LEMOORE -- Carina Moreno and Jessica Rakoczy will be back in boxing action at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino this week. Watsonville's Moreno (17-1) will put her WBC Women's Jr. Flyweight belt on the line against South Korea's Dan-Bi Kim (4-0) and Las Vegas' Rakoczy (28-3) will take on Brooklyn's Cindy Serrano (15-2-1) in an 8-round lightweight bout on Thursday.

Rakoczy, who is a Lemohttp://www.hanfordsentinel.com/shared-content/newsys/admin/workarea.php?admin=import:edit&ore fan favorite, is coming off of a victory over New York's Belinda Laracuente (23-22-3) in February and is getting back on track after a setback on September against New York's Ann Saccurato (13-3-2).

Meanwhile, Serrano is coming off a pair of losses after an impressive 15-0-1 start to her career.

Moreno will carry a 9-bout win streak into her match with the South Korean, who has yet to fight out of her home country.

Also on the 8-bout card, is an 8-round cruiserweight rematch between Las Vegas' Dewey Cooper (15-1-2) and Albuquerque's Mike Alderete (6-2).

Tickets cane be purchased at tickets.com or charge by phone at 1-800-225-2277. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and fights start at 6:30.

In a 4-round heavyweight bout, Chicago's Theron Johnson makes his pro debut against Oakland's Rudolph Louis (3-2).

One of the highlights of the night will be the pro debut of Visalia's Aaron Alafa, who is a highly rated amateur.

"Aaron almost made the Olympic team the last two times at 118 pounds. He is the most accomplished amateur ever from the Valley," Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino Entertainment Director Christian Printup said. "This is big. He was real close to making the USA Olympic Team."

Alafa will make his pro debut in a 4-round bantamweight fight against Ohio's Harvey Phillips (0-3).

Also on the card is Stockton's Anthony Chavez in his Jr. lightweight debut against an opponent to be announced and Niagara Falls' James Ventry (4-4) in a 6-round welterweight fight against Arkansas Jason Varnell (2-3).

Printup has also scheduled a 3-round Palace Fighting Championship special mixed martial arts attraction, featuring PFC World Middleweight Champion Kenny Ento (9-3) of Visalia in a non-title bout against Taft's Jeff Terry (3-3).

(April 15, 2008)