On Friday, November 20, The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas hosts a hard-hitting card as the prelude to the November 21 Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez Super Fight at the Mandalay Bay live on HBO PPV. Mexican slugger Horacio “Violento” Garcia (29-1-0, 21 KOs) takes on fellow countryman Raul “Bule” Hidalgo (24-13, 18 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight bout sure to start off the weekend on fire on the Las Vegas Strip.
Featured as part of the RingTV Live Stream, East LA’s undefeated Roy “Pit Bull” Tapia (11-0-2, 6 KOs) is scheduled to face Erik Ruiz (14-4, 6 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif. in an eight-round super bantamweight bout; while fellow Golden Boy Promotions stablemates, Jason “El Animal” Quigley (8-0, 8 KOs) from Donegal, Ireland, and rising prospect Hector “El Finito” Tanajara Jr. (2-0, 1 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas, are both scheduled for six-round middleweight and super featherweight fights, respectively. Plus, Francisco Esparza (1-0) of Las Vegas is set to fight in a four-round featherweight bout. Opponents will be announced shortly.
Back in the ring for the first time since the lone loss of his professional career, via decision to former world champion Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan this past May, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico’s Horacio “Violento” Garcia is hungrier than ever to get back into the title race and his journey starts on November 20. Before the defeat, the 25-year-old Garcia had won his previous six bouts by knockout and it’s a streak he expects to begin again in his Las Vegas debut.
Winner of two of his last three bouts, with knockouts over Jorge Luis Babuca and Antonio Gonzalez, Nuevas Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico’s Raul “Bule” Hidalgo may not have the prettiest record in the fight game, but those 37 fights have prepared the 26-year-old for anything he may face in the ring. A professional since 2010, Hidalgo can make a bold statement to his fellow fighters should he hand Garcia his second straight defeat.
Unbeaten as a professional, East LA super bantamweight Roy Tapia is a popular fighter on the California fight scene and if the 24-year-old’s most recent win, a third-round knockout of Juan Luis Hernandez on August 6 is any indication, he may be ready to take the next step in his career very soon. But the “Pitbull” will get a fight in his next outing in the form of Oxnard’s Erik Ruiz a protégé of renowned trainer Robert Garcia who has never been stopped and who always shows up ready for battle.
Fighting professionally since 2011, 24-year-old Erik Ruiz is looking for the right opportunity to start another winning streak when he faces the undefeated Roy Tapia on November 20. Fighting out of Oxnard, the tough Ruiz has been seen in the ring most recently against Jessie Magdaleno, Manuel “Tino” Avila, Fernando Fuentes and Daniel “Danny” Roman. On November 20, the Oxnard native, will be looking for victory and prove he still has what it takes to stay in the fighting game.
Hailing from Balleybofey in County Donegal, Ireland, the 24-year-old Jason Quigley had an outstanding amateur career becoming the first Irish fighter to win a Silver medal at the AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships in 2013. El Animal started his professional career in 2014 and has quickly garnered attention by ending each fight via knockout against Howard Reece, Fernando Najera, and Greg McCoy. Quigley has continued his wins-by-knockout streak by impressively taking down Lanny Dardar, Tolutomi Agunbiade, Joshua Snyder and most recently Michael Faulk.
An eight-time National champion as an amateur, Hector “El Finito” Tanajara (2-0, 1 KO) began his pro career in August and he’s already compiled wins over Thomas Deleon and Antonio Martinez while fighting in Los Angeles. On November 20, the 18-year-old San Antonio native takes his show on the road in a six-round super featherweight bout.
Las Vegas based Francisco Esparza, who trains with former World Champion and future Hall of Famer Fernando “Ferocious” Vargas, seeks his second professional win in a featherweight match scheduled for four rounds.
