Bantamweight contender Saul Sanchez will face Eros Correa on June 17, Thompson Boxing Promotions announced Tuesday afternoon. The 10-round bout will take place at the Doubletree Events Center, in Ontario, California, and will stream live on Thompson Boxing’s Facebook and YouTube pages (11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT).

Sanchez (18-1, 11 knockouts), who resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima, has rebounded and emerged as a fringe contender after suffering his only loss as a pro against Edwin Rodriguez in August 2019. Sanchez has won his last six fights since the Rodriguez fight.

The 24-year-old has appeared on a handful of “ShoBox” and “Boxeo Telemundo” telecasts. In a clash of once-beaten fighters on March 19 of last year, Sanchez stopped Frank Gonzalez in the opening round. Over six months later, Sanchez notched his biggest victory to date, dropping Ja’Rico O’Quinn three times en route to a first-round victory.

In his most recent bout, on December 17, Sanchez knocked out journeyman Jose Estrella in the third round.

Sanchez is not overlooking Correa, especially fighting near his hometown, as an impressive victory could put him in line for a significant fight against a top contender at 118 pounds later this year.

“I am thrilled to be fighting against such a dangerous opponent and to do it in Southern California is great,” said Sanchez, who is trained by Manny Robles. “I want to fight in a [world] title eliminator this year and I must beat the best available fighters in my division to do so. My friends, family and supporters expect a lot from me and I plan to live up to the potential they see in myself. This is going to be a great fight.”

Correa (11-1, 8 KOs), who resides in San Jose, California, stopped Cristian Valente Espinoza in the seventh round of his most recent bout on February 26. Correa suffered the first loss of his career in his previous fight on October 22, losing by majority decision to Katsuma Akitsugi.

The 29-year-old has nothing to lose and everything to gain on June 17. Correa believes the move down to bantamweight after mostly fighting at 122 pounds will pay off dividends.

“This will be my first fight at bantamweight and those watching will see me at my most powerful weight class,” said Correa, who is managed by Andrew Bocanegra. “For my entire career, I’ve been fighting above my natural weight. I will be more explosive with every punch I throw. I’ve been envisioning fighting Sanchez for a long time and now the opportunity to beat him is here.”

In the co-feature, George Acosta (12-1, 1 KO), of nearby Whittier, will square off against Marlin Sims in an eight-round bout.

Acosta has not fought since May 7 of last year, defeating Gadwin Rosa by unanimous decision. He has won his last five bouts since losing by unanimous decision to lightweight prospect Ruben Torres in May 2019.

Sims (8-1, 4 KOs), who resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is coming off a long layoff since his most recent bout on January 30 of last year. The southpaw Sims lost to Domnique Crowder by unanimous decision in a clash of unbeaten fighters.

Lightweight Pedro Valencia (9-0, 7 KOs), of Los Angeles, will face Tijuana, Mexico’s Mario Aguirre (3-16-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round bout.

Welterweight Luis Lopez (10-1-1, 4 KOs), of nearby Corona, will square off against an opponent to be determined.

Two more four-round bouts will also take place.

Beto Duran will call the play-by-play while Ring Magazine Editor-in-Chief Dougie Fischer will provide color commentary. Jessica Rosales will serve as the onsite ringside reporter.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV.com 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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