ORANGE, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2015) – WBA Interim Lightweight Champion, Darley Perez (31-1, 20 KOs) of Colombia defends his title against Peruvian contender Jonathan Maicelo (21-1, 12 KOs) on the season premiere of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” this Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. The 12-round championship bout will take place at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.
“Both Perez and Maicelo are extremely motivated for this fight,” said Gary Shaw, president of Gary Shaw Productions. “They both know what’s on the line and I can see this fight being an all out war. Make no mistake about it, this is going to be a very entertaining fight.”
“Perez has a tough challenge ahead of him in Maicelo,” said Alex Camponovo, matchmaker and general manager at Thompson Boxing Promotions. “Perez has established himself as one of the top lightweights in the game and he’ll show that skill level this Friday.”
Darley Perez Training Camp Notes
On his training camp…
We enjoyed an excellent training camp. The motivation and dedication was there right from the start. I’m 100 percent ready to defend the title that I’ve worked so hard to obtain. Now I’m just anxiously awaiting the hour of the fight.
On why he trained in Panama…
We chose to come to Panama for the sparring. Jonathan Maicelo is a boxer that likes to move around a lot and he’s very explosive. He never stays in one place for very long. He’s always moving his head and keeps a tight guard. We got word that we could find boxers like that, in various divisions over in Panama, so we made the switch. As a result, we got a lot of quality sparring.
On his game plan…
Because Maicelo is an active boxer, we plan to cut the distance and cut off any exit angles. We want to put the pressure on and not let him relax in any round. I want to make him uncomfortable and get him frustrated so he falls into our traps.
The ESPN “Friday Night Fights” telecast begins Friday Jan. 9, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. EST / 6:00 p.m. PST from the Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif. Tickets priced $35, $50, $65, $85, and $95 are on sale now and can be purchased at the Chumash Casino Box office or online HERE. Doors open at 5:00 P.M., first fight starts at 5:30 P.M.
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