LAS VEGAS, NV (August 4, 2026) – Undefeated lightweight contender Kaipo Gallegos (12-0-1, 9 KOs) will look to strengthen his position among the division’s elite when he faces Desmond Lyons (11-3, 2 KOs) of North Augusta, South Carolina, in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the Caribe Royale Orlando.

The event is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and Boxlab Promotions and will stream live worldwide on DAZN.

Currently ranked No. 8 by the WBA, Gallegos has steadily established himself as one of the division’s rising contenders. The Las Vegas native has put together an impressive record, earning his ranking through consistent performances and a strong work ethic. Against Lyons, he’ll look to build on that momentum and take another meaningful step toward the world title picture.

Gallegos, who is co-promoted with Shuan Boxing, says returning to the ring is another chance to showcase the improvements he’s made while remaining committed to the long road ahead.

“I’m blessed to be back in the ring because I know every opportunity in this sport has to be earned,” said Gallegos. “I’ve been putting in the work every day, staying locked in, and making sure I’m improving in every area. I don’t take any fight or any opponent lightly. My job is to keep getting better every time I step through those ropes. I just want people to see a fighter who’s willing to outwork anyone, stay humble, and let my performances speak for themselves.”

Although Gallegos respects Lyons and the challenge he presents, he’s determined to fans why they should be paying attention to his rise.

“Desmond Lyons is coming to win, I know he’ll be motivated, so it’s on me to stay disciplined and perform at my highest level,” Gallegos continued. “My goal is to show the world that I’m ready for the next level of competition. I want to put on a performance that leaves no doubt that I’m one of the fighters people should be paying attention to in the division.”

With a top 10 WBA ranking already in hand, Gallegos knows every victory brings him closer to the biggest opportunities of his career.

“A win on August 28 keeps me moving in the right direction, but I know the work doesn’t stop there,” Kaipo concluded. “My focus is on continuing to climb until I’m in position to fight for a world title. I’m not looking past anybody because every opponent brings something different. If I stay dedicated, keep learning, and keep winning, I believe the opportunities will come when the time is right.”

Boxlab Promotions President Amaury Piedra has watched Gallegos develop into one of the promotion’s premier young fighters and believes his ceiling continues to rise.

“Kaipo has grown tremendously since joining our team.” said Piedra. “His maturity inside and outside the ring has been impressive, and he’s developed into a complete professional. You can see the confidence growing with each performance. He’s earned his place in the WBA’s top 10, and we believe he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of what he’s capable of.”

Piedra also views the matchup with Lyons as another important test in Gallegos’ development.

Desmond Lyons is the type of opponent who will be well prepared and ready to compete. Every fight like this helps him grow as he continues working his way up the lightweight division. We expect Kaipo to deliver another strong performance and keep proving he’s one of boxing’s top young prospects. We’re confident in where he’s headed and look forward to supporting him as he pursues his goal of becoming a world champion.

Elijah Pierce stopped Michael Dasmarinas in round nine of a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout at The Tabernacle in Atlanta.

In the opening round, Damarinas dropped Pierce with a perfect left to the head.

In round nine, Pierce hurt Dasmarinas with a left hand and then followed up with several more lefts that sent Dasmarinas wobbling into the ropes and down. Moments later, Pierce landed a right hook to the body followed by a booming right hook upstairs that sent Dasmarinas crumpling down to the bottom rope and the fight was stopped at 2:01,

Pierce, 123.2 lbs of Loganville, HA is 21-2 with 17 knockouts. Damarinas, 123,6 lbs of Banger, PHL is 36-5-2.

Oshae Jones retained her IBF/IBO Junior Middleweight World title with a 10-round split decision over Elia Carranza.

Jones, 153.4 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 98-92 and 96-94. One descending judge somehow gave every round to Carranza.

Jones landed 137 of 559. Carranza was 71 of 430.

Jones is now 10-0, Carranza, 153 lbs of Miami us 11-2.

Haven Bardy Jr. was impressive in winning a 10-round unanimous decision over DeMichael Harris in a lightweight bout.

Brady was quick with his punches as he was dominant with lead right hooks and hurt Harris in round seven with a pair of left hooks.

The dominance of Brady was shown in the punch stats as Brady landed 332 of 683 punches while Harris was 85 of 480.

