Sadly we go back in time. Proudly we now see that time is irrelevant as to the then and now of greatness. Respecfully and with  what we may consider timeless is having the past meet the future. In his short life along with his multi-talented brother, Hilary Sandoval, they gave El Paso the first ever world champions in combat sports. What with all the near champions in boxing and karate, it was this twelve year old teenage wonder and his brother Hilary who forever put the championship stamp on El Paso; a short time for the unfortunate Tony who died in a plane crash and decades for Hilary who carried on the sensational management and promotions with a heavy heart but a continued legacy in honor of his fallen brother under the banner of their company, ‘Battlestar Karatica.

 In the beginning, Tony was a very wise child. He was curious about the martial arts and the business aspects of the sport. While most pre-teens were still playing marbles, hop scotch, checkers, many fun childrens games or into youth sports like little league football, basketball, soccer, and track and field, Tony was into the martial arts and thinking business. To be fair, thousands of other kids had already joined various martial arts clubs and a few hundred were taking up boxing. Those kids and a few in their late teens or early twenties would soon provide Tony and his older brother Hilary a foundation for what would become one of the most supreme martial arts and kickboxing dynasty’s the world has ever known, ‘Battlestar Karatca.’ Though they were excellent martial arts students under Master Robert Nava, their good wits and unusual business acumen led them into the managing and promoting business.

Tony Sandoval was only twelve years of age when he and his older brother, Hilary Sandoval, eighteen years of age and only a few months out of high school, promoted their first professional kickboxing event. Special guests at that successful venture and many to follow included Chuck Norris, martial arts film stars Ernie Reyes Jr., Cynthia Rothrock, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and Rudy Ruettiger, the subject of the hit Disney movie ‘Rudy’. In 1980, Tony and Hilary promoted the first nationally televised ‘World Kickboxing Championship’ in the state of Texas. With El Paso, Texas as their home base they also co-promoted events in Phoenix, Arizona, Dallas, Midland, and Houston, Texas. The brothers personally worked with or promoted twenty one (21) World champions along with Strike Force founder Scott Coker and several other prominent promoters. They produced many great world champions in the PKA (Professional Kickboxing Association), especially seven-time world champion, Cliff ‘Magic’ Thomas; and Hilary was one of the original founders of ISKA (International Sport Karate Association).