LAS VEGAS (February 9, 2022) – Mexican rivals Isai “Gaga” Hernandez (11-2-2, 7 KOs) and Irving “Poderoso” Castillo (11-2, 7 KOs) are pumped up about fighting each other in the semifinals of the World Cup Boxing Series’ (WCBS) inaugural “4-Man Lightweight Tournament,” presented by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions.

The first RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS of 2022 will be streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, from Palenque De La Expo in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. To sign-up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.

The Hernandez-Castillo semifinals winner will advance to the championship final this spring against the other semifinalist victor between pre-tournament favorite Luis “Koreano” Torres (14-0, 9 KOs) and Rodolfo “Rudy” Flores (14-5, 6 KOs) in an 8-rounder.

“Fighting in this tournament is good for me and my boxing career,” Hernandez said. “I’m very happy. I know he (Castillo) is in very good shape for every fight. He’s a good boxer, extremely tall for a lightweight. It’s a very tough fight for me.

“I’m a very strong brawler. I think it’s going to be a very tough fight. He will try to use his height and reach to keep his distance, but it’s my job to get inside and make him uncomfortable. We have been working so hard for this opportunity. I will do whatever it takes to win this fight.”

Castillo plans to take advantage of competing in this tournament, saying: “It’s a great opportunity for me to take part in this tournament. I’m very excited and look forward to making it to the championship and winning the WBC Latino title.

“I have seen him (Hernandez) fight a couple of times. Hernandez can handle a lot of punches and he likes to pressure his opponent every round. He’s a very tough fighter. I am very technical. I rarely waste any punches in there. It’s going to be a great fight with a lot of action. I have the qualities to win this fight impressively and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

The WCBS’ “4-Man lightweight Tournament,” created by CEO Terry Hollan and matchmaker Guy Taylor, is sanctioned by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The winner will be crowned the WBC Latino Lightweight Champion, as well as positioned in the WBC’s top 15 ratings.

Semifinal’s action will be contested in 8-round bouts, 10 rounds for the championship final. The WCBS will also feature one “overtime” round, if needed, to declare a winner in the event of a draw upon the conclusion of the scheduled distance.

WCBS will also be offering a “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout” bonuses to each contestant through the duration of its “4-Man Lightweight Tournament.”

A non-tournament, title fight between decorated amateur boxer and undefeated professional, Quinton Randall (8-0, 2 KOs), and Ivan “Zurdo” Alvarez (31-13-1, 21 KOs) will also be streamed live UFC FIGHT PASS® opener.

Randall, fighting out of Houston, was a 2016 USA Nationals Championships gold medalist, as well as runner-up at the 2017 USA National Championships and Pan-American Games. Alvarez, the former WBC Youth Mundo Hispanic light welterweight champion, is upset minded for his 10-round bout versus Randall for the vacant WBC USNBC Silver Welterweight Championship.

thumbnail_IMG_3224.jpg
Two other lightweight bouts are also being streamed on RJJ Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS as Venezuelan knockout specialist Fradimil Macayo (15-1, 13 KOs) faces unbeaten Mexican Armando Ramirez Almanza (5-0-1,2 KOs) in an 8-round bout, while undefeated 19-year-old prospect Jorge “Jorgito” Cota (6-0, 4 KOs) – the youngest in the famed Mexican fightin’ Montiel family – meets Guatemalan challenger Rene “Kampana” de Leon Mazariegos (7-3, 4 KOs) in a scheduled 6-rounder.

Two matches off-UFC FIGHT PASS finds featherweight Nazario Castro Nieblas (8-2, 3 KOs) vs. 17-year-old Javier “Totopo” Carriello Montes (5-0, 3 KOs) in a 6-round battle of Mexican featherweights, and Houston super lightweight Emmanuel Rojas (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Luis “El Faco” Angulo Bojorquez (4-4-1, 3 KOs), of Mexico.

Card subject to change.

