Lovato seeks first pro boxing win
Argueta to vie in first UFC fight
Two Albuquerque-area fighters (or three, depending on how one counts a former Rio Ranchoan) are in action on Saturday.
In Denver, Albuquerque’s Amanda Lovato (0-1-1) will seek her first pro boxing victory when she faces Randee Lynn Morales (4-4, two KOs) in a scheduled six-round flyweight bout.
Morales lives in Denver but is a Rio Rancho High School graduate.
Lovato is on a bit of a roll. After losing her first seven pro MMA fights, she’s won her last two. Saturday, in the boxing ring, she’ll be going for three straight combat-sports victories. She trains at FIT-NHB. Morales began her combat-sports career with two appearances on Jackson’s MMA Series cards, one in Santa Fe and one in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2015.
Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jackson-Wink’s Daniel Argueta (8-0) is scheduled to make his UFC debut against Dallas’ Damon Jackson (20-4-1).
The fight is on the prelim portion of Saturday’s card, to be streamed on espn+ starting at 11 a.m.
Argueta accepted the fight a week ago after Derrick Minner, Jackson’s original opponent, withdrew due to injury.
On May 6, Argueta defeated Diego Silva for the then-vacant LFA bantamweight (135-pound) title. Saturday’s fight is at featherweight (145 pounds).
Argueta wrestled at 149 and 157 pounds for Wisconsin-Parkside from 2012-14.
UPCOMING: Rio Rancho’s and Jackson-Wink’s Steve Garcia (12-4) will travel to Singapore to face China’s Hayisaer Maheshate (6-1) June 11 on UFC 275.
Garcia won in the UFC ranks for the first time in October 2021, defeating Charlie Ontiveros by first-round TKO (ground-and-pound).
Garcia-Maheshate is on the prelim portion of a power-packed card headlined by light heavyweight title bout between champion Glover Teixeira and challenger Jiri Prochaska.
The card also features a flyweight title bout between champion Valentina Shevchenko and Talia Santos, as well as a rematch of the memorable 2020 strawweight title fight between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk — won by Weili via split decision.
Since, Zhang has lost the title to Rose Namajunas, who in turn lost it May 7 to Carla Esparza.
WELCOME TO THE PROS: Having a fight canceled is a rite of passage for any professional fighter. Bosque Farms boxer Katherine Lindenmuth now has been initiated.
Lindenmuth (1-0) was scheduled to have fought on Friday in Salt Lake City. Her opponent, Maryguenn Velinga, pulled out earlier this week.
Tony Rosales, Lindenmuth’s trainer, said he’s hoping to get Lindenmuth back in the ring in the next couple of weeks. In any case, Lindenmuth said, she’ll have a spot on Legacy Promotion’s next card in Albuquerque on Aug. 13.
CATCHING UP: Albuquerque amateur MMA heavyweight Billy Ray Valdez, featured in a Journal story in advance of a May 21 FightWorld MMA card at FIT-NHB, defeated Hobbs’ Erik Jimenez by second-round submission (rear naked choke). Valdez is 3-2. It was Jimenez’s debut.