A sold-out crowd of 1,814 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino welcomed back hometown hero Randy “El Matador” Caballero (23-0, 14 KOs) of Coachella Valley, Calif. in his first fight since 2014 against the fierce fighter Ruben Garcia (15-2-1, 6 KOs) of Mexico, City, Mexico. The scheduled 10-round featherweight fight was televised live nationally on Boxeo Estelar on Estrella TV.
The exciting bout had the crowd on their feet as Caballero took control of the fight with a series of combinations in the first round, setting the stage for the remaining rounds of the thrilling event. Both fighters exchanged constantly entertaining the fans, but as the rounds crept up Garcia was getting exposed by Caballeros punches. By the sixth round, Garcia hit the canvas but was able to make the count and was also dropped twice in the seventh round by a right hook to the body. Before the eighth round, the referee ruled Garcia unfit to continue, waving off the bout and declaring Caballero the victor by seventh round technical knockout.
“It feels so great to be back,” said Randy Caballero. “I felt strong and in control the whole time and glad I was able to shake off some of the ring rust. I am glad I was able to share this victory with my hometown and have them witness my return to the ring. I know I delivered a great fight, and I am ready for the next challenge. I want to become a world champion again, and I know the opportunity is coming soon.”
“I was excited about the opportunity to fight Randy,” said Ruben Garcia. “I knew that a victory against a former world champion like Randy could elevate my profile in the division and lead to more opportunities for me. But, unfortunately I couldn’t execute the plan. I couldn’t find him in the ring and sadly the result was not what I was hoping or expecting. This loss does not discourage me. I will rest and get back in the gym and wait for the next opportunity.”
In the co-main event on the night and part of the Estrella TV broadcast, East Los Anegeles’ undefeated welterweight Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (20-0, 13 KOs) demonstrated his control of the ring in a fight against former IBA Super Lightweight Champion Silverio “Chamaco III” Ortiz (29-17, 15 KOs) of Chicxulub, Yucatan, Mexico in a scheduled 10-round welterweight fight. Ortiz was a resilient fighter as Gomez constantly cornered and used his speed against Ortiz to land effective shots. By the ninth round Ortiz took a knee to recuperate after an attack from Gomez but was able to recover and continued on to go the distance with Gomez. In the end, Gomez was awarded an unanimous victory with a score of 100-90 by all three judges.
“I felt very strong in the ring and felt in complete control throughout the fight,” said Frankie Gomez. “I am glad with the decision, it’s another victory on my record. Ortiz was a tough guy, he was taking a lot of hits and didn’t go down until the ninth round. He definitely earned my respect, but I am here to win and become a world champion.”
In the swing bout of the night, which streamed live on Ring TV, San Antonio’s rising super featherweight Hector “El Finito” Tanajara Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs) won an entertaining victory by unanimous decision over Clay Burns (3-1-1, 3 KOs) of Alexandria, La. Tanajara was awarded scores of 60-53 by all three judges after finishing the fight which included a fifth round knock down of Clay.
Also part of the Ring TV live stream, Las Vegas’ Rocco Santomuro (13-0, 1 KO) delivered an exciting six-round bantamweight bout against Jose “Hollywood” Estrella (14-10-1, 10 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The fight went all six rounds and kept boxing fans entertained throughout the bout as both fighters traded blows equally. However, Santomuro was more effective and was given the decision and another victory on his record.
Top undefeated prospect Neeco “Rooster” Macias (11-0, 6 KOs) from Palm Desert, Calif. dominated the resilient Paul Mpendo (8-14-4, 4 KOs) of Kampala, Uganda in their six-round super welterweight fight. Macias constantly cornered Mpendo on the ropes with his quick combinations as the rowdy crowd cheered him on. By the fifth round, Mpendo was ruled unfit to continue by the doctor and the referee ruled a technical knockout victory in favor of Neeco Macias.
Alberto Fundora (7-0, 3 KOs) of Coachella Valley put his record on the line against Cesar Ruiz (2-3, 1 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico. The crowd cheered him on as he knocked down Ruiz twice in the second round. Not able to make the count the second time, the fight was stopped at 1:56 and Fundora was awarded another knockout victory.
Making his professional debut and opening up the night, Jesus Sanchez (1-0, 1 KOs)of Indio, Calif. took on newcomer Gibran Gutierrez (0-2) of Santa Ana, Calif. in a scheduled four-round welterweight fight. Sanchez, who is trained by the famed Joel Diaz, quickly took control of the fight with his quick combinations forcing the referee to stop the fight in the second round. Sanchez scored his first victory and his first TKO on his record.
Also part of the non-televised portion of the night but fighting after the main event, Shane Mosely Jr. (5-1, 4 KOs) of Pomona, Calif., had his father and former world champion Sugar Shane Mosely in his corner when he defeated Daniel Henry (3-5-3) of Lewiston, Maine via unanimous decision.
Randy Caballero vs. Ruben Garcia was a 10-round featherweight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Born Bold. Doors opened at 5:00 p.m. and the first bout began at 5:30 p.m. The Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar broadcast aired live on Friday, February 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT., and streamed live simultaneously on estrellaTV.com and on YouTube via Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream began at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.
