René Osvaldo Palacios Galván vs. Rafael Rosas Ramírez & Raúl Antonio Galaviz vs. Diego Andrade RBR

Interesting factoid: all three of Ochoa's opponents to date, including Muñoz, have been making their pro debut. It'd be funny if he kept that streak going until like 10 or 20 fights deep. Just nothing but debutants, ever.

 

Ochoa bossed the third, was going for the KO the whole time and had Muñoz on the ropes and in the corner constantly but the kid hung on and defended himsef.

Lalo losing his mind on play-by-play, calling the action muy rapido. MAB meanwhile just watching intently...wonder if he has a stake in Muñoz and is seeing an investment fizzle before his eyes? Or he's just really into it, but either way he forgot he's holding a mic and on the clock.

 

Ochoa deserves the nod IMO. Forced the bigger (but inexperienced) man onto the backfoot with an unrelenting offense.

"Explosivo" Muñoz needs some more fine-tuning and maybe better sparring to prepare him for a live body next time.

 

Good sportsmanship there as they await the scores, bowing to each other and the crowd, raising each other's fists, pointing and clapping to big each other up.

 

UD for Ochoa

 

Marco looks pissed. He keeps mopping the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief and half putting down his microphone before lifting it back up - plainly would rather be at home already.

It's only 73° in Casas Grandes right now, but guessing the venue doesn't have air conditioning or any ventilation. The fighters themselves are oozing, and even the fans have a little glisten (but unlike Barrera, they get to cool off with cervezas )

 

Juan Ignacio Jiménez Camarena vs. Brandon Aaron Soriano Díaz, 6 rounds @ welterweight

 

7 minutes - shortest gap yet!

 

I guess the common thread between "los tres guerreros" - Jiménez, Palacios, and Galaviz - is that all three hail from Casas Grandes. Even though Jiménez is a journeyman, Palacios a prospect, and Galaviz somewhere in between - they all have a loyal following here.

 

Brandon "El Capo" Soriano is also technically from the state of Chihuahua - but from over three hours' drive northeast, in Ciudad Juárez, just across the border from the USA. He got a few cheers but didn't get anywhere near the roaring pop from the crowd that Juan "El Peñita" Jiménez did.

 

Jiménez's best achievements to date are a draw with Karim Arce and an upset victory over previously unbeaten Brandon Douglas. Otherwise, if you've seen him, you probably saw him losing - against everyone from Vic Darchinyan to Arthur Villanueva in the previous decade, and Ruslan Madiyev to Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela in this one.

21 of 32 victories and 21 of his 24 defeats have come by KO.

 

Soriano hasn't fought since April of 2023.

He's a tall, lanky welter - probably has 3-4 inches on Jiménez, but his conditioning doesn't look to be in great shape. Already gassed and clinching early.

 

30-27 "El Peñita", on the frontfoot, working body and head, starting off every attack with a hook (favored combo being a hook-jab-right). Soriano flailing back at him with weak backfoot counter jabs, bending forward and tying up when he reaches the ropes.

 

Soriano sort of figured out how to box tall in the 5th.

 

El Peñita might have punched himself out in the first four...eating a lot of flush 1-2s at range, barely moving his feet.