Mikey Garcia makes his first appearance of 2021 this Saturday night at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California, and he takes on European super lightweight champion, Sandor Martin, in a ten round main event.
Eddie Hearn and Matchroom are on promotional duties, while DAZN is the place to watch a lengthy card.
Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs) has only seen action once since March 2019, and a proposed bout with Manny Pacquiao in 2020 and 2021 didn’t come to fruition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was also talk of a clash with Regis Prograis, but he shakes off the rust against Spaniard Martin instead this weekend.
The 33-year-old has previously served as a world champion at featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight.
Garcia returned to action last February, after losing to unified welterweight champion, Errol Spence Jr and remained at 147lbs, dropping Jessie Vargas in the fifth before taking a unanimous decision win.
His meeting with Martin is set to be at a catchweight of 145 pounds, so the future seems geared between opportunities at super lightweight and welterweight, with a keen eye on the winner of Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter later this year.
First, the California man must deal with Barcelona’s Martin (38-2, 13 KOs), who shouldn’t be too much of a roadblock for him.
The 28-year-old is on a run of nine wins since a points loss to Anthony Yigit in 2017, and won the vacant European ten stone title in July 2019, making two defences since, the last a points win over Kay Prospere in April.
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Prediction: This will be Martin’s first foray into welterweight waters, and he’s in deep here against Garcia. After a few rounds shaking off the ring rust, Garcia should be able to halt the European in around four or five frames.
Soto defends WBO light flyweight crown
World title action on the cards comes at light flyweight, where Mexico’s Elwin Soto (19-1, 13 KOs) defends his WBO crown against Puerto Rican, Jonathan Gonzalez (24-3-1, 14 KOs).
This will be Soto’s fourth defence of a belt that he won in a come from behind last round stoppage of Angel Acosta in 2016. His last outing was in May, when he stopped Katsunari Takayama in nine.
‘Bomba’ Gonzalez has won two at light flyweight since moving down after a seventh round stoppage loss in a challenge for the WBO flyweight title in August last year.
Prediction: Soto should retain in this one after the halfway mark.
Rodriguez meets Burgos
Jesse Rodriguez (13-0, 9 KOs) was due to fight for world honours, but his fight with Esteban Bermudez has been scrapped, and instead he meets Jose Alejandro Burgos (18-4-1, 15 KOs) over ten at light flyweight.
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Prediction: Rodriguez is just 21-years-old and is tipped for big things, while Burgos has only won one of his last four, so it should be an early night’s work for ‘Bam’.
Jarvis takes on Rodriguez
Big Australian hope, Brock Jarvis makes his USA debut, and the New South Wales lightweight takes on Alejandro Frias Rodriguez over a scheduled ten rounds.
Jarvis (19-0, 17 KOs) is a big puncher back home, and he shouldn’t have too many problems with Mexico’s Rodriguez (13-4-2, 6 KOs), who has been stopped in two of his four defeats.
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Prediction: Jarvis can win in the first half of this one.
Pacheco, Ababiy, Castro, Coe feature
One of two eight rounders sees a battle of unbeaten men and home fighter Diego Pacheco (12-0, 9 KOs) can take care of Brazilian banger Lucas de Abreu (12-0, 11 KOs) inside schedule, and Nikita Ababiy (10-0, 6 KOs) can secure a comfortable points win over Sannny Duversonne (11-4-2, 8 KOs).
Talented lightweight Marc Castro (3-0, 3 KOs) takes part in the sole six rounder, and the Fresno native can halt Angel Luna (14-7-1, 7 KOs), who has been stopped five times in seven career reverses.
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The four rounders see Oscar Alan Perez (3-0, 3 KOs) and Raymundo Rios Cardiel (3-6-2, 3 KOs), face off at lightweight, and also at 135lbs, debutant Charlie Sheehy takes on Luciano Ramos (0-1).
Prediction: Both Perez and Sheehy should secure knockout victories.
Light heavyweight, Khalil Coe (1-0, 1 KO), who secured a stoppage on debut in May meets Aaron Casper (6-4-1, 5 KOs) and the 26-year-old New Jersey man can extend his knockout streak here.
