It was a fun, exciting night for fight fans in the Phoenix area, as Ben Miranda Boxing Promotions held their very first boxing card. The atmosphere gave off a Las Vegas-esque vibe, as many attending dressed semi-formal as if they were attending a pay-per-view bout at the MGM Grand.
The Phoenix Convention Center was a great change of pace, a stark contrast to many local fights in the Phoenix area that usually are held at the Celebrity Theater, which oozes a dirty, underground feeling.
For a first showing, promoters Maritza Miranda-Saenz and Celia Carbajal definitely exceeded expectations.
These two young business women proved that BMBP isn’t a flash in the pan, one-and-done company.
On the contrary, it seems that BMBP is here to stay in the valley with whispers already circulating of a second event to be held in November.
(Celia Carbajal-L, Maritza Miranda Saenz-R)
There were six total fights on the night, the first three including young talent making their debuts or having had less than three fights on their record.
Tim Riddell started the night off with a bang, as he floored and KO’d his oppenent, Matthew Saenz, who was making his pro debut.
Riddell improved his record to 2-0 with 2 knockouts in the first round.
(Riddell-L Saenz-R)
(Riddell in Victory)
Mario Esparza was next up and beat down a very shaken opponent in Edgar Galavez who was making his pro debut.
Esparza won by KO before the 1st minute ended in the first round. Continuing the BMBP beat down was Paul Romero, as he earned a TKO victory over a game, but outgunned Francisco Castillo.
Next up was Emilio Garcia, who defeated Manuel Galavez by a stunning kidney shot in the middle of the first round. Galavez withered in agony as he rolled on the canvas before being counted out. With the victory, “Milo Time” pushed his record to 8-1 with 2 KOs. Galavez fell to 8-14 with 6 KOs.
(Emilio Garcia-R Galavez-L)
(Galavez on the floor)
The co-main event featured crowd favorite, Keenan Carbajal, as he took on Jason Tresvan who weighed 11 pounds more than “Kid Carbajal” due to being a last minute replacement.
Carbajal started the bout by using his long jab to set up his right hook. It was effective, as he knocked down Tresvan twice in the first round and knocked him down once more to end the bout in the second.
Carbajal’s famed trainer, Danny Carbajal, told me he had reservations about the matchup considering the huge split in weight, but had confidence Keenan could get the job done.
With the victory, Carbajal moved to 5-1-1 with 4 KOs.
(Tresvan-L Carbajal-R)
(Carbajal looking down on Tresvan)
In the main event, Andrew Hernandez fought Rollin Williams in a Super Middleweight bout. The only match to go all rounds, Williams stunned and scared the crowd at times as he caught and stunned Hernandez, who was the crowd favorite.
Hernandez took control of the pace and was the busier of the two, landing the more effective shots throughout.
There was a split among the media and crowd alike, as some had Williams winning going into the last round. Nonetheless, my scorecard resembled the judges, as they had Hernandez winning 60-54 twice and 59-55 once.
(Williams-L Hernandez-R)
(Williams-L Hernandez-R)
Overall, it was a great event, both in the excitement of the fights and the atmosphere downtown Phoenix brought to the Convention Center.
I, like many among the crowd in attendance, will be looking forward to the next event Ben Miranda Boxing Promotions stages.
All photos by PhoenixPitsPhotography
