Local boxing notes: Memorial Auditorium to host October card

Professional boxing is returning to Memorial Auditorium, venue for many of Sacramento's former top fighters and site of perhaps its most famous bout.

Longtime promoter Don Chargin has scheduled an Oct. 6 card at the historic 16th and J streets venue. The Saturday night show will be telecast by Fox Sports Network and feature Japanese welterweight prospect Yoshihiro Kamegai (21-0, 18 knockouts) against an opponent to be named.

There will be a companion 10-rounder, along with local boxers in preliminary bouts.

The card is part of a long-range plan by Chargin and his partner, Woodland promoter Paco Damian, who have been promoting frequently in Woodland and Fairfield.

"We want to build Memorial Auditorium back up again for boxing," Chargin said. "And to help celebrate opening night, we are inviting back some of the top fighters who developed their careers there – Pete Ranzany, Tony Lopez, Loreto Garza.

Except for a heavyweights-themed card in 2009, boxing at Memorial has been a rarity since the emergence of the former Arco Arena, which has hosted many major, nationally televised fights, including Lopez and Garza world title bouts.

Memorial Auditorium, however, was the site of arguably Sacramento's best fight, Bobby Chacon's off-the-canvas comeback win over Bazooka Limon for the World Boxing Council junior-lightweight title in 1982. Telecast by ABC and promoted by Don King, it was The Ring magazine's fight of the year.

Tickets are expected to go on sale next week.

Card revisions – Citing a rib injury suffered during training, local junior lightweight Stan Martyniouk has pulled out of Friday night's scheduled main event at the Red Lion Hotel Woodlake Conference Center Sacramento.

Promoter Nasser Niavaroni's reshuffled card, to begin at 7:30 p.m., will be a mixed lineup of four four-round pro boxing bouts, including Vacaville lightweight Max Becerra (6-0-1) and Sacramento super middleweight Mike Guy (4-0-1), a mixed martial arts fight and three amateur boxing bouts.

Tickets are available at the hotel's gift shop, Carolina's Mexican Food restaurants, Kico's Mexican Restaurant and Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville.

Woodland show – In addition to Sacramento, Chargin and Damian are promoting a Sept. 22 pro boxing card at the Woodland Community & Senior Center, with Fairfield super bantamweight Manuel Avila (9-0) in the main event against an opponent to be named and other area fighters in preliminaries.

Advance tickets are on sale at Paco's Authentic Mexican Restaurant in Woodland and Travis Credit Union.

• Read more articles by Jim Jenkins

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