 "Photo: Jeffrey McWhorter, Daily Texan Staff")
For Jimmy Earl and the Frank Erwin Center, this Saturday’s Fight Night is only the beginning.
When asked how big he envisioned the arena’s growing interests in hosting boxing events, Earl, the Erwin Center’s associate director, couldn’t help but let a grin cross his face.
“I’d like to see a heavyweight championship of the world here,” Earl said.
The goal is admittedly a lofty one for Earl, who plays a major role in coordinating the Erwin Center’s events, but Saturday’s bout between Austin native Adauto Gonzalez and Miguel Delgado is a continuing effort by the Erwin Center to become a prominent center for Texas boxing.
Gonzalez (9-5, 3 KOs) fought at the Erwin Center during the summer in the latest edition of Fight Night, earning a unanimous decision victory for the Texas super featherweight title. Afterward, Gonzalez scored a spot on ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” program against Matt Remillard for the then-vacant WBC USNBC featherweight title.
The ESPN spotlight didn’t go as planned for Gonzalez, as he was eventually dropped twice for a fourth-round TKO loss to the undefeated Remillard. But now Gonzalez is back in his hometown looking for a bounce-back victory against Delgaldo (3-8, 3 KOs).
Gonzalez is known as a crowd pleaser for his punch-first, defense-second style of fighting.
“He comes and puts on a very energetic show,” said Gonzalez’s promoter and trainer Richard Lords. “He gets in there and starts throwing right off the bat.”
Gonzalez’s style may leave him open occasionally, but it could make for an entertaining show for Earl and the Erwin Center, who are trying to make the Fight Night brand a presence in the local boxing community.
The high point for Fight Night came during last year’s November edition when Randy Gatica and Gilbert Vera put on a show for the crowd during their Texas Welterweight Title Fight. Both Gatica and Vera brought with them local fame, with both fathers of the fighters owning gyms in Austin and having history in the Golden Gloves.
The fight lived up to the hype, with both fighters abandoning their defense and unleashing a fury of big blows. The controversial split decision for Gatica only added to the crowd’s excitement.
The Vera-Gatica fight has created a buzz for the Erwin Center that they have tried to capitalize on.
“[Fans] expect good fights now,” said Lords, who helped promote the fight.
Lords’ relationship with the Erwin Center has helped Fight Night. He has been one of the main promoters and organizer for the bouts.
For more than 20 years, Lords’ boxing gym on Lamar Boulevard has made a name for itself in the Austin boxing community, training many local fighters. With so many years of experience setting up fights, Lords said he can see the Erwin Center’s impact.
“The Erwin Center’s very user-friendly with us,” Lords said of his experience working with the arena. “They’re encouraging ... They want us to put on a show. It’s working out.”
Lords said putting on fights at the Erwin Center is slightly more expensive but he receives a quality of facilities that he hasn’t received in past venues, such as the Austin Music Hall.
“The dressing rooms are much more preferred,” Lords said. “In the Music Hall we were in broom closets and the custodians’ rooms.”
The Erwin Center has forged a place in local boxing with veterans like Lords, but the area is still looking to expand. Over the past year, arenas such as the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium and Austin Music Hall have been able to host fights big enough to be broadcast on ESPN’s legendary Friday Night Fights, a feat the Erwin Center has yet to accomplish.
“The problem is that the schedule that they work upon is a year long,” Earl said. “So they’re at the beginning of that process ... We make sure to let them know that we’re interested.”
Predicting that far in advance is difficult for the Erwin Center, which has to plan around the many other events it hosts. During the college basketball season, Texas calls the arena home for both the men’s and the women’s teams, and the Austin Wranglers played there during their time in the Arena Football League.
Add in the concerts, such as last week’s “Rock Band Live” show and the specialty shows, such as next month’s “Playhouse Disney” show, and Earl has a busy schedule to consider.
“They’re not going to play basketball in the Music Hall,” Earl said. “We have a wide variety of events, and boxing is just a part of that.”
Despite the busy schedule, the arena is continuing to grow its presence in the local boxing scene. Saturday’s Gonzalez-Delgaldo bout is simply another piece of the puzzle.
“I would like nothing more than [the Erwin Center] to be a premier spot for boxing,” Earl said.
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