Last Saturday night more than 7,000 fans attended the “Legacy Night” professional boxing event at Gimnasio Nacional Adolfo Pineda in San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital and largest city. The event marked the inaugural international promotion by Los Angeles-based Toro Promotions, Inc., expanding its operations beyond the United States.
“Legacy Night” included five World Boxing Council (WBC) title fights. All the action was streamed live on aloudsports.com and Toro Promotions’ YouTube page.
“Toro Promotions’ first event outside of the U.S. was a tremendous success, drawing more than 7,000 fans in El Salvador,” Toro Promotions president Azat Torosyan proudly said. “The atmosphere was outstanding, and the audience responded with great enthusiasm to an evening of highly competitive and entertaining bouts. We are very encouraged by the reception and look forward to announcing the date of our next show.”
“Legacy Night” was an element of President Nayib Bukele’s broader initiative to position El Salvador as a hub for major boxing events. The El Salvador Boxing Federation has designated International Boxing & MMA Consultants, Inc. (IBMC) as the national athletic commission responsible for overseeing professional boxing and other combat sports within the country.
Red-hot World Boxing Council (WBC) Latino Heavyweight Champion Kingsley “The Black Lion” Kingsley (16-2-1, 14 KOs) extended his win streak to 11with his sixth straight knockout in the main event against former world heavyweight challenger Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington (21-7-1, 14 KOs).
Nigeria-born Ibeh, the cousin of infamous heavyweight Ike Ibeabuchi, hasn’t lost since 2021. The former Canadian pro football player, who lives in Phoenix, started the fight cautiously but he opened up and stunned Washington against the ropes near the end of the second frame. Kingsley came out for the third like a shark after blood, viciously knocking out Washington to add the vacant (WBC FECARBOX (Central American Boxing Federation) Heavyweight title belt to his growing display case.
“Kingsley is quietly becoming the heaviest-handed heavyweight in the world at full stop,” matchmaker Whit Haydon added. “This is the highest end, world-class power, and he put it on display yet again under the Toro Promotions banner.”
WBA Continental Super Featherweight Champion Austin Brooks (14-0-1, 6 KOs) successfully defended his title, taking a 10-round unanimous decision from Maxwell Montez (12-4-1, 7 KOs). The 29-year-old Brooks, fighting out of San Diego, put on a masterful display of pure boxing, dazzling his Nicaraguan opponent, who had won 5 of his last 7 fights with one draw.
Rated No. 12 in the world by the World Boxing Association, Brooks has positioned himself for a potential high-profile fight in a division ruled by world champion Lamont Roach, Jr. and Interim champion James Dickens.
California super lightweight Samuel Contreras (3-0, 2 KOs) plowed through his tough Mexican opponent, Cristopher Ramirez Moreno (4-5, 3 KOs), with an impressive opening-round knockout.
The popular Contreras, 21, was a standout amateur boxer, who was a 2016 USA Junior Olympic Champion.
Undefeated Nicaraguan super featherweight prospect Nilo Guerrero (11-0, 8 KOs), who now lives in Coachella (CA), took his first title belt home as a professional, using his experience to hold off his ultra-aggressive, fellow countryman William “El Chatel” Vargas (9-6, 3 KOs) in round one. An exceptionally tall super featherweight at 6’ 1”, 21-year-old Guerrero came back in the second round with a fury, throwing a flurry of punishing punches to stop Vargas, as well as give Guerrero the vacant WBC FECARBOX super featherweight title.
Twenty-year-old twin brothers, Ari Bonilla (4-0, 2 KOs) and Andrey Bonilla (4-0, 3 KOs), both returned home to El Paso (TX) with title belts. Ari, a former WBC USA super flyweight title-holder and 2022 World Youth Amateur Champion, won a 10-round unanimous decision over a game Asbel “Chocolatito” Bolaina (6-4, 0 KOs) for the vacant WBC FECARBOX Super Featherweight Championship; Andrey, a former WBC USA Bantamweight titlist and 2024 Mexican Elite National Champion as an amateur, overpowered previously undefeated Isaac Martinez Barragan (6-0, 2 KOs), of Mexico, and closed the show early with a sensational first-round knockout to win the vacant WBC FECARBOX Bantamweight belt.
California heavyweights Alexander “The Great” Flores (20-5-1, 18 KOs), wasted little time with Juan Torres (11-9-1, 4 KOs), who failed to make it out of the opening round. The 6’ 4”, 283-pound Flores, who has been in with world champions such as Charles Martin and Joseph Parker, had decisive physical and quality experience advantages over his Mexican opponent.
California heavyweight Jack “Outlaw” May (11-1, 10 KOs) outclassed Abraham Pascual (15-12, 3 KOs) to open the show with a powerful display, knocking out Pascual in the first round.
