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Top Rank unveils summer boxing schedule

Fighters Network
01
Jun

Top Rank is putting together its boxing schedule for June, with the first two cards officially announced on Monday afternoon.

As more boxing cards are being planned to kick off summer in the United States, the Las Vegas-based promotional company made the announcement with additional cards likely to take place later this month. All but one is scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

The cards, which will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, will air live on ESPN platforms. Times and specific networks will be announced soon.

As previously announced by The Ring, opening the Top Rank schedule on June 9 will be WBO featherweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 knockouts), who is ranked No. 4 by The Ring, taking on Felix Caraballo (13-1-2, KOs), of Puerto Rico, in a 10-round non-title bout. In the co-feature, unbeaten junior lightweight and 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer (12-0, 5 KOs) will face Nigerian-born Helen Joseph (17-4-2, 10 KOs) in a 10-round bout.



Two days later, featherweight contender and The Ring’s No. 9-ranked Jessie Magdaleno (27-1, 18 KOs) will face Yenifel Vicente (36-4-2, 28 KOs), who is originally from the Dominican Republic and now resides in Miami, Florida, in a 10-round bout. Also Adam Lopez will square off against Luis Coria in a clash of Southern California-based featherweights. Coria (12-2, 6 KOs), who is trained by Robert Garcia, has won his last three bouts.

The fight between Lopez and Coria was originally scheduled for November 30 but Lopez (13-2, 6 KOs) fought former WBO featherweight beltholder Oscar Valdez after original opponent Andres Gutierrez weighed over 11 pounds above the 130-pound limit. Lopez, the son of Hector Lopez, dropped Valdez in Round 2 before he was stopped in Round 7.

Here is the rest of the pending Top Rank schedule:

June 16 – Las Vegas
Bantamweight contender Joshua Greer Jr., the mandatory challenger for WBO titleholder John Riel Casimero, will square off against Mike Plania of the Philippines in a 10-round bout.

Greer (22-1-1, 12 KOs) is coming off close decision victories over Nikolai Potapov and Antonio Nieves over the last 11 months. The Chicago resident, who is ranked No. 7 by The Ring, has won his last 17 bouts. Plania (23-1, 12 KOs) has won his last eight bouts since suffering his only defeat to former titleholder Juan Carlos Payano.

In the co-feature, unbeaten junior welterweight Giovani Santillan (25-0, 15 KOs), of San Diego, will square off against former lightweight titleholder Antonio DeMarco (33-8-1, 24 KOs), of Mexico. Santillan recently signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank.

June 18 – Las Vegas
In a 10-round crossroads bout between junior welterweights, Jose Pedraza, of Puerto Rico, will face Mikkel LesPierre (22-1-1, 10 KOs).

Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) lost by unanimous decision to Jose Zepeda, of Mexico, in his most recent bout on September 14. Pedraza, who has won titles in two weight classes, has lost two of his last three bouts. LesPierre, who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and now resides in Brooklyn, New York, rebounded from his March 2019 loss to then-WBO junior welterweight titlist Maurice Hooker by defeating Roody Pierre Paul by unanimous decision on December 5.

Lightweight prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs), of Stockton, California, will square off Jose Ruiz in the 10-round co-feature bout. The 20-year-old Flores, who made headlines by signing a promotional deal with Top Rank at the age of 16, defeated Matt Conway by unanimous decision in his most recent bout on February 22. Ruiz (21-2-3, 14 KOs), who is originally from Honduras and now resides in Miami, Florida, is unbeaten in his last 16 bouts.

June 20 – Mexico City
WBO junior featherweight titleholder Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) will face Uriel Lopez in a 10-round non-title bout at the Gimnasio TV Azteca. Navarrete, who is ranked No. 2 by The Ring and is co-promoted by Top Rank and Zanfer Promotions, made the fifth defense of his title by stopping Jeo Santisima of the Philippines in his most recent bout on February 22. Lopez (13-13-1, 6 KOs) has lost his last three bouts.

June 23 – Las Vegas
Unbeaten junior bantamweight Andrew Moloney will square off against Joshua Franco in a 12-round bout.

Moloney (21-0, 14 KOs), the twin brother of bantamweight contender Jason Moloney, will make his United States debut after fighting a majority of his bouts near his home in Melbourne, Australia. In his most recent bout on November 15, the 29-year-old won by knockout as the bout was stopped due to a cut suffered by opponnt Elton Dharry. Franco (16-1-2, 8 KOs), who is trained by Robert Garcia, is best known for fighting Oscar Negrete three times, winning once and fighting to two draws.

In the co-feature, featherweight contender Christopher Diaz (25-2, 16 KOs), of Puerto Rico, will face Jason Sanchez (15-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-round bout. Diaz has split his last four bouts. Sanchez, who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, suffered the only loss of his career to Oscar Valdez on June 8.

 

 

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 @FSalazarBoxing.

 

 

 

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