Welterweight Jean Carlos Torres is aiming to begin 2024 with an impressive victory.

Torres will face unbeaten prospect Raul Ugueto on February 3, La 22 Sports announced Tuesday. The 10-round bout will take place at the Cancha Ruben Zayas in Torres’ hometown of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.

The 33-year-old Torres (21-1, 16 knockouts) last fought on August 11, defeating Riku Nagahama by unanimous decision. The victory over Nagahama marked Torres’ first fight under the Kameda Promotions banner.

In his previous fight on July 6 of last year, Torres stopped gatekeeper Breidis Prescott in the second round.

Torres has won his last two fights since a knockout loss to once-beaten Darwin Price in October 2021. His noteworthy victories have come against Carlos Portillo, Miguel Zamudio, Julio Laguna, Travis Castellon and Kevin Nieves.

Ugueto defeated journeyman Adrian Perez by majority decision in his last bout on August 5. The win over Perez marked Ugueto’s first fight that went the distance and his first win against a fighter with a winning record.

The 23-year-old Ugueto (12-0, 11 KOs), who was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, is now being trained by former world titleholder Ivan Calderon in Puerto Rico.

In the co-feature bout, Carlos Morales (4-0, 4 KOs) of nearby Cupey Alto squares off against Oni Sanchez (2-0, 2 KOs) of Las Piedras in a six-round bout.

The February 3 card will mark the second promotion for La 22 Sports. Their first card took place on October 7, also at the Cancha Ruben Zayas.

“Count on us to put on the best events for the fans,” said Ramon ‘Moncho’ Arriaga. “We have a dedicated team that’s committed to the diehard Puerto Rican fan. We don’t have room for one-sided fights or fights put together at the last minute. We’re here to get rid of the narrative that on local cards we know who is going to win. Boxing is culture and we have to prioritize it.”

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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