Ring Wars XVIII took place on July 12 at the El Paso County Coliseum. The event was organized by King’s Promotions and showcased notable boxers such as Ivy “Poison Ivy” Enriquez, Nayeli Rodriguez and Jorge “El Jaguar” Tovar looking to maintain their undefeated records.

First Bout

Out of the blue corner hailing from Las Cruces, New Mexico, Devon Garcia mad his pro debut where he faced Fort Worth, Texas, boxer Avante Kamara, who was also making his pro debut.  This welterweight bout did not make it through all four scheduled rounds as Garcia was able to land a solid right where Kamara was against the ropes. Garcia kept attacking as Kamara was stuck and not countering with any punches. The referee intervened and called the fight to give Garcia the win by technical knockout (TKO). Kamara looked visibly frustrated after the match.

“[I’m] here to take out the whole welterweight division,” Garcia stated in his post-fight interview.

Second Bout

Las Cruces fighter D’Angelo Sanchez faced Rondarius Hunter of Atlanta, in a four-round super flyweight matchup. Sanchez started strong in the first round, landing clean shots. As a result, Hunter attempted multiple clinches with varying results forcing the referee to break up the clinches multiple times. Sanchez’s constant pressure paid off in the third round, with the referee calling off the fight and Sanchez taking the win via TKO.

Third Bout

The four-round heavyweight matchup featured El Paso boxer Marcos Duran (2-0) with all his victories coming by way of knockout (KO) and Vercell Webster (2-6-1) from Dallas, Texas. Round one witnessed both fighters trading hits, yet Duran landed some key punches. This bout had a slower pace with a technical showing of both competitors. In the fourth round, Webster landed big hits that sent Duran to the ground twice. After the fight, the judges would score the match 38-37 unanimously in Webster’s favor. 

“He was the better man tonight,” Duran said earning his first loss.

Fourth Bout

This six-round lightweight matchup included Andres Rey from New Mexico with an undefeated record of 5-0 against Gary Hampton from Fort Worth, Texas with a record of 5-2. Although both opponents were trading punches, Hampton got the best out of the trades and got precision hits on Rey. Hampton won by unanimous decision, giving Rey the first loss of his career.

Fifth Bout

Making her pro debut, hailing from Liverpool, New York, Damiana Andrello fought Enriquez from El Paso, Texas. The first round heard chants of “Ivy” from the crowd, with both fighters getting good hits. Round two was where Enriquez took over the momentum of the fight. Andrello struggled to gain control as her opponent did not stop the pressure. After all four rounds, it would be Enriquez’s hand that would be raised as the unanimous winner. The Team USA participant looks to keep her perfect record that is now 4-0.

Sixth Bout

The Queen of the Ring Championship belt would go for all six rounds featuring El Paso fighter Rodriguez against Alexis Mones from Fort Worth, Texas. The fight had a technical pace from the start with both opponents getting good hits. Rodriguez would swing the momentum in her favor with key hits. The bout was a constant battle with Mones clinching and later bleeding from the nose. Rodriguez won unanimously.

Seventh Bout

Undefeated fighter Tovar from El Paso would fight Joaquin Murrieta Lucio of Sonora, Mexico in the King of the Ring Championship match. During the fight, Tovar was the one getting the most out of the trades in punches with Lucio trying to get in clinches with some success. While Lucio was able to land big hooks, he fell first with one knee to the ground in the third round. The referee would stop the fight in the third round which gave Tovar the win by TKO to keep his perfect record.

Eighth Bout

The main event was Albuquerque’s rising star Abaraham “Hammer” Perez who was undefeated and Angel Geovanny Morales from Baja California, Mexico with a record of 9-3-3.  Perez would earn some combinations with decent contact while Morales would get some key hits. The Hammer took control over the bout that left Morales struggling. While the pace of the fight was not as fast as the other one, the technique seen in the main event was notable. After eight rounds, the Hammer would be given the unanimous decision to earn his 12th victory with no losses.

While many fighters, including Enriquez, Perez, Tovar and Rodriguez, add another win to their perfect record, Duran and Rey will have a “one” on their records.

Kristian Hernandez is the sports editor for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected] and social media tags @northeastvideography.