Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula hosted an exhilarating fight night on Friday, April 3. Manny Pacquiao Promotions organized seven fights in the Pechanga Summit, for pro debuts and veteran fighters. The two most anticipated fights were the co-main events: Taduran vs. Perez and Pacquiao Jr. vs. Gates. The night also featured a special appearance by the world champion and the promotion’s founder himself, Manny Pacquiao.
Salazar vs. Barbee
The night started off with a four-round lightweight bout with Malikah Salazar (1-0) against Stephen Barbee (1-7). In his pro debut, the local fighter, Salazar, quickly dominated the match against his opponent and more experienced fighter from Las Vegas. The 18-year-old fighter gained his first pro victory via unanimous decision.
Villegas vs. Nakamura
Antonio Villegas (1-0), from Menifee, Calif., made a quick statement in his pro debut against Hawaiian fighter Alexander Nakamura (0-2) for what was supposed to be a four-round match in the Super Bantamweight division. At 53 seconds into the first round, Villegas knocked out Nakamura, which was the second knockdown that Nakamura faced in the short fight, bringing a straight win to Villegas in his first professional fight.
Barredo vs. Monreal
The third fight on the card, and the start of the live ESPN broadcast, included Paolo Barredo (5-0, 2 KOs) and Roberto Monreal (13-27, 5 KOs) for the lightweight division. Barredo, representing General Santos, Philippines, was in command when taking on Monreal, from Chicago. The six-round bout ended with a unanimous decision amongst judges, raising the hand of Barredo, keeping the champion with a clean record.
Subia vs. Castillas
The four-round featherweight bout was hard and heavy throughout every round. Joseph Subia (4-0, 3 KOs) defeated Francisco Casillas (3-1-2, 2 KOs) by decision, although not every judge agreed on the outcome. Casillas, from Maywood, Calif., delivered a great defense and landed some prominent strikes on Subia, from Atascadero, Calif., but by majority decision, they were not as defined as Subia’s. The match ended in a win for Subia, letting him walk on to another win and allowing another fighter to leave with a clean record.
Lorenzana vs. Correa
The dirtiest fight of the night came from the 10-round middleweight bout between undefeated fighter, Lazaro Lorenzana (20-0, 13 KOs) and Esneiker Correa (16-7, 14 KOs). With the crowd booing the Venezuelan fighter, Correa, for his hefty punches in the wrong places against Lorenzana, the venue was electric when the unanimous decision went to Lorenzana. Correa, throughout the fight, landed some too-low punches, as well as one back-of-the-head punch that knocked down Lorenzana. This prompted the judges and Lorenzana to consider a five-minute break, which Lorenzana ultimately opposed and fought on. Correa’s actions quickly made him the villain of the night, but the San Diegan fighter, Lorenzana, fought back and gained another victory to extend his clean streak.
Co-Main Event: Pacquiao Jr. vs. Gates
Jimuel Pacquiao Jr. (1-0-1, 1 KO) vs. Darrick Gates (0-2) in the lightweight division was one of the highly anticipated fights on the card. The crowd erupted as Pacquiao Jr. walked out for his second pro fight, with his legendary father, Manny Pacquiao, who is labeled as one of the best boxers of all time and the only eight-division world champion in all of boxing. No patience was held as the crowd could easily see the hunger in Pacquiao Jr.’s eyes as he stepped into the ring. Gates held up a good fight but it didn’t last for long, as the supposed four-round fight was shortened by more than half. At 1 minute, 34 seconds into the second round, Pacquiao Jr. got his first knockout in his pro career, which ended the match and gave him a straight win.
Main Event: Pérez vs. Taduran
The main event for the IBF World Minimumweight title was set to be a 12-round bout: Pedro Taduran (20-4-1, 14 KOs) vs. Gustavo Pérez Álvarez (16-2, 5 KOs). Taduran went into this bout with a five-fight winning streak, and his IBF Minimumweight World Championship title was up for grabs. But truthfully, he was not going to give any shot for Pérez to snatch that title. Pérez, from Baja California, Mexico, exchanged many blows with fighter Taduran, from Paranaque City, Philippines. But with Taduran’s hard plows, it made it hard for Pérez to hold up. The bout ended at 1 minute, 34 seconds into the seventh round via knockout after hitting Pérez with four total knockdowns. Taduran was able to go home with his title untouched.
The fight night was one of the best at Pechanga’s Summit venue. With respected spectators coming to see their strength, including special guest appearances by April 18 fighter Johnny Mansour, World Champion boxer Manny Pacquiao and more. The results of the bouts were hard-earned and well-deserved, showcasing their talent that will continue to develop with more fights.
