Rising Star
In a bout that put a gown man against in comparison, a young boy, this would be a perfect example of how not to underestimating your opponent. Eighteen year old Jeremy Longoria, fresh out of high school, walked to the ring holding a 5-0 record. His opponent, Roy Garcia, gave him an intimidating stare down; Longoria didn’t flinch. Rocking pink cheetah print shorts with a zebra pattern, Longoria’s confidence was high. He possessed all the fundamentals needed of a great boxer. Garcia came in with a brawler style. He telegraphed big hooks, while Longoria slipped every one while landing jabs and crosses of his own. Jeremy Longoria showed the importance of proper technique and form, on his way to the win and a 6-0 record.
Performance of the Night
The second fight on the card was a match between Corpus Christi’s Omar Reyes, and fan favorite, Kenny Torres out of Robstown. Reyes went out and put on a flawless performance. Torres seemed to lose confidence as Reyes started to pick up steam. Reyes slipped shots Torres threw, while counter punching; all while showing great footwork. Reyes kept moving forward, never letting the foot off the pedal. Adding fuel to the fire, Reyes smiled and shook off anything that landed, letting everyone know that he was not fazed. Omar Reyes won via unanimous decision.
Fight of the Night
The card featured two Muay Thai bouts, one of which was electrifying. Patrick Ybarra came in as the favorite over Houston fighter Akira Smith. It didn’t take long for “The Afro Samurai” to win over some fans in the arena. Smith started off lighting fast with kicks at all different levels. After what seemed like initial shock, Ybarra regrouped and started landing heavy strikes of his own. Although each fighter was moving at high speeds, neither one seemed to slow down. Each fighter left everything they had in the middle of the ring. Akira Smith left with the win via unanimous decision.
It was a great night of fights at the Richard M Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. The crowd was involved, the action was constant, and the environment was great.
Follow Marcelino Pena on Twitter @chale_lou.
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