he April 12 edition ESPN Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra and ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates presentado por Corona Extra – which will take place on the eve of the WBO Welterweight title rematch between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr.– will feature two-time Middleweight world title challenger Giovanni “Chico Malo” Lorenzo (33-6, 25 KOs) and undefeated Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez (27-0, 21 KOs) in the 10-round Super Middleweight main event.
Friday’s show, from the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, will air live at 10 p.m. on ESPN2 and 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Deportes. Both shows will also be available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku via WatchESPN. The card is promoted by Top Rank.
Commentators:
Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN), filling in for Joe Tessitore, will be ringside with Teddy Atlas describing the action for ESPN2. Delvin Rodríguez and Pablo Viruega will call the fights ringside for Noche de Combates (Fight Night) on ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo González and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio from Las Vegas. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.
Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 coverage:
Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates will preview Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2 and will include interviews with both fighters. Read more about ESPN’s multi-platform coverage of Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2.
Main Event:
The Dominican Republic’s Lorenzo is coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Robinson Pena, while Mexico’s Ramírez scored a first-round TKO win over Don Mouton in his last outing.
After Ramírez’s fight with Mouton, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “Ramírez might just be the next big fighter out of Mexico. The 22-year-old southpaw has movie star looks and an aggressive fighting style that should make him a fan favorite. The fact that he defeated Mouton was no big surprise as Mouton has now lost four bouts in a row. But it was rather shocking how easily and violently Ramírez dusted him…. This fight was short but a very impressive victory for Ramírez.”
Lorenzo’s co-manager Rich Ryan said of Friday’s fight, “Giovanni (Lorenzo) is different from the guys Ramírez has fought — he goes to the body, he mixes it up, he’s got a lot of experience….I think this fight’s going the distance, or Giovanni knocks him out. If Giovanni hurts him, it’s over. I don’t see it going the other way.”
Co-Feature:
Friday’s eight-round co-feature will pit undefeated Super Middleweight Jesse “Hard Work” Hart (12-0, 10 KOs), against Samuel “The Main Event” Clarkson (10-2, 6 KOs). Philadelphia’s Hart is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over Derrick Findley, while Clarkson of Texas is looking to continue his winning ways following a six- round unanimous decision win over previously undefeated Chad Trahan.
Upcoming ESPN Boxing Schedule:
Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location
Networks
Fri, Apr 18
9 p.m.
Boxcino Middleweight
Semifinals: eight rounds each
Brandon Adams (13-0, 9 KOs) vs. Raymond Gatica (14-2, 9 KOs)
Willie Monroe Jr. (16-1, 6 KOs) vs. Vitalii Kopylenko (22-0, 12 KOs)
Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN
Thu, Apr 24
9 p.m.
Josesito López (31-6, 18 KOs) vs. Aron Martínez (19-2-1, 4 KOs)—10 rounds, Jr. Welterweights
Agua Caliente Casino, Palm Springs, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Thu, May 1
9 p.m.
Roberto García (34-3, 22 KOs) vs. Victor Manuel Cayo (32-4, 23 KOs)—10 rounds, Welterweights
Hialeah Park Race Track, Hialeah, Fla.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Sat, May 10
8 p.m.
WBC World Heavyweight Championship: Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KOs) vs. Chris Arreola (36-3, 31 KOs)—12 rounds
USC Galen Center,
Los Angeles
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change
Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates Social Media:
· Follow ESPN Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook.
· 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.
