Juan Carlos Burgos 134 – Yakubu Amidu 133
(WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Title)
Miguel Gonzalez 136 – Josenilson Dos Santos 135
Taras Shelestyuk 148 – Adam Ealoms 148 ½
Justin Goslee 315.4 – Kosetatino Sinoti 229
Fedir Popazov 135 – Joachin Chavez 136.6
Jarrod Tennant 150 – Brandon Adams 149
Razvan Cojanu 281 – Alvaro Morales 306
Promoters: Banner Promotions & Thompson Boxing
Venue: Thunder Valley Casino Resort
TV: ESPN 2

LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA – Regarded by many as an uncrowned super featherweight champion, Juan Carlos Burgos aims to put the disappointment of a controversial draw with Rocky Martinez in January in his rearview with an impressive showing against replacement opponent Yakubu Amidu in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event emanating from the Thunder Valley Casino Resort tomorrow night.

Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico was outright robbed according to many aficionados who witnessed his challenge of Martinez’ WBO title on HBO back in January. In what in retrospect became perhaps the first of many odd collections of scores this calendar year, Judge Tony Paolillo had the fight 116-112 Burgos, but was overruled by Waleska Roldan’s puzzling 117-111 tally for Martinez and the even card of John Signorile, 114-114.

Originally Burgos was scheduled to meet former title challenger Daulis Prescott, but the latter had to pull out with kidney stones. On less than two weeks notice, Banner Promotions managed to secure the rugged Amidu (20-4-1, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Accra, Ghana as a replacement for the twelve-round bout. The WBO Intercontinental Lightweight title is at stake, which virtually guarantees the winner a world ranking at 135-pounds.

The Vince Vaughn-managed Amidu provided a stiff test for lightweight contender Ji-Hoon Kim last January on ESPN2, losing a ten-round decision in an action fight. The WBO #2 ranked super featherweight Burgos has never fought above 135-pounds before and would not have tomorrow night had Prescott remained the opponent. Though it was not the original plan, a win Friday allows Burgos’ team the option to seek a meaningful fight at 135- or 130. Burgos weighed-in at 134, while Amidu came in at 133.

In the televised co-feature, WBO #13 ranked 130-pounder Josenilson Dos Santos fights out of his native Brazil for only the third time as a professional, taking on Miguel Gonzalez (21-3, 15 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio in a ten-round lightweight bout.

Dos Santos (26-1, 16 KOs) of Santana de Parnaíba, Sao Paulo, Brazil suffered his lone defeat to title challenger Diego Magdaleno back in 2009. Since Dos Santos has gone 12-0 all in Brazil. Gonzalez is coming in off of a fairly wide unanimous decision over faded former champion Miguel Acosta. Dos Santos scaled 135, while Gonzalez made 136-pounds.

In a four-round light middleweight swing bout, 2012 Ukrainian Olympian Taras Shelestyuk looks to continue his undefeated run against Bryan, Texas’ Adam Ealoms (3-3-3, 1 KO).

Shelestyuk (4-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Sumy, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine advanced to the semi-finals at the Summer Games in London last year before turning professional in the United States under the promotional umbrella of Banner Promotions in March. The southpaw Ealoms has three professional defeats, but the combined record of those opponents was 18-0-1 entering those contests. Shelestyuk scaled 148-pounds Thursday, while Ealoms came in at 148.5.

In the second swing bout, 6’9” heavyweight monster Justin Goslee (1-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles takes on Kosetatino Sinoti (0-2) of Long Beach, California in a four-rounder. Sinoti, no small man himself, will be staring up at an opponent about nine inches taller for the first and likely last time of his career.

Goslee, a novice boxer based on his limited amateur experience, pummeled his debut adversary, but failed to halt his attack even after scoring knockdowns. Hopefully for Sinoti’s sake, Goslee, nicknamed “Big Daddy Kane,” will adhere to the rules of the ring a little more closely in his second outing. Goslee weighed-in at 315.4-pounds, while Sinoti tipped 229.

Former amateur standout Fedor Papazov (11-0, 8 KOs) of Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Russia makes his U.S. debut against better-than-his-record journeyman Joaquin Chavez (4-7-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles in a six-round lightweight bout.

