Steve Puterski
In two days, the best fight card the Fallon Fights has ever assembled will hit the canvas at the Churchill County Fairgrounds.
In addition, boxing fans around the country will get a glimpse of Fallon and its ability to host a premier event as ESPN2 will televise three of the fights.
For fans, meanwhile, the event provides another opportunity to pack the arena and cut loose. Great fans always make live sporting events better, and Fallon has its chance on Friday.
For those who say nothing ever happens in Fallon, well, something big will go off Friday. Reasonably priced tickets run as little as $12 for adults and less than $30 for ringside seats.
When is the last time we could say a major sporting event cost less than $30 for the best seats in the house?
While boxing has lost its grip in the American sporting concise, this event is one of the more unique shows in the sport. Few events are held outdoors giving the Fallon Fights a big advantage over other productions.
Fights in unimpressive ballrooms and casinos do not make good TV. Outdoor bouts, however, leave the door open for the unexpected to be expected.
For those too young to recall, the sporting world was rocked when James Jarrett Miller crashed a fight between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Miller’s crash, however, was premeditated as he landed his paraglider into the ropes of the ring during the seventh round.
His new name was dubbed the “Fan Man.” Coincidentally, Holyfield will be in attendance for Friday’s fights.
Although a new “Fan Man” is not expected to drop by Friday, Mother Nature may have a say.
Nevertheless, this year’s edition of the Fallon Fights puts the city in the limelight and gives fans — whether they love boxing or not — the opportunity to watch a legit title contender in Willie Nelson.
Also, the pro debut of Chinese boxer Zhang Zhilei, a heavyweight who starts his career in the only state his promoter — Dynasty Boxing’s Tommy Lane — says has the legacy and tradition to make it special.
A boisterous crowd plus good fights will make for a great show, not mention an excellent live broadcast. And the fight fans of Fallon have showed they are more than capable of rising to the occasion.
One fighter who will bring a large fan base is Reno’s Oscar Vasquez, who is making his fourth appearance at the event. Vasquez holds a 6-1 pro record with three wins coming at the Fallon Fights.
He will battle Sergio Lopez (2-1-1) of Las Vegas in what is expected to be one of best bouts of the night. Lopez, meanwhile, defeated Vasquez’s brother, Santos, earlier this year making this bout a family affair.
Also, fans will be treated to an international flavor with the aforementioned Zhilei and Hungarian boxer Norbert Nemesapati, who carries a 14-0 record into his fight.
When the dust settles, perhaps literally since it is the Lahontan Valley, another great show will captivate fans in Fallon and around the nation.
Steve Puterski is the sports editor for the Lahontan Valley News and can be contacted at sputerski@lahontanvalleynews.com.