A former MMA fighter headlines a boxing card Saturday night at Ohkay Hotel Casino. Santa Fe’s Angelo Sanchez, who holds a 1-1-1 record with one knockout, squares off against Albuquerque’s Mark Morgenstern, who is 1-0 with a knockout of his own, in a four-round welterweight main event.
Sanchez enters the ring with a background far removed from traditional boxing gyms. He was previously described as a former MMA fighter, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, which noted he was making his second boxing match at age 41 when that card was announced. Morgenstern, for his part, is coming off a standout professional debut in which he controlled opponent George Roybal with his reach and knocked him out at the 2:01 mark of the second round, per the Santa Fe New Mexican.
The matchup is scheduled for four rounds at welterweight, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Eastman Gets the Rematch He Asked For
Sharing the marquee is a grudge-match rematch between Aiseah Achesa and Manuel Eastman. Achesa, an up-and-coming fighter with a 5-0 record and two knockouts, defeated Eastman by unanimous four-round decision on January 31, with all three judges scoring the bout a shutout, 40-36, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Eastman, who carries a 3-11-2 record with one knockout and has lost five of his last six fights according to the same outlet, reportedly asked Achesa for a rematch.
The two will face each other again in a four-round bout at the same venue Saturday. Eastman is not a stranger to upsetting the odds at Holmes-promoted events — back in 2015, he delivered a knockout over heavily favored Cody East that handed East his only professional boxing defeat, per the Albuquerque Journal.
Holmes Returns to Ohkay
Pat Holmes has quietly rebuilt a steady presence at Ohkay Hotel Casino after a nearly six-year absence from the promotion business, a stretch during which he said he had promoted or co-promoted at least 16 professional cards between 2012 and 2020, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Fight Buzz TV is set to stream the card on YouTube.
Rest of the Card Features Local Prospects
The card is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Ohkay Hotel Casino in Ohkay Owingeh. Aaron Martinez, at 5-4, meets Calvin Sheeley, who is undefeated at 3-0.
The Aiseah Achesa-Manuel Eastman rematch was scheduled as a four-round bout.
