Ve Shawn Owens Confirmed for Armory Show This Sunday, Resendiz Makes Armory Debut Ahead of MNPLS Move

Minneapolis boxer Ve Shawn Owens is joining an already impressive lineup on the Sept. 5 boxing card at the Minneapolis Armory, a nationally televised event that showcases a compelling mix of local and national talent.

Owens (12-2, 11 KOs), fighting out of the Circle of Discipline Gym alongside world champions Jamal “Shango” James and David Morrell Jr., takes on Michael Ogundo (16-12, 13 KOs) in a junior welterweight showdown. Owens, an emerging Armory fan favorite, is coming off an impressive TKO win over Joseph Francisco on June 27 at the Armory. Ogundo, a native of Kenya now fighting out of Quincy, Massachusetts, scored a TKO victory over Paulo DeSouza in his most recent fight. 

The card also features the Armory debut of unbeaten rising star Armando “Toro” Resendiz (12-0, 8 KOs), a native of Mexico who plans to fight out of Minneapolis with the Circle of Discipline team.

Resendiz, who recently signed a promotional contract with Warriors Boxing, Boxing Major League and World Class Event Entertainment LLC, faces all-action fighter Marcos “Madman” Hernández in a 10-round fight at the historic Minneapolis venue.

The card is headlined by a super welterweight clash between highly regarded prospect Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. (16-0, 14 KOs) of Casa Grande, Arizona, and tough veteran Brian Mendoza (19-1, 13 KOs), a New Mexico native now fighting out of Las Vegas.

FOX PBC Fight Night begins at 7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT and also features rising lightweight contender Starling “El Poli” Castillo battling former title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos in a 10-round fight.

Owens dropped Francisco multiple times last time out at the Armory on June 27th. He told MinnesotaBoxing.com that while feeling amazing, he was also critical of his performance and plans to one-up that TKO win next Sunday night.

“I felt amazing shape wise being in the ring and when the fight was over I was speaking to my corner saying “dang, I’m not done yet, I was starting to heat up”! “I’m very critical of myself, if everybody says I looked amazing and I felt I was terrible, I was terrible. Not saying I was though (laughing)! But I know I could have calculated far more then I did in that fight. My power and speed were still on point including my head movement. The guy was fast and he definitely lived up to his name but I started to catch his rhythm and he was pretty much out of resources after that. The win felt great but I know I can perform better and plan to.”

Owens said he’s excited to return to the Armory for the fifth time in his career. The junior welterweight is 3-1 so far at the Armory, with the only loss coming to Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora, an unbeaten 6’-6” fighter now ranked in the top 10 in the world at junior middleweight.

“I’m so pumped. There’s just something about the Armory,” Owens said. “The energy there is so amazing. I say this all the time, but Minnesota boxing fans are the best fans in the world. No matter what they’re going to root for you, even if they don’t know you. They’re going to go crazy for you.

“And I’m just so glad that it’s in the heart of Minneapolis. We don’t have to go two hours out or in the middle of nowhere. It’s right there in the city, downtown, and that’s what I love about it.”

After fighting most of his career at 147 pounds or higher, Owens will step through the ropes for the second time in a row at junior welterweight, which has a 140-pound weight limit. It’s also his first 10-round fight.

“I feel amazing at 140,” he said. “Now I’m the tall person. That’s the difference. Instead of looking up, I’m looking down now.”

Owens said he is well-prepared for the opportunity. He has been staying sharp with help from fellow Minneapolis-based fighters James, the WBA’s regular welterweight champion, and Morrell, the WBA’s regular super middleweight titlist.

“Waking up at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning with the world champion and other teammates, it was a really tough training camp. I’ve been in camp the majority of the time. I’ve been really sharp in training, no breaks,” Owens said.

For his part, Resendiz saw an opportunity to advance his career in Minneapolis because of the Armory and its association with Premier Boxing Champions, which has brought eight nationally televised cards to the historic venue since April 2018.

“It’s a town where boxing fans really enjoy the fights,” Resendiz said. “Besides, there are a lot of Mexican fans in Minneapolis. I think it’s a good place to live and to train and the people really like boxing. I like to show my skills for people that really enjoy the fights. I can knock out people with one punch, but I prefer to box and think.”

Hernández (14-4-2, 3 KOs), fighting out of Fresno, California, has faced excellent competition, battling a litany of tough fellow rising contenders. The 28-year-old has twice faced former unified super welterweight champion Jeison Rosario, fighting to a draw in their first meeting before losing the rematch. He has taken down then-unbeaten fighters in Kevin Newman and Thomas Hill, and most recently fought to a draw against Brandon Lynch in January.

The Armory card also solidifies the Cuban connection to Minnesota boxing, which started with the emergence of Morrell Jr., a native of Cuba now fighting out of Minneapolis. Since his pro debut at the Armory in 2019, Morrell (5-0, 4 KOs) has quickly become a local hero and a burgeoning star in the sport.

Resendiz has stepped up his game by sparring with boxers from the Cuban National Team. Mendoza is a second-generation Cuban who has worked with Cuban stars such as Yordenis Ugas, Erislandy Lara and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Style-wise, Mendoza says he likes to be smart in the ring, but he can also mix it up. He expects the Ramos fight to be an all-action affair.

“He’s going to bring a lot of pressure and he’s moving up in weight, so he’s trying to see if he feels more solid at the weight,” Mendoza said. “As a team, we like to just prepare as best we can and then in the ring make the adjustments we need to — Plan, A, B, or C — whatever we’ve got to get through to get that win.”

Ramos, the nephew of welterweight contender Abel Ramos, has paved his way to stardom with highlight-reel KOs. Most recently, he dominated Javier Molina on his way to a 10-round unanimous decision victory in May. Prior to that fight, he had scored five-straight knockout victories following his only other pro fight that had gone the distance, which came in a June 2019 unanimous decision over Kevin Shacks. He has steadily increased the toughness of competition in 2020 and he has continued that trend in 2021 with Molina and now Mendoza. 

The card comes on the heels of Ugas’ upset win over Manny Pacquiao, one of the biggest fights of the year so far. With the win, Ugas flipped the script in the 147-pound division and thickened the plot for elite fighters like James, who suffered his only professional loss to Ugas in a competitive 2016 bout, a fight James took on short notice.

Tickets for the Sept. 5 event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased at The Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.