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Mancos takes on Ignacio in San Juan Basin League volleyball action

Bluejays won Tuesday’s match in straight sets

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Panthers win Tuesday’s match in straight sets

Joe Martinez eager to bring pro boxing back to Farmington39-year-old will return to ring for main event Sept. 13 at McGee Park Coliseum

AZTEC – Snapping of leather comparable to the sound of gunshots reverberate off the drywall that is slathered along the walls of garage. Classic rock music from the 1980s pours out of the radio and fills the room, creating a spirited atmosphere.The receipt of drudgery lays on the floor in the form of sweat. But the thing that draws the most attention in the converted gym is the focus of professional boxer Joe Martinez.Martinez will headline Farmington’s first professional boxing card since 1985 when he squares off against Jeremy Ramos of Colorado Springs for eight rounds of super middleweight action.The card features eight matches with six fighters from Aztec, Bloomfield, Kirtland and Farmington. The card also features El Paso native Jorge Tovar, who will put his undefeated record to a test when he takes on Elijah Sweat of Las Cruces.The fights, which are promoted by the School of Hard Knocks, begin at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at McGee Park Coliseum.Martinez carries a 23-8-1 professional record and jumps back into the ring five years removed from his last fight in 2019 when he defeated Arturo Crespin via knockout.

“I’ve been fighting in the main events in Ignacio (Colorado) for a very long time, and I’ve been wanting to bring a fight here in Farmington and we’re finally getting here after 39 years,” Martinez said.Born in Farmington and fighting out of Aztec, Martinez made his professional debut in 2004 when he defeated Phil Gurule by knockout, the first of 11 knockouts Martinez collected in his decorated career.Martinez has achieved marks such as becoming a National Golden Gloves champion, a junior Olympic champion, a Gene Lewis National Champion and earning the title of Gene Lewis outstanding fighter.The prized achievement of Martinez’s career came in 2005 when he defeated Vicente Garcia, winning the WBC Mundo Hispano Welterweight World Title. In that fight, Martinez broke his jaw in the first round and continued to battle for nine rounds to earn the victory by scoring decision. The fight gained so much traction that it was named the fight of the year in New Mexico.

Nicknamed “Ironman” by his youth church group, Martinez embodies every letter of that term.In 2006 and 2007, Martinez broke his hand in both bouts but continued to push through the pain to win both matches.“Boxing is one of those sports where you can’t rely on somebody else to come in and help you out,” Martinez said.The preparation to endure eight rounds of punches to various areas of the body requires a precise and dedicated training regimen.“We usually start training camp two months out because we have a certain method of peaking at a certain time,” Martinez said. “Increasing the weight of the gloves and increasing rounds to make sure you are in tip-top shape. Boxing every single night, hitting the track, hitting the hills. It’s crazy because it really is like a full-time job.”

As painful as it might be to watch a loved one take a few jabs and uppercuts as a profession, Joe’s wife, Erika Martinez, understands that she has an important role in her husband’s corner.“At the beginning, it was little tough to get used to because I didn’t like to see him getting hit. But as the years went by, you kind get used to it, and I am at that point that I get really pumped up for him and do anything that I can to support him,” she said.Because of pop culture icon Rocky Balboa, the general population thinks of boxing in the form of Adrian and Rocky from the popular film series. Important to Rocky (played by Sylvester Stallone), was his wife Adrian (played by Talia Shire). The same could be said about Erika, who has been with Joe since 2010 and handles all the background noise for her husband.“Taking care of the kids, making any runs for food or ice for his ice baths and of course the meals because they are always important to him,” she said. “I make sure that he is focused and has no distractions and being the behind-the-scenes lady.”Training is a crucial part of any boxing routine, but none could ever compare to the reason or purpose that gets a fighter to take that walk up those stairs and into the ring.

Over the course of 20 years, Martinez has come to understand that his drive and determination in the ring comes from external forces.“In the beginning I had always done it for myself, but now I have a family, and I do it for them too,” he said. “I train my butt off because I want to show them that through hard work there is victory.”The opponent in the red corner across from Martinez features a 12-15 record, including four knockouts. Although the fight will take place in front of a home crowd, Martinez’s focus remains the same.“I am taking this like any other fight, taking it extremely serious,” Martinez said. “The guy I’m fighting is a very serious contender, so it’s exciting to bring boxing back after 39 years, but it’s not distracting from the mission.”No matter the outcome, Erika Martinez is sure of one thing.

“I have never met anybody that works as hard as (Joe) has, and I have been around sports all my life,” she said. “His work ethic is ridiculous and motivating, and you will never meet anybody that works as hard as he does.”To purchase event tickets, call 505-436-9473. General admission prices are $35 each, and ringside seats are $75 each.

Joe Martinez eager to bring pro boxing back to Farmington

39-year-old will return to ring for main event Sept. 13 at McGee Park Coliseum

Photos: Four Corners Motorcycle Rally returns to DurangoAnnual motorcycle event held on Saturday

Photos: Four Corners Motorcycle Rally returns to Durango

Annual motorcycle event held on Saturday

Video: Aztec boxer Joe Martinez training to fight live in front of Four Corners fans

Martinez, who’s also fought live in Ignacio, will enter the ring Sept. 13 at McGee Park Coliseum in Farmington

Photos: Dove Creek football cruises to season-opening win

Bulldogs defeat Plateau Valley 32-12 on Friday night

Montezuma-Cortez volleyball goes 0-2 on home floor

Video: Four smoke stacks fall at San Juan Generating Station

Former employees and area residents watch decommissioned power plant’s smoke stacks fall on Saturday

‘Fire in the hole’: Four smoke stacks demolished at San Juan Generating StationFormer employees and area residents watch decommissioned power plant’s smoke stacks fall on Saturday

WATERFLOW – “Fire in the hole,” could be heard before the explosion that rocked San Juan County, bringing down the smoke stacks at the San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow.Former employees and area residents began arriving around 7 a.m. Saturday to find a place to park in a dirt lot opposite the decommissioned power plant so they could witness the 9 a.m. Aug. 24 destruction of the stacks.“I don’t know what I’m feeling now,” Justin Yazzie said, with tears in his eyes as he watched the towers fall to the ground. Yazzie, 70, worked at the plant for 40 years and retired as a fuel and water analyst in the water laboratory.

