Quillin, Sanchez Share the Bill in Fairfield

Quillin, Sanchez Share the Bill in Fairfield FAIRFIELD, CALIFORNIA — Last month, the weekly boxing series Solo Boxeo, which airs nationally Friday nights on Telefutura, brought their traveling road show to the city of Fairfield, California. It was the first time professional boxing had taken place in the city since the late 1980’s, and the thirsty local fight fans showed up in mass, as an overflow crowd packed the Fairfield Sports Center to witness a slew of local prospects ply their trade. Just one month later boxing is back, as middleweight Peter Quillin and local favorite Alan Sanchez co-headline the card. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the Courtyard by Marriott Fairfield Napa Valley Area. Quillin (22-0, 16 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York ended a long stretch of inactivity with a ten-round decision over Fernando Zuniga in February of last year. In his only other ring appearance of 2010, Quillin made short work of Martin Desjardins, stopping the journeyman with a right hand late in the first round of a December bout. Quillin, who now fights out of the famed Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, California under the tutelage of Freddie Roach and Eric Brown, looks poised to make his move in an intriguing middleweight division. Quillin weighed in at 166-pounds Thursday. Opposing Quillin in the eight-round bout is Bayonne, New Jersey’s Dennis Sharpe (17-5-3, 4 KOs). Sharpe finds himself in the familiar role of opponent for a well known rising contender. All five of Sharpe’s losses have come against previously unbeaten foes, which accounts for his five most recent ring appearances. Sharpe managed to last the distance against the trio of Ronald Hearns, Buddy McGirt Jr. and Andy Lee in the last three bouts, but those took place in 2006 and 2007. Sharpe scaled 159-pounds Thursday evening. While the main event may or may not prove to be competitive, the co-feature is the bigger drawing card for local fight aficionados anyway. Fairfield’s Alan Sanchez (6-2-1, 2 KOs) turned back the challenge of the always game Cristian Favela via eight-round unanimous decision at last month’s event. This time around Sanchez goes up against an unbeaten but less proven opponent in Denver, Colorado’s John Ryan Grimaldo (6-0, 5 KOs). Grimaldo, who scaled 142-pounds, is completely untested, as his previous opponents had a combined record of 10-31. Sanchez, who weighed in at 144, went 1-1-1 against three prospects with a combined record of 26-1 before meeting Favela last month. Last month former national amateur standout Manuel Avila (1-0) of Fairfield was slated to be a part of the card at the Sports Center, but after several opponents fell out, his fight was scratched. Promoters were able to lock down an opponent this time around, as Avila will take on Jose Garcia (0-2) of Bakersfield, California in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Avila, managed by Cameron Dunkin, was impressive in his debut back in November, as he showed the composure of a veteran in a four- round decision of Alexis Hernandez. Avila weighed in at 121- pounds, while Garcia scaled 119. Former amateur star Guy Robb (1-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will take on Fairfield’s Omar Sanchez (0-1) in a four-round light welterweight bout. The fight nearly fell apart on Thursday, when Sanchez came in at 138-pounds, two pounds over the contracted 136. Robb, a winner at the 2008 Ringside World Championships as an amateur, had scaled 132-pounds. Sanchez did not want to lose the two pounds, but eventually a deal was stuck with Robb’s team to keep the fight intact. Robb turned pro back in October, scoring a devastating first-round stoppage of Jose Pacheco in Santa Ynez, California. Sanchez turned pro on the January card in Fairfield, but ran into prospect Maximilliano Becerra and lost an action-packed four-round decision. Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California was slated to be on tonight’s card, but is without an opponent presently. Becerra’s originally scheduled opponent, Irving Garcia (3-1, 1 KO) of Stratford, California, fell out for undisclosed reasons. Should an opponent be found, he and Becerra will weigh-in today, two hours before the card begins. Another fight is pending a Friday afternoon weigh-in, as lightweight prospect Fidel Maldonado Jr. (7-0, 6 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico is pegged to fight Carlos Hernandez (3-4-2) of San Fernando, California in a four-rounder. Hernandez was a late addition to the card and did not arrive in Fairfield in time for Thursday’s weigh-in. A scant few, if any, tickets remain for tonight’s event promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents. Quick Weigh-in Results: Super Middleweights, 8 Rounds Quillin 166 Sharpe 159 Welterweights, 8 Rounds Sanchez 144 Grimaldo 142 Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds Avila 121 Garcia 119 Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds Robb 132 Sanchez 138 Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds Maldonado* Hernandez * Lightweights, 4 Rounds Becerra** *will weigh-in today **will weigh-in today if opponent is found Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]..

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