Pico Rivera: It is only fitting that one of the great Los Angeles boxing champions will receive the first every Salute To Great Champions award, and that the champion will be Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez. On Saturday, June 25th in the boxing ring at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena as part of Opening Night of the inaugural Boxeo en El Pico Rivera boxing and mma series, Leonardo Lopez Sr and Fernando Lopez, the operators of the arena will present the Hernandez family with specially designed sculpture to signify the Salute To Great Champions award, and no one is more deserving.
Genaro is the first recipient of this award not because he was a eight time world boxing champion….not because he just recently lost his life with a rare form of brain cancer….he is receiving this honor because he is one of the classiest, most decent champions Los Angeles has ever produced!
With a sterling 38-2 pro record with his only losses coming from Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, and super featherweight world titles in the WBC and WBA, Hernandez has been a true Los Angeles warrior. Genaro was born in South Central Los Angeles, trained in South Central, sparred in South Central, and has kept himself grounded over the years by his ties to South Central LA.
The opening night action will feature a hybrid fight show promoted by Roy Englebrecht Promotions that will feature three pro boxing bouts and three pro mixed martial arts bouts, and will have a real local flavor. Headlining the six bout card will be two local fighters in separate bouts. Whittier prospect Humberto Zatarain who is trained by Oscar Muniz will look to stay undefeated and move to 2-0 and will face Martin Delgado out of Ontario in a lightweight matchup. In junior lightweight female bout, Maywood’s Lissette Medel at 2-1 will face Coachella’s tough Adriana Leal.
MMA action will feature Pico Rivera’s own 1-1 Matt Ruiz facing Duarte’s 2-2 Brandon Michael in a heavyweight three rounder, and Long Beach’s Sebastian Lopez at 1-1 meets North Hollywood’s 1-1 Carlos Urquilla at middleweight.
Other local fighters on the Saturday, June 25th show include Maywood’s Rigoberto Flores in his pro debut, and South Gate heavyweight Martin Santizo also in his pro debut.
Tickets priced at only $35 for floor seats and only $10 for Grandstand general admission. Tickets are on sale by calling 562-695-0747,
Pico Rivera Sports Arena is centrally located off the 605 Freeway at the 60 freeway between Los Angeles and Orange Counties
