The Night of Champions reigns in Salvador

Not even the rain that fell a few minutes before the start, dampened the spirits of the hundreds of Salvadorans who came to the Cuna del Mágico González to enjoy the explosive Night of Champions card.

The event, organized by the Salvadoran Boxing Federation (Fesalbox), was a resounding and memorable success. The card started with the fight between Mateo Martínez, from El Salvador, against Javier García, from Guatemala, in the 80 kilogram category.

Then  Fabricio Ortiz, from Santa Ana, and Jorge Navidad, from San Salvador competed in the 48 kilogram category, with Ortiz being the first winner of the evening.

The third fight pitted Salvadoran Angie Hernández against Guatemalan Nicole Salazar in the 48 kilogram category. After a tough battle, Salazar won. But the Night of Champions was not only about boxing, but also about entertainment, and the Salvadoran singer Grecia Canjura made an appearance, delighting those present with her magnificent voice.

Eduardo Maldonado and the Guatemalan Rodrigo García in the 48 kilograms, with Maldonado being the winner of the duel. Later, Nicole Umaña, from San Salvador, defeated Andrea Martínez, from Santa Ana.

Marjori Asencio defeated the Salvadoran Johana Rodríguez. In the 63.5 kilogram category, Daniel Tovar, from San Salvador, defeated Carlos Bogle, from Antiguo Cuscatlán, by a wide margin.

In the 60 kilogram category, Salvadoran Nicole Martínez defeated Guatemalan Abigail González. And in the last fight, the Guatemalan Brittany Castañeda beat the Salvadoran Gabriela Cárcamo in the 57 kilogram category.

And so it was time for the co-main event, in the 57-kilogram category, between Salvadoran Ivan Ramos and Guatemalan Kennet Castillo. Both boxers held nothing back and from the opening bell they brought out their best repertoire of punches and the pace was maintained throughout the four rounds. However, Castillo landed more punches and that earned him the win and the applause of the audience.

The grand finale of the Night of Champions was the main event for the WBC Amateur belt between the American-Salvadoran Sammy Contreras and the Mexican Antonio Lopez. The fight was dominated by Contreras who showed off his skills and that earned him the belt by knockout in the first round of the fight.

The evening also served to pay tribute to two historic Salvadoran boxers: Antonio “Baby” Ruiz and Wilfredo “Payaso” Navidad. Likewise, a plaque of recognition was presnted to Yamil Bukele, president of the National Institute of Sports (INDES) for his support of the sport.