The April 12 edition ESPN Friday Night Fights – which will take place on the eve of the rematch between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr.– will feature 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. The card is promoted by Top Rank.
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.
