Home Entertainment ‘Downtown Throw Down’ kicks off tonight with weigh-in

‘Downtown Throw Down’ kicks off tonight with weigh-in

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Are you excited for tomorrow’s match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor?

Before it starts, you can get hyped for the big bout by swinging by downtown Lovington to watch local and regional fighters face off outside the historic Lea Theatre.

The Lea Community Foundation for the Arts and Hobbs’ School of Hard Knocks, 400 West Marland, will present an amateur boxing event, “Downtown Throw Down,” starting 4 p.m. tomorrow outside the theatre, 106 East Central. The Throw Down features about 16 amateur fights with boxers from across the region, with all funds raised split 50-50 between the theatre and school. Proceeds will benefit fighters from low-income families at the boxing gym and to purchase an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) unit for the theatre, according to Lovington MainStreet Executive Director Mara Salcido-Alcantar.

She confirmed that general admission tickets cost $15, while tickets for seating in the beer garden section have been reduced to $20. They may be pre-purchased at 201 South Main or starting 2 p.m. tomorrow.

“A lot of the ones that are competing this weekend are brand new.

They’re just kind of getting started, but we have several fighters from Hobbs that will be fighting,” Isidro Castillo, owner of School of Hard Knocks, said Thursday. “And then, I’ve got a number one ranked girl in the country — she’ll be fighting the number three ranked girl in the country.”

The No. 1 ranked female fighter, 16-years-old Amy Salinas, of Las Cruces, weighs 110 pounds and will face No. 3 ranked, Desiree Garcia of Dallas.

“The number one (Salinas), as she continues on her path of success, she’ll be representing the United States in the next Olympics,” he said. “She’ll be coming down to be a part of our show, which is pretty awesome.”

Castillo said the main event features two of his gym’s fighters: Hobbs’ Rene Ceriseres and Lovington’s Maximo Sigala. Overall, the teams participating in “Downtown Throw Down” hail from several New Mexico and Texas cities, including: Hobbs, Lovington, Roswell, Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Dallas, El Paso, Lubbock, Odessa and Sweetwater, Texas.

“It’ll have some professional fighters there,” he said. “They’re all going to sign autographs on one boxing glove, in particular, and we’re going to be raffling it off for a young lady that has cancer. We’ll donate all the money to her from that raffle.”

Lubbock native Orlin Norris is one of the professional fighters planned to attend. Norris is a former world champion who fought in numerous matches dating back to the 1980s. Overall, planned “Throw Down” teams hail from cities including: Hobbs, Lovington, Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Roswell, Odessa, Lubbock, El Paso, Dallas, Abilene and Sweetwater, Texas.

“We’re going to start at 4 and we look to be finished before 7 or 7:30 at the latest,” Castillo said.

He also urged people to come out and see the matches.

“I would just like to invite everybody to come out and see all these kids display their skills that they’ve worked so hard for,” he said. “They’ve worked really hard to put on a good show for everybody.”

A 6 p.m. weigh-in and press conference is planned for tonight at the Lea Theatre, prior to tomorrow’s festivities. A 7:30 p.m. showing of the 1976 boxing classic “Rocky,” starring Sylvester Stallone, is planned afterwards for $5 admission with two showings of 2015’s “Creed” on Sunday at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call 575-396-1418 or Castillo at 575-263-4942.

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