Following their epic 2016 “Fight of the Year” candidate fight this past April 15, at the Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, Yoshihiro “El Maestrito” Kamegai, (26-3-2, 23 KO’s)and Jesus “Renuente” Soto-Karass, (28-10-4, 18 KO’s), will meet in the ring once again on Saturday, September 10 for a highly anticipated re-match from the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. The bout will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto- Karass is a super welterweight clash scheduled to go 10 rounds, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions, and will serve as the co-main televised event on HBO World Championship Boxing telecast prior to the world championship fight between undefeated fighters WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0-0, 38 KO’s) and WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KO’s).
Tickets for this outstanding evening of professional boxing priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 will go on sale Friday, July 22 at 12:00 p.m. PT through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com,
1-800-745-3000) and the Forum Box Office.
“I am very grateful to K2 Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions in making this rematch and honored to be on the Roman Gonzalez- Carlos Cuadras undercard at the Fabulous Forum,” said Yoshihiro Kamegai. “Jesus Soto-Karass and I had a great fight in April. I have a lot of respect for Soto-Karass. He is a warrior. I hope to put on another exciting fight with him in front of the great Southern California Boxing Fans.”
“I am excited to come back to the ring against such a great warrior like Yoshihiro Kamegai,” said Jesus Soto-Karass. “We put on a great show in April and I am sure we will deliver another great show in September. We are both great warriors who come forward and are willing to leave it all in the ring. This re-match will serve for one of us to finally emerge victorious, as we give the fans of Los Angeles a fight of a lifetime.”
“If fans thought the first Kamegai and Soto-Karass fight was an epic Fight of the Year contender, let me just say this-on September 10th, both fighters will be coming back in the ring with a vengeance to prove who is the true winner in this rematch,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Both of these fighters are fierce warriors and the fans can expect to witness what could be the beginning of the next big rivalry in the sport.”
“We’ve very excited to add this highly anticipated rematch between Yoshihiro Kamegai and Jesus Soto-Karass to this outstanding event, “said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “With their first fight ending in a hotly contested draw and the huge demand from fans and media for a rematch, it’s a perfect fit for this card at the Fabulous Forum, home to decades of memorable battles. As we’ve always tried to do, adding a sensational co-feature to this event provides non-stop action for those in the arena. This will be the fourth consecutive time Roman and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin have fought on the same date televised by HBO and this ‘winning combination’ affirms this as the strongest international boxing day of the year.”
In their first bout which ended in a split decision draw (97-93, Kamegai, 96-94 Soto-Karass and 95-95), Kamegai and Soto-Karass delivered an all-out brawl which had fans packed into the Belasco Theater with a special viewing room opened to accommodate the demand. Given the history of both men, there were high expectations placed on the shoulders of Tokyo’s Kamegai and Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico’s Soto-Karass to put on a fight to remember and while such bouts usually fall short of those expectations, that wasn’t the case in April. Both warriors went head-to-head in ten thrilling rounds that had fans in an uproar. When the fight had ended and the judges’ scores were read, no one complained it was a draw because in a bout like that–no fighter deserved to lose. And despite the heated nature of the battle, both fighters have agreed to do it again, with the fans likely to be the biggest winners on September 10.
Mostly fighting in his native Japan, Kamegai burst on to the boxing scene in the United States with a 2014 “Fight of the Year” candidate against former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, an epic 12-round battle that was awarded to the California native. Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Kamegai may have only competed a handful of times in the United States, but with his exciting style and fighting spirit, the 33-year-old has built a sizable fan base, one that is expected to grow for his rematch with Soto-Karass. The former OPBF welterweight champion, Kamegai has been to battle with the likes of Johan Perez and Alfonso Gomez, and if he can defeat Soto Karass, it will be the biggest victory of his nearly 11-year career.
Fighting out of Los Angeles, California, Soto-Karass has faced numerous world champions and contenders over his 15-year career including Keith “One Time” Thurman, Andre Berto, Marcos Maidana, Devon “The Great” Alexander, Yuri Foreman, Alfonso Gomez, “King” Gabriel Rosado, Mike Jones Selcuk Aydin and David Estrada. He is a former NABF and WBC Continental Americas champion who has been thrilling boxing fans since his debut in 2001. Owner of wins over Vince Phillips, David Estrada, Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto, Soto Karass is an aggressive puncher who can handle himself against any fighter willing to step in the ring to face him. A former world title challenger, Soto Karass knows that a win over Kamegai will keep him on the right track to continue fighting for years to come.
Kamegai vs. Soto-Karass II, is a ten round super welterweight clash presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Teiken Promotions, and will serve as the co-main event to the world championship fight between WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38 KO’s) and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KO’s). Both bouts will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
