Golden Gloves state amateur boxing champions from New Mexico and Colorado will be eliminated on Saturday, the winners will form a team for the national championships.
The first bell for the Colorado/New Mexico GG Regionals is at 2 p.m. at FIT-NHB, 1010 Candelaria NW.
Team New Mexico is made up of those who won their open division weight classes at the 2023 New Mexico Golden Gloves Championships, held in Roswell this past weekend.
The two most recognizable names are Samantha Ginithan, 139 pounds, of Las Cruces, defending national Golden Gloves champion, and heavyweight Leroy Clark (203 pounds), defending regional champion.
Ginithan faces Colorado veteran Heather Cirka. Clark is set to face Marcus Good, who represented Colorado at the 2022 nationals at a lower weight (189 pounds).
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The Colorado team has benefited in the past from the presence of boxers from the United States Army team based at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. That tradition continues in the form of 112-pound Eli Lankford, 125-pound Jeremiah Perales and 156-pound Creighton Holmes.
Adrian Cisneros is opposed to Lankford. Elijah Aragon is expected to face Perales. Marcelino Delgado is confronted by Holmes.
Three New Mexicans, Lindsay McCabe (119 pounds), Alexa Garrobo (132) and Aleeza Mata-Hill (154), are unopposed at regionals and automatically qualify for nationals.
The Golden Gloves national championships are scheduled for May 8-13 in Chester, Pennsylvania.
NEW OPPONENT FOR PEREZ: Jeronil Borres of the Philippines stepped up to face Abraham Perez of Albuquerque (6-0, two KOs) in the eight-round main event of a Legacy Promotions pro boxing card at the Embassy Follow-up on April 8.
Borres (12-7-2, six KOs) replaces Tanzanian Mchanja Yohana (14-4, 12 KOs), who has had visa issues.
Fortunately, Legacy’s Aaron Perez – Abraham’s father – had Borres on speed dial.
Borres is no stranger to the area, having fought Albuquerque’s Matt Griego-Ortega in the main event of a March 2020 card at Isleta Casino & Resort. He gave an arm wrestle to the still undefeated Griego-Ortega, losing by majority decision in 10 rounds.
As Yohana likely would have been, Borres is shaping up to be probably the toughest test Perez has faced so far in his professional career.
Six fights are scheduled, with Albuquerque heavyweight Leonid Grachev (5-0, three KOs) and Bosque Farms light flyweight Katherine Lindenmuth (3-1, no KOs) due to fight.