Destination: Las Vegas for Urquizo

DEPUTY EDITOR

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Rico Urquizo isn’t hard to find in Clovis. Just look for his yellow-and-red sports car emblazoned with an artist’s portrait of the Clovis boxer and mixed martial arts fighter on the side.

Now, the 32-year-old Urquizo is looking for recognition in the prime location for boxing. He makes his Las Vegas, Nevada, debut in a week when he takes on Kevin Newman II at The Palm Hotel and Casino.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Rico Urquizo preps for his Monday night workout. Urquizo will fight Kevin Newman II April 30 in a four-round bout as an undercard to the May 2 Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight.

The four-round, middleweight division (165 pounds) bout is part of a Thursday undercard leading up to Saturday’s long-awaited Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout. Urquizo and fight promoter Isidro Castillo of Hobbs aren’t sure exactly the number of other bouts or the fight order for Thursday, but said the event begins at 7 p.m. PDT.

“I’m excited,” said Urquizo, a three-time Golden Gloves state champion who stated his professional career two years ago. “I have an opportunity I’ve waited for all my life. I started boxing nine years ago, and it was always my dream to fight in Las Vegas.”

Urquizo has a record 1-2-1, and is coming off a loss two weekends ago in Corpus Christi, Texas.

“I didn’t lose it, but yeah,” said Urquizo, who goes by the nickname Shotyme. “They gave it to a hometown fighter.”

Newman, Castillo said, has a decorated amateur boxing career, and comes into the match with a 1-0-1 record as a professional.

“He’s got a pretty good pedigree,” Castillo said. “If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have been signed by Mayweather.”

Castillo agreed that Urquizo got slighted on the decision in Corpus Christi, and that Urquizo’s first professional fight was a similar situation. Castillo said the only drawback is that Urquizo again has to fight on someone else’s turf.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Rico Urquizo spars with Eric Suan of Force of One Monday night. Urquizo has fought professionally for two years and carries a record of 1-2-1.

“It’s always a concern when you go into another fighter’s hometown or an event sponsored by his promoters,” Castillo said. “Rico’s got to try to get the knockout, but he’s going to have to box smartly.”

Urquizo’s contract, signed April 16, calls for coverage of trip expenses and a payment of $1,500 — the same price as the cheapest public ticket for Saturday’s Mayweather-Pacquiao bout. The contract could have been for more, Urquizo said, but he agreed to a lower amount in exchange for travel arrangements for his coaching staff — including Castillo, who’s known him for about seven years.

“Rico’s tough, first of all,” Castillo said. “He has a lot of heart, and he makes for an exciting fight no matter who he’s up against. That’s why he’s been on most of my cards. He represents (his nickname) very well. He puts on a good fight every time.”

Following the fight in Las Vegas, Urquizo has fights scheduled for June and July. He and Castillo attempted to line up a boxing event in Clovis in May, but had talks fall through. Castillo said he will continue to try to line up a Clovis boxing night.