Arena Wars Upcoming Shows
October 25th
Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Bremerton, Washington
Reyes and Apostol are both coming off big wins in their last outing. After a long layoff, Reyes scored a six round majority decision victory over a tough Miklo Arnold. Apostol has not been in the ring in over a year, and his string of wins includes a close eight round unanimous decision win over Gerardo Esquivel. This bout is scheduled for six rounds, and though Apostol has yet to face defeat, Reyes’ return to the ring earlier in the year may work to his advantage, though Apostol will also be comfortable going the distance.
Agustin Tovar (3 1 1) V Gerardo Esquivel (7 7 1) 6 Rds super light
The Tovar - Esquivel bout will be one with an emphasis on experience. Esquivel has been in in the ring ten times more than Tovar, and Tovar has faced men either early in their career or making their pro debut. This fight will be at 140 pounds and that too may favor Esquivel as he fought up in weight in his last two losses. Tovar has shown the ability to control the action in a round, and he has not lost many rounds in the course of his three wins. Both men have gone the distance in each of their fights, and this six round affair should be no different.
Emmanuel Ojeda (3 0 0) V Alexis De la Cerda Landin (6 0 0) 6 Rds super bantam
When Emmanuel Ojeda steps in to face Alexis De La Cerda Landin, fans will get a look at two unbeaten fighters with a matching skill set. Both move well, though Ojeda may gain an edge in being quicker, and both have shown the ability to avoid getting caught out of position. Landin has won four of his six by way of the knockout, so Ojeda must be aware of the power punches, an area that may favor Landin. Ojeda is no stranger to being in close fight as two of his three wins have been majority decisions. Though fights scheduled for an even number of rounds may end in a draw, both of these fighters are looking to remain undefeated.
Zeljko Stipetic (1 1 0) V Dylan Potter (2 2 1) 4 Rds heavy
A little over five years ago Zeljko Stipetic lost to the future WBC Latino Heavyweight title holder Kingsley Ibeh. This will be Stipetic’s return to the ring after the long layoff. Stipetic had a decent amateur career fighting in the cruiserweight division, and his return to the Pacific Northwest puts him in play in the heavyweight division. Dylan Potter is coming off a unanimous decision win in his last outing, a fight where two of the judges said he won all four rounds. Potter has gone the distance in each of his fights, and though this bout is only scheduled for four rounds, Stipetic’s stamina will be a question after the long layoff.
Oscar Arriaga may be one of the best fighters that has yet to record a win. Now some of that has to do with the fact that the men he has faced brought a fair amount of experience to the fight. Arriaga’s first encounter with Margarito Hernandez was a case in point. Arriaga battled Hernandez and lost a majority decision that swung on the outcome of one round. In Pallares, Arriaga will have to make the adjustment to battle a left handed fighter. Pallares is coming off a majority draw in his last outing in August, and his one win came by way of a knockout.
Do not be misled by Jose Nava Ayala’s record. His two losses have come at the hands of unbeaten opponents and in each of those fights Ayala proved that he can hang with the best. He dropped majority decisions when fighting Emmanuel Ojeda and Haidon Allen. So keep in mind, according to at least one judge, he fought to at least a draw with both men. Joel Hernandez also dropped a majority decision to Ojeda, and that means that he as well scored a draw from one judge. Both men have gone the distance in each of their previous four rounders. If there is an advantage to be had, it may be that Hernandez had a lengthy and successful amateur career.
Tiziana Olmo has appeared in the ring as a kick boxer and as a boxer. And though she has yet to win in either arena, she has shown some skill in each. She dropped a split decision in her previous kickboxing bout, winning two of the five rounds. And as a boxer she battled the tough Kathryn Martinez Arnold to a four round majority draw. One advantage Olmo brought to each of those fights was being left handed as that forced her opponents to move away from her power punches. This will be Keller’s first foray in to the realm of professional kickboxing. The Washougal, Washington fighter might have an advantage with the crowd, though Olmo has also made a move to claim Washington as a home.
November 1
Salem Armory, Salem, Oregon
The seven round bout pitting Anthony Alvarado against Mike McMillian carries a number of potentially interesting storylines in addition to an undefeated fighter facing an opponent with only one loss. McMillian is a patient and skilled fighter who in each of his four fights has, despite sometimes getting off to a slow start, gained momentum through each round. Alvarado is in many ways similar in that he, in each of his wins, has made adjustments necessary to exert his dominance. Alvarado’s only loss came at the hands of unbeaten Aaron Thompson, and in that bout, two of the six rounds were close, with Alvarado winning at least one of them on the judges’ cards.
Miklo Arnold (11 3 0) V Brandon Watley (1 4 0) 6 Rds super light
Miklo Arnold is looking to regain some of the momentum he was building prior to his loss to Andres Reyes. Arnold will enter the fight with a big advantage in ring experience having fought more than twenty fights as an amateur and this will be his fifteenth fight as a pro. While Arnold has three knockout wins on his record, his strength in the ring more often comes from his quickness and deft combinations. Brandon Watley’s record is a little deceiving in that he has faced tough opponents. In this fight Watley will bring a height and reach advantage that may keep Arnold from getting in close and unloading body shots.
Jeremiah Sierra (4 3 0) V Joseph Aguilar (6 3 1) 6 Rd middle
The first thing to know about the fight pitting Jeremiah Sierra against Joseh Aguilar is that neither man is afraid to face tough opposition. Sierra is coming off a loss to unbeaten Andrew Murphy on Murphy’s home turf, and in much the same manner, Aguilar dropped decisions to Joh Easter in Las Vagas and Devontae McDonald in Medford. Prior to the losses, both men were riding four fight win streaks. Sierra, being a left hander, means hat Aguilar will have to make a few adjustments to the way he moves, though Aguilar is familiar fighting southpaws as he has faced them in two of his previous three fights.
Iosefa Esera and Nick Mills faced each other in July in a bout in which Mills claimed the unanimous decision win. This rematch may appear to be coming quickly, though Esera appears convinced that he learned enough in their last meeting to make adjustments to come out on top in this one. Mills is a methodical heavy puncher, and that means that Esera will have to move about the ring more, relying on quick footwork to avoid Mills’ right hand power. This will be Esera’s fourth fight this year, while for Mills, it will be his second after a five year layoff.
Jose Garcia (4 0 0) V TBA 5 Rds super welter
The problem facing Jose Garcia is one that comes outside of the ring. He is unbeaten, with all four wins coming by way of the knockout, and that makes other fighters rather leery of entering the ring to face him. While Garcia’s wins have come at the expense of fighters who may not have outstanding records, he has fought men that have a fair amount of ring experience. This could be a fight in which Garcia steps up to face a tough opponent and proves that his four wins have been well earned.
Alan Hernandez fought to a split draw in his last outing in July. The positive take away from that fight was that on one judge’s car he won three rounds while on another he won two rounds. That is certainly an improvement after bring on the losing end of unanimous decisions in his previous two fights. Devon Jackson will be making his professional debut as a boxer after appearing in the MMA ring.
Vasyl Yakymiuk comes into the fight against Keano Moyer after winning in his professional debut, scoring a unanimous decision win over Cesar Pineda in a hard fought four rounder in August. Yakymiuk, in his last fight showed the ability to throw heavy punches, though the difference in that fight came when he began to step in close and throw combinations to the body. Moyer has been out of the ring since November of ’24. He may need a fast start to counter Yakymiuk should he start as he did in his last fight, throwing heavy and quick from the opening bell.
Pedro Torres brings an unbeaten record to the ring to face Brandon Hughes. Torres’ three wins have been impressive as he won all four rounds in fighting Oscar Arriaga; scored a third round TKO in a win in Tijuana; and took a majority decision when facing Brnadon Watley. In each of his previous fights Torres has used his reach advantage to keep his opponent off balance while allowing him to step in to throw body shots. Hughes has yet to lose a a pro, having scored a draw and having his opponent retire after two rounds in Hughes' debut. Hughes started his amateur career on a roll, then faced a string of losses in clsoe decisions.
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