Padilla last October, Baghdasaryan is looking forward to his showdown with Torres this April 1 at LA Fight Club.
Tenochtitlan “T-Dog” Nava of Los Angeles began boxing at the age of 17 when he looking for a new outlet and a way to get back in shape after years of inactivity led him to reach 190 pounds. Nava, whose mother and father are from Sinaloa, Mexico and Durango, Mexico respectively, developed an ever-increasing thirst for knowledge of the sport and under the guidance of the Saucedo Brothers, from the esteemed Westside Boxing Club, grew a reputation for being one of the most dedicated and disciplined fighters of their amateur stable and became the personal sparring partner for Los Angeles’ Nick Arce and Rafael Gramajo. Nava turned his lifestyle around, lost sixty pounds, and began competing in the lightweight division of 132 pounds and acquired about 40 amateur fights and participated in several tournaments, including the Golden Gloves and the Adidas National Tournament after six years in the sport. His dedication, discipline and willingness to learn proved to everyone around him that he was ready to take the next step in his boxing career and become a professional boxer and on April 1, he will show the world he has what it takes to succeed in the sport.
