Under the lights

The eighth annual Fallon Fights features a Hispanic flavor over the airwaves.

Television monster Univision Deportes will broadcast the bouts live on Aug. 22 at the Churchill County Fairgrounds, according to Fallon Convention and Tourism Executive Director Rick Gray.

In conjunction with the city of Fallon, Top Rank Boxing and Let’s Get It On Promotions, Univision is slated to broadcast several bouts including the tentative main event between Saul Rodriguez (17-0-1, 13 KOs) and Ramsey Lee Luna (12-3, five KOs) in an 8-round lightweight bout.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with the first fight at 6 p.m., while the live broadcasts airs at 8 p.m.

“It probably has more viewers than ESPN,” Gray said. “We think it’s a pretty good opportunity to get Fallon out there on a national stage.”

Last year was the first time the Fallon Fights, which was developed by the city of Fallon and Terry and Tommy Lane of Let’s Get It On Promotions, was broadcast. ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” aired several bouts and also incorporated pilots and sailors from Naval Air Station Fallon as part of its pre-match analysis.

However, Friday Night Fights went off the air on May 22 and was replaced by Premier Boxing Champions, which airs monthly.

“The whole landscape for televising boxing has changed, kind of controversially,” Gray said.

Top Rank, though, works consistently with Univision and its large audience. The reach of the broadcast, Gray said, has yet been disclosed by the two entities, although the bouts will be broadcast live in New York City.

“The pageantry and the lights with ESPN will be in place this year,” he added. “I think that adds a lot … and showcases the fighters better. All of that pomp and ceremony and pageantry will still be in place.”

Aside from perhaps a large international audience and Spanish broadcast, Gray said all the flare from last year’s production will remain at this year’s event.

Since Univision has retained the rights for this year’s broadcast, Gray said the marketing campaign has been amped up in the Hispanic communities in Reno, Sparks and Carson City.

He said bilingual fliers to be printed throughout Sierra Nevada Media Group publications (the LVN is one of six newspapers in Nevada and Lake Tahoe area owned by the company), while additional Spanish TV and radio commercials will also be aired.

Gray said billboards already have been purchased in Reno advertising the event.

“We are going to skew our marketing heavily toward the Hispanic community,” he explained. “I think the Hispanic (community) might follow boxing more than anybody these days. Our radio and TV spots will be pretty dense in the market.”

Yet another bonus is the appearance of Fallon Fights veteran and Reno boxer Oscar Vasquez. The Reed High graduate holds an 8-1 record with four wins coming at the Fallon Fights. It is slated to be his fifth consecutive appearance here and Gray said Vasquez cancelled a bout in Las Vegas to fight again in Fallon.

Vasquez is scheduled to fight Jose Manuel Toribio. The rest of the card, however, has yet to be finalized.

“We think one or two more wins will catapult him (Vasquez) into a title shot,” Gray said. “He brings a big contingent of friends, family and neighbors.”

Gray also is working on keeping the fighters in Fallon before the bouts as opposed to housing them at hotels in Reno as in past years. In addition, the weigh-in is scheduled to be at the Fallon Convention Center.

He also is aiming to bring a sort of fan fest to the convention center highlighting the event and perhaps the boxers.

“We are going to try and put everybody up in rooms here,” Gray said. “I’m thinking of doing a breakfast and lunch buffets. That would be kind of fun.”