INSIDE THE RING: The Showdown at the Shrine boxing card airs live Saturday on KSAT.com

SAN ANTONIO – Coach Rick Nuñez and South Park Boxing Academy have a good problem these days: finding enough seats to meet the demands of boxing fans.

Once again, the second fight night at the Shrine Auditorium is already sold out and that’s where KSAT 12 comes in. Saturday’s games will be streamed live starting at 7 p.m. on KSAT.com and the KSAT Plus app, including the video player above.

Saturday’s “Showdown at the Shrine” headlines 19-year-old David “El Giro” Cardenas, who graduated from Edison High School in 2023. Cardenas (7-0, 5 KOs) faces Laredo’s 22-year-old Jaime Guevara (2-2- 1) in a light butterfly series match of six sets.

“He’s bringing his all. I know he’s a tough fighter. I know he’s put all his fighters through hell and I’m ready,” Cardenas told KSAT 12 Sports Tuesday night. “I know some people can’t make it, maybe out of town, they can watch it live.”

Cardenas turned pro a little over a year ago and won his last fight by knockout against Steven Angeles Cruz on the 6th. July in Floresville. This will be Cardenas’ fourth fight in 2024.

– I can adapt to any style, I feel like I can box, I can stay inside and fight if necessary, I have good footwork, Cardenas explained when asked about his fighting style. “I want to be one of the greatest. I want to help my family financially. Whenever I’m done, I want to be remembered as one of the greatest.

South Park Boxing Academy and Triple A Promotions expect nearly 3,000 fans to attend Saturday’s bouts at the Shrine. Among them are Spurs forward/guard Keldon Johnson and several of his teammates, according to Nuñez. Both Johnson and Cardenas met at the gym during training and a friendship quickly developed.

“He’s like my brother. We actually met in the gym. We were there training and we actually got in the ring and we’ve been close ever since,” Cardenas said. “Now we’re brothers, I consider him a brother. It’s just a blessing to have him in my corner.”

The undercard features Holmes High School alumnus Javier “El Indio” Fernandez, who is also undefeated. Fernandez (15-0, 7 KOs) will face Virginia’s Juan de la Cruz Rodriguez (13-24-1, 7 KOs) in a six-round lightweight bout. Nuñez also trains Fernandez on the south side.

“My main reason why I love working out here is because when nobody saw anything in me, my coach Rick Nuñez did,” Fernandez said. “He saw something in me from when I was at another gym. My old trainer didn’t believe in me, he didn’t think I would make it far. He (Nuñez) brought someone to come with me. He just told my dad, ‘When you want to take him to the gym, we can work.’ and since then I have been here and have not regretted it at all.

Von Ormy’s Richard “El Gayo” Medina is also on the card. The 28-year-old Medina (4-0-1, 1 KO) faces Eagle Pass’ Luis Gerardo (1-3) in a four-round ultra lightweight bout.

“For us, the key to winning is just doing everything we did here in camp,” Medina said. “My coaches Pete Cantu and Rick Nuñez, I’ve had another great camp, this is my third camp here. Just follow the instructions and everything we’ve been doing in the gym, we should be successful.”

When told about Saturday’s sold-out crowd and KSAT’s live stream, Medina said, “It’s more motivating when you hear the crowd, it’s a great environment, it’s motivating and it makes you perform better – you have so many eyes on you. There’s no more pressure. We know what we need to focus on and what the task at hand is.”

Daniel P. Villanueva has worked with KSAT 12 for over 21 years and is an award-winning producer. You can send story ideas by email dvillanueva@ksat.com