Shohjahon Ergashev vs. Juan Huertas added to March 28 Carrillo-Rankin card
Shohjahon Ergashev will attempt to rebound from his first defeat.
The former world junior welterweight title challenger will face Juan Huertas on March 28, Salita Promotions announced Wednesday afternoon. The 10-round bout will take place at the Wayne State FieldHouse in Detroit, Michigan and will precede the main event bout between unbeaten light heavyweight Juan Carrillo and Quinton Rankin.
Both fights will stream live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
“Ergashev and Huertas is going to be an exciting addition to our talent-stacked fight card,” said promoter Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “A healthy Shoh is a force to be reckoned with in the 140-pound division and Huertas is a great test in a crossroads fight for both.”
In his last bout on November 25, Ergashev (23-1, 20 knockouts) challenged IBF world junior welterweight titleholder Subriel Matias. The fight was competitive early on before Matias dominated rounds four and five, forcing Ergashev to remain on his stool and not answer the bell for round six.
The 32-year-old had not fought since August 22, stopping once-beaten Angel Martinez Hernandez in the fifth round. Ergashev fought on a handful of ShoBox telecasts, most notably a knockout win over Sonny Fredrickson in January 2018 and a decision victory over Mykal Fox 13 months later.
Before the Matias fight, Ergashev, who is originally from Rakhmon, Uzbekistan and now living and training in Detroit, was rated No. 9 by The Ring at 140 pounds.
“I am excited about getting back in the ring fully recovered and ready to go,” said Ergashev, who is trained by SugarHill Steward. “I look forward to putting on a great performance in Detroit. It’s a city where I started my U.S. boxing journey. My goal of being a world champion has never been stronger and I will show it with my performance on March 28.”
Huertas (17-4-1, 13 KOs), who lives and trains in Panama City, Panama, knocked out journeyman Argenor Cuero in the second round of his last bout on July 15. In his previous fight in November 2022, Huertas was knocked out by fringe contender Miguel Madueno.
The 31-year-old suffered knockout losses to Jon Fernandez in April 2018 and to Gary Antuanne Russell over a year and a half later.
Also on the Salita Promotions card, Vladimir Shishkin (15-0, 9 KOs), now living in Hollywood, Florida and is rated No. 7 by The Ring at 168 pounds, will square off against Sacramento’s Mike Guy (12-7-1 1 NC, 5 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Joshua James Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs) of nearby Grand Rapids will face Ecuador’s Luis Porozo (17-9, 9 KOs) in a six-round bout.
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]
