STOCKTON — Three boxers training out of Turlock stepped into the ring on Saturday night in front of one of the biggest crowds each have competed in front of to date. Following 12 combined rounds of action, each exited with their arms raised in victory.

Cesar Olvera, Oscar Cruz and Eli Morales from Rise Above Boxing Club and Ministry in Turlock each cruised to unanimous decision wins inside the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium as part of the 209 Fight Series organized by Slick Rick Promotions.

All competed at super featherweight. Olvera improved to 2-0-1 while Cruz and Morales each got off to impressive starts to their professional careers.

The wins from Cruz and Olvera came despite them having to swap opponents by order of the California State Athletic Commission due to experience discrepancies.

New opponents, no problems.

Olvera, nicknamed “The Great,” opened a thrilling night of boxing action by cruising to a 40-35 victory against Hector Becerra of Los Angeles at 142 pounds. Cruz clashed with Freddie Adams of Texarkana, Ark. at 138 pounds and pulled out a 40-36 decision. Morales proceeded to beat his regularly scheduled opponent, Clayton Hibbert of Long Beach, at 134 pounds via 40-35 decision.

Sitting ringside was another familiar face in Christian Palacio of Palacio Truth Boxing in west Turlock, whose bout was cancelled after his opponent, Henry Mendez of Wilmington, failed to make the 154-pound weight and a replacement couldn’t be found in time. He watched intently and yelled forward advice as his peers from Turlock competed. He was recognized by the ring announcer between bouts.

Eventually joining in the night’s festivities was UFC veteran and Stockton native Nate Diaz, who engaged with fans and took photos with fighters, including Morales, before walking out to support friend Julian Bridges of Antioch in the main event against Luis Garcia, Bridges won by second-round knockout.

Olvera vs. Becerra

In the opening bout, Olvera put the pressure on Becerra early, landing early jabs to set up combinations. Midway through the opening round, Olvera landed a clean left and an overhand right that forced Becerra against the ropes.

Becerra came out firing to start the second by landing a handful of rights. Olvera adjusted by switching levels, peppering Becerra with jabs to the body which set up another massive right hand that forced a clinch. Olvera had the crowd on its feet by landing another clean right just before the bell rang.

Becerra had his best moments at the start of the third round, swinging aggressively. Olvera countered consistently, which led to a flurry of exciting exchanges. His success didn’t last long, as Olvera went back to the jab to recreate distance and force Becerra against the ropes. Steady combos set up another big right hand that dropped Becerra.

The knockdown ignited the area in downtown Stockton with chants of “Cesar,” who continued to pick his shots against a Becerra that remained on his back foot through the final bell. Olvera promptly jumped atop the ropes to salute the crowd, confident that the scorecards would read in his favor.

“That was honestly one of my best performances,” said Olvera, 25. “I dropped him in late, and obviously if I had an extra 20 seconds, I would have gotten that guy out of there. I’m confident I would have knocked him out. Listen, for my next fight, we’re getting him out of there for sure. We’re not letting anyone else get away.”

Olvera said that being back in the ring was a feeling he had been longing for since his last scheduled bout on April 4 was cancelled just hours before he was set to make the walk.

“I just felt so comfortable in there,” he said. “It was about time. To be honest, I felt excited, not nervous. I feel like I unleashed a new Cesar in there. I went in there, listened to my coach (Mauricio Lopez). We were just trying to open up shots and break him down, going to the stomach, to the head, so his hands were guessing. We were looking for the overhand right or for that body shot. We just got the job done, it’s as simple as that.”

Cruz vs. Adams

Cruz, 24, followed a similar gameplan implemented by Lopez. After feeding a steady jab in the opening stages of the first round, Cruz began landing to the body, backing Adams against the ropes.

