Boxing returns to
Sunset Station


Photographs from this fight at:
joecalvey.zenfolio.com
Video from this card at:
youtube.com/joecalvey

by Joe Calvey, Sr.
March 23, 2013

    March in some places may come in like a lion and go out like a lamb but at San Antonio’s Sunset Station on a warm summer like evening the lions ruled the day. Triple A Promotions came to San Antonio with a fight card dubbed The Quest which was lacking a single big name fighter but was loaded with regional veterans that gave the packed house it’s money’s worth and then some. Triple A Promotions President Gabe Carlin is proving to be a viable force in South Texas boxing circles and a hit with the fans.


    This card's main event featured two fighters, talented 30 year old Rashad Ganaway (13-3 with 9KO’s) and 34 year old construction worker Justo Vallecillo (6-14).

    The inside story that made this fight more interesting than the fighter's records is both are being trained locally from two local legends and rivals Joe Lopez of Angel’s Boxing Club and Tony Ayala, Sr. of the Zarzamora Street Gym.

    Ayala like Lopez has spent his lifetime training fighters. Ayala’s fighters including his three sons, Tony Jr., Mike and Sammy have always showed a toughness that was never questioned. But it was Lopez who rose to the top of the fight game in 1990 with San Antonio’s first world champion when super flyweight Robert Quiroga beat Juan Polo Perez.  Ayala followed working the corner when John Michael Johnson won the WBA Bantamweight title by TKO over Junior "Poison" Jones in April 1994.

    Both trainers have had their share of misfortune with their fighters. Ayala Sr. and his family have suffered seeing the misery caused by Tony, Jr. to both themselves and his victims. With world class talent Tony, Jr. has instead of ruling the  has spent the majority of his adult life locked away in prison.

    With nerves surgically removed from his left arm Quiroga lost the title to Julio Cesar Barboa via 12th round TKO that sent the fans at the Joe and Harry Coliseum into a chair tossing rage. Sadly the end came in 2004 when Quiroga was murdered.

    In an ironic twist the fight card at Sunset Station would have dual connections to Quiroga. whose killer was expelled by the motorcycle club the Bandidos. The club turned out in large numbers at Sunset Station to support the son of a member, Javier "Pitbull" Rodriguez Jr. (5-0-1), who would be fighting that evening against Gilbert Cancino (1-7) a bizarre looking unimpressive fighter out of the Rio Grande Valley on a six fight losing streak. Give the Bandido’s credit for not storming the ring and dragging Cancino into the parking lot after Cancino made obscene masturbating gestures to large, bearded heavily tattooed bikers. Perhaps they didn’t think of it quick enough as referee Rafael Ramos quickly disqualified Cancino and Texas ring officials rushed him out of the event. The bizarre ending to a fight barely a minute old was the only disappointment of the night. Had Cancino stayed in the ring Rodriguez would likely have beat him with the power and speed the Edison High School student is becoming known for.

    But on this night toughness and talent prevailed against toughness as Ganaway won on a unanimous decision over 8 uneventful but solid rounds. Lopez had once again bested his rival Ayala. Despite the jawing Ayala did with ease at the press conference a couple days earlier there was nothing similar ringside. Ayala didn't work the corner as Lopez did. Instead he opted to sit with his wife ringside and watch the evening's action.

    Elsewhere on the card an often over looked local fighter Omar Gonzalez (4-8, 1KO) fought and won a tough battle over Rafael Casias (4-6) of Fort Worth. Gonzalez jumped through the ropes into the ring and fought with an intensity worthy of his nick name "Bad Boy". Gonzalez opened a cut over the right eye of Casias that required the ring doctor to keep tabs on the bloodied fighter who gamely fought every minute of every round.

 Jesse Anguiano (0-2) bested Robert Ledesma in his action filled pro debut that was a bit closer than the judge's scores each which favored Anguiano. Roberto Lara (0-1) lost to John Arrevalo in his pro debut. In both of these fights they can only be described as tough man style slugfests. While they were short on polished skills from the  four young boxers they didn't disappoint the fan s who appreciated the action if not the results.

    What most casual fans do not know is that these fighters and their supporters must sell tickets to help finace their inclusion on these style cards. One father reported over $12,000 in advance ticket sales of which he and his son kept 20% to fund training and equipment. Floyd Mayweather Jr. might be earning $40 million dollars but even a world class fighter like Nonito Donaire supplements his earnings with ticket sales and VIP access.
 

    The biggest hitters on the card were two massive heavyweights both tipping the scales over 260 pounds. Fight manager Lester Bedford once said there were only about 100 legitimate heavyweights in the country. With the popularity of MMA it seems more big men have given the relatively low purses in club level boxing another look.

    From San Angelo two time Texas Golden Glove Champion Angelo Gutierrez with a 2-0 professional record faced the aptly named Cody "Freight Train" East from Los Lunas, NM. East was making his pro boxing debut but unbeknownst to the crowd on hand East sported a healthy 6-1 MMA record with none of those 7 fights going the distance.

    On this summer like eve Triple A Promotions and the Freight Train rolled through Sunset Station like Amtrak’s Silver Star with a first round knock out of Gutierrez. Let's hope boxing returns to Sunset Station again soon.

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