Papazov was a veteran of numerous Russian National and European Union Championships before turning professional in his native Russia back in 2009. Chavez has taken on some of the top up-and-coming lightweights and junior welterweights of the West Coast with varying success, but has continually provided quality opposition each time out. Papazov weighed-in at 135-pounds, with Chavez coming in at 136.6.

Los Angeles’ Jarrod Tennant will make his professional debut against Brandon Adams (0-1) of Stockton, California in a four-round light middleweight bout. Tennant was a late addition to the card after several others fell out against Adams. The Stockton native drew a very tough assignment for his pro debut in May in the aforementioned Taras Shelestyuk. Now Adams, who scaled 149, gets a second try for win number one against an opponent that likely has over 100 less bouts of amateur experience than did Shelestyuk. Tennant weighed in at 150-pounds.

In a rematch over two years in the making, 6’7 ½” heavyweight Razvan Cojanu (6-1, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Voinesti, Dambovita, Romania looks to avenge the lone loss of his career against veteran spoiler Alvaro Morales (6-13-7) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a four-round bout.

Cojanu entered his debut in 2011 having represented Romania at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but it was the less than body beautiful Morales that walked out of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino the majority decision victor that night. In the two-plus years since, Morales has gone 0-4-2 including bouts against three previously unbeaten foes, one of which was heavyweight contender Malik Scott. Cojanu, a frequent training mate of legendary James Toney, weighed in at 281-pounds, while Morales scaled 306.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Championship, 12 rounds
Burgos 134
Amidu 133

Lightweights, 10 Rounds
Dos Santos 135
Gonzalez 136

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Shelestyuk 148
Ealoms 148.5

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Goslee 315.4
Sinoti 229

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Papazov 135
Chavez 136.6

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Adams 149
Tennant 150

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Morales 306
Cojanu 281

Photos by Erik Killin

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com or on Twitter @MarioG280.

The July 26 edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will feature former Jr. Lightweight and Featherweight title challenger Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (30-1-1 20 KOs, ESPN.com No. 4 ranked Jr. Lightweight) and Yakubu “The Black Mamba” Amidu (18-4-1, 16 KOs) in the 12-round Lightweight main event. Friday’s show from Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, Calif., will air live at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, WatchESPN, and broadband Spanish-language ESPN Deportes+. ESPN Deportes will televise Friday’s fights on Saturday, July 27, at 9 p.m. The card is promoted by Banner Promotions.

New Picture (7)
Watch Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore preview Friday’s main event

Commentators:
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside describing the action for ESPN2, while studio host Todd Grisham (@GrishamESPN) will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Delvin Rodriguez, will call the fights with Pablo Viruega for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights), on both ESPN Deportes+ and ESPN Deportes, while Leopoldo Gonzalez and Claudia Trejos will anchor the studio. Bilingual reporter Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) will present live interviews and reports for both shows.

Main Event:
Mexico’s Burgos is coming off a 12-round draw in a Jr. Lightweight title challenge against Roman Martinez.

After that fight, ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael wrote, “Making his first defense, Martinez escaped with his belt on another highly debatable decision. Almost all of press row, as well as the Twitterverse and HBO’s Harold Lederman, had Burgos winning the fight. He hammered Martinez with hard body punches throughout the bout. According to CompuBox, Burgos landed more punches in 10 out of the 12 rounds. Burgos just seemed more in control, stronger and better able to do what he wanted to do. Martinez seemed to have a hard time dealing with his height and reach.”

California’s Amidu, who is co-managed by actor Vince Vaughn, is looking to rebound from a 10-round split decision loss to Haskell Rhodes.

“I’ve been working with Yakubu since he came to the United States,” said Amidu’s co-manager & trainer Baba Sumaila. “I managed his brother, Abdullai. So when Yakubu came here, I started working with him. Yakubu is always training. When we have a fight, he increases the tempo to make him more ready for the fight. We know our opponent is very good, but we’re ready for that. We are ready.”

