San Antonio hosts Figueroa vs. Tennant main event on Aug. 23rd

Press Release

13/08/2025

San Antonio hosts Figueroa vs. Tennant main event on Aug. 23rd

Desi Martinez Promotions and Fighters First Management will present a night of boxing action on Saturday, August 23rd at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. The ten-fight card will be headlined by undefeated Justin Figueroa who will duel with Jarrod Tennant in an eight-round junior middleweight matchup. Also stepping into the ring is San Antonio native Javier “Pitbull” Rodriguez who faces Brandon Cruz in eight rounds of lightweight action; lightweight contender Justin Pauldo, who matches up against  streaking Said Chino in a ten-round showdown; and Edward Ortiz who takes on fellow San Antonio-resident Jose Sanchez Charles in a six-round super middleweight bout.
 
Figueroa (12-0, 10 KOs) will look to keep his record perfect as he returns to San Antonio for the second time as a pro, having dominated Christian Aguirre on his way to a unanimous decision in March 2024. Since then, the 26 year-old Atlantic City, New Jersey native has won four straight in his hometown, including most recently stopping Mario Gaston Rios in March. He steps in to face Tennant (9-5, 4 KOs), who’s gone the distance in losses to a pair of rising young fighters in 2025. Originally from Wisconsin and now fighting out of Los Angeles, Tennant dropped a March contest to unbeaten Cristian Cangelosi before going eight rounds with Leonardo Ruiz in June.
 
Rodriguez (17-3-3, 3 KOs) will compete in his hometown of San Antonio once again, after most recently returning to the Boeing Center to fight Brandon Gutierrez to a split draw in March. Previously the 31-year old had returned from an extended layoff with a unanimous decision over John Herrera in November 2024. Rodriguez first turned pro in 2011 as a teenager with a majority draw in his pro debut before reeling off a dozen consecutive wins. He’ll face San Diego’s Cruz (10-5, 7 KOs), who looks to bounce back after back-to-back defeats in his last two bouts. The 26-year-old had won four of five contests before dropping fights in August 2024 and February 2025.
 
Pauldo (18-2, 9 KOs) showed his mettle as a 135-pound contender in his last outing as he knocked out former champion Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in round eight of their February showdown. In earning that career-best victory, Pauldo showed his ability to recover from defeat, getting the big win after a split-decision defeat to Miguel Madueno in February 2024. Prior to Madueno, Pauldo had put together twelve consecutive wins since his first defeat, which came via another split-decision against Efrain Cruz in July 2015. He will be opposed by the 28 year-old Chino (25-12-2, 16 KOs), who enters this fight on a six-bout winning streak that dates back to September 2023. The 28-year-old originally hails from Tanzania and now fights out of Tennessee as he prepares to make his U.S. debut on August 23rd. Most recently, Chino scored a third-round stoppage of the then once-beaten Gael Assumani in February.
 
Another local aiming to impress his hometown fans, Ortiz (14-2-2, 5 KOs) looks to make it four wins in his last five outings on August 23rd. Most recently, the 33-year old scored a unanimous decision over Alejandro Avalos in May, while his last outing at this arena saw him dominate the previously unbeaten Symari Alexander in May 2023. He’ll meet another San Antonio resident in the 31 year-old Charles (21-6-1, 12 KOs). Originally from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Charles has faced several contenders throughout his career, including middleweight Yoenli Feliciano Hernandez, Vito Mielnicki Jr. and former world champion Austin Trout.
 
Rounding out the card are a series of Texas-based boxers as Del Rio’s Jesus Martinez competes in a six-round bantamweight attraction, Fort Worth’s Joseph Almajdi matches up against Santiago Buendia in a four-round battle of unbeaten junior middleweights and local junior welterweight Isaac Bermea squares off against Pedro Pinillo in a six rounder.
 
Plus, San Antonio’s Ethan Perez puts his undefeated record on the line in a six-round featherweight battle against Mexico’s Osmar Rodriguez Gamez, Converse’s Ramon Soto competes in a four-round featherweight tilt against Emmanuel Saenz, and undefeated San Antonio heavyweight Oliver Guerrero meets Jerome Aiken for a four-round fight.
 
“I’m excited to partner once again with Desi Martinez Promotions for our second event together,” said Jolene Mizzone, the president of Fighters First Management. “Desi and his team are truly great to work with—it’s refreshing to collaborate with a promoter who truly ‘gets it.’ I can’t wait to see Justin Figueroa in his first main event title fight, and I believe Justin Pauldo is just one step away from facing the biggest names in the 135-pound division. I’m also looking forward to watching Joseph Aljamdi showcase his skills for the fans—he’s definitely one to watch for in the future. Let’s not forget about all the San Antonio talent that is being showcased on the card as well!”