Last night at the Omega Products International Event Center in Corona, CA, Thompson Boxing Promotions hosted their first show with fans in attendance, titled “We. Are. Back.” The sold-out crowd was in full effect as fans were eager to see a great night of action-packed fights.

In the 8-round main event, super lightweight prospect, Ruben "Ace" Torres (16-0, 13 KOs) scored a fifth-round knockout against Richard "Diamante" Zamora (19-5, 12 KOs). Torres was methodical in his approach as he broke down Zamora with crisp accurate punches. In the opening round, Torres rocked Zamora with a powerful left hook that set the tone for his dominating performance. Zamora, who was in great shape, didn’t have enough fire power to keep off Torres’ attack. Zamora couldn’t withstand the punches he was taking from Torres and was stopped by a left hook to the body in the fifth round.

“I felt good going into this fight because I put in the hard work during training camp,” said Torres, who is from nearby South Central, CA. “I hit Zamora with a nice shot in the first round and I knew I had him hurt, so I slowly broke him down and got the stoppage. I feel with a few more fights, I’ll be ready to step up to higher competition, but I’m still young and I’m constantly learning. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to stay busy, my promoter Thompson Boxing is doing a great job building me. I’m hoping to fight two more times before the end of the year.”  

In the 6-round co-main event, hometown hero, welterweight Louie Lopez (9-1-1, 4 KOs), of Corona, Calif., defeated Demarcus Layton (8-3-1, 5 KOs) by way of unanimous decision. This was a rematch in which their first fight ended in a draw. This time, Lopez was determined to leave the ring with a victory, as he came out guns blazing from the opening round. Layton was doing his best to box and use lateral movement, as Lopez was coming forward. Both fighters were digging to the body early, but it was Lopez who was landing the more powerful shots. When the final bell rang, Lopez was crowned the victor. Scorecards read 59-55, all in favor of Lopez. 

“I really wanted to get the knockout, but Layton is a tough guy, and he wasn’t going down that easy.” said Lopez, “It was great to get the win in this rematch, especially at home in front of my family and friends. I’m ready to take on all challenges and I’m looking forward to my next fight.”  

In the third fight of the evening, featherweight Katsuma Akitsugi (6-0, 1 KO) defeated Dihul Olguin (15-19-4, 10 KOs), to remain unbeaten. Akitsugi outworked Olguin over six rounds by using his superior boxing skills. Olguin had his moments, but it wasn’t enough, as Akitsugi was landed more punches. Scorecards read 59-55 in favor of Akitsugi.

“With each fight I’m getting more comfortable in the ring,” stated Akitsugi. “I know I have a long way to go but I’m happy with my development. I have great trainers and soon I’ll be knocking on the door of a big fight. Right now, I’m focused on getting better in all aspects of my game.”

In the second bout of the evening, power punching super lightweight slugger, Miguel “El Explosivo” Madueño (24-0, 22 KOs), annihilated Manuel Martinez (6-4-4, 3 KOs), by way of first round knockout. A powerful left hook to the body sent Martinez to the canvas in the later part of round one. 

“Even though I ended the fight in round one, I felt I took my time to land that body shot,” Madueno said. “I didn’t just come out swinging wild, I set everything up with my jab and right hand. People are going to know my name more and more with every fight that I’m in. I’m coming for everyone in my division.”

In the opening 4-round super bantamweight bout, two undefeated prospects were putting their undefeated records on the line. Alexis Alvarado (3-0, 2 KOs), of La Puente, CA, defeated Lazaro Vargas of Indio, Calif (1-1, 1 KO), by way of a majority decision. Both fighters set the tone for the night with an all-action slugfest. Alvarado landed more power punches to edge out a game Vargas. Scorecards read 39-37 twice, and 38-38.

“I knew this was going to be a tough fight,” said Alvarado. “Vargas was putting his undefeated record on the line, as was I, so I knew I had to come out aggressive with a lot of pressure. I came out on top and now it’s on to the next fight. I’m taking every fight seriously and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”