"It's a grudge match," asserts boxer Leslie Sonnenklar. "She's going down in 48 seconds flat." Sonnenklar is being facetious in predicting the outcome of her first non-kickboxing bout, but when she goes up against Chrystal Proctor on Tuesday, July 29, she won't be in the ring to read Proctor any sonnets. All but two of the nine matches on the card are kickboxing, including one actual grudge match, Cecil Tudor versus Oscar Montano, whose last encounter ended when Tudor tapped champ Montano on his cranium with a well-placed foot, scoring a TKO in the second.
The main event sees a four-round professional heavyweight fight between local Chris Gomez and 37-year-old rookie Dean Gutrey. "Gutrey's a late starter, I guess," says Hard Knocks Gym promoter Clement Vierra, who arranged the bill. Also on hand will be 11-year-old wunderkind Alyssa De Fazio, who is so tough they're having trouble finding opponents.
The fighting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Rodeo Nights, 33rd Avenue and Indian School. Call 602-279-3800 for details. - Henry Cabot Beck
Table Tennis, Anyone?
State title is up for grabs
Sun 7/27
The lightning-quick pace of table tennis, combined with the shot-making magic of its practitioners, has made the game an international favorite, but the sport still lives in relative anonymity here in the States. And while Westerners who call it Ping-Pong and play a slow-motion version of it on the table in the garage may never completely give it its due, there are those among us who thrive on the sport's entertaining and competitive nature. Get enthralled with the little white ball at the Arizona Closed Table Tennis Tournament from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the Arizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped, 1150 West Colter. Awards and prestige are on the table as aficionados compete for the title of Arizona's best. Registration is $10. For details call Wayne Johnson at 480-239-4384 or visit www.phoenixtabletennisclub.org. - Craig Wallach
'Backs in the Action
A weekend honoring fans
Sat 7/16
It's a fiesta this Saturday, July 26, at Bank One Ballpark. This month's installment of Sabados con los Diamondbacks ("Saturday with the Diamondbacks," for the español-challenged) will feature Hispanic-themed food, music and cultural entertainment -- a fitting tribute to the tens of thousands of Hispanic fans who support the team here in the Valley. The D-Backs will battle the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are currently nipping at the home team's heels in the National League West. Fans can get two-for-one $6 tickets in the Amigos Section with a coupon, plus the first 20,000 fans through the gates receive a free D-Backs cap, courtesy of Nissan. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 1:05 p.m. Call 602-462-6500 for more information. - Brendan Joel Kelley
