The youngest member of the fighting Morales family, unbeaten junior bantamweight Ivan Morales, steps into the ring for the third time this year on Saturday, September 8 when he takes on countryman and former world title challenger Luis Maldonado in the 10 round main event of TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.
Also in action on this end of summer sizzler will be undefeated Los Angeles favorite Julian Ramirez, who battles Indianapolis’ Dewayne Wisdom in a six round junior featherweight contest.
Twenty-year-old Ivan Morales (17-0, 12 KO’s) pays homage to his eldest sibling, the legendary Erik Morales, with the nickname “Terrible II” and he’s now starting to build his own legacy in the family business. A southpaw with impressive power, the Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico native turned professional in 2009 and has yet to taste defeat in the ring. In 2011, he went 7-0 with five knockouts and he’s expecting to have another busy year in 2012, which has started with knockout wins over Ricardo Armenta in February and Edgar Martinez in April, the latter victory earning him his first pro title, the WBC International Silver Super Flyweight belt. On September 8, the Tijuana native makes his much anticipated United States debut.
A three-time world title challenger, Ocotlan, Mexico’s Luis “Titi” Maldonado (38-8-1, 29 KO’s) has faced several elite fighters over the years including Nonito Donaire, Fernando Montiel, Eric Morel and Vic Darchinyan. Now expecting to show the young Morales just what it takes to compete with the big boys, the 34-year-old veteran is coming to California in search of an upset on September 8.
After blitzing through his first two professional opponents in the first round, Los Angeles’ Julian Ramirez (3-0, 2 KO’s) showed the poise of a seasoned competitor on July 28 when he shutout tough Christian Navarro over four rounds. A win is a win, but nothing feels as good to this rising star as a knockout, and that’s what he’ll be looking for as soon as the bell rings in Temecula this September.
Indianapolis southpaw Dewayne Wisdom (2-5, 1 KO) has been fighting unbeaten prospects since his professional career began in 2011, with only one of his seven opponents not having a “0” in their loss column. This has built the rugged 24-year-old into a veteran sooner than most and he’s hoping to show off some of the lessons he learned in the ring against Ramirez.
Morales vs. Maldonado is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Ringside Ticket Inc. and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. PT on fight night, the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. PT and the TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Tickets, priced at $35 and $55, are on sale now by calling (877) 711-2946 or visiting www.pechanga.com.
