Yomar Alamo has had a solid year thus far but believes 2020 will be his breakthrough year. All that stands in his way is a former lightweight contender who has struggled as of late.

The unbeaten junior welterweight will square off against Antonio Moran tonight at the Osceola Heritage Center in Kissimmee, Florida. The 10-round bout will air on Telemundo (11:35 p.m. ET/ PT).

At Thursday’s weigh-in, both Alamo (17-0, 12 knockouts) and Moran (24-4, 17 KOs) weighed in at 139.4 pounds.

Tonight’s clash will be another chapter in the storied rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico. Promoter Tuto Zabala believes the Alamo’s boxer-puncher style complements Moran’s aggressive style well, which could produce a competitive bout between the two fighters.

“(Tonight) is a difficult test for Alamo,” Zabala told The Ring on Thursday evening. “This is a face-to-face between two fighters that have fought on ‘Boxeo Telemundo’ before. It’s another clash between Mexico and Puerto Rico, a classic match-up.”

After fighting most of his early fights in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, as well as San Juan, Alamo’s last three fights have taken place in Kissimmee, a suburb of Orlando that has seen an influx of people of Puerto Rican descent. In his most recent bout, on August 2, Alamo defeated Mexico’s Salvador Briceno by unanimous decision.

The 24-year-old, who is ranked No. 8 at 140 pounds by the WBO, is confident of pulling out a win tonight over Moran and landing a significant bout in 2020.

“Antonio Moran is a good opponent,” Alamo told The Ring Thursday night. “A victory over him would put me amongst the top contenders for next year. I hope I am considered for an opportunity to prove that I will become a world champion.”

Moran, who resides in Mexico City, was viciously knocked out in his most recent bout by lightweight contender Devin Haney on May 25. The 26-year-old has lost two of his last three bouts with the other loss coming by decision to former two-division titlist Jose Pedraza on June 9 of last year.

In the co-feature, junior welterweight Arturs Ahmetovs (3-0, 2 KOs), who is originally from Latvia and now resides in Delray Beach, Florida, will face Emmanuel Morales (10-3, 6 KOs), of Puerto Rico, in a six-round bout. Morales has won his last three bouts after losing two of his previous three.

Also on the All Star Boxing card, fringe welterweight contender Fredrick Lawson (27-2, 21 KOs), of Ghana, will square off against journeyman Carlos Winston Velasquez (27-35-2, 17 KOs) of Nicaragua in a six-round bout.

Five more fights will round out the card.

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

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