Rocklin kickboxer fights for second title

One championship belt is not enough for Daniel Hodges. The Rocklin kickboxer will seek his second Saturday night when he returns to the ring.Hodges is the International Kickboxing Federation Muay Thai state amateur welterweight champion. The West Coast belt will be on the line when he faces Anthony Gonzales of Dublin.Hodges' trainer and promoter, Johnny Davis, has arranged 15 fights for the event at the Doubletree Hotel in Sacramento. Davis owns and operates the Rocklin Boxing and Kickboxing Club.Gonzales is 5-0 with three victories coming by knockout. Hodges is 4-1 after defeating Gaston Balanos of Dublin on Oct. 8 at the Doubletree Hotel to claim the state welterweight title.The West Coast title encompasses California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Davis is confident that Hodges is well on his way to contending for a world championship in the near future.Davis will have two of his fighters on the card Saturday night. The second will be his son, Rich, a super heavyweight.In addition to working with fighters at his Rocklin club, Davis runs AK Promotions and stages events in hopes of building a kickboxing audience. So far, he said, the response has been good.Tickets are going fast for Saturday night's event. Ringside seats have sold out, and only a few general admission tickets remain available. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door.The event begins at 6 p.m., and doors in the Doubletree Hotel's grand ballroom will open at 4:30.The big fight of the night will be a battle for the U.S. super heavyweight belt when Manny Mancha of Elk Grove faces John Hurney of San Jose. Jon Pryor of Sacramento will defend his U.S. super welterweight title against Josh Kretchmann of Elk Grove.For further information or to buy tickets, go to akpromotions.org or call (916) 630-9254.Plans are already under way for an AK Promotions kickboxing event March 11 at Coaches Sports Bar in Rocklin.