'Showdown at the Shrine' boxing event attracts sold-out crowd in San Antonio- Cardenas wins - Spurs' Johnson, former Bexar County D.A. Lahood attend
Triple-A-Promotions and South Park Boxing Academy consistently draw crowds throughout the years
Triple-A-Promotions, along with South Park Boxing Academy, held their ‘Showdown at the Shrine’ boxing event at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium this past Saturday, attracting one of their largest crowds to date.
It had been over a year since I visited a Triple-A-Promotion event. Lately, wrestling has been taking a hold of my life (and I don’t mind it either).
Since Triple-A-Promotions runs quarterly, it was hard for me to attend events in person like I used to. Triple-A tends to run concurrent with 2x WWE Hall of Famer Booker T’s ‘Reality of Wrestling’, one of the top wrestling promotions in the world that I recently began doing commentary for.
Because Booker’s promotion is located near Houston, lately, I haven’t been able to go to a Triple-A-Promotion event. I had been wanting to go back to get an update, as I really loved their events, and their team has always been so kind to me.
On August 24th, 2024, I finally had an opportunity.
The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium was that the parking lot was more packed than I had last seen it.
“10 dollars.” The parking lot attendant was collecting the parking fee.
“How much would you charge me if I’m media.” I said, trying to bargain with the attendant. The attendant asked for evidence I was media. I showed him my receipts.
“Okay, five dollars.” The attendant said. I was in.
It was so packed, I couldn’t find parking for about 15 minutes. The cars in the parking lot seemed to have tripled.
As I arrived, I ran into Kristan Guerra, realtor and wife of South Park Boxing Academy owner, Rick Huerta Nunez. Before I entered the auditorium, she warned me that there was nowhere to sit.
She was right, because as I walked into the Shrine, I noticed there weren’t any seats.
My goal at this event was to find out how the crowd continued to grow in size throughout the past year. Was it a particular fighter? Was it the marketing? Was it the celebrity sightings? What is it that keeps a crowd coming back and growing throughout the years?
Luckily, I ran into World Champion boxing trainer and owner of South Park Boxing Academy, Rick Nunez.
I’ve seen Nunez grind his way to the top of the boxing food chain many years ago, when I first started covering sports in San Antonio.
My first encounter with Nunez was in 2017, when I won ESPN’s ‘Rock the Mic’ competition and solidified my spot in sports radio. During the time, I was a green sportscaster trying to find my voice. Nunez was co-trainer for Mario Barrios at the time.
Because I was green, I never got an opportunity to interview anyone who had a big name for themselves in the sports world at the time. Most of the time, I would have to do my own research and bring in my own interviews.
Upon researching, I found out about a young kid named Mario Barrios. Barrios was an up-and-coming fighter in San Antonio, and his team graciously granted me an in-studio interview at ESPN.
Barrios went on to become WBC Welterweight boxing champion with Nunez in his corner.
Although Nunez is no longer in his corner, when I speak to Nunez, he always speaks highly of Barrios and says they have a good relationship. Currently, Nunez trains a multitude of talented fighters out of San Antonio, to include rising local boxing star David Cardenas.
Throughout the years, Nunez has shared with me many stories about being in the world of boxing. He’s been extremely helpful with giving me great insight into the mind of a boxer, trainer, and promoter.
I’ve always felt like Nunez was one of the many underrated people in the sport of boxing, and deserves a lot more credit than he receives in the city of San Antonio - or Worldwide - for the matter.
But tonight, Nunez was extremely busy. In a quick moment of passing, Nunez said hello to me and pulled a wristband out of his pocket so I could try to find a seat within the boxing corral.
Shortly after, a kind gentleman asked if I wanted to have a seat in their reserved section inside of the corral. The gentleman was a friend of former Bexar County District Attorney, Nicholas ‘Nico’ Lahood. Nico was two seats down from me. Nico’s hair was trimmed perfectly, he wore a dark shirt, and was intensely watching the fight behind his rimmed glasses.
I asked Nico’s friend, “What brings you all here tonight?”
