‘The Crank’ vs. ‘The Janitor’ in Ring of Fire II

On the 20th anniversary of combat sports in the Northern Marianas, its undisputed pioneer takes on undoubtedly his greatest pupil, as Cuki “The Janitor” Alvarez goes one-on-one with the legendary Frank “The Crank” Camacho in the main event of Trench Tech Promotions’ Ring of Fire II boxing/kickboxing event.

The colossal matchup brought upon by the Guam-based Camacho challenging Alvarez during one of his visits back home, headlines what is expected to be a stacked fight card on June 15 at the Garapan Central Park roundhouse.

When inking the deal for this fight, a lot of emotions swirled in the minds of both combatants. Alvarez and Camacho’s path to being fight sport icons seemingly parallel each other, as both entered the sport as practitioners almost at the same time.

“Cuki and some of the boys were beginning what became Trench Tech, and I was looking for a way to lose weight when I was aspiring to be a professional golfer,” said Camacho.

Upon hearing that, Alvarez in a separate interview chuckled and added, “Yeah, and on top of that he was the guy everyone kept beating up in training. But the little runt didn’t quit, and became one of the gym’s best students in a short amount of time.”

Imparting tutelage on Camacho while training together under the tutelage of Purebred MMA legend Tetsuji Kato, Camacho and Alvarez’s relationship takes many forms from gym teammates, to fighter/trainer, and at times even a father-son bond which made it even tougher to wrap their minds around fighting each other.

“He imparted a lot on me. I spent almost as much time with him as I did with my father,” Camacho said, “At times he calls me “bro,” other times he calls me, “boy,” but either way there was a familial respect we shared and it’s what drove me to be the best at what I do whether as an athlete, businessman, and as a family man.”

That relationship between the two led Camacho to gold medals in wrestling, jiujitsu tournaments, and even a light heavyweight championship in MMA, along with a nearly three-year undefeated streak in mixed martial arts and a stint as a fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion. Alvarez said, “I’m definitely proud of what he’s accomplished and what I’ve been able to help him in succeeding. But I’m also grateful for the fact that through mutual connections, him vouching for the gym, and for us as a fighting community has brought CNMI combat sports significant attention from Guam, and other parts of the world. A lot of our competitors probably would not have had those opportunities if it wasn’t for Frank advocating for us.”

Aside from both looking at this encounter as a final test, the fight does come with unique stipulations. Per the contract signed between both parties, should Alvarez come out victorious Trench Tech will receive 100% of the profits from Camacho’s newest business venture, Blades by Crank, his personal brand of knives. However, should Camacho win, Alvarez must transfer ownership of Trench Tech and all its properties to his former protege, making this bout a winner-take-all affair.

But despite that rich past between the two, both combatants’ said their individual competitiveness will trump whatever history they have together as they expect a knockdown drag out brawl from bell-to-bell.

Camacho said, “I have accomplished a lot in my career, and then some. However, something that always ate me inside was, ‘If I could beat the man who helped in making me who I am?’” He added, “Cuki has an undefeated record that is still intact more than a decade after he hung up his gloves. I respect the man with all my heart, but at Ring of Fire, someone’s “0” is gonna go, and it’s going to be his unbeaten streak!”

When asked how he is approaching this bout with his former charge, Alvarez said, “We made this matchup with the intention of showing the skill set that has been used for over 20 years to train Frank “The Crank,” which honed and enabled him to advance and compete at the highest level and pinnacle of MMA, that of course being the UFC. Because Frank has since retired from the organization and had settled in focusing on his Blades By Crank Shinarp Knives the past year, he wanted to show that his fighting skills are still “sharp” and that he can prove that they still are by fighting and competing against the person who first trained him, me, his master!”

Alvarez who does hold a perfect six-fight professional record confidently indicated and clarified that, although this may seem to be like an “exhibition” match or marketing scheme, he is taking this fight seriously and promises he will put forth all his years of training and teaching and 100% best effort to beat Camacho.

“Frank knows that just because I am 53, and just because I am his mentor and master, he knows that I will bring the heat and treat it like a real fight, because that’s how I have always taught all my students to compete. We have had friendly fire matches in the past where teammates fought each other, but this is different. I will treat Frank like any other opponent and I am looking for the knock out,” said Alvarez. “One of the reasons I’m called “The Janitor” is because I clean $@#% up, and when the bell rings on June 15, you can expect when gloves are touched, I look at mopping the mat with Frank’s face on fight night,” he further added.

When asked on his thoughts regarding the match, resident announcer of Trench Tech Promotions L.J. Castro said, “When I first heard Cuki and Frank talking about this being the main event, I was taken aback. You know these two have been great friends and to be honest, some of my biggest cheerleaders as an announcer. It’s going to be tough to choose a side to cheer because of how long we’ve all been acquainted.” However, he added, “But despite all that, I’m not only an official I’m a fan. And with this and other combat sports making a comeback, this is going to be a match no one’s going to miss and I for one, am glad to be ringside when it’s GERA TIME for Cuki and Frank!”

After a successful first outing, Trench Tech’s Ring of Fire will return to the Garapan Roundhouse on June 15, 2024. Details are still in the works, but the organization expects around 20 bouts to be contested with fighters from all over the Marianas taking part. Ticket prices will be announced at a later date.

Trench Tech Promotions also hopes that everyone has a Happy Easter and also wishes all of you a Happy April Fools Day! (PR)