Junior lightweight prospect Oscar Alvarez wants to become the next great fighter from Mexico. 

The unbeaten Alvarez will fight Wednesday night, as he faces Nicolas Polanco at the Whitesands (ProBox) Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The eight-round bout will precede the main event bout between junior welterweights Cesar Francis and Jesus Saracho.

Both fights will stream live on ProBox TV (7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT).

Alvarez (7-0, 7 knockouts), who resides in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, last fought on October 21, stopping Osvaldo Nunez Medina in the sixth round. Alvarez made his U.S. debut in his previous fight on June 18, knocking out Brandon Cruz in the sixth round in Commerce, California. 

At 6’3”, the 19-year-old is tall for his weight class. Matchmaker Guy Taylor has been sold on his pedigree and an improving skill-set.

“Oscar Alvarez is the best young prospect I’ve ever seen in my 20-plus years in the sport of boxing,” Taylor, who is the promoter/ matchmaker for World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS), told The Ring over the weekend. “We are not looking to rush Oscar into the world rankings, but with 665 amateur wins, we aren’t going to hold him back either.

“January 25 is a big night for Oscar Alvarez, Jr. A victory over Nicolas Polanco will be a huge statement for this young man.”

Alvarez made his pro debut in September 2021.

Polanco (20-3-1, 11 KOs), who resides in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, lost by unanimous decision to unbeaten junior lightweight contender Albert Bell on September 3. In his previous fight on January 14 of last year, Polanco lost by majority decision to Jaime Arboleda.

Prior to the loss to Arboleda, the 33-year-old was unbeaten in his previous four fights since a unanimous decision loss to Javier Fortuna in September 2017.

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 at [email protected]

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