Boxing promoter Arum thrilled to bring Top Rank back to New Mexico

Bob Arum has been a boxing promoter for 58 of his 92 years, starting with Muhammad Ali in 1966 and ending … who knows when?

On Wednesday, in a phone interview with the Journal, Arum seemed as engaged and enthusiastic as ever.

The immediate source of that enthusiasm, and the reason for the call, was the return of Arum and his promotional company, Top Rank, Inc., to New Mexico on Aug. 10 with a card at Tingley Coliseum.

It will be Top Rank’s 25th card in New Mexico, but its first since 2008.

“It’s nice to come back,” Arum said. “We’ve been away too long.”

The Aug. 10 main event matches Mexico’s Luis Alberto “Venado” Lopez (30-2, 17 knockouts), a Top Rank contract fighter, against Albuquerque native Angelo Leo (23-1, 11 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout with Lopez’s IBF featherweight title at stake.

“Venado has been with us for a couple of years now,” Arum said. “We’ve had him all over the world. … He’s been a road warrior for us. And he’s a terrific little fighter.

“Angelo Leo, the guys (Top Rank matchmakers) feel, will be very competitive with (Lopez). That should be a really good, competitive fight.”

In a co-main event that has stirred memories of Top Rank’s history with Albuquerque legends Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero, Duke City rivals Abraham Perez (10-0, five KOs) and Matt Griego-Ortega (14-0, 10 KOs) are scheduled to fight for the USBA flyweight title.

Arum knows little at this point about Perez or Griego-Ortega. But he’s excited by the prospect of two young Hispanic fighters from Albuquerque fighting on a Top Rank card in front of their fans.

Of the 14 fighters scheduled to perform on the Aug. 10 card — with two spots yet to fill — 12 are Hispanic. For Arum and Top Rank, especially west of the Mississippi, that’s where the bread is buttered.

“It’s a heavily Hispanic card,” he said, “because those are our fans.”

Here’s a look back at some of Top Rank’s previous New Mexico cards.

July 22, 1984, the Pan American Center, Las Cruces: Charlie “White Lightning” Brown defeats Las Cruces’ Louie Burke by highly controversial 10-round majority decision. It’s Top Rank’s first card in New Mexico.

Feb. 17, 1989, Manuel Lujan Building, NM State Fairgrounds: Mexico’s Primo Ramos, an Albuquerque resident at the time, defeats Chris Calvin by sixth-round KO. On the undercard, Tapia defeats Abner Barajas by first-round KO.

It’s Tapia’s first appearance on a Top Rank card. It would not be the last.

Of Tapia, Arum said, “He just made me laugh. … So off the charts. He could say anything, do anything.

“But when the bell rang, he was a hell of a fighter.”

Tapia fought nine times in New Mexico under the Top Rank banner, winning all nine.

Oct. 26, 1990, Manuel Lujan Building: Tapia defeats Venezuela’s Santiago Caballero by seventh-round technical decision after a clash of heads stops the fight. A drug test taken by Tapia that night proves positive for cocaine, and Tapia is out of the ring for the next 3 1/2 years.

Oct. 12, 1994, The Pit: More than 8,000 fans watch Tapia, back in the sport’s and Top Rank’s good graces, defeat San Francisco’s Henry Martinez by 11th-round TKO for the Albuquerque fighter’s first world title: the WBO super flyweight belt. In the co-main event, Romero defeats Marcos Pacheco by sixth-round TKO for the NABF flyweight title.

The Tapia-Romero drumbeat, already sounded, gets louder.

Aug. 17, 1996, Albuquerque Sports Stadium: In searing heat, Tapia defeats Hugo Soto by unanimous decision as more than 6,000 watch.

The late Cameron Dunkin, then Tapia’s manager, said Tapia had been MIA in training leading up to the fight — yet went 12 furious rounds with Soto before collapsing in the dressing room afterward.

March 8, 1997, Albuquerque Convention Center: In the lead-up to their showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada that July, Tapia zdefeats Jorge Barrera by third-round KO and Romero stops Jaji Sibali by fifth-round KO.

Romero had left Top Rank for South African promoter Cedric Kushner the previous year.

Of Romero, a world champion at 112 and 115 pounds who won his first title as a Top Rank fighter, Arum said: “I remember Danny was a warrior. … He was a lot less flamboyant than Johnny, and it was always the case where he was trying to catch up.”

The Tapia-Romero fight took place on July 18, 1997, not in Albuquerque but in Las Vegas. Fear of violence between the fighters’ fan bases prompted the decision.

Tapia defeated Romero by unanimous decision at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.

Nov. 25, 2005, Santa Ana Star Casino: Mexico’s Martin Honorio defeats Californian Steven Luevano by 10-round unanimous decision.

With no New Mexico fighter of note on the card, Top Rank nevertheless staged this nationally televised (Telefutura) card — and several others to come — within our borders.

Why?

As fond as Arum is of New Mexico, Top Rank vice president and matchmaker Bruce Trampler is more so.

“I know he’s looking forward to coming back,” Arum said.

Dec. 1, 2007, Tingley Coliseum: Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. defeats Albuquerque’s Ray Sanchez III by sixth-round KO.

Top Rank, Trampler in particular, had continued to look for the next Danny or Johnny — putting New Mexico fighters Sanchez, Austin Trout, Joaquin Zamora, et al, in front of the fans and the TV cameras.

None eventually passed the eye test — not even Las Cruces’ Trout, a former amateur national champion and 2000 Olympic alternate who would go on to become a world champion. A slick southpaw with limited punching power, he was passed up not only by Top Rank but every other major promoter until after he’d won his world title fighting in Mexico.

Nov. 28, 2008, Santa Ana Star Center: Jesus Soto-Karass defeats Hicklet Lau by second-round TKO. New Mexicans Zamora, David Proa, Lucas Galle and Arturo Crespin win bouts on the undercard of this, Top Rank’s last New Mexico card until Aug. 10.

“There are other places in the United States,” Arum said, “that might have been more appealing for a particular fight, and it’s like, out of sight, out of mind But we had this fight and scheduled it with Lopez and Leo, and it was a hook for Albuquerque.

“Trampler, who’s always been a big pro-Albuquerque fan, said, ‘Let’s go to Albuquerque.’ And that’s why we’re back.”

But will there be another 15 1/2-year gap between Top Rank cards in New Mexico?

“I hope we can continue (coming back), because the fans are so supporting, so enthusiastic,” Arum said. “Packing a place like Tingley with fans making a lot of noise is great television.”

And if Perez and Griego-Ortega make for great TV, and/or if Leo takes the IBF title from Lopez, one thinks Top Rank might be back sooner than later.