Hernandez headlines familiar AVA fight card

In Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game — a contest that ended roughly 20 minutes ago — Fox invited former New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra to call the third-inning action with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

While his play on the field made him a legend, his bottomless supply of quotes (also known as “Yogi-isms”) made him an icon.

One of Berra’s most popular quotes? It’s d/jˆ vu all over again.

Even though he didn’t know it at the time, Berra inadvertently described tonight’s fight card at the AVA Amphitheater.

Casino Del Sol and Don Chargin broke Southern Arizona’s five-and-a-half month boxing dry spell on April 18 with an exciting batch of fights, including Freddy Hernandez’s 12-round dismantling of popular local pugilist Norberto “Nito” Bravo for the IBA Welterweight title.

Three months later, five fighters from that card — Hernandez, Bravo, Tomas Villa, Christopher Martin and Paulino Villalobos — return to do battle.

The old saying “familiarity breeds contempt” apprarently doesn’t apply to the sweet science.

In fact, repeat exposure helps a fighter connect with his audience. Hernandez and Villa — a Midland, Texas native who has seen his last three bouts hosted at AVA Amphitheater — say that Tucson is starting to feel like home away from home.

“I’ve slowly grown into this place,” Villa said. “I’ve fought frequently here and I’m starting to love it.”

Through an interpreter, Hernandez adds “The local fights fans around here are very supportive and knowledgeable.”

Hernandez (23-1, 17 KO) will headline tonight’s card with his second IBA title defense against Ghana’s Abdullai Amidu (18-1, 17 KO) in a scheduled 12-rounder.

Edvans Dos Santos Barros (9-5-1, 7 KO) was Hernandez’s original opponent, but a shoulder injury forced Barros to pull out at the last minute.

Chargin said Amidu came highly recommended from Oscar De La Hoya, so he didn’t hesitate in making the fight.

According to BoxRec.com, Amidu has never fought outside of Ghana. Despite a gaudy record, Amidu has faced less-than-stellar competition. Twelve of Amidu’s 19 opponents were making their professional debuts.

He might have to deal with some ring rust, as well. Amidu’s last bout took place on March 4, 2005.

In addition, Boxrec has Amidu listed as a lightweight — 12 pounds lighter than the 147-pound welterweight limit.

However, he does possess strong punching power. His 89 percent knockout rate attests to that.

Despite the sudden change of opponent, Hernandez said his approach doesn’t change at all.

“To be honest, I didn’t know anything about the first guy I was going to fight, either,” Hernandez said. “I just train hard and fight whoever they put in front of me.”

Villa (19-5, 12 KO) will move up to featherweight to take on Gilberto Sanchez Leon (18-4, 7 KO) for the IBA Featherweight title.

Villa is a Chargin favorite and one of the area’s more crowd-pleasing fighters.

The two title bouts will air live on Telefutura at 7 p.m.

On the undercard

Prior to the TV bouts, Christopher “Kid” Martin (10-0-2, 2 KO) will try to keep his undefeated record intact when he battles tough Nogales prospect Gregorio Torres (5-1-2, 4 KO) in a six-round junior featherweight bout.

Bravo (25-16-3, 14 KO), the former “Contender” star and AVA headliner, is scheduled to take on Roberto “Viejo” Valenzuela (44-38-2, 37 KO) in a six-rounder.

In the junior lightweight division, up-and-coming Nogales fighter Jesus Ruiz (5-0-2, 4 KO) takes on the veteran Villalobos (26-40-2, 16 KO) in another six-rounder.

Steven Macomber (3-4) and Abratlam Espinoza (pro debut) lock honrs in a four-rounder at 154 pouns.

Opening the card, Tucson’s Eric Woods (0-1) squares off against Los Angeles heavyweight Rudolf Louis (3-3) in a four-round bout.

The card opens at 4:30 p.m., with tickets ranging from $95 at ringside to the popular $15 lawn spot.

Visit www.solcasinos.com for more information.

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