Fight fans attending tonight’s nationally televised event at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California will get a glimpse at two of the most promising young fighters in the country, let alone the state. Both Guy Robb of Sacramento and Roman Morales of San Ardo continue their blossoming careers on the non-televised undercard of tonight’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecast.
Robb (2-0, 1 KO) returns to the Fairfield Sports Center for the second consecutive month as he takes on debuting Manuel Morales of Orosi, California in a four-round lightweight bout. Last month Robb’s opponent came in over the contracted weight, but the former amateur standout took the fight anyway and scored two knockdowns en route to a four-round unanimous decision.
Somewhat ironically, Robb’s opponent tonight also came in heavy, three pounds over at 136 to be exact. Robb, who scared two pounds under at 131, did not seemed bothered by the turn of events. “I feel strong and we trained hard for him,” said Robb confidently after the weigh-in. “Some people are just more disciplined than others, but I am just worried about myself and doing what I am supposed to do.”
“Guy Robb is going to punish the kid for doing that,” says Robb’s manager Repo Ric. “He is going to punish him. You better believe that.” Ric, who also manages Morales and a third fighter on the card, Carlos Musquez, was pleased by Robb’s performance last month. “He brought a crowd and he did a good job last time. The kid [he fought] was 142-pounds, and Guy Robb was 133. The fight shouldn’t have taken place, but Guy Robb said he could do it, so I said ok go ahead and do it. We knocked the kid down twice to make sure we had that win.”
Robb is excited to be staying busy and looks forward to continuing this pace throughout the 2011. “I am happy, and I hear it is going to be like this all year,” said Robb. “So we are happy, my team is happy and Repo Ric is doing a great job. We are just going to stay in the gym, grind this year out and hopefully we get them every month.”
Morales (1-0, 1 KO) of San Ardo, California turned pro on February 4th with a first-round knockout of normally durable Shaun Solomon in Santa Ynez, California. Tonight Morales will take on a fighter better than his record would indicate in Danny Pantoja (0-3-2) of Fairfield in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Morales, who capped his stellar amateur career with a gold medal at the prestigious Four Nations Tournament last November, a fight fall out at the end of last month and is ready and raring to go tonight. “I was a little anxious to get a fight and I am happy to have a fight now,” said Morales. “I have trained really hard for it, and I am ready to go out there and do what I have to do.”
In preparation for tonight’s bout, Morales, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, got in some quality work with world ranked super featherweight contender Eloy Perez, who is preparing for a fight in April. “I had some great sparring with Eloy,” said Morales. “He is really talented and he is really fast. He has a really fast jab and also some good power, so I definitely have to move. Also, he puts on lots of pressure and makes me work. That is what I like. He also lets me work, and I thank for helping me out.”
Morales’ opponent Pantoja came in at 125-pounds, while the San Ardo native scaled 123. Morales will have a strong cheering section making the drive up to Fairfield from the Central Valley tonight, and plans to send them home happy. “They should expect a win,” said Morales. “I am here to win and that’s all.”
Repo Ric, ever the boxing hype man, has a pitch to any fight fan still thinking about coming out to the Fairfield Sports Center tonight. “You’ve got Guy Robb, and man he is a beast,” says Repo with conviction. “As soon as they piss him off, he is coming with it. So the crowd is going to love that. You’ve got Roman Morales, who is just smooth the man is. He will stay in the pocket with you all day long, so you better be moving around. Then you got Carlos Musquez, he is a sleeper. He’s got a trainer Ray Woods that’s teaching him good defense, so you better watch out for him. You better be here. Get your popcorn, get your beer and get ready.”
Any tickets remaining for tonight’s event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Jorge Marron Productions and Paco Presents will be sold at the door. In the televised main event, Antonio Escalante takes on Alejandro Perez in a ten-round super featherweight bout. In the co-main event, Carlos Musquez battles Clint Coronel in a six-round light middleweight fight.