Welterweight Sammy Vasquez has had a penchant for ending fights in spectacular fashion. He hopes to do the same in his next fight.

Vasquez will fight Emmanuel Lartey on Friday night at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The 10 -round bout will headline a Goossen Promotions card and will be broadcast live on Showtime, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

Vasquez (17-0, 13 KOs) resides in the nearby town of Monessen, Pennsylvania, and already has a significant following in the ‘”Steel City.” The 28-year-old served two tours of duty in Iraq while he was a member of the United States Army National Guard.

Prior to turning pro in April 2012, Vasquez had over 200 fights, even making it to the semifinals of the Olympic trials.

In his last bout, on Nov. 14, Vasquez knocked out fringe contender Alberto Mosquera in the first round, making it his eighth consecutive stoppage win.

The Ghanaian-born Lartey (16-2-1, 7 KOs) won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world titleholder Steve Forbes on June 7. The win snapped a two-bout losing streak.

In a compelling 10-round bout, light heavyweight Umberto Savigne will fight Craig Baker.

In his last bout, on July 10, Savigne (12-1, 9 KOs) stopped former titleholder Jeff Lacy in the second round. The Cuban is unbeaten in his last 11 bouts, which includes a no-contest against Junior Jackson in March 2013.

Up until his last bout, on Nov. 15, Baker (15-0, 11 KOs) had not defeated a fighter with a winning record. He has stopped his last three opponents in a row.

Opening the “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecast will be an eight-round featherweight bout between Claudio Marrero and Orlando Rizo.

Marrero (17-1, 13 KOs) has won his last three bouts in a row since losing to Jesus Cuellar, while Rizo (18-5, 11 KOs) has won four of his last five bouts.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing