VALLEY ROUNDUP : Mexican Boxer Out of Bout at Warner Center

The World Boxing Council’s demand that Mexican fighters boycott title fights in California has prompted a change in tonight’s boxing card at the Warner Center Marriott.

Felipe Garcia has replaced Adolfo Castillo in the 10-round main event. He will face Rudy Zavala, who needs a victory to retain his WBC Continental Americas featherweight title and maintain his place as a challenger to WBC world champion Kevin Kelly.

Castillo, from Tamulitas, Mexico, canceled after the WBC threatened sanctions against Mexican fighters who compete in California.

Jose Sulaiman, president of the WBC, announced the ban last week to protest the passage of Proposition 187, which, if enforced, would cut off an estimated 1.7 million illegal immigrants from receiving education, welfare and non-emergency medical aid in California.

The boycott will last until at least March 30, and then be reviewed, Sulaiman said. The WBC is the largest of several international boxing bodies.

Castillo has a record of 19-12-1. Garcia, 11-8-1 with seven victories by knockout, is not as technically polished as Castillo. Zavala, a former super-bantamweight world champion, is 23-4-2, with 19 victories by knockout.

Rocky Pepeli (18-8-1, 16 KOs) of Simi Valley meets Craig Brinson (3-3-2, two KOs) of Duarte in a heavyweight bout scheduled for eight rounds.

In the undercard fights, Anthony Johnson (8-1, two KOs) faces Jose Ferrer (6-5-1, four KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout; Fili Castro (9-0, eight KOs) meets Yoani Cervantes (4-5, two KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout; Santiago Negro Franco (4-3, three KOs) faces Canoga Park’s Don Goodwin (1-3, one KO) in a four-round super-welterweight bout; and Paul Mayorquinn (4-0-1, one KO) meets Jimmy Navarro (1-0) in a four-round junior lightweight bout.

First bell is at 7:30 p.m. in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom.