SOCA Fights once again SOLD OUT the Hangar at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa, CA for the third Fight Club OC show of 2024. It was another great night of fights in the mixed disciplines of boxing and MMA, and it featured a wide range of contestants from all over the southland and this great nation!
Opening the evening was Bakerfield’s Esteban Sital vs. Watsonville’s Eduardo Sanchez who were both making their pro-debuts in a 4 round, super bantamweight boxing match. Promoter Roy Englebrecht has debuted many fights who have gone on to have great careers, and Sital and Sanchez certainly aspired to be in that company. The bout was a solidly paced affair as Sital and Sanchez seemed excited to be fighting in the pro ranks. As the rounds mounted, Sanchez started to slightly edge Sital but Sital wasn’t going to lose his pro-debut without a fight. Ultimately, Sanchez did a bit more and that’s how he grabbed a majority decision in his first pro bout.
Moving up to the welterweight division for bout number two was Los Angeles’s Steven Shareef making his pro debut vs. Camarillo’s Julian Baez sporting a glossy 1-0 record! Scheduled for 4 rounds these fighters were very evenly matched. The action was similar to the bout with Sital and Sanchez and in the end, Baez spoiled the pro debut of Shareef and scored the second majority decision of the night. Baez’s record goes to 2-0 for those keeping score.
In contest number three, Fight Club OC again displayed the pro-debuts of lightweights Billy Jamal Timmons and Nesly Trezile in a 4 round bout. Timmons and Trezile, seemingly wanting to make an impression after the first two bouts went the distance, came out swinging! In this bout it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t going to go the distance. Timmons exploded in the second round and is now 1-0 with 1 KO as a pro.
Moving into MMA for a 3 round lightweight bout (and the 4th bout of the night), fan favorites Adam Garcia (2-3) from Los Angeles went toe-to-toe with Menifee’s Curtis Hill (1-3). These warriors certainly know their way around the ring, and in this bout they put it all on display. It was back and forth action all the way as Garcia and Hill, the only MMA bouts of the night wanted to make their presence known. MMA at Fight Club OC is always electric as the fighters know about the high caliber of mixed martial arts that has come before. So it was no surprise that, just when it looked like this bout might see the distance, Garcia turned things up and scored a third round KO!
In bout number 5, rising star, Boyle Heights’ Dorian Mendez (4-0 2KOs) went at it with San Marcos’ Raymond Benavides (1-3) in a 4 round super lightweight contest. Mendez has a high boxing IQ which he used to great advantage vs. Benavides. Mendez is truly something to appreciate in the ring because, if opponents try to brawl he counter-punches them until the fight is stopped. Opponents that try and box generally find themselves a step behind all night, and that was Benavides’s fate as Mendez took a four round unanimous decision.
The 6th fight of the night was a 4 round, light heavyweight match that was also a Tequila Mandala Young Champion’s bout. Rancho Cucamonga’s streaking (and brutal) Jaime Cerna (6-0-1 4KOs) battled Oxnard’s Simon Aristegui (2-3 2KOs) in a bout that was every bit as good and short as the fans at Fight Club OC thought it would be! Honestly, the first round had action in spurts but, once Cerna figured out his foe it was “Goodnight Irene” and he turned the lights before round number 2 without throwing a punch. Apparently, the doctor ordered the bout to be stopped and when the doctor says the fight is over… it’s over.
Turning out the lights in the 7th (and final) bout, was a hotly anticipated battle between Honolulu’s fast tracked Jordan Panthen (9-0 8KOs) aka The Mahalo Masher vs. Victor Toney (8-3-1 6KOs) from Youngstown, Ohio. Victor is a relative of the great James “Lights Out” Toney, and it was apparent from the start that Panthen was taking this bout VERY seriously. Having recently done a stint on the THE FIGHT (the Teddy Atlas podcast with Ken Rideout), Panthen’s personality has been coming out more as of late. He’s fought at The Hangar 4 or 5 times and only one of those bouts has been close to being competitive (and it also went the distance). Facing a very credible foe in Victor Toney, Panthen jumped on him from round one and was his usual relentless self. He was rewarded for his efforts with a third round knockout in this scheduled 8 rounder.
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Friends, we are now halfway through the year at Fight Club OC and every show seems poised to sell out! Join us again on August 29th from The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in beautiful Costa Mesa, CA! Grab your tickets HERE! Shows are still selling out weeks before showtime, and this shows no signs of slowing down because everyone knows this is where fights are guaranteed!