Four young boxers competing out of Turlock are preparing to take center stage for what is being billed as “the biggest fight night in the 209.”
Christian Palacio, Cesar Olvera, Oscar Cruz and Eli Morales will be competing Saturday at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium as part of the 209 Fight Series, hosted by Slick Rick Promotion out of Manteca. The card will feature 10 professional bouts, with gates to the venue opening at 3:30 p.m. and the first bell to ring at 5 p.m.
For Palacio and Olvera, they will each be stepping into the squared circle as professionals for the third time in their careers, aiming to remain undefeated. Meanwhile, Cruz and Morales will be making their professional debuts.
Palacio trains at his family gym, Palacio Truth Boxing in north Turlock, where he continues to honor the legacy of his late father, gym founder and head coach Adrian Palacio. Olvera, Cruz and Morales are teammates fighting out of Rise Above Boxing Gym and Ministry on Lander Avenue.
There may not be anybody more antsy to be under the bright lights than Olvera, who will be taking on Freddie Adams from Texarkana, Ark. in an 130-pound super featherweight bout scheduled for four rounds.
After battling to a majority draw with Victor Saravia on a DAZN pay-per-view card back in December, Olvera had his next scheduled professional bout on April 4 cancelled just hours before showtime.
“I’m so happy to be back where I belong, and that’s in the ring,” said Olvera, 25. “My goal for the night is to have my best performance to date.”
It’s a high bar that Olvera has set for himself considering he defeated Jaycee King by second-round knockout in his professional debut last June.
Palacio, 26, has also become known for finding dramatic finishes early in his young professional career as he has crumbled each of his first two opponents, Andres Ponce and Kevin Gonzales, with relentless body shots. He knocked out Ponce in the second round and stopped Gonzales in the third.
Now, Palacio sets his sights on maintaining his perfect KO rate against veteran Henry Mendez of Wilmington in a four-round, 154-pound super welterweight bout.
“I’ve been studying him a lot,” Palacio said. “I’m feeling really good in terms of the weight and all the training I put in. I’m ready.”
Like his close friend Olvera, Cruz will be competing at 130 pounds. His professional debut comes after a strong amateur career in which he won two Golden Gloves titles. The 24-year-old will face Hector Becerra of Los Angeles.
“I’m super excited, man,” Cruz said. “My whole life I have been dreaming about being a professional athlete, and now the time is here. I’m ready to go out there and show who Oscar Cruz is.”
Morales, 23, is also a double Golden Gloves winner, and will put his skills to the test against Long Beach’s Clayton Hibbert in another four-round clash at 134 pounds.
“My coach (Mauricio Lopez) always tells me, ‘What are you going to do when your number is called?’” Morales said. "This is my chance to prove to myself that I do belong on the big stage. Many early mornings, many late nights running on the road… I believe all the work will show come fight night.”
The four fighters are not only excited to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd, but also for the opportunity to do so representing Turlock alongside one another, despite their different ages and chapters of their boxing careers.
Saturday’s full fight card is as follows, though the bout schedule is subject to change:
- Julian Bridges vs. Luis Garcia (Welterweight)
- Manuel De Jesus II Flores vs. Angel Barrera (Super Lightweight)
- Karanveer Singh vs. Cristian Ruben Mino (Super lightweight)
- Cesar Olvera vs. Freddie Adams at (Super Featherweight)
- Juan Hernandez Garcia vs. Austin Young (Middleweight)
- Gabriel Cupp vs. Jordan Beltran-Monroy (Welterweight)
- Oscar Cruz vs. Hector Becerra (Super Featherweight)
- Christian Palacio vs. Henry Mendez (Super Welterweight)
- Eli Morales vs. Clayton Hibbert (Super Featherweight)
- Armando Romero vs. Jeramy Titsworth (Light Heavyweight)
Tickets can be purchased at www.slickrickpromotion.com.
