It promises to be a hot summer in Puerto Rico this year, and things will start heating up at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza in Caguas on Saturday, June 30 when two of Puerto Rico’s rising lightweight stars, Michael “The Artist” Perez and Eric Cruz, headline a TeleFutura “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” broadcast in the main event of an explosive night of boxing featuring a host of the island’s favorite battlers.
The co-main event will also feature an All-Puerto Rico showdown as unbeaten Jeffrey Fontanez of Caguas takes on Aguadilla’s Pedro Hernandez in a four round junior welterweight matchup. Plus, undefeated standout Eddie Gomez will compete against Bayamon’s Joseph De Los Santos in an eight round non-televised fight.
Returning to the ring for the first time since his upset loss to undefeated fellow prospect Omar Figueroa in January, Lares, Puerto Rico native Michael “The Artist” Perez (15-1-1, 9 KO’s), who now resides in Newark, New Jersey, has been waiting for this moment for months. On June 30, he will show the world that his fight against Figueroa was merely a bad night and that he’s ready to take on the lightweight division’s elite. A fan favorite in Puerto Rico, where he is 4-0 with impressive wins over Ira Terry and Tyrone Harris, the 22-year-old will feed off the energy of his local fans as he looks to get back in the win column.
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico’s Eric Cruz (16-9-3, 13 KO’s) is the type of fighter no one wants to meet in the ring. He has the kind of power that can change a fight in a split second as evidenced by his eight opponents who didn’t make it out of the first round. Now attempting to add a second straight loss to Perez’ record, the 24-year-old will test whether Perez is ready for primetime or not.
19-year-old Jeffrey Fontanez (7-0, 6 KO’s) has shown plenty of pop in his fists with five of his opponents being sent to defeat in less than a round. That kind of finishing ability has made the Caguas native the talk of the island, so it’s up to fellow islander Pedro “El Gago” Hernandez (6-5-1, 2 KO’s) to show the youngster some veteran tricks and silence the hype on June 30.
Even though Eddie Gomez is just 8-0 (6 KO’s) in his promising young career, the buzz is growing louder and louder about the native of The Bronx with the fast hands and fight ending power. Coming off of a near shutout decision win over David Lopez in February, the 19-year-old junior middleweight is ready for whatever awaits him in the ring against Bayamon’s Joseph De Los Santos (11-8-3, 4 KO’s) on Saturday.
Perez vs. Cruz, a 10 round lightweight bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions and H2 Entertainment and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. AT and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. AT. The TeleFutura “Sólo Boxeo Tecate” broadcast begins at 11:00 p.m. AT/ET/PT.
Tickets priced at $10, $15 and $25 are available for purchase by calling (787) 792-5000 and online at www.tcpr.com.