Brady, 132 lbs of Augusta, GA won by scores of 100-89 on all cards and is now 16-0. Harris of Atlanta is 12-2-1.

Nathan Lugo stopped Rashad McWilliams in the opening frame of their six-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Lugo dropped McWilliams with a right to the head. Lugo dropped McWilliams again with a perfect counter right to the chin with McWilliams not beating the count at 2:39.

Lugo, 168.8 lbs of Atlanta is 5-0 with five knockouts. McWilliams, 168 lbs of New Albany, MS is 4-1.

Desmond Lyons won a six-round unanimous decision over Julio Gomez in a lightweight fight.

In round three, Gomez was cut over the right eye.

Lyons, 132 lbs of North Augusta, SC won by scores of 59-54 and 58-55 twice and is now 10-3. Gomez, 135 lbs is 7-3-2.

Maximus Garland won a six-round unanimous decision over Morgan Griggie in a welterweight “Pink Slip” fight.

Garland landed 143 of 396 punches. Griggie landed 82 of 330.

Garland, 146 lbs of Capitol Heights, MD won by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 twice and is now 9-0. Griggie, 145.8 lbs of Fayetville, GA is 9-0.

Garland will appear on another OTX card, while Griggie will not.

Elijah Lugo stopped Marquis Williams in round five of their six-round middleweight bout.

In round four, Williams was deducted a point for holding. In round five, Lugo dropped Williams with a straight right to the body. Lugo scored a second knockdown with a right to the body and Williams did not beat the count at 1:47.

Lugo, 160 lbs of Atlanta is 3-0 with one knockout. Williams, 159 lbs of Houston is 3-3.

LAS VEGAS (April 24, 2023) – A pair of 19-year-old lightweight prodigies are set to return in separate bouts as part of the ESPN+-streamed undercard to the PPV main event headlined by the undisputed lightweight championship battle between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Undefeated Las Vegas native Emiliano Fernando Vargas will take on an opponent to be named in a four-round bout, and Cleveland-born southpaw AbdullahMason will face Desmond Lyons in a six-rounder.

Vargas’ return, Mason-Lyons and additional undercard fights will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. 

The stream will precede a two-fight ESPN telecast featuring the vacant WBO junior bantamweight world title showdown between Australia’s former world champion Andrew Moloney and Japan’s undefeated former WBO flyweight titlist Junto Nakatani. Moloney-Nakatani and the return of middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The Haney vs. Lomachenko main card will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, the event’s exclusive digital distributor in the United States, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Priced at $59.99 across all distributors, it also will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.

The PPV undercard features a 10-round junior lightweight co-feature between two-division world champion Oscar Valdez and Adam “BluNose” Lopez in a rematch of their 2019 battle.

In the PPV opener, rising lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla will take on big-punching Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila in a 10-round clash. 

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Devin Haney Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, tickets are on sale now at axs.com.

Vargas (4-0, 3 KOs) was a seven-time national amateur champion before debuting in the pro ranks in May 2022 with a first-round knockout of Mark Salgado. In October, “El General” signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank and debuted with a highlight-reel knockout over Julio Martinez. Under the guidance of his father and trainer, former world champion Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, the young lightweight has already scored two victories this year, a four-round decision win over Francisco Duque in February and a second-round knockout over Edgar Uvalle in April.

Mason (7-0, 6 KOs) was considered one of the brightest talents in U.S. amateur boxing before signing with Top Rank in October 2021. Mason made his pro debut in November 2021 with a second-round TKO win over Jaylan Phillips. In 2022, Mason went 5-0 with four knockouts. The southpaw phenom is coming off a first-round stoppage over Erick Garcia Benitez in April. Lyons (8-2, 2 KOs) is a 24-year-old South Carolina native who defeated Aaron Jamel Hollis via a six-round decision last May. 

In other undercard action streaming on ESPN+:

• Junior featherweight Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (8-0, 3 KOs) looks to shine in front of a hometown crowd in an eight-round bout against a to-be-determined foe. Diaz is coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Edgar Joe Cortes last November.
   
• Middleweight slugger Amari Jones (8-0, 7 KOs) will make his 2023 debut in a six-round clash. In 2022, Jones traveled to Melbourne, Australia, and fought on the undercard of both Haney-George Kambosos Jr. fights.