EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
Fifty fights ago in 2005, Dave Rine hosted the first Throwdown Showdown at his studio on Fourth Street.
Since then, his studio has expanded to the former Elks Lodge on North Western Avenue, and his Throwdown Showdown events have grown as well.
Rine has hosted fights in a multiple of venues in Liberal, from his original studio to the National Guard Armory, the Activity Center, the Liberal Recreation Center, outdoor venues and the Ag Building to name a few. He’s also taken the show on the road to Elkhart, Ulysses, Oberlin, Salina, Garden City and even the Dodge City Wireless Arena. And the crowds follow.
“The United Wireless Arena was overall the coolest,” Rine said. “They put wood over the ice. It was cold in there.”
He returned to Liberal Saturday for the 50th Throwdown Showdown.
“It was big,” he said. “There was a group from Houston. They were totally amazing. The girls fight which was Allison Sanchez and Evie Wilson was a complete war. Allison won it. The other fight that was super was Trai Santos out of Wichita and Juan Gonzalez from Liberal. It was Juan’s pro debut, and he lost it with like 10 seconds to go in the second round, but it was a super fight.”
Liberal fighters went 10-3.
And that’s been the reward for Rine.
“I enjoy seeing some of my fighters do some really good stuff, and some of them move on to bigger leagues,” he said. “That was pretty cool. The young people are actually the ones I love dealing with. The kids give it their all.”
Rine recognized some people during the fight including referee Nick Berens.
“His first fight he officiated was in Liberal,” Rine said. “And now he is one of the top refs for the UFC, but he comes out for our events.”
Rine has also had Raul Rosas, Jr., in his cage nine times before Rosas signed as the youngest fighter in history for the UFC.
What does the future hold for the Throwdown Showdown? Rine, 68, said it is a wait-and-see moment.
“Right now, I want to chill,” he said.
