Torrid schedule laid out for NM combat sports
Albuquerque boxer Matt 鈥淒iamond Boy鈥� Griego-Ortega reacts after finding out he and his fianc茅 Jolene Otero are expecting a baby boy during a surprise gender reveal after he wins his match over Bryan Aquino on Feb. 4.
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Hot enough for you?
No, not that. We鈥檙e talking about the torrid New Mexico combat-sports docket for for the next 35 days.
FIRST UP: Las Crucens Aleeza Mata-Hill and Amiah Mendoza are scheduled to begin competition on Wednesday at the USA Boxing Women鈥檚 Championships in Toledo, Ohio.
Mata-Hill (154 pounds, Elite Division) is matched against Illinois鈥� Claire Quinn. Mendoza (119, Bantam) is scheduled to face Texan Berenice Lopez.
Both bouts are scheduled to be streamed at . Mendoza鈥檚 bout will take place during the 10 a.m. (MDT) session, Mata-Hill鈥檚 during the 4 p.m. session.
HECHO EN NUEVO MEXICO: The Aug. 5 pro boxing card at Expo New Mexico is well named, given that 12 of the 14 fighters scheduled to compete are from the state.
Albuquerque鈥檚 Matt Griego-Ortega (13-0, nine KOs) is matched against former world champion Merlito Sabillo (27-8-1, 13 KOs) of the Philippines in the main event of a card scheduled to be staged outdoors at the Expo鈥檚 Villa Hispana exhibit.
Matthew Baca (4-2-1, two KOs) who last fought nine years ago, is scheduled to face Dallas鈥� Ashton Royal (1-6) 鈥� with Sabillo, the only non-New Mexicans listed on the card as of last week 鈥� in the Albuquerque welterweight鈥檚 comeback six-rounder.
Always-entertaining Albuquerque light heavyweight Lorenzo Benavidez is also on the Aug. 5 card.
Brian Mendoza, the WBC interim junior-middleweight champion and Griego-Ortega鈥檚 former Atrisco Boxing teammate, is scheduled to attend the card.
TITLE DEFENSE: Albuquerque鈥檚 Jose Luis 鈥淕uero鈥� Sanchez (13-3-1, four KOs) has announced he鈥檒l defend his North American Boxing Federation junior-welterweight title in Houston on Aug. 18 against an opponent yet to be named.
Sanchez won the title in Odessa, Texas on May 13 with a victory by unanimous decision over Rashad Shahid.
BKFC: Veteran Albuquerque combat-sports fighter Donald Sanchez (30-20 MMA, 5-3 pro boxing, 0-1 bare-knuckle) has been added to the Aug. 11 BKFC bare-knuckle card at Tingley Coliseum.
Sanchez is scheduled to face Anthony Blake Lacaze (1-1 BKC, 6-12-2 pro boxing) of Monroe, Louisiana.
The ever-popular John Dodson (24-13 MMA, 2-0 bare-knuckle) is matched against Joshua Ridge (3-1) of the Philippines in the main event, with the BKFC flyweight title at stake.
MMA: FightWorld returns to the Revel Entertainment Center on Aug. 29 with a card yet to be announced.
鈥� Albuquerque鈥檚 Steve Garcia has withdrawn from a scheduled fight against Sean Woodson on an Aug. 5 UFC card, citing a back injury.
MORE AMATEURS: Teresa Tapia and Josh Torres will stage an amateur boxing card at 2 p.m. on Saturday at 933 Sunset Road SW.
Tickets are $20 if ordered by phone (505-977-4471), $25 at the door.
鈥� A New Mexico-vs.-Texas amateur card is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Aug. 12 at the Moriarty Community Center. For tickets ($25 ringside, $20 general admission, $10 kids), call Cat Sigala鈥檚 Martial Arts & Boxing at 505-883-1964.
MISSING ANYTHING? Let us know at rwright@abqjournal.com.
