Ferguson-Ochieng tops Salem, Oregon card

By Ricardo Ibarra

Oregon based Rogue Promotions will look to expand on the mixed combat sports series they kicked off in Medford last July, moving north to hold another all-day installment of ‘Arena Wars: Total Kombat’ on Saturday, September 16th at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center in Salem, Oregon, featuring boxing, MMA, and submission only grappling matches on the line-up.

Heading up the boxing portion of the card will be Pacific Northwest prospect Patrick Ferguson (8-0, 8 KOs), squaring off with one of his most experienced opponents to date in fifty fight veteran Raymond Ochieng (26-21-3, 21 KOs) in a six round heavyweight fight.

Ferguson, a former national amateur heavyweight champion, has been on an impressive run since turning pro last April, going unbeaten in eight fights and claiming all eight of his wins inside the distance, including a first round knockout of former world title challenger Rubin Williams. The Spokane, Washington fighter, who currently holds the #14 spot on the NABF’s cruiserweight rankings, last fought July 27th, stopping Ruben Roundstone in the first round.

Ochieng, a Kenyan fighter who now resides in West Palm Beach, Florida, has faced some stiff competition in his fifteen-year career. In 2014, he handed once highly touted Texas heavyweight David Rodriguez his second loss, stopping him in the first round. He’s currently on a four-fight slump, though against notable opponents, including losses in 2015 to rising heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller (L KO1), and Alexander Petkovic (Tech. Dec.10) in a bid for the vacant WBA International heavyweight title. In his two most recent outings, he was knocked out in the first by undefeated LaRon Mitchell in March of last year, and stopped this past February by Joey Abell in the second round.

Three more fights will make up the remainder of the professional boxing side of the card. In a five round Jr. lightweight contest, 21-year-old Blaiwas Eaglepipe, a popular local amateur, will make his pro debut against Felipe Medina (0-1); amateur stand-out Alex Cazac, of Portland, will make his first paid ring appearance in a five round cruiserweight fight against Justin Milani (1-5-1), of Pendleton, Oregon; and finally, Othello, Washington’s Abel Zayas (1-1, 1 KO) will square off with Portland’s David Combs (1-2-1) in a four round Jr. middleweight match-up.

The event, which will have the boxing ring and the MMA cage set up side by side, will kick off with an early morning session at 10:30 a.m., featuring an amateur boxing line-up of fifteen bouts and 15 to 20 submission only grappling matches. After an afternoon break, the action will continue at 7 p.m. with pro boxing and a scheduled nine pro and amateur MMA contests, finishing up what promises to be an action-filled show.

Tickets are on sale now and available at Vagabond Brewing and Combat Sports Center in Salem. For more information visit the Rogue Promotions 541 Facebook page.