Thompson Boxing ends 23-year run with final show
ONTARIO, California – It was quite the ride for Thompson Boxing Promotions.
Friday nights at the Doubletree Hotel may not be the same again, but the Southern California-based promotional company went out with a bang Friday night.
Welterweight Louie Lopez may have knocked out Benjamin Lamptey in the main event, but the bigger story in this Los Angeles suburb was Thompson Boxing promoting their final card.
‘One Last Time’ was the culmination of 23 years of promoting fight cards and developing some of the top fighters in boxing, including world titleholders Timothy Bradley, Jr., Yonnhy Perez, and Danny Roman.
Other fighters Thompson Boxing promoted were former contenders Mauricio Herrera, Chris Arreola, Josesito Lopez, Darlys Perez, Jonatan Romero and lightweight prospect Ruben Torres.
The Doubletree Hotel became the home for Thompson Boxing’s monthly fight cards, launching the careers of the aforementioned fighters, including other Southern California-based fighters who never caught a break with other promoters. Their first card in May 2000 took place down the street at the Oak Tree Inn.
Thompson Boxing was founded by businessman Ken Thompson, a passionate boxing fan who passed away at the age of 85 on February 10. Thompson took a small promotional outfit that would become one of the major players in the sport, working with or co-promoting cards with the likes of Matchroom Boxing, Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions, and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
Lopez, who resides in Corona, California, is an example of what Thompson Boxing was all about. Lopez, with a modest to large fanbase, fought often on fight cards in Ontario and Corona. In his last fight on March 10, Lopez lost by unanimous decision to Angel Beltran.
On Friday night, Lopez utilized his quickness to attack the body to break down Lamptey. The tactic worked as Lamptey’s punch output dropped.
About a minute into round three, a right cross to the body dropped Lamptey to one knee. Lamptey beat the count, but was dropped again by a combination to the body. Lamptey remained on the canvas as referee Ray Corona counted him out at 1:22.
Lamptey, who resides in Accra, Ghana, falls to 13-12-2, 9 KOs.
In the co-feature, junior lightweight George Acosta broke down gatekeeper Edy Valencia, forcing Valencia to remain on his stool after the fifth round.
The 26-year-old Acosta, who resides in nearby Whittier, improved to 16-1, 3 KOs.
Acosta was the more-accurate puncher, outboxing the game Valencia throughout most of the fight. Valencia was able to connect occasionally, but was forced to fight defensively as Acosta would unleash combinations to the head and body of Valencia.
At the end of the fourth round, a right cross dropped Valencia to the canvas. Valencia was able to beat the count, but looked worse for wear as he headed back to his corner. After Acosta won round five, Valencia decided to quit, prompting referee Ray Armendariz to stop the fight prior to the beginning of the sixth round.
Acosta has now won his last nine bouts since suffering the only loss of his pro career at the hands of Ruben Torres in May 2019.
Valencia, who resides in the boxing hotbed of Culiacan, Mexico, falls to 20-12-6, 7 KOs.
Middleweight Nelson Oliva of Los Angeles improved to 8-0, 7 KOs, dropping San Antonio’s Jeremaine Chico Whittington (2-2, 1 KO) three times en route to a second round knockout. Time of the knockout was 1:57.
In welterweight action, Kevin Salgado stopped Izaiah Vargas (1-7, 1 KO) of Temple Hills, Maryland at 2:08 of the first round. Salgado, who is originally from Mexico City and now resides in Murrieta, California, goes to 3-1, 1 KO.
In the opening bout of the Thompson Boxing Promotions card, welterweight Esteban Munoz (7-3, 4 KOs) of nearby San Bernardino defeated Nelson Morales by unanimous decision. Scores were 59-55, 59-55, and 60-54 for Munoz. Morales, who resides in Scranton, Pennsylvania, falls to 4-8, 1 KO.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]
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