Nico’s friend responded, “We’re here because of the promoter, David Tenorio.”
Nico’s friend guided me to Tenorio, so I could get more information regarding the crowd size.
Tenorio, a promoter under Triple-A-Promotions and event coordinator, has worked alongside Nunez for years. Tenorio wears many hats to ensure each quarterly boxing event is a success.
“During our last show, it was extremely packed.” Tenorio explained, “We actually had to downsize our crowd this time, because it was getting too crowded inside the Shrine Auditorium, and people couldn’t fit.”
“What do you think contributes to you all having a big crowd?” I asked Tenorio.
“We put on great fights. Robert Tapia does a fantastic job as our matchmaker. Rick (Nunez), myself, and Robert (Tapia) are people who put money back into the show, not our pockets.”
Tenorio went on to explain that despite their promotion outgrowing the Shrine Auditorium, they loved remaining there.
“People love the location at the Shrine, and their parking is cheap at ten dollars. This place is clean. We always tell our food vendors to not charge above a certain price, and our alcohol is no more than eight dollars. We like to make our events affordable and a place people want to come back to.”
Since Tenorio was busy, I thanked him for his time. Before he walked off, he walked me directly to Nico Lahood so I could speak with him about the event.
Tenorio explained to me that Lahood helped him change his life around, and he considers him a big brother. He told me that if it wasn’t for Lahood, he would probably be in prison right now.
Turning your life around isn’t an easy thing for many to do, but tonight, Tenorio seemed far removed from the former life he once lived and was focused on the show.
Lahood, 52-years old, said it was an honor to be a part of Tenorio’s journey to redemption. He is proud of all the fighters in the ring and Triple-A and South Park’s event, because many of them come from tough backgrounds and turned their life around.
“I’m not surprised by the power of changing your mind and changing the way you live.”
Lahood began to detail his own past struggles which have made public headlines in the past.
“My story is a story of redemption,” Lahood explained. “I was arrested for selling drugs years ago. My brother was murdered in my driveway. I turned my life over to the Lord, and everything changed.”
Lahood’s reasoning for attending the fights as a fan is simple. “I love the fighting spirit. The worst thing that can happen between two people is combat. And in life, if you can’t handle combat, what will you really fight for? I respect and admire all of the fighters who step into the ring.”
Once I was done speaking with Lahood, I continued watching the fights. Located to my left peripheral within the corral was San Antonio Spurs player, Keldon Johnson and his parents- who I had recently seen at his basketball camp.
Johnson’s presence is common at Triple-A-Promotions, but his presence is secondary to his friend David Cardenas on these nights. Johnson tends to keep a low-profile during these events and accompanies Cardenas in his corner during the fights.
Once settled, I began to watch the middleweight fight of the evening. Christopher Argullo faced off against San Antonio native Corey Caad, a fighter wearing green and gold trunks. Caad comes from North East San Antonio neighborhood, ‘The Glen’. Caad appreciates promotions like Triple-A giving him an opportunity.
After his win against Arguello, Caad spoke highly of Tapia, the matchmaker for Triple-A-Promotions and South Park’s event. “We have a good relationship. Robert (Tapia), he’s about his business. A lot of fighters, they say that they want to fight, but when it comes down to it, they back out. They’ll give you trouble. Tapia knows I’m going to fight, so he puts me on.”
Caad says these fights have changed his life for the better. “(Tapia) has given me a platform to show my skills. (Each time he fights on their card) I get more fans, and I get to show my skills.”
He spoke about the importance of each fighter promoting themselves prior to the fights. “Any fighter who knows the business of boxing, knows how to promote themselves.” A factor he believes contributes to the outpouring of fans the day of the fight.
Caad further spoke on the crowd size and what he believes contributes to the the growth of the promotion. “I think they (Triple-A-Promotions and SBPA) make some entertaining fights. I think there were some evenly matched fights tonight. So you know, everybody loves a good fight, you get to drink a little bit, and have a good time, there’s no drama here. We leave the drama at home, and it’s just everyone having a good time.”
As I made my way back to the back end of the Shrine Auditorium, I got lost in the large building that I wasn’t familiar with.
Somehow, I made it to the back-end of the VIP bar section, hidden behind the main stage. Tenorio was assisting his girlfrend, who was bartending the VIP section.
Tenorio, who had introduced me to many people that evening and served as my guide throughout the night, introduced me to friends and sponsors of the event.
The first person he introduced me to was Tejano rapper Carlos “Zeus El Mero Necio” Cavazos. Although I had never met him before, Zeus’ personality was larger than life the second I we spoke.
Zeus’ and Tenorio proceeded to show me a video from KSAT 12 of Zeus singing on the top of a float with a double cup in hand during the 2024 Fiesta Flambeau Parade on behalf of Gamez Law Firm, a major sponsor of ‘Showdown at the Shrine’.
Tenorio and Zeus explained that Gamez Law Firm, the various sponsors, South Park Boxing Academy, and Triple-A-Promotions are like one big giant family. They made it clear that they all love supporting one another and hanging out together.
Zeus says he has been supporting boxing for a long time. He says boxing is a part of the Mexican culture and that eventually all Latinos end up fighting their dads in the front-yard.
He says watching the fights in person can help Latinos with their technique, and he believes one of the main reasons the crowd is so large is because people come here in order to learn how to beat up their own Dads.
I asked Zeus if Triple-A-Promotions and South Park Boxing Academy’s event was his favorite place to watch boxing in San Antonio.
He jokingly said ‘Showdown at the Shrine’ is his second favorite place to watch boxing, and introduced me to the place that’s his number one spot to watch boxing in San Antonio- popular San Antonio bar Hills and Dales’ Ice House.
Zeus laughed and allowed me to speak with Justin Vivek, owner of multiple bars in San Antonio to include popular spot Hills and Dales’, On the Rocks, and Babcock Social.
Vivek, an entrepreneur, has been juggling these bars for about ten years. Vivek supports multiple boxing events in San Antonio, and says he loves supporting Triple-A-Promotions and South Park’s event because he is good friends with Tenorio.
Vivek says his he saw boxing for the first time in person via a Triple-A-Promotions and South Park Boxing Academy’s show a few years back.
His perception on why the promotion draws a large crowd is largely contributed to his opinion that boxing is more fun to watch live.
Vivek says that as a business owner, he has loved watching the growth of these shows. He appreciates all of the logistics behind the event, and he loves the production. Vivek was complimentary and said these events continue to set the bar higher each time.
Vivek explained that each time he comes back to a show, he sees updates with their production, something Tenorio spoke of earlier in the evening.
As a business, he sees the updates on the television screens, the lighting and fire machines, and the liveliness of the event.
Like Tenorio said to me earlier, Vivek said he can tell they put their money right back into their shows.
After I spoke with everyone, it put things into perspective. Success behind a boxing event isn’t one solitary measure.
Success for ‘Showdown at the Shrine’ is a multitude of things. It comes from the fighters like Corey Caad who work hard to put on entertaining fights, promote, and do the work that others may not do.
It comes from matchmakers like Robert Tapia, who put together great matchups. Success comes from the logistics that Tenorio works hard to put together, a life far removed from his tough beginnings that spectator and fan of the promotion Nico Lahood helped him remove himself from.
It comes from the tireless hours Nunez and his spouse Kristan have sacrificed to pour into up-and-coming fighters to help them chase their dreams.
It comes from fans simply loving the art of boxing, and watching people get beat up.
It comes from the random sightings of top-performing athletes in various other sports.
As I left for the day, I ran into my son’s father, whom I hardly ever see in public.
My son’s father texted me in shock we were in the same place, he recognized me within the corral.
He was on a date with a beautiful girl, who he introduced me too. For their date night, they decided to attend ‘Showdown at the Shrine’ with friends and were sitting at a VIP table close to the ring.
He told me he was going to buy me something to drink.
As my son’s father handed me a bottle of water and a bag of Hot Cheetos, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, everybody really does come out here.’
It is safe to say ‘Showdown at the Shrine’ brings the entire city out.