Undefeated super middleweight contender Erik Bazinyan will face upset-minded Jose de Jesus Macias in a scheduled 10-round main event, at Montreal Casino, Montreal, on Thursday, June 1.

Bazinyan-Macias will headline the event on ESPN+ in the US and the card will also be broadcast live on punchinggrace.com.

The co-main event will see junior welterweight Steve Claggett face once-beaten American Julian Rodriguez. Junior middleweight Mary Spencer was due to face Adriana Dos Santos Araujo, on March 23, but had to pull out with a hand injury and will face Araujo on the new date.

Meanwhile Eye of The Tiger Management’s impressive trio of prospects Mehmet Unal (3-0, 3 knockouts), Wilkens Mathieu (2-0, 1 KOs) and Jhon Orobio (1-0, 1 KO) will also all see action.

Bazinyan (29-0, 21 KOs), The Ring-rated No. 6 super middleweight, was an excellent amateur in Armenia before migrating to Canada and turning professional at 18. He learned his craft away from the pressures that often follow highly-regarded prospects. It’s been a slow burn but he seems to have matured into a well-rounded professional.

The 27-year-old took apart experienced club fighter Scott Sigmon (TKO 2), used a smart boxing brain to beat the much heavier Reinaldo Paniagua (TKO 9), scored a career-best win over former title challenger Marcelo Coceres (UD 10) and most recently he edged past stylistically challenging Alantez Fox (MD 10).

Macias (28-11-4, 14 KOs) turned professional in 2011. The Guadalajara native lost his debut and again in his fifth and ninth outings. However he learned on the job and reeled off 12 consecutive wins. The Mexican lost three straight, notably going the distance with Erickson Lubin (UD 10) and Giovanni Santillan (UD 8) in America. However he scored impressive wins over Canadians Francis Lafrenier (MD 8) and Steven Butler (TKO 5).

Steve Claggett (left) vs. Rafael Lugo. Photo credit: Vincent Ethier/Eye of the Tiger Management

Claggett (34-7-2, 24 KOs) turned professional in 2008. He’s known as a rough, tough competitor, capable of upsetting anyone or suffering surprising losses. The 33-year-old has lost to Konstantin Ponomarev (UD 8), Chris Van Heerden (MD 10) and compatriot Yves Ulysse Jr. (UD 10). However he also holds wins over previously-unbeaten Emanuel Robles (SD 10), Ulysse (SD 10), Petros Ananyan (UD 10) and most recently Rafael Lugo (RTD 7). Claggett is on a five-fight win streak, all by stoppage.

Julian Rodriguez (left) vs. Kashon Hutchinson. Photo by David Algranati/The Fight Photos

Rodriguez (22-1, 14 KOs) enjoyed a standout amateur career before embarking on a professional career a decade ago. The New Jersey resident was highly-touted and the subject of a “New Faces” piece here on RingTV. New Faces: Julian Rodriguez – The Ring (ringtv.com) However “Hammer Hands'” career didn’t quite kick on as expected, partly due to injury, which kept him sidelined for almost two years, from September 2017 to to July 2019. After returning with a handful of wins, Rodriguez saw his unbeaten record go when he retired against two-division beltholder Jose Pedraza (RTD 8). He recently got back in the win column versus Kashon Hutchinson (UD 8).

Mary Spencer. Photo by Melissa Renwick/ Toronto Star via Getty Images

Spencer (7-1, 5 KOs), a three-time amateur world champion (2005, ’08 and ’10), a 2011 Pan-Am Games gold medalist and an eight-time national champion, turned professional in 2021. Due to her vast amateur pedigree, she moved relatively quickly, scoring eye-catching, early stoppages against former world champion Chris Namus (TKO 1) and former title challenger Cynthia Lozano (TKO 1). However the power-puncher was surprisingly befuddled and taken out of her stride while dropping a decision to Femke Hermans (UD 10) in her most recent outing.

Araujo (6-1, 1 KO) was also a standout amateur, winning two national titles and competing in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, claiming bronze in the 2012 Games. After turning professional, she beat former IBF 130-pound titlist Claudia Andrea Lopez (UD 10) but was unsuccessful when she met Chantelle Cameron (UD 10) for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title in October 2020.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AnsonWainwright.