Boxing News Boxing News
The Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, CA will roll out the red carpet and welcome home one of their local young men who represented the 2008 United States Olympic Boxing team in China when on Thursday, April 23, Shawn Estrada, 4-0 (4), a former resident of Hanford, just a few short miles from where he will be fighting on Thursday night, enters the ring at Tachi Palace seeking his fifth consecutive KO victory in front of hometown friends and family.
Estrada, now a resident of East LA, will be in a featured four round super middleweight bout against Bismarck, North Dakota’s Nick Runningbear, 3-1, who promises to end Estrada’s KO streak.
In another four round welterweight bout between Estrada’s 2008 Olympic teammate Javier Molina, 1-0 (1), a John Glenn High School senior in Norwalk, CA, will fight pro-debuting Gerald Valdez, of Minot, North Dakota. Molina was the youngest member of the US team in China, is coming off a second round TKO of Jaime Cabrera in March at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
The third featured bout has hot prospect and Bakersfield, CA resident, undefeated junior welterweight Michael Dallas Jr., 7-0-1 (1), against the durable Marcus Brashears, 6-11-1 (2), of Amarillo, TX.
Featured on this stellar 11-bout card of boxing and mixed martial arts presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions and the Palace Fighting Championships in the main event is Cabofe Heavyweight Champion Manuel Quezada, 26-4 (16), who looks to take his next step towards fighting a world contender when he takes on Jeff Brownfield, 9-7 (4), of Omaha, NE.
Estrada is excited about fighting for the city of Hanford on Thursday and looks to continue his impressive professional start demonstrating the skills that catapulted him past the US favorites to represent their country in China, Daniel Jacobs and Fernando Guerrero, both established professionals today. “I’m really nervous coming home and fighting at Tachi,” said Estrada. “When I went to school here, who would have ever thought that I would be representing Hanford in a professional fight in Lemoore. It really is exciting and I can’t wait.”
A 24-year old with frightening power and an exciting style, Estrada attended Lincoln, Jefferson and Wilson Elementary schools and lived in Hanford for close to six years between the ages 7 to 12 years old.
The 19-year old Javier Molina, a 2007 National Amateur Champion and 2008 Olympian, comes from a fighting family himself and has made that family proud with over 110 amateur wins. Now the focus for Molina is continuing his rise in the professional field and utilizing his quick hands and knockout power to winning over the local Tachi fans.
“Since my first pro bout in March, I’ve been concentrating on having a sensational debut in front of Shawn’s hometown fans,” said the High School honor student Molina. “We were teammates for the US in China and now we’re teammates in Hanford.”
Dallas Jr., a stablemate of both Estrada and Molina, is fresh from a shutout win over Terrance Jett on April 11 underneath the Paul Williams-Winky Wright HBO event. The former amateur standout is making his fourth appearance at the Tachi Palace.
Tickets, priced $60, $50, $40 and $30 are available at www.tickets.com or the Tachi Palace Box office by calling (559) 924-7751.
