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RGV Boxing News: Figueroa signs to fight on Mayweather vs Cotto card

The next fight for Weslaco lightweight Omar �Panterita� Figueroa (15-0-1, 12 knockouts) will be another big one.

After his last two fights aired on Showtime, �Panterita� has signed to box on the May 5 show to be televised by HBO from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas featuring Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto in the main event. It is uncertain at this point if Figueroa�s fight, since it will be on the undercard, would actually air on HBO, said Omar Figueroa Sr., the Weslaco fighter�s father and manager.

�Panterita� went to Indio, Calif., last week to begin training for his fight.

Figueroa Sr. said his son�s next fight came about because a contract was offered to them by Al Haymon, who serves as a promoter for a number of celebrities, including music artists and boxers such as Mayweather Jr.

�Al Haymon definitely offered us a great deal,� Figueroa Sr. said of the contract. �Omar is on his way up, and Al Haymon said he wants to make him a superstar. He said he believes in my son and he likes my son�s aggressive fighting style.

�This is going to blow Omar�s (boxing) career up high,� Figueroa Sr. added. �Al Haymon attracts a lot of celebrities and top boxers, so this is a great deal for us.�

Figueroa Sr. said the opponent for �Panterita� should be determined within the next week or so.

AMATEUR SHOW: An amateur boxing show with 15 fights planned is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 28 at STC Biker Bar & Grill in Elsa.

James Gogue, who trains pro and amateur fighters in Edinburg, said he is helping put the show together because he believes amateur fighters in the Rio Grande Valley currently have few opportunities to display their skills.

�Amateur boxing is the grass roots of pro boxing,� Gogue said.

One of the Valley�s top amateur fighters scheduled to appear on the show is junior lightweight Alexis �The Hurricane� Ni�o of Las Milpas.

�Alexis is a bruiser, and he�s almost ready for the pros,� Gogue said. �He comes at you. He�s relentless.�

Alexis� father, Cirilo Ni�o, was a welterweight out of Reynosa who once fought Roger Mayweather in 1994 in Las Vegas.

Other fighters set to appear on the April 28 show include Joel Rodriguez of Edinburg and Adolfo Alaniz of Edinburg, both Silver Gloves national champions, and brothers Enrique and Raul Casta�eda of Hidalgo.

For more information, call (956) 262-2453.

UPCOMING: Main Events, Arena Promotions and Anthony Cavazos Promotions are combining to present a �Solo Boxeo� show May 19 at Pharr Events Center. Corpus Christi lightweight Jerry Belmontes (15-0, five KOs) is set to fight in the eight-round main event against Ramesis Gil (7-5-5, five KOs) of the Dominican Republic.

The show will feature a 12-round heavyweight bout between Odlanier Solis (17-1, 12 KOS) of Cuba and Konstantin Airich (23-5-2, 17 KOs) of Kazakhstan. Solis is a 2004 Olympic medalist.

Valley fighters on the show include Felix Piedra, Raul Tovar, Omar Tovar and Angel Hernandez.

For ticket information, call (956) 475-3434.