Albuquerque boxer Abraham Perez prepared to pummel

Abraham Perez's highly successful amateur boxing career has served him well during his so-far unblemished professional career:  poise, impeccable defense, punching accuracy,  attributes developed in competition against highly skilled opponents. 

Name recognition sometimes comes in handy, too.

In perusing the fight-by-fight record of Mexico's Adrian Ibarra (10-3, eight knockouts), Perez's opponent in the main event of Friday's pro boxing card at the Kiva Auditorium, Perez could see that Ibarra comes into the bout on a three-fight win streak — all three by knockout. Less impressive is the record of the three opponents Ibarra defeated in those bouts: a combined 2-13.

What caught Perez's practiced eye, though, was the name of the last fighter to have beaten Ibarra: Ari Bonilla, a former Mexican and Pan American amateur champion. 

The Bonilla-Ibarra fight was not close; Bonilla won by lopsided, 10-round decision. That Ibarra was able to go 10 rounds with Bonilla, though, made an impression. Though Bonilla and Perez never met in the ring, they were fellow travelers on the international amateur circuit.

"I feel like (Ibarra's) not gonna be a pushover, for sure," Perez said after Friday's weigh-in at the Embassy Suites. 

Ibarra's Take

Perez (12-0, six KOs) has said he's not overly fond of watching film of an upcoming opponent's previous fights, aware that fight plans can vary from opponent to opponent.

Ibarra, though, said he has watched some of Perez's previous bouts.

"He's an excellent fighter. He's a complete fighter," Ibarra said. "But I'm a complete fighter, too, so we'll see what happens (on Friday)."

Asked if he thought his superior knockout ratio would be a factor, Ibarra said he was counting on it. A victory by decision in Perez's hometown, he said, would be far less of a sure thing.

The title belt

The Perez-Ibarra bout is for the vacant North American Boxing Federation flyweight title. Perez has fought for and won titles before — WBC Youth Silver, IBA world, IBA Intercontinental — but, should he win on Friday, an NABF title arguably would be the most prestigious he has held — and perhaps offers the most direct route to something bigger still.

On weight (and off)

Albuquerque's Josh Torres (27-7-2, 15 KOs) normally campaigns at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. Because an injury and a cancelled bout have kept him out of the ring since June 2024, he opted to take Friday's bout against Salt Lake City's Christian Aguirre at the junior-middleweight limit of 154 pounds. 

Torres learned, however, that Aguirre wasn't going to make 154 and agreed to renegotiate the contract at 156. Then, before Friday's weigh-in, the contract was again adjusted to 158 pounds.

Friday afternoon, Aguirre weighed in at 159.4 pounds. 

So be it, said Torres, who weighed in at 156.6.

"I've been out of the ring so long that (Aguirre) could have been a heavyweight and I'm gonna agree to the fight," he said. "I just want to get in there and put on a great fight."

Another weight issue: Albuquerque's Codi Chavez (0-2) weighed in at 138.8 pounds for his scheduled four-round bout against Ashton Royal (1-14, one KO) of Omaha, Texas.  Royal weighed in at 145 pounds. The discrepancy didn't appear to jeopardize the bout. 

The card

 Seven bouts are scheduled. Of note: a six-round heavyweight bout between Albuquerque resident and Russia native Leonid Grachev (6-0-2, three KOs) and Albuquerque's Manuel Eastman (3-9-2, one KO).

The disparity in records is glaring, but Eastman's one win by KO — a first-round stoppage of Los Lunas' Cody East a decade ago — suggests he has at least the proverbial puncher's chance. 

Eastman weighed in on Thursday at 209.6 pounds; the much taller Grachev at 213.6. 

USA Boxing

In Lubbock, Texas, Las Cruces' Joscelyn Olayo-Muñoz defeated Valeria Macias of Pharr, Texas by split (3-2) decision on Thursday in a first-round, 112-pound bout at the 2025 USA Boxing amateur nationals. It was  Olayo-Muñoz 's first bout as an Elite Division (age 18-and-over) competitor. 

Peralta's Alexa Garrobo Castillo lost her first-round tournament bout by split (4-1) decision to Phoenix's Alisha Castillo in the 132-pound weight class.