For Alex Camponovo, as one door closes, another door opens.
Camponovo has made a name for himself working for promoter Don King and, more recently, as the General Manager and matchmaker for Thompson Boxing Promotions.
For 23 years, Camponovo put forth some of the best club shows under the Thompson Boxing banner, and moving the likes of Timothy Bradley, Yonnhy Perez, Jonathan Romero and Danny Roman to world title fights.
After the passing of Ken Thompson earlier this year, and the last Thompson Boxing card in July, Camponovo is putting his wealth of knowledge in the sport under his own brand.
Saturday night will mark the first fight card for CBN Sports and Entertainment at the Infinite Reality (formerly known as Thunder) Studios in Long Beach, California. The main event will be an eight-round bout between featherweights Rigoberto Hermosillo (13-4-1, 9 knockouts) of Los Angeles and Bakersfield’s Alexis De Luna (10-1, 5 KOs).
The card will air live on Fox Sports Deportes (11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT) and will air tape-delay on beIN Sports en Espanol and Estrella TV.
The switch from Thompson Boxing’s Friday night cards in nearby Ontario and Corona to Saturday cards could be met with a challenge from fight cards that will air on ESPN or Showtime and those streamed on DAZN. Camponovo believes one factor that will work in his favor will be the Southern California market, where several fighters reside and train.
Camponovo also believes putting forth a good product on televised cards will garner enough attention, satisfying networks that do business with CBN Sports and Entertainment.
“I understand the Southern California market,” Camponovo told BoxingScene earlier this week. “You have a huge number of fighters that either live or train here in the Los Angeles area, the Inland Empire (area). We have a huge pull of fighters that allows us to make competitive fights, whether for those in attendance or watching from home.
“Thompson Boxing was all about building relationships and it’s no different under this new promotion. The key is expansion and having the number of networks air our fights from the outset is impressive. We have these networks, but we are looking to add more, including Stars, which would reach out to millions of viewers.”
The Infinite Reality Studios has been utilized for several fight cards by different promoters in recent years. It is not the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario or the Omega Products International in Corona, but Camponovo believes the new venue for fight cards is an excellent choice.
“The venue is set for over 1,200 (including Standing-Room only),” said Camponovo, who is originally from Bolivia and now resides in Southern California. “The production value will be excellent and I’m really looking forward to seeing fans experience this new venue for boxing.”
Camponovo has played a role in the sport from matchmaker to translator to running a show from start to finish. He has an impeccable eye for talent and has put forth excellent cards at the club level for several years.
Despite being involved in the sport, Camponovo does admit to having some nerves as this new venture takes off Saturday.
“I’m beyond excited. Personally, I do have some butterflies. This is a great adventure and a new horizon. Thompson Boxing was a well-established promotional company, but I know this new company has tremendous potential for growth.
“It’s a lot of hard work. It’s exciting. I can’t wait for the chapters of this company to be written.”
Also on Saturday’s card will be a eight-round bout between junior welterweights Emiliano Moreno (6-0, 4 KOs) of Long Beach and Mexico’s Levy Garcia Benitez (3-0-1, 2 KOs).
Hard-hitting middleweight prospect Nelson Oliva (8-0, 7 KOs) of Los Angeles will face Selim Martinez Gonzalez (6-6, 2 KOs) of Matamoros, Mexico in a six-round bout.
Camponovo told BoxingScene the next fight card will take place on October 21.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene.com since September 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing