On Friday July 26, 2021 Triple A Promotions staged an eight bout professional boxing card in Laredo, Texas. The event, held at The Laredo Energy Arena featured evenly matched bouts from start to finish, with the majority of match-ups being contested between boxers with similar records and experience. This was a refreshing get away from the unevenly matched bouts being offered by many promotion companies as of late, where the results of the bouts are almost a foregone conclusion before the bouts even start.
Professional boxing is a business and a sport but what makes it fun is when you don’t know what will happen and bouts are competitive. We all want to see our favorite boxers win and as fans we understand a boxer has to “build up” a winning record while gaining experience, but matching boxers up with opponents that offer little to no resistance cheats the paying customers and the boxer himself, because he gains very little in winning these type of matches. With that being said, congratulations to Triple A Promotions for the competitive bouts they offered us on Friday night.
The event featured many boxers from Laredo and the surrounding areas, but Houston’s Eric Manriquez may have stole the show with a beautiful display of boxing in a six round bout. Coming into the bout Manriquez held a record of 6-3-0 with 1 no contest, and was matched up with hometown boxer and rising prospect Jorge Ramos, who had gone 6-0 prior to Friday night.
Manriquez was an elite amateur who fought many of the best boxers available and was very successful, winning several regional and state golden gloves championships. He started his professional career with six straight wins, before having some personal issues and losing three out of his last four bouts, with his one win later being changed to a no contest. Due to his recent run of tough luck, Manriquez may have been chosen as an opponent for Ramos to display his skills and pick up a win, but Manriquez, now training with Rene Vasquez at Legions Boxing Gym in Houston, Texas, came to Laredo well prepared and ready to win.
The six-round bout was hotly contested as both boxers came into the bout in shape and with every intention of winning. Both boxers displayed high level boxing skills and both boxers were able to land hard punches at different points in the bout. It was Manriquez though that seemed to do the better work throughout the six rounds, boxing beautifully as I mentioned before, and also landing hard left hooks that shook Ramos and appeared to have given Ramos more than he expected from Manriquez. Although at 5’4 Manriquez was the shorter boxer by six inches, he was able to outbox Ramos from long range, mid-range, and in close quarters, getting the better of the majority of exchanges. Manriquez was on balance and in control for most of the bout and even though the judges only gave him a draw for his efforts, he seemed to have revitalized his young career with his spirited effort.
On a positive note for Manriquez, Floyd Mayweather Sr. was in attendance and watched the Ramos vs Manriquez bout. Floyd Sr. was so impressed by Manriquez that he took the time to speak to him after the bout and invite him to The Mayweather Boxing Gym to train with Floyd Sr. and the rest of The Money Team. This was a testament to top notch boxing education Manriquez has received throughout the years, being trained at different times by some of the best coaches in Houston including the late, great, Kenny Weldon, Monte Lane, Rudy Silva, Ronnie Shields, David Pereida, his father David Manriquez and currently Rene Vasquez at The Legions Boxing Gym in Houston, Texas. With his past personal issues seemingly in order and with an invigorated, fierce approach to boxing again, along with the lessons in big time professional boxing he will undoubtedly learn soon at The Mayweather Gym, the future seems bright for young Eric Manriquez.
