Francisco A. Salazar
Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez has been growing in popularity lately.
Friday night will feature unbeaten junior middleweights Callum Walsh and Carlos Ortiz in a 10-round bout as the main event of Hollywood Fight Night, streaming live on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m.
Also on the card will be Carlos Balderas of nearby Santa Maria taking on Gilberto Espinoza Zarate in an eight-round bout. Balderas is a 1993 graduate of Channel Islands High School and is coached by former world champion Robert Garcia.
Qualifying begins at 6:30pm. Tickets are sold out.
“This is a great show that marks the return of 'King' Callum Walsh to California after main-eventing his last two bouts at Madison Square Garden in New York City,” promoter Tom Loeffler of 360 Boxing Promotions told The Star, “and it will also feature 2016 Olympic favorite 'King' Carlos Balderas fighting for the first time in his hometown at Chumash Casino.”
Loeffler has promoted and/or managed Gennady Golovkin, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, Shane Mosley and Kevin Curry.
Barrera (6-0-1, four knockouts), a flyweight boxer from Eastvale, has fought previously at Chumash Resort Casino, defeating Jonathan Almacen by two-round knockout in the second round on Feb. 23. His manager, Ray Chaparro, is the owner of Cafe Amuri in Oxnard.
Chaparro believes Barrera could be a promising fighter in a lower weight class.
“This is Chucky's first eight-round fight and it should and will be a big stepping stone for him,” Chaparro told The Star. “He's not taking Robles lightly and is actually very focused on this fight. He just got a new title sponsor. Chumash Casino has a great sponsorship deal with Chucky and he wants to put on a good fight for the fans.”
Robles (8-2, 3 KOs), a native of Zapopan, Mexico, who now lives in Lakewood, lost a unanimous decision to unbeaten Angel Gonzalez on Feb. 3.
Walsh is a former amateur standout from Ireland who now lives and trains in Hollywood under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, best known for training Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.
The 23-year-old Walsh (10-0, 8 KOs) last fought on March 15, stopping Kazakhstan’s Dauren Yerevsinov in the ninth round.
Ortiz (14-5, 14 KOs), a resident of Torreon, Mexico, won by first-round knockout over Bryan “Mura” Munoz in his last fight on Oct. 28, 2023. The 39-year-old Ortiz has won his last three bouts, including a knockout win over then-unbeaten prospect Evan Sanchez in June 2022.
Balderas lost a narrow majority decision to Nahir Albright in his last fight on July 28, 2023. He has won his previous five fights, four of which came by knockout.
The 27-year-old Balderas (14-2, 12 KOs) was previously promoted by Top Rank and recently signed a promotional deal with Tom Loeffler. He fought his first 10 bouts under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner.
Espinoza (13-2, 8 KOs), a Tijuana resident, has won four of his last five fights.
Chumash Casino Resort will host two more fight cards this year.
“Chumash was extremely pleased with the world-class boxing we presented and tickets to the show are already sold out,” Loeffler said.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star and is also a contributor to Ring Magazine. He can be reached on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.
