NEW YORK (Oct. 21, 2021) — After a nearly two-year layoff, former junior featherweight world champion Jonathan “Salomon King” Guzman’s comeback begins Saturday, Oct. 30 in an eight-round showdown against Carlos Jackson at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
 
Guzman-Jackson, a strong contender to steal the New York City spotlight, headlines a stacked undercard (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) before hometown kid Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas’ step-up test against Jose “Chon” Zepeda in the 10-round junior welterweight main event (ESPN+ 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).
 
Guzman (24-1, 23 KOs) won the IBF junior featherweight world title in July 2016 with an 11^th-round TKO over Shingo Wake in Wake’s home country of Japan. Five months later, he returned to Japan and lost his title to Yukinori Oguni by unanimous decision. One of the Dominican Republic’s most accomplished fighters, Guzman has fought only twice since the Oguni defeat. In January 2020, he knocked out Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya in three rounds. Jackson (17-1, 11 KOs) is best known to a small contingent of MGM Grand Bubble attendees for his July 2020 war against Jose Enrique Vivas. In one of the year’s most hellacious action bouts — a battle of blood-curdling body blows — Vivas picked up the contested 10-round decision.  
 
In other undercard action:

• New York City crowd favorite Mathew “Lefty Gunz” Gonzalez (12-0, 8 KOs) will look to pick up his third consecutive knockout against Dakota Linger (12-5-2, 8 KOs) in a six-rounder at junior welterweight.
   
• Welterweight Pablo Valdez (4-0, 4 KOs), a New Yorker who trains alongside super middleweight star Edgar Berlanga, hopes to keep his perfect record intact against Alejandro Martinez (2-1-1, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder.
   
• Jahi Tucker (4-0, 2 KOs), the rising welterweight star from Deer Park, New York, makes his MSG debut in a scheduled six-rounder versus Jorge Rodrigo Sosa (3-2, 3 KOs). Tucker, 18, turned pro at 17 last year inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble.
• Ray Cuadrado (1-0, 1 KO), a one-time New York City amateur standout, will face Michael Land (1-3-1, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at junior lightweight.
• Top junior welterweight prospect Kasir “Mazzi” Goldston (3-0, 1 KO), from Albany, New York, will step up against Marc Misiura (2-1, 1 KO) in a four-rounder.

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $30 are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or MSG.com. All guests age 12 and older are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination (this means having at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine prior to attending). MSG’s comprehensive COVID-19 guidelines, including those regarding children under 12, can be found at https://www.msg.com/madison-square-garden/faqs.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.
  
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).
 
About Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment. The Company presents or hosts a broad array of events in its diverse collection of venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre. MSG Entertainment is also building a new state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas, MSG Sphere at The Venetian. In addition, the Company features the original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces the Boston Calling Music Festival. The Company’s two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG+, deliver a wide range of live sports content and other programming. Also under the MSG Entertainment umbrella is Tao Group Hospitality, with entertainment dining and nightlife brands including: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, Cathédrale, Hakkasan and Omnia. More information is available at www.msgentertainment.com.  
 

New York (November 15, 2018) – Friday night in Oklahoma City, former IBF Super Bantamweight champion Jonathan Guzman will be back in the ring for the 1st time since losing his title when he takes on Roberto Castaneda in a 10-round bout at the Chesapeake Energy City.

The bout can be seen live on ESPN+.

Guzman (22-1, 22 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic will be making his first start since dropping a razor think decision to Yukinori Oguni in Japan on December 31, 2016.

Guzman, 29 years-old won the title by stopping Shingo Wake on July 20, 2016 is looking for a win over Casteneda to get himself back in the rankings, on his way to another title shot, perhaps against WBO kingpin Isaac Dogboe.

This will be the 1st bout for Guzman under his new management team of El Matador Management.

“It’s been two years since I last fought and I can’t wait to get back in the ring. I’ve lost two years of my career because of promotional issues and now I need to make up this time,” said Guzman.

“I am facing a tough, strong and tall veteran fighter, but I have been training hard and I am ready for whatever comes.”

“I want to thank Top Rank for signing me to a promotional deal. They are one of the best promotional company around, and I know they will get me right back in to a world championship fight soon enough. I also would like to give special thanks to my manager Felipe Gomez from El Matador Management for making this happen for me.”

‘”I am excited to see Guzman back in the ring,” said Gomez. “It is sad to see a former World Champion with great talents sitting around for so long without fighting. He just needs to get one or two wins under his belt to get him right back in the mix with the top-ten super bantamweights.”