Adams acknowledged the work to the body and came out for the second with his left hand lowered. Cruz capitalized with jabs back upstairs before throwing out shots that landed to the body and follow-up back to the head. Adams, desperate to turn the tide, began swinging wildly, but mostly missed. Cruz then cut off the ring and pinned Adams in the corner and countered with a flurry of his own. As if he were training using a speed bag at his gym, Cruz landed a whopping 27 unanswered punches before the bell rang, prompting loud cheers and chants of “Oscar” while each fighter recovered in their corners.

“Once you step in that ring, I usually block everything out,” Cruz said. “But I still heard people cheering me on, and I appreciate it a lot. It’s such a blessing.”

Cruz continued with consistent pressure over the last two rounds, highlighted by a significant counter left that landed flush on the right side of Adams’ head midway through the fourth round.

“I was being real selective with our shots,” Cruz said. “We’re not training to get in a brawl, so we worked the body and the head and were able to have some success everywhere. I work my butt off in the gym, so I knew coming into this fight what I was capable of doing, and it showed today.

“I really started to hear the fans after the fight and when they announced the winner. It’s just like you see it on TV, when all the fans start supporting and getting behind the hometown or mainstream boxer. You dream of stuff like that. It’s really an amazing night.”

Morales vs. Hibbert

Chants for Morales began prior to the opening bell, and the 23-year-old rode the momentum early. Facing the left-handed Hibbert, Morales said his game plan was to use the jab to set up a strong follow-up. The jabs to the body worked early as an overhand right through the first minute of action stung Hibbert.

Hibbert recovered quickly, offering a steady dose of jabs through the end of the first round and into the second round. The two eventually found themselves in the clinch close to the ropes, a situation Morales used to land more shots to the body and a pair of uppercuts.

Hibbert came out for the third throwing hard, but just one counter right hand stopped his forward movement. More Morales offense from the clinch seemed to take a toll on Hibbert, who dropped to a knee, which was not ruled a knockdown by the referee. It was more of the same in the fourth and final round, as Morales’ cardio and slick shots from the clinch had Hibbert on his knees three more times. Again, none were ruled knockdowns.

“I don't know if I had him hurt, like as far as having him wobbled or anything, but I definitely had him tired,” Morales said. “I definitely beat him down. I think that's better than having him hurt.

“It was a big, big moment, for sure. It just feels good to get this off my chest. There was some pressure, and I was nervous a few hours before the fight, but as soon as I started stretching and getting my hands wrapped, I just relaxed and knew what I needed to do.”

Looking ahead

The three boxers gathered for photos with family and friends following each of their bouts.

After about 30 minutes of photos with his supporters, Morales regrouped in the locker room, where he was able to interact with Diaz.

“We're in that gym every day, busting on butt,” Cruz said. “For all three of us to be able to go out here and put on a show is what you dream of. You never really see three fighters from the same place be on the same card, for all three of us to get this and perform at the highest level. I’m so proud.”

With the jitters behind him and a 1-0 record, Morales said he is looking forward to more experiences under the bright lights of professional boxing.

Cruz said he feels similarly, as he would like to be back in action sooner rather than later, regardless of what options are available near his weight class.

“Anybody can get it whether it’s at 126 or 138,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. I'm coming for everything and anyone.”

Disappointed in not being able to compete Saturday for matters out of his own control, Palacio told the crowd that he remains optimistic and is looking forward to once again using the wisdom handed down from his late father, Adrian Palacio, and showcasing the skills he has learned under trainer Rick Casillas over the past six weeks of camp. His remarks were met with loud applause.

“This is an amazing environment with so many people coming out to support all of us,” said Olvera, who said he can be ready to return to the ring as early as two weeks. “God is great. He gives me all the love and all the glory.

“It’s a big day for Turlock with all of us getting wins. Oscar showed out, Eli Morales showed out, and myself, Cesar ‘The Great’ Olvera, showed out. It's just a great opportunity, and we had a great game plan that we succeeded in using for Turlock to go 3-0. You can’t write the story up any better.”