Co-Feature:
Friday’s 10-round co-feature will pit Lightweights Miguel “Silky Smooth” Gonzalez (21-3, 15 KOs) of Cleveland against Brazil’s Josenilson “Jo” Dos Santos (24-1, 14 KOs). Gonzalez scored a 10-round unanimous decision win over former lightweight titlist Miguel Acosta in his last fight, while Dos Santos is looking to continue his winning ways following a 12-round unanimous decision win over Carlos Rodriguez.

Upcoming Schedule:

Date
Time (ET)
Main Event
Location

Networks
Fri., Aug 2
9 p.m.
Javier Fortuna (22-0, 16 KOs) vs. Luis Franco (11-1, 7 KOs)—10 rounds, Featherweights
Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Okla.
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Fri., Aug 9
10 p.m.
Rustam Nugaev (24-6-1, 14 KOs) vs. José Hernández (14-6-1, 6 KOs)—10 rounds, Lightweights
Morongo Casino, Cabazon, Calif.
ESPN2, ESPN ESPN Deportes+ , WatchESPN
Fri., Aug 16
9 p.m.
Andrzej Fonfara (23-2, 13 KOs) vs. Gabriel Campillo (22-5-1, 9 KOs)—12 rounds, Light Heavyweights
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago
ESPN2, ESPN ESPN Deportes+ , WatchESPN
Fri., Aug 23
TBD
Argenis Méndez (21-2, 11 KOs) vs. Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs)—12 rounds, Jr. Lightweights
Turning Stone Casino, Verona N.Y.
ESPN2, ESPN ESPN Deportes+ , WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo. Also score the fights round-by-round with the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook Voting App,” an application on the ESPN FNF Facebook page that allows viewers to score the fight round-by-round.

PHILADELPHIA (JULY 16, 2013)—Tough Yakubu Amidu has stepped in for the injured Daulis Prescott to face two-time world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KO’s) in a twelve round bout that will headline a great night of boxing at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Sacramento, California. The bout will take place on July 26th and will be broadcast live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

The fight is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

Amidu of Los Angeles via Ghana has an impressive mark of 20-4-1 with 18 knockouts and has faced solid opposition.

The twenty-eight year old is a former NABA Lightweight champion who has wins over John Revish (10-2-2); Joseph Laryea (11-2); Emeka Kodo (15-2) and Fatiou Fassinou (13-1).

Amidu won several championships in his native Ghana and is managed by world famous actor Vince Vaughn.

In his last bout, Amidu lost a split decision to undefeated Haskell Rhodes in a bout where many ringsiders believed that Amidu was a victim of a hometown decision.

In the ten round co-feature, Miguel Gonzalez (21-3, 15 KO’s) takes on Josenilson Dos Santos (26-1, 16 KO’s) in a Lightweight bout.

A full undercard will be announced shortly

Special guests scheduled to be in attendance will be former world champions Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Loreto Garza, James Toney and Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of boxing are $149.50, $124.50, $99.50. $74.50, $59.50, $45.50 & $39.50 and can be purchased at The Thunder Valley Resort & Casino and Ticketmaster.com

Doors open at 5pm with the ESPN Broadcast beginning at 6pm.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (July 1, 2013)—It will be a battle of former world title challengers on July 26th as Juan Carlos Burgos will square off with Daulis Prescott in a twelve round bout for the WBO Intercontinental Jr. Lightweight title that will be held at the beautiful Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Sacramento, California.

The fight is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing and will be broadcasted live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico has a record 30-1-1 with twenty knockouts and most in boxing are calling him an “Uncrowned World Champion” for his effort on January 19th, when he battled WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Roman Martinez to a draw. Most at ringside and the millions watching on HBO believed that Burgos deserved to walk out of Madison Square Garden with the belt but the judges didn’t see it that way as the fight was scored 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez and 114-114.

The twenty-six year old is unbeaten in his last six fights, which include wins over undefeated Luis Cruz and Cesar Vazquez, as well as former world champion Cristobal Cruz.
Daulis Prescott of Barranquilla, Colombia has an impressive mark of 26-2 with nineteen knockouts.

Like Burgos, Prescott is also twenty-six years old. He rose up in the rankings by winning his first twenty-three bouts. In his last bout, he lost his bid for the WBA Featherweight crown when he came up short against Nicholas Walters on December 8th in Jamaica.

