Lucha libre takes center stage at county fair Thursday

 Fans of Mexican wrestling won't have to wait until the weekend to see their favorite masked luchadores don their garish costumes and take to the ring.

 They won't have to put on the television, either.

 Lucha Libre takes center stage at the fair at 7 p.m. Thursday. Put on by World Power Wrestling, it will feature 20 wrestlers in a variety of matches, including the Mini division featuring wrestlers under 5 feet.

  Promoter Martin Marin said he's looking forward to a return to Yuma. Nine years ago, WPW went to Kofa High, but this is its first performance at the fair.

 "When we went to the high school, we had a pretty good draw," Marin said. "I've wanted to go back there for a while. After talking to (fair general manager) Kelly Watkins, we realized it was possible to go again."

 Watkins said he's been working for a couple years to bring Lucha Libre
to the fairgrounds.

 "We're just trying new things, and it's pretty popular, so we thought we'd move it into Thursday night," Watkins said. "We thought it'd be good for the public, it's really popular, so we brought it in."

 Marin said far and away the most popular event is the Mini division. At the fair, the main bout will be a tag-team match in that division.

 "The Mexican wrestling is faster-paced, there are more acrobatics involved, the gear the luchas wear is much more flashy," Marin said. "There's capes and masks, and everything involved with it is a little flashier than their counterparts."

 Among the wrestlers at the fair will be La Parkita, Penpagoncito and Espancito.

 "These guys are in from Mexico, they're all big names," Marin said. "They're on TV all the time."

 In addition to the Mini division, there will be 16 other wrestlers.

 "We're coming in there full force," Marin said, "and we're going to give you guys a great show."

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Edward Carifio can be reached at ecarifio@yumasun.com or 539-6882.

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See more coverage of the Yuma County Fair and Jr. Livestock large animal results.