Ricardo Cortez Headlines the Next Chapter
By Brian O. Blake, Doghouse Boxing (July 16, 2009)  
This Thursday night, it's California-based promoter Roy Englebrecht with The Next Chapter, the second installment of the long running AM&I Fight Night at the Tank series, which is held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Local favorite Ricardo Cortez will headline the event in an eight-round special attraction against Oakland's James Buggs (8-9-3).

Cortez (22-3-1, 15 KOs) looks to get his name back on the win column after two nationally televised
consecutive KO losses to Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland. Cortez, a familiar face at The Tank, who made his first stop there back in 2002, has not fought there since November of 2007, where he destroyed Joshua Onyango in just two rounds.

The durable journeyman James Buggs will be making his HP Pavilion debut as he too looks to return to the win column, as he is coming off of an eight round unanimous decision loss to Ronald Hearns in November of 2007.

The rest of the evening will feature four round bouts in their "You Be The Judge" contest where attending fans decide who they enjoyed most and at the same time will give that fighter a bonus of $1,000 as well as the AMI Cup.

Another part to the new format they they introduced earlier this year is the aspect of having red and blue teams where the winning fighter will earn a point for their team in a best of seven series. Each fighter on the winning team takes home an extra $300. Finally, in the event of a knockout the fighter with the quickest stoppage will be awarded a bonus of $500.

Some of the fighters to be featured on the card are Clint Coronel (0-0-1), Juan Tepoz (1-1), Maurice Slade (0-2), Claudia Gutierrez (Debut), and Fernando Barajas (4-2).

Fans in attendance will also get a chance to meet famed HBO World Championship Boxing analyst Larry Merchant, as he will be featured as the guest of the night.

Questions and comments can be sent to: BrianOBlake@yahoo.com


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