INFORMATION:

Website: http://www.RoyJonesJrBoxing.com

Facebook: : /WorldCupBoxingSeries

Twitter: @RoyjonesJRfa @RoyJonesJrOfficial

Instagram: @RoyJonesJrBoxing, @World_Cup_Boxing_Series

ABOUT ROY JONES JR, BOXING PROMOTIONS: Founded in 2013, Roy Jones, Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions has already made a huge impact in the boxing community in a few short years creating exhilarating content for UFC Fight Pass, CBS Sports, Showtime, ESPN and beIN Sports in some of the finest venues across the country and also in Mexico, Russia, and Japan. RJJ Boxing has proven it is conquering the sweet science of the sport.

ABOUT UFC FIGHT PASS®: UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to exclusive, live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features, in-depth interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 17,000 bouts from dozens of combat sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit https://www.ufc.tv/page/fightpass.

(April 14, 2021) —From two continents, #MTKFightNight returns this week with a pair of evenly matched main events.

The action begins Friday at Verité Social Venue in Monterrey, Mexico, as former lightweight world champion Miguel Vazquez battles Isai Hernandez in the 10-round junior welterweight main event.

The fights continue Saturday from University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton, England, as undefeated middleweight contender Danny Dignum will make the second defense of his WBO European middleweight belt in a 10-rounder against Russian veteran Andrey Sirotkin.
 
Vazquez-Hernandez will be an evening affair, streaming live on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

The Dignum-Sirotkin card will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
 
Vazquez (42-10, 16 KOs) held the IBF lightweight world title for more than four years, from August 2010 to September 2014, and made six successful title defenses. He is 8-6 since losing the world title via split decision to Mickey Bey, but a few of those defeats have been controversial in nature, including last October’s split decision nod at the hands of Lewis Ritson. Hernandez (10-1-1, 7 KOs), from La Paz, Mexico, has won four consecutive fights since the lone defeat of his career.
 
In other streaming action from Mexico:

• Former Cuban amateur standout Ariel Perez (5-0, 4 KOs) will take on Mexico’s Brandon Romero (11-1-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the WBC Youth Intercontinental super bantamweight belt.
   
• In an eight-round lightweight battle, Argentina’s Ronan Sanchez (5-0, 3 KOs) will fight Mexico’s Jonathan Escobedo (4-1, 1 KO).
   
• Jonathan “Geo Don” Lopez (2-0, 2 KOs), a 17-year-old phenom who was born in Puerto Rico and had extensive success as a U.S. amateur, will face Omar Santillan (5-1) in a six-round featherweight tilt.
   
• In other six-round bouts, welterweight veteran Ricardo Salas (15-1, 11 KOs) will face off against Sergio De Leon (8-4, 1 KO), while junior welterweight puncher Jimerr Espinosa (9-0, 8 KOs) looks to extend his knockout streak to three against Ricardo Diaz (8-4-1, 1 KO). 

Dignum (13-0, 7 KOs), from Essex, England, won the WBO European middleweight belt in November 2019 with a fifth-round knockout over Conrad Cummings, then defended it less than four months later with a ninth-round stoppage over Alfredo Meli. He returns against Sirotkin (19-1, 7 KOs), a former WBO European super middleweight champion who has won four in a row since a TKO loss to John Ryder.

In other streaming action from England:

• Dan Azeez (12-0, 8 KOs) will defend his English light heavyweight title in a 10-rounder against former British title challenger Ricky Summers (17-2-1, 6 KOs); junior featherweight prospect Jack Bateson (12-0, 3 KOs) will step up against Joe Ham (16-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-rounder; upstart super middleweight Lewis Edmonson (4-0, 1 KO) will battle former Commonwealth king Luke Blackledge (26-9-2, 9 KOs) in a six-rounder; middleweight Paul Ryan will make his professional debut in a four-rounder against Kyle Hughes (2-2); and middleweight prospect Fearghus Quinn (2-0) will fight Jan Ardon (2-6) in a six-rounder.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.
 
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.