Buena High graduate Ruvalcaba to fight at Commerce Casino on Saturday night
Iron sharpens iron.
Ricardo Ruvalcaba is a true believer in that phrase. Aside from the work he puts in the gym and in order to improve his skill set, Ruvalcaba has sparred against some of the top fighters in boxing.
It has paid off so far as Ruvalcaba has developed into an unbeaten prospect and is looking to solidify his standing in the sport.
Ruvalcaba will face Kenny Williams on Saturday night at the Commerce Casino. The four-round junior welterweight bout will be part of a nine-bout card promoted by All Star Boxing.
In his last bout on Nov. 5, Ruvalcaba knocked out Ryan Venable in the third round. The win, which also took place at the Commerce Casino, was Ruvalcaba’s first fight in the United States after all his previous bouts were across the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana and the state of Sinaloa.
Ruvalcaba (6-0-1, 5 knockouts) is glad to again fight locally as family and friends can watch him in person. All Star Boxing Promotions promoter Ed Holmes said Ruvalcaba sold more than 200 tickets for Saturday’s card.
The 22-year-old was born and raised in Ventura and attended Buena High School, where he graduated from in 2017. Ruvalcaba began boxing at Knuckleheadz Gym in Ventura when he was 10 years old and, late in his amateur career, notched a victory over Nico Ali Walsh, who is the grandson of Muhammad Ali.
As he grew older and turned pro in February 2020, Ruvalcaba sparred with other prospects and contenders in Southern California. Ruvalcaba has shared the ring in training camps with lightweight contender Ryan Garcia, former WBC welterweight champion and 2015 Pacifica High School graduate Victor Ortiz, 2015 Hueneme High School graduate Ricardo Quiroz, former world lightweight title challenger Mercito Gesta, and unbeaten junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez.
Ruvalcaba hopes to fight often in 2023 and build his brand.
“One of the goals for Ricardo is to fight four or five times this year,“ said Telio Ruvalcaba, father and manager of Ricardo. Ruvalcaba is trained by Carlos “Chino“ Espinosa.
Williams (4-8-1 1 NC, 2 KOs), who lives in San Antonio, has lost six of his last seven fights.
Results from Chumash
Professional fighters who live and train in Ventura County fought last Friday night at the Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez with mixed results.
In the main event, junior lightweight John Dato, who resides in nearby Santa Maria, defeated Santa Paula’s Jesus Rizo by unanimous decision. Scores were 80-72, 80-72, and 78-74 for Dato, who improved to 16-1-1 (10 KOs).
Rizo was game, closing the distance between the two fighters, but Dato utilized lateral movement and quickness to outbox Rizo, who fell to 12-2 (12 KOs).
In another junior lightweight bout, Oxnard’s Daniel Robles improved to 8-3-1 (5 KOs) by defeating New Orleans’ Joshua Draughter (4-4-1, KO) by unanimous decision. Scores were 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37 for Robles.
Light heavyweight Max Duran, who trains at H.I.I.T Sports in Camarillo, dropped Ventura’s David Tubbs (5-2, 5 KOs) twice en route to a first-round knockout. Time of the knockout was 2:25. Duran improved to 2-0 (1 KO).
Middleweight Noel Cavazos of Ventura defeated Bryan Martinez (2-4, 1 KO) of Paso Robles by split decision. One judge scored the bout 39-37 for Martinez while the other two judges scored the bout 40-36 and 39-37 for Cavazos, who improved to 2-0.
Weekend TV bout
In a clash of unbeaten super middleweights, New Orleans’ Sean Hemphill (14-0, 8 KOs) will face David Stevens (11-0, 8 KOs) of Reading, Pennsylvania, at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Friday night. The eight-round bout will headline a three-bout telecast on Showtime at 6 p.m.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star and for The Ring and Boxingscene. He can be reached on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Buena High grad Ruvalcaba to fight at Commerce Casino on Saturday night
