Two of boxing’s most exciting young power hitters will be swinging for the fences at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, July 21 when unbeaten rising star Keith Thurman and Texas titan Omar Figueroa both enter the ring against opponents eager to pin losses on their perfect records in fights that could steal the show before the main event which features the WBO 130-pound title fight between Adrien “The Problem” Broner and Vicente “Chente” Escobedo. In the televised co-main event, Thurman battles Mexico’s Orlando Lora in a 10-round welterweight fight while Figueroa risks his undefeated record against slick California veteran Dominic Salcido in a 10-round lightweight fight, highlights of which will be shown on the HBO telecast.
Hard hitting Keith “One Time” Thurman (17-0, 16 KO’s) hails from sunny Clearwater, Florida, but there’s no sunshine in the ring for his opponents when he starts unleashing his brand of thunder and lightning. The owner of nine first round knockouts in a career that began in 2007, the 23-year-old Thurman returned to the ring in 2012 after a year off due to injury and he didn’t skip a beat, blasting out veteran Christopher Fernandez in a single round in February and then taking just three frames to hand Brandon Hoskins his first professional loss in May. On July 21 he takes aim at Orlando Lora.
31-year old Culiacan, Mexico native Orlando “Latigo” Lora (29-2-2, 19 KO’s) is a former IBA junior middleweight champion and WBC Continental Americas welterweight champion who is no stranger to early finishes, having sent 19 of his opponents down in defeat by knockout. When you add a veteran’s experience and a rock solid chin to the equation, Lora certainly has what it takes to not only test the power punching Thurman, but also hand the youngster his first professional defeat on Saturday.
A thrill-a-minute warrior with dynamite in his gloves, 22-year-old Omar “Panterita” Figueroa (18-0-1, 15 KO’s) has graduated from the local fight scene in his native Weslaco, Texas to become a prime time prospect at 135 pounds. He is already 5-0 with five knockouts (four in two rounds or less) in 2012 and his exciting style is making him a true fan favorite wherever he fights. He expects Cincinnati to be no different.
Owning the boxing skills and heart to force any opponent to dig deeper than he ever has before, Rialto, California’s Dominic Salcido (18-3, 9 KO’s) is returning to the ring for the first time since October of 2010 and he can’t wait to make an immediate impression with a win over Figueroa. He has been a Southern California staple for years whose only professional losses have come against top of the line talent in Vicente Escobedo, Ilido Julio and Eloy Perez. Now, the 28-year-old Salcido expects to show on July 21 that he is just now reaching his fighting prime.
