Armando Resendiz Added To Sept. 5 Armory Show, More MN Boxers To Follow?

Professional boxing returns to the Minneapolis Armory on Sunday, Sept. 5, in a card that features the Armory debut of unbeaten rising star Armando “Toro” Resendiz, a native of Mexico who plans to fight out of Minneapolis alongside world champions Jamal “Shango” James and David Morrell Jr.

Resendiz, who recently signed a promotional contract with Warriors Boxing, Boxing Major League and World Class Event Entertainment LLC, faces all-action fighter Marcos “Madman” Hernández in a 10-round fight at the historic Minneapolis venue.

The nationally televised card is headlined by a super welterweight clash between highly regarded prospect Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. (16-0, 14 KOs) of Casa Grande, Arizona, and tough veteran Brian Mendoza (19-1, 13 KOs), a New Mexico native now fighting out of Las Vegas.

FOX PBC Fight Night begins at 7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT and also features rising lightweight contender Starling “El Poli” Castillo battling former title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos in a 10-round fight.

There are still not a lot of details available regarding additional televised matches or off TV bouts but rumors have been making the rounds over the past few weeks. It does sound like Warriors Boxing, Tom Brown and PBC plan on featuring some local boxers. The boxer with the best chance to get on the show is Ve Shawn Owens. Celso Ramirez, and even WBA world champion Jamal James were hinted at but are unlikely.

James would be the long shot of the three as he was rumored as of July to be defending his title against Russian Radzhab Butaev. That bout has not materialized yet. Minnesotaboxing.com has confirmed that he and Owens have been “staying ready” for anything.

Armando Resendiz is a client of Warriors Boxing – and Luis De Cubas Sr tells me – Resendiz long term training plans include COD –but that won’t happen until – sometime after this fight. 

It was announced last November that Armando Resendiz would be relocating to Minneapolis to train at the Circle of Discipline. Those plans were pushed back because out of state sparring obligations and the relocation of the COD training facility which are not yet fully completed.

Resendiz saw an opportunity to advance his career in Minneapolis because of the Armory and its association with Premier Boxing Champions, which has brought eight nationally televised cards to the historic venue since April 2018.

“It’s a town where boxing fans really enjoy the fights,” Resendiz said. “Besides, there are a lot of Mexican fans in Minneapolis. I think it’s a good place to live and to train and the people really like boxing. I like to show my skills for people that really enjoy the fights. I can knock out people with one punch, but I prefer to box and think.”

Hernández (14-4-2, 3 KOs), fighting out of Fresno, California, has faced excellent competition, battling a litany of tough fellow rising contenders. The 28-year-old has twice faced former unified super welterweight champion Jeison Rosario, fighting to a draw in their first meeting before losing the rematch. He has taken down then-unbeaten fighters in Kevin Newman and Thomas Hill, and most recently fought to a draw against Brandon Lynch in January.

The Armory card also solidifies the Cuban connection to Minnesota boxing, which started with the emergence of WBA Super Middleweight Champion David Morrell Jr., a native of Cuba now fighting out of Minneapolis. Since his pro debut at the Armory in 2019, Morrell (5-0, 4 KOs) has quickly become a local fan favorite and a burgeoning star in the sport.

For his part, Resendiz has stepped up his game by sparring with boxers from the Cuban National Team. Mendoza is a second-generation Cuban who has worked with Cuban stars such as Yordenis Ugas, Erislandy Lara and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Style-wise, Mendoza says he likes to be smart in the ring, but he can also mix it up. He expects the Ramos fight to be an all-action affair.

“He’s going to bring a lot of pressure and he’s moving up in weight, so he’s trying to see if he feels more solid at the weight. As a team, we like to just prepare as best we can and then in the ring make the adjustments we need to — Plan, A, B, or C — whatever we’ve got to get through to get that win.”

Ramos, the nephew of welterweight contender Abel Ramos, has paved his way to stardom with highlight-reel KOs. Most recently, he dominated Javier Molina on his way to a 10-round unanimous decision victory in May. Prior to that fight, he had scored five-straight knockout victories following his only other pro fight that had gone the distance, which came in a June 2019 unanimous decision over Kevin Shacks. He has steadily increased the toughness of competition in 2020 and he has continued that trend in 2021 with Molina and now Mendoza. 

The card comes on the heels of Ugas’ upset win over Manny Pacquiao, one of the biggest fights of the year so far. With the win, Ugas flipped the script in the 147-pound division and thickened the plot for elite fighters like James, who holds the WBA’s regular welterweight title. James suffered his only professional loss to Ugas in a competitive 2016 bout, a fight James took on short notice.

Tickets for the Sept. 5 event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased at The Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.