“We are looking forward to getting Juan Carlos back in the ring”, said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo.

“Juan Carlos proved in the Martinez fight that he is the best 130 pound fighter in the world. My partners at Thompson Boxing and I were ecstatic to get a new contract done with him and we feel he will rule at 130 pounds and a great performance on July 26th will get him another shot at the title”.

“It’s important to keep a young fighter like Juan Carlos busy and primed for his next chance to a world title. Daulis Prescott will test him and it should be an excellent fight. Our #1 WBO fighter is just waiting for the next opportunity to show what he is capable of.” said Alex Camponovo of Thompson Boxing.

Special guests scheduled to be in attendance will be former world champions Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Loreto Garza, James Toney and Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez.

Tickets for this outstanding evening of boxing are $149.50, $124.50, $99.50. $74.50, $59.50, $45.50 & $39.50 and can be purchased at The Thunder Valley Resort & Casino and Ticketmaster.com
Doors open at 5pm with the ESPN Broadcast beginning at 6pm.

Bouts subject to change.

Orange, CA (May 23) – Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions are re-signing Tijuana’s crackerjack super featherweight contender Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs) to a second promotional contract.

After coming extremely close to winning a world title why stop now?

Co-Promoters Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions and Burgos held a press conference luncheon earlier today in East Los Angeles to celebrate the re-connection at the world famous Tamayo Restaurant.

“We know Juan Carlos Burgos can be the best 130 in the world. He is ranked #1 in the world by the WBO and he should be challenging for that title in the very near future. I’m happy to have been able to work with Burgos thanks to my friendship and association with Ken Thompson and Alex Camponovo, I know we will continue doing great things together,” added Art Pellulo (President of Banner Promotions).

“We all saw what happened in New York and we know the next time out that Burgos will have his hand raised and be crowned world champion”, finished Pelullo
Said Thompson, “Juan Carlos Burgos should be recognized as the best 126-130 pounder out there. He has done a great job in every facet of his young career and today we will solidify his future and we will make sure he gets what he so eagerly deserves, a belt around his waist. Although he is 25 years old, he is a veteran of the sport as he started his professional career at the age of 16 and we know one day he will be considered as one of the greats. This is a happy day for our company.”

Said Camponovo, “we have worked very hard to make sure Juan Carlos Burgos stays with our family. We know of his potential and value it as such, we will show him the way and he will get there soon. He tried to capture that elusive belt twice, once he was close but inexperienced (Hasegawa), the last time he was robbed (Martinez) and got a draw, so we are hopeful that the third time will be the charm.”

“Mini” Burgos as boxing enthusiasts call him, has come razor close to winning a world title on two occasions. Last January, in New York City, the Mexican slugger was soundly beating Puerto Rico’s Roman Martinez and was the recipient of the worse judging seen in several years. After 12 rounds the fight was ruled a split draw and the Tijuana fighter was denied the WBO junior lightweight world title.

Many in the boxing media including those on the HBO telecast found the scoring an abomination.

Offered Burgos, “I want to thank both my promoters, Ken Thompson of Thompson Boxing and Art Pelullo of Banner for having the confidence in me and in my career and to Alex Camponovo for guiding me along the way, I also have to thank my trainer Gerardo Espinoza and my manager Roberto Sandoval for being always there for me. All of them have given me the opportunity to get to a world title in two occasions and now is my turn to pay them back. I will be a world champion and that day we will have a big celebration because they have been with me during the happy and hard times of my career.”

Added Sandoval (Burgos’ manager), “The signing of a new contract is really not the main significance of this event. It’s the confidence of our promoters in a young boxer who will be a world champion and now he has to show it in the ring. We are thankful because we want to continue the good work we started some five years ago and I know that Juan Carlos can reach all his goals but with the people that really care for him and have been there since the beginning.”

Back in 2010, Burgos was blocked from winning the WBC featherweight world title while challenging Hozumi Hasegawa. That fight held in Nagoya, Japan ended in a unanimous decision in favor of the Japanese boxer.

Burgos, who is the nephew