Martinez vs Buchanan for WBC Muay Thai Middleweight title, Saturday at Pala Casino
Craig Buchanan, 18-3, of Victorville, CA, will defend his WBC Muay Thai USA middleweight title against the legendary James Martinez, 49-8, of Albuquerque, NM, in a five-round title fight in the main event of a 10-fight WBC Muay Thai card which begins at 7 p.m., Saturday, September 24, in the Events Center at Pala Casino Spa & Resort.
Popular local fighter Fernando Gonzalez, 17-10, of Murrieta, CA, will meet Heath “Cowboy” Harris, 29-9 (28 KOs) of Oceanside, CA for the WBC Muay Thai USA Cruiserweight title; and Shuichi Wentz, 13-3, the J-Network Champion from Tokyo, Japan, will fight two-time WBC Muay Thai International Champion Romie Adanza, 12-3, of Irvine, CA for the WBC Muay Thai International Super Fly Weight title. The undercard also features a three-round mixed martial arts fight between Sean McCulley of Costa Mesa, CA, the founder of L.A. Boxing, and Daniel Macha of Upland, CA.
Craig Buchanan is defending his middleweight title for the second time. He dethroned Peter Kaljevic earlier this year and won his first title defense July 30 with an unanimous decision over Jack Thames. Nicknamed “the Bullet,” Buchanon (16-3) is the owner of The Bullet Hole Training Center in Victorville. Like Martinez, he’s been sparring with his students and the other fighters from around the Inland Empire.
James Martinez was the U.S. representative in the World Muay Thai Council hit TV series, Contender Asia. Known for his devastating left hook, he’s also remembered for knocking out Rob McCullough, the World Extreme Cagefighting Champion at the K-1 USA fight in Las Vegas.
Fernando Gonzalez is a MMA fighter who’s crossing over into Muay Thai. He’s currently the number one ranked WBC Muay Thai cruiserweight and wildly popular on the Pala Reservation because he’s their head MMA instructor at the Pala Fitness Center. His opponent, Heath “Cowboy” Harris is the current International Karate and Kickboxing Council (IKKC) national champion. The San Diego, CA, native is known for his knockout prowess with both hands and high leg kicks.
Romie Adanza, who grew up in the Philippines, has fought all over the world. Unlike most fighters who go up in weight as their careers progress, Adanza has dropped weight, from 126 pounds to 115. On June 26, Adanza defeated China’s Haigang Huang to claim his second WBC International title at Resorts World in Manila. Wentz is an explosive fighter known for his nonstop action and relentless attack. He’s the current number one ranked fighter in the JPMC, the national sanctioning body for WBC Muay Thai in Japan.
The undercard includes:
WCK Muay Thai Middleweight bout, Luis Bio, 8-2, WBC Mexican champion, San Diego, CA vs. Ken Finister, 4-2, Temecula, CA, four-rounds.
WCK Muay Thai Middleweight bout, Jack Thames, 16-7, Las Vegas, NV, vs. Joe Davidson, 6-3, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, four rounds.
WCK Muay Thai Women’s Lightweight bout, Claudia Vidaurri, 11-3, Los Angeles, CA, vs. Kristina Alvarez, San Diego, CA, three rounds.
WCK Muay Thai Middleweight bout, Mike Ryan, 0-2, Chino Hills, CA, vs. Julian Lugo, Jr. professional debut, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, three rounds.
WCK Muay Thai Cruiserweight bout, Dave Nielsen, pro debut, Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA, vs. Jason Rzepka, professional debut, Fullerton CA, three rounds.
WCK Muay Thai Heavyweight bout, Pal Giroth, 1-0, Chino Hills, CA, vs. Joshua Rittenbury, 4-3, Imperial Beach, San Diego, CA, three rounds.
Tickets starting at $40 are available at the Pala Casino box office or at 1-877-946-7252 with no service charge. Tickets also available on-line at www.startickets.com, or by telephone at 1-800-535-3737.
About the Pala Casino Spa & Resort
Pala Casino Spa & Resort, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, includes a Las Vegas-style casino with 2,000 slot machines,15 poker tables and 87 table games; a 507-room hotel, a 10,000-square-foot, full-service spa and salon featuring 14 treatment rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center, swimming pool with 12 private poolside cabanas, and a dual-temperature outdoor Jacuzzi. Pala also offers 10 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Pala Casino Spa & Resort is a AAA Four-Diamond Award winner. For seven consecutive years its state-of-the-art Spa was named the Best Casino Spa by Spas of America. In 2011, Pala Casino Spa & Resort was voted Best Casino in San Diego by the public in the 10News.com annual poll sponsored by KGTV-TV 10 News in San Diego. For more information, visit http://www.palacasino.com.
About the organization, WCK Muaythai
Founded in 1989 by Dennis Warner and In Sync Productions, Inc., WCK Muaythai is based in Southern California and is the largest Muay Thai sports entertainment event in North America. The championships are held in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Beijing, Manila and other cities and feature top fighters from the USA, Japan, China, France, Thailand, England and Australia, including such world champions as Steve McKinnon, Craig Buchanan and Lerdsila “Mr. Lighting” Chumpairtour. Currently airing in regional sports cable networks across the USA, WCK is watched by over 500 million viewers worldwide. For more information visit www.wckmuaythai.com
