Salinas native to fight for boxing world title Friday evening
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Boxer and Salinas native Ruben Villa is set to fight for a boxing world championship title in Las Vegas Friday evening.
According to Supervisor Luis Alejo, he will be the first world champion from the Monterey Bay area if he wins.
Villa is a graduate of Everett Alvarez High School and has volunteered with several local charities to collect items for homeless children and sponsor after-school fitness programs. Alejo said Villa will auction off several items, including the shoes he wears during the fight, and donate the proceeds to help farmworkers at the Alisal Resource Center. Villa's grandparents were agricultural workers and met while working in Salinas strawberry fields.
In 2018, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors named July 24 "Reuben Villa Day" in his honor.
“Salinas is very proud of our local champion Ruben Villa who is set to make boxing history. He’s always been a champion inside and outside of the ring,” said Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo. “I’m proud that he never forgot about his community and the many farmworkers who put food on the tables of millions of Americans every day, especially during this pandemic and all the California wildfires.”
The Monterey County Fairgrounds will host a live, drive-in showing of the event. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m. There are only 60 spaces available, and tickets can be ordered online here. Check your local listings to find out when it will air on television.