“I was practically raised there,” he said.Working shifts, which included 12-hour days, he spent more time with co-workers than with his family.Yazzie said he has a lot of “good memories” that he shares with his former co-workers and other retirees. Despite the loss of the plant, he said he still favors fossil fuel and accessing it “ethically.”

“We need it. The people need jobs,” he said.Yazzie said he lives his tradition and culture. He farms the land and has cattle, which he “under grazes.”“I want to take care of the land, take care of Mother Earth,” Yazzie said, adding he did his part by putting solar panels on his house.Yazzie said the San Juan Generating Station “provided a good life of growing up for our kids.”“It also saved and left a good pension and 401-K to live comfortably,” he said. “I mostly feel sad for the next two generations that won’t have the opportunities I had.”As a single mother, Coral Singer also found opportunities to support her child by working at San Juan Generating Station. Singer worked as a server before she attended San Juan College for welding. She got a job as a boilermaker at the plant as a member of Local 627.She said the staff was 75% Native American, and “it was their bread and butter.”“Now we have to travel to find work,” Singer said. “It’s a sad day.”

Singer’s son, Franklin Miller, watched the stacks go down while he was by his mother’s side. He said he will be happy to see the land reclaimed.“We don’t get precipitation like we used to, and the native plants used in ceremonies and medicinal purposes don’t grow here like they used to,” Miller said, adding he believes this is because of the coal-fired plants.“We have to go deep in the forest to find the medicinal plants,” Miller said, adding the plant’s demolition will “help clean up the air and bring back the native plants.”Tom Harper worked at the plant for 10 years in the computer department working on a 40-year-old PBX system and network switches. He said he had “mixed feelings” about seeing the smoke stacks go down.“It was a fixture for so long in the area,” Harper said. The plant opened in 1973 and originally had four coal-burning units. Units 2 and 3 were closed in 2017, and Units 1 and 4 continued operating until September 2022, when those two units were retired.Units 1 and 2 were jointly owned by PNM and Tucson Electric Power, according to a news release from the Western Clean Energy Campaign.Units 3 and 4 provided power to PNM, plus a mix of municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and as far as California, the release said.

‘Fire in the hole’: Four smoke stacks demolished at San Juan Generating Station

Former employees and area residents watch decommissioned power plant’s smoke stacks fall on Saturday

Aztec High football season in turmoil before opening gameNic Williams awaits word from school board regarding future as head coach

AZTEC – Parents and players representing the Aztec High School football team showed up Wednesday afternoon at the offices of the Aztec School district to support current head coach Nic Williams while the school district held meetings behind closed doors to determine the fate of the coach and other members of his coaching staff. More than a dozen football players, most of whom were accompanied by their parents, angrily sought answers from the board, which met privately with Williams who was put on paid administrative leave by the district earlier this week.In what was called a “predetermination meeting” with Williams and members of the board on Wednesday, the only news to come out of the meeting is that Williams will have a chance to defend himself against running a dangerous drill during a recent practice.

That meeting has not yet been scheduled, leaving many on the team to believe Williams will not be on the sidelines on Friday night when Aztec opens its regular season at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium against Rio Grande High School.An updated team roster on Maxpreps.com, which appears to have gone through numerous changes both before and after the Wednesday afternoon meeting, currently contains no one’s name on the active coaching roster. There had been as many as 11 names listed as either head coach or assistant coach before the roster was updated again late Wednesday evening. Aztec High School athletic director David Sweet denied there was a change at the head coaching position and that access to changes to the Maxpreps roster could only come from himself and Williams.

“There has not been a coaching change at this time and I did not implement that,” Sweet wrote in a text message to the Tri-City Record. “Me and coach Williams should be the only two people who have access to Maxpreps to make a change like that.”Players, many of whom have spent at least one or two seasons on the Tigers, voiced their frustration as they awaited answers from the board as to the status of their head coach.“It’s unfair what’s happening to (Williams),” said senior quarterback Angelo Griego. “He’s the first coach that we’ve had in awhile that’s believed in us and has given us a chance. Previous coaches haven’t given me a shot and now they’re trying to take it away from us.”Watch the interviews at the Tri-City Record’s YouTube channel, at: https://www.youtube.com/@tricityrecordnmWilliams was not informed of a coaching change at the Wednesday meeting and had no knowledge of the status of the rest of his coaching staff.“That’s for the administration to communicate with the public,” Williams said. “All I know is that I’m on administrative leave right now.”More than a handful of players who showed up in support of their head coach have suggested that they will not play on Friday if Williams isn’t on the sidelines.“This guy believes in us and these coaches are building us to not only be better players but better men,” said junior wide receiver/strong safety Jace Archuleta. “I appreciate our whole coaching staff and there’s just not going to be a football program if (Williams) gets fired.” In spite of the suggestion that players will not participate on Friday night, Williams wants his team to play and to win the first game of the season.“I love this place and I love these kids,” Williams said. “I wanted to make sure these kids were well-coached and make sure this community is happy. I want them to stay strong and play like you’ve never played before.”

Aztec High football season in turmoil before opening game

Nic Williams awaits word from school board regarding future as head coach

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