Tag Archives: Footprint Center

Gabriela Fundora to Defend IBF Flyweight Title Against Christina Cruz Next Month

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Gabriela Fundora is going on the defensive….

The 21-year-old Mexican American professional boxer has agreed to fight Christina Cruz for Fundora’s IBF flyweight title on January 27 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, according to ESPN.

Gabriela FundoraThe fight will be on the undercard of the Jaime Munguia–John Ryder super middleweight bout.

Fundora (12-0, 5 KOs) won the title by defeating Arely Mucino by fifth-round KO in October. Fundora, ESPN‘s No. 2 flyweight, scored two knockdowns in that fight, showcasing power and great technique.

The fighter from Coachella, California, also earned decision victories over Tania Garcia and Maria Micheo Santizo in 2023, after fighting five times in 2022. Fundora was expected to face WBC, WBO and WBA flyweight champion Marlen Esparza to crown an undisputed champion, but that fight will have to wait.

Fundora is trained by her father, Freddy Fundora, and is the younger sister of former junior middleweight interim champion Sebastian Fundora.

Cruz (6-0), of New York, is the IBF No. 5 ranked fighter in the division. She competed three times in 2023, all one-sided decision victories over Josefina Vega, Nancy Franco and Amy Salinas. She turned professional in 2021 after a long amateur career of more than 130 fights.

This is a big step up for Cruz on her first title fight. She’s never fought more than eight rounds, and her opponents have a combined record of 38 wins and 31 losses.

Carla Esparza Defeats Rose Namajunas to Claim UFC Strawweight Championship

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Carla Esparza has added to her career honors…

The 34-year-old Latina mixed martial artist upset reigning champion Rose Namajunas to claim the UFC strawweight championship on Saturday.

Carla EsparzaIn one of the most bizarre title fights in UFC history, Esparza (19-6) upset Namajunas (11-5) via split decision in the co-main event of UFC 274 inside Footprint Center.

Two judges scored the fight for Esparza 49-46 and 48-47. A third had it for Namajunas 48-47.

According to UFC Stats, Namajunas landed just 38 strikes in the five-round fight. Esparza landed 30. It was a fight in which neither woman appeared to have any confidence in her skill set. Neither was willing to take risks. Namajunas defended Esparza’s takedowns but still refused to open up with her striking. Esparza marched forward at times with caution. She was mostly ineffective.

“You never want to be a part of a fight like that,” Esparza said. “I went out there and did my best and tried to come forward. I got the win, that’s what counts.”

One of Namajunas’ coaches, Trevor Wittman, begged her to be more active from the third round on, but her other coach and partner Pat Barry appeared to be happy with the game plan. It was obvious that all three wished to avoid Esparza’s takedowns. That was a key difference when they fought the first time back in 2014, in a fight in which Esparza took Namajunas down and submitted her.

Ultimately, Esparza moved to 2-0 over Namajunas — and it’s unclear whether the sport would even allow a third matchup to happen. This 115-pound contest will be remembered as one of the worst title fights in UFC history. After the first round, each fighter was credited with a total of three strikes landed, and the action never picked up.

Esparza, whose wedding is scheduled in less than a week, improves her win streak to six. Namajunas loses for the first time since 2019. It’s the second time she has seen a title reign end.

Marco Antonio Solis to Launch U.S. Leg of “Que Ganas de Verte” Tour in April

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Marco Antonio Solis has the urge to see his fans…

The 62-year-old Mexican musician, singer, composer and record producer is planning to hit the road once again, announcing his 2022 tour Que Ganas de Verte.

Marco Antonio SolisProduced by Live Nation, the Latin Grammy-winning artist will kick off the U.S. leg of his trek on April 1 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

He will then make pit stops in eight key cities including Orlando and Houston, before wrapping with a Mother’s Day celebration on May 7 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

On his new tour, Solis, who has 51 titles on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart — 11 of those No. 1 hits — will croon his timeless classics and newer gems.

The Que Ganas de Verte tour comes on the heels of the Los Bukis (helmed by Solis) historic nine-date stadium tour, where the iconic group reunited for the first time in 25 years.

The reunion tour scored the biggest Latin tour of 2021, earning $49.6 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Tickets for the 2022 Que Ganas de Verte tour go on sale at 10:00 am local time on Feb. 4 via www.marcoantoniosolis.com.

Citi card members will have access to presale tickets beginning at 10 a.m. local time on Feb. 3 via www.citientertainment.com.

Here’s the list of Solis’ U.S. dates:

Fri Apr 01 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
Sat Apr 02 — El Paso, TX @ Utep Don Haskins Center
Fri Apr 08 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
Sat Apr 09 — Sunrise, FL @ Fla Live Arena
Fri Apr 22 — Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Centre
Sat Apr 23 — Edinburg, TX @ Bert Ogden Arena
Fri Apr 29 — Tulsa, OK @ Bok Center
Sat Apr 30 — San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
Sat May 07 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena