Just 30 days from today, the San Fernando Valley’s legendary Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, Calif. will host its first boxing event in 17 years. Goossen Tutor Promotions, the Valley’s first family of boxing, will again look to create a series of boxing events held every two months throughout the year at the Lodge.
The inaugural world-class event will be held on Saturday evening, June 23, when former WBA Super Bantamweight World Champion Rico Ramos challenges the undefeated NABF Champion Efrain Esquivias.
In addition, world rated John Molina Jr. of Covina, Calif. will return to the ring in a featured bout. Two undefeated young super flyweight stars in Matthew Villanueva of Burbank, Calif. against Austreberto Juarez of Ventura, Calif. will do their best to steal the show.
The event will be broadcast on TeleFutura’s hit series “Solo Boxeo Tecate” and promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions. The Ramos-Esquivias bout will be in association with Thompson Boxing.
When Jhonatan Romero was forced to withdraw from the bout with a broken hand, former amateur rivals Ramos and Esquivias jumped at the opportunity to fight each other.
Making his first steps on the road to recovering his championship, WBA #7 world rated Ramos will need to beat the tough 28-year-old Esquivias (16-0, 9 KOs), who is currently rated #8 in the world by the IBF.
Ramos said he was waiting for the day the two amateur foes would meet as professionals. “We both knew this would happen sooner or later. We knew we would be in opposite corners one day when it counted.”
Ramos trainer, Charles “Chilli” Wilson, the former USA California State Heavyweight title-holder, said, “Rico will be ready to show Efrain the difference between amateurs and a real fight.”
Esquivias knows the importance of this fight.
“I am going to come in tremendous shape and bring a lot of pressure. He has some speed and power but I will rise to the occasion. A good performance against Rico will get me closer to my dream of becoming a world champion.”
Besides fighting each other in the amateurs, Ramos and Esquivias have sparred in the past. Esquivias claims to have fought Ramos three times in their amateur careers, dropping the first two meetings but winning the third fight. Ramos remembers it a little differently, stating they had only fought twice, and winning both.
June 23, they can settle their differences in the ring.
In the co-main event, Burbank’s Matthew Villanueva (7-0-1, 7 KOs) will look to remain unbeaten against Austreberto Juarez (10-1, 2 KOs).
Widely considered one of the hottest young lightweight prospects in boxing, John Molina Jr., who is a native of Covina, Calif. has posted 19 vicious knockouts among his first 23 wins, while only sustaining one loss.
