Sep. 28—Pat Holmes was through with boxing promotion. Done. No more.
It was January 2022. He hadn't promoted a card since February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sport for more than a year. He'd lost family members to the virus.
His sons Brandon and Pat Jr., both boxers, had long since left the sport. He hadn't missed babysitting fighters, haggling with managers, dealing with commissions — state or tribal — and trying to get paying customers through the doors.
"I'm not even thinking about boxing," he told the Journal. "… I'm not interested, not even the least little bit."
Now, however, he's doing more than thinking about it. And he's more than interested.
Holmes, a Santa Fean who promoted at least nine pro boxing cards from 2014-2020, plans to end a nearly six-year hiatus to stage a show at Ohkay Casino Resort Hotel, just outside Española, on Nov. 1.
The story was first reported by boxingnewmexico.com.
Holmes was never totally away from boxing; he owns and operates a boxing gym in Santa Fe. It is associations formed in the gym, he said, more than anything, that have brought him back to promoting.
Two of his fellow Santa Feans, Jerome Rivera and Angelo Sanchez, are listed at the top of his Nov. 1 card in separate bouts. Both men are far better known as MMA fighters than boxers — Rivera is scheduled to make his boxing debut on the Nov. 1 card — but have frequented Holmes' gym over the years.
Rivera came regularly to sharpen his standup skills in preparation for his MMA fights.
"He's always wanted to (box)," Holmes said. "… He'd come and train with Brandon (Holmes' son) and Tone (Española's Antonio Martinez), everybody.
"I think he feels it might help his UFC career, too, show off his skills."
Rivera, 10-6 as an MMA fighter, was 1-4 in UFC competition before being dropped by that organization.
Holmes has matched Rivera against the Dominican Republic's Rony Liranzo (0-1) in a lightweight (135-pound) bout.
Sanchez, 0-1-1 as a boxer and 14-6 as an MMA fighter, has been fighting professionally since 2007. Holmes believes Sanchez's bout on his upcoming card might be his last.
"Who knows? They're fighters," Holmes said. "… But I really do think this is his last one. This is kind of his way to share with everybody that's been to war with him."
Sanchez is scheduled to face Hobbs' Joe Garcia (0-1) at 170 pounds.
Espanola's Leanna Martinez (4-4), who has fought xx times on Holmes cards, is matched against Utah's Maryguenn Velinga (4-5-2) at flyweight (110 pounds).
Eduardo Piñon, who trains at Holmes' gym, is scheduled to make his pro debut against Albuquerque's Jose Vialpando (0-4) in a four-round super flyweight (115-pound) bout.
Albuquerque's Jesse Brannan is scheduled to make his pro debut against Tirell Allee (pro debut) in a four-round featherweight bout.
Holmes is seeking opponents for Albuquerque bantamweight Jorge Villaruel (1-3) and junior lightweight Fernando Paredes (3-0-1) of Lake Elsinore, California.
MEAN MACHINE: Albuquerque MMA featherweight Steve "Mean Machine" Garcia, who's among the UFC's hottest properties, will seek to extend his six-fight win streak on Nov. 1.
Garcia (18-5) is scheduled to face Uganda's David Onama (14-2) in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card at UFC Apex.
Onama's record — he's 6-2 in UFC competition — suggests he poses a significant threat to Garcia's win streak.
It's a major opportunity for both men. Garcia is the 12th-ranked featherweight challenger in the current ratings; Onama is No. 13.
