The homecoming of the contender Jerry “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes against Puerto Rico’s Abner Cotto headlines this week’s edition of Golden Boy Live! on Thursday, August 7 and the rest of the card at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi is just as stacked, with several national and local stars ready to prove that things are bigger and better in Texas.
In the co-main event, unbeaten KeAndre Gibson (10-0-1, 3 KOs) of Austin faces off against Fort Worth’s Jose “Loco” Hernandez (14-7-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight bout and opening the televised portion of the card will be a six-round bantamweight matchup between Kingsville’s Oscar Cantu (7-0, 1 KO) and San Antonio’s Joseph Rios (13-9-2, 4 KOs).
In a swing bout scheduled for six rounds in the junior lightweight division, Robstown’s Robert “Boom Boom” Vela (9-0-1, 5 KOs) meets San Antonio’s Jesse Anguiano (2-3-2, 1 KO). Vela has scored four knockouts in two rounds or less thus far in his professional career, but two-time Texas Games Champion Anguiano is coming off of a big win over Martin Solis and he is prepared to keep the momentum going this Thursday.
Also representing the great city of Corpus Christi will be a pair of junior lightweights in separate four round fights, Julian Gilden (6-0, 5 KOs) battles Nuevo Laredo’s Manuel Rubalcava (1-9) and Jeremy Longoria (5-4, 1 KO) who collides with Kingsville’s Alberto Navarro (3-7-1, 1 KO). Plus, the brother of headliner Jerry Belmontes, junior welterweight Steve Belmontes, will make his professional debut in a four-round fight against Fort Worth’s James Burns (1-3-1, 1 KO).
But that’s not all, San Antonio welterweight Jairo Castaneda (5-0, 2 KOs) meets El Paso’s Josue Garcia (1-1) and Round Rock lightweight Cesar Martinez (0-1) faces Alice’s Roy Garcia (2-11, 1 KO) in four-round contests.
Highly-touted middleweight Justin DeLoach (8-0, 4 KOs) of Houston returns to the ring for his third consecutive fight in his home state, as he takes on the Bronx, New York’s Thomas Allen (2-5, 2 KOs) in a four-round matchup. It will be the third bout of 2014 for the 20-year-old DeLoach.
Already 2-0 with two knockouts in a professional career that began in May, former amateur standout Ryan “Cowboy” Karl of Houston looks for three straight wins when he takes on Monroe, La. veteran David Green (2-20-1, 1 KO) in a four-round welterweight bout.
Individual tickets priced at $25, $17 and $12 as well as group table packages priced at $1,000, $800 and $600, plus applicable fees and service charges are available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased by calling Leija*Battah Promotions at (210) 979-3302, the American Bank Center at (361) 826-4100, Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
