Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament winner and former junior welterweight world title challenger Petr “El Zar” Petrov (35-4-2, 16 KOs) will meet former junior lightweight titlist Gamaliel “El Platano” Diaz (39-11-3, 18 KOs) in the 10-round lightweight main event on the April 3 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra. Friday’s show from the Omega Products Center in Corona, Calif., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+ and WatchESPN. ESPN Deportes will televise Friday’s fights on Saturday, April 4, at 9 p.m. The card is presented by Banner Promotions.
Commentators:
Joe Tessitore will be ringside with analyst Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will provide the latest boxing news and information. Pablo Viruega and Delvin Rodríguez will call the fights for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on both ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.
Main Event:
Petrov, of Spain, was originally scheduled to fight Hank Lundy in January on ESPN2, but the fight was cancelled due to Lundy’s inability to make weight. Prior to that, Petrov scored an eighth-round TKO win over Fernando Carcamo to win the Boxcino 2014 lightweight tournament. Mexico’s Diaz is looking to get back to his winning ways following a third-round technical draw against Anthony Crolla.
“Gamaliel Diaz is a veteran fighter…He’s going to be there – tough guy, he’s been around the block,” Petrov’s manager-trainer Danny Zamora said. “You can never overlook a fighter, but Petr has trained so hard that it should be good for us.”
Co-Feature:
Thursday’s eight-round welterweight co-feature will pit undefeated up-and-coming welterweight Taras “Real Deal” Shelestyuk (11-0, 8 KOs) against Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez Jr. (12-1, 5 KOs). In his last fight, Shelestyuk—who currently resides in Los Angles—scored a third-round knockout win over Francisco Reza. New Jersey’s Rodriguez is coming off a fourth-round technical decision win over Greg Jackson.
Upcoming Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location
Networks
Fri, Apr 3
9 p.m.
Petr Petrov (35-4-2, 17 KOs) vs. Gamaliel Diaz 38-11-3, 17 KOs) — 10 rounds, Lightweight
Omega Products Center, Corona, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, Apr 10
9 p.m.
Boxcino 2015 Semifinals: 8 rounds each
Heavyweights:
Andrey Fedosov (26-3, 21 KOs) vs. Lenroy Thomas (19-3, 9 KOs)
Razvan Cojanu (13-1, 7 KOs) vs. Donovan Dennis (11-1, 9 KOs)
Jr. Middleweights:
Brandon Adams (16-1, 11 KOs) vs. Vito Gasparyan (15-3-5, 8 KOs)
Stanyslav Skorokhod (9-0, 7 KOs) vs. John Thompson (15-1, 5 KOs)
Sands Hotel & Casino, Bethlehem, PA
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Fri, April 17
10 p.m.
Tony Harrison (20-0, 17 KOs) vs. Pablo Munguía (20-6, 11 KOs)
Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Conn
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change
ESPN Boxing Social Media and Digital Content:
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· Score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.
· Follow ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo.
· For the latest ESPN.com boxing news and analysis follow @ESPNBoxing.
· For ESPN boxing digital content, visit the newly re-designed boxing section on ESPN.com (http://espn.go.com/boxing/).