The first card for the Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN series just got even bigger with undefeated former IBF Bantamweight Champion Randy “El Matador” Caballero (23-0, 14 KOs) now set to compete against Jesus “Estrella” Ruiz (35-7-5, 24 KOs) of Nogales, Mexico in a 10-round bout. Caballero will find a strong challenge in the battle-tested contender Ruiz.
Caballero vs. Ruiz will serve as the chief support to the highly anticipated main event between Irish amateur standout and middleweight contender Jason “El Animal” Quigley (12-0, 10 KOs) and the hard-punching Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-3, 15 KOs), airing live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California starting at 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST.
Opening up the televised portion of the night, 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist and highly decorated amateur Marlen Esparza of Houston, TX will make pro debut against Rachel Sazoff (0-2) of Hamilton Township, New Jersey.
Two additional undercard fights will be live streamed on ESPN3 and will be available in English and in Spanish. Golden Boy Promotions has added A-list prospect Hector “El Finito” Tanajara, Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas to face off against Daniel Perales (7-6-1, 5 KOs) of Monterey, Mexico for over six rounds in the lightweight division.
The undercard will also feature IBF #1 middleweight contender Tureano Johnson (19-1, 13 KOs) against a soon to be announced fighter, in addition to previously announced fights featuring Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (22-7, 7 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. for an eight-round welterweight bout against Tijuana, Mexico’s Hector “Charro Negro” Velasquez (57-28-3, 39 KOs); and Azat “Attack” Hovhannisyan (10-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout.
Additionally, renowned ring announcer and television personality Michael Buffer will serve as the VIP guest for the action-packed card on March 23 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. As the VIP guest of the night, Buffer will be in attendance for the fights and will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center before the ESPN broadcast begins. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.
