Junior lightweight John Dato aims to rebound from his first loss tonight against a former world titleholder.

Dato will face Rodrigo Guerrero in an eight-round bout at Chumash Casino Resort, in Santa Ynez, California. At Thursday’s weigh-in, Dato weighed 129 pounds. Guerrero came in at 127.6 pounds.

The 28-year-old Dato (14-1-1, 9 knockouts), originally from the Philippines and now residing in nearby Santa Maria, lost for the first time as a pro in his most recent fight on August 21 against Angel Contreras. Dato was knocked down in the third round en route to a unanimous decision loss.

Aside from fighting on a handful of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) cards, Dato has also fought three times in Santa Ynez, winning twice and fighting to a draw. His most recent fight in Santa Ynez took place in October 2019, defeating journeyman German Meraz by decision over six one-sided rounds.

Guerrero (26-13-2, 16 KOs), who resides in Mexico City, lost by unanimous decision to Noel Echevarria in his most recent bout on August 14. Guerrero has lost his last seven fights, including losses to then-undefeated Joet Gonzalez and unbeaten prospects Victor Morales and Gregory Morales (no relation).

The 34-year-old won the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title by defeating Raul Martinez in October 2011. He would lose the title four months later to Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr.

Heavyweight Jason Soto (3-1-2, 3 KOs), of Bakersfield, California, will square off against Visalia’s Michael Cook, who is making his pro debut, in a four-round bout.

Super middleweight David Tubbs (5-1, 5 KOs), a 41-year-old from nearby Ventura, will face late-sub Emmanuel Sanchez (7-15-1,1 KO), of Jackson, Michigan, in a four-round bout.

Promoter Matt McGovern, who runs the Las Vegas-based World Fighting Championships, is promoting two cards over the weekend that include boxing tonight and mixed-martial arts on Saturday. He anticipates the venue to be almost a sell-out on both nights.

“We are fortunate to be back at Chumash Casino for a double ‘Fight Night’ weekend,” McGovern told The Ring Wednesday. “Boxing Friday and MMA on Saturday. John Dato headlines in an eight-round battle against Rodrigo Guerrero. We have to give both guys a lot of credit for taking such a tough fight.”

Two more fights will round out the card.

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

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