On Friday, July 25, 2014, an ESPN Friday Night Fights tripleheader will hail from Chicago’s UIC Pavilion.
In the night’s 10-round welterweight main event, red-hot rejuvenated contender Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (35-3, 23 KOs) of Weslaco, Texas, will look to continue his hot streak by taking on hard-hitting and dangerous Breidis “Khanqueror” Prescott (27-5, 20 KOs) of Miami, via Barranquilla, Colombia.
In the 10-round middleweight co-feature USBA Middleweight Champion and WBA #15, IBF #13, and WBO #11-rated Caleb “Golden” Truax (23-1-2, 14 KOs) of Osseo, Minnesota, will face Sonora, Mexico’s Rogelio “Porky” Medina (32-6, 26 KOs) in a non-title fight.
Opening the telecast will be the return of wildly popular Chicago native Mike Lee (12-0, 7 KOs). Having graduated at the top of his class with a Finance degree from The University of Notre Dame, Lee, a Subway spokesperson and philanthropist, faces an opponent to be announced in a six-round light heavyweight bout.
34-year-old Roberto Garcia was last seen winning his second consecutive Friday Night Fights main event on May 1 in Miami by way of impressive TKO 6 against former top contender Victor Cayo. Since rededicating himself to boxing last year, Garcia has been on an eye-opening tear. Despite taking the fight on very short notice, he took a 10-round decision over always tough Norberto Gonzalez in February.
31-year-old Breidis Prescott has spent the last seven years as a top professional, earning a reputation for fight-ending power. Best known for his KO 1 over international superstar and British Olympian Amir Khan, Prescott also holds a victory over current WBA champion Richard Abril and waged an unforgettable war with PPV fighter Mike Alvarado.
30-year-old Truax was on a roll in 2013, but stuttered in January by fighting to a draw with fringe contender Ossie Duran in a Friday Night Fights co-main event. Before that, Truax had put away two local rivals (UD 10 over Matt Vanda and TKO 4 over Ceresso Fort) and scored a nationally televised TKO 6 over former contender Donovan George. The victory over Fort garnered him the USBA and Minnesota State Championships. Truax’s only career loss was to world champion Jermain Taylor and Truax had Taylor down in round nine.
25-year-old Rogelio Medina has been a solid contender since turning pro in 2007 in his native Mexico. Medina earned a return engagement to Friday Night Fights on the strength of his performance against top-level contender Jonathan Gonzalez on May 1. Showing heart, power, determination and toughness, Medina went life and death in a scintillating war with Gonzalez. He lost the decision but won a legion of new fans with his grit.
26-year-old Lee, a Wheaton, Illinois, native, graduated at the top of his class, earning a degree in Finance in 2009 from the University of Notre Dame. It was at Notre Dame where Lee first stepped into a boxing ring. A three-time Notre Dame boxing champion, Lee won the Chicago Golden Gloves in 2009. As a professional, the immensely popular Lee has fought on the undercards of some of boxing’s biggest events. This will be Lee’s second fight in his hometown. He turned professional at the very same UIC Pavilion in 2010.
“I’m happy to be heading back to Chicago with another fantastic show,” said Leon Margules. “This tripleheader will be the show of the summer in a city becoming known for its resurgence of professional boxing. Both main events are sensational action fights and with Mike Lee coming home, it’ll be an unforgettable event for the fans in Chicago who have been so good to us.”
“I’m very excited to once again be working with our good friends from 8 Count, Seconds Out and Marines Promotions,” said Luis DeCubas. “I’ve said this before: the UIC Pavilion is the best venue for boxing in the Midwest and one of the best in this country.”
“I’m especially proud to host another world-class event here at home in Chicago,” said Dominic Pesoli. “Three top-notch, televised fights showcase our great city to fans across the world. Add in an undercard full of promising local prospects and we have another great evening of excitement for our fans.”
Tickets for “Conquerors” are priced at VIP $151, VIP Ringside $101, Mezzanine $51 and General Admission $31 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
