WBAN Archive Document: Press Release by Tony Hartmann – Hyatt Corporation – Hyatt Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, Nevada

The following (taken from the Original document)  press release is in the WBAN Historical Data Collection:  Double Main Boxing at Hyatt Lake Tahoe

The Program on Wednesday, May 5, 1976, at 8:15 p.m will open with a four round heavyweight fight featuring Pete Zeibell and Marlen Johnson.  Zeibell, Formerly of Chicago, now a resident of Carson City, will be in his first local start.  He will meet Marlen Johnson of Oakland in the Opening four.  Johnson will be making his third start as a pro.

Female boxer Caroline Svendsen a legitimate lightweight at 135 lbs., will meet Ersi Arvizo of Long Beach, California.  Caroline who was the first woman to be licensed as a professional fighter in the United States.  She will be looking for her fourth win in four bouts.  (WBAN has set the record straight on the first women to get a boxing license in the United States, and her name is Lamare who was actually the first to get a boxing license in 1923 in New Jersey (we have the news paper article that sets this record straight.)

Arvizo has been boxing for many years with her brothers and her father who is a former professional fighter.  Arvizo is 5’5 1/2″, 135 lbs, and is 24 years old compared with Caroline’s 34 years.  Arvizo will be accompanied by her trainer and handler, Jerry Moore.  Moore is a former professional from New York who in 1944 fought the lightweight champion of the world in San Francisco.

Moore states, “Arvizo is a talented and quick Mexican Indian with a good punch in either hand and has waited a long time to get her first professional bout.”

Rudy Cruz of Fresno will fight Mike Colbert of Portland, Oregon.  Colbert rated tenth in the world by Ring Magazine needs to win over Cruz to hold the top 10 position.  Cruz on the other hand needs to win to replace Colbert in the top 10 in what could very well be the most sensational fight of the night.

Vonzell Johnson a newcomer from Michigan and Indiana will meet former California Light Heavyweight champion Terry Lee of Concord.  Lee has fought the likes of Yaqui Lopez, Jorget Ahamada, and Lem Hutchins.

Johnson has the distinction of being the only member of the U.S. Amateur team on tour in Russia to have gone undefeated in five bouts with the Iron curtain country fighters.

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Post fight info:  Arvizo defeated Svendsen, 133¾,  in the (1:23 seconds) in the second round by TKO of the four round bout. Mills Lane was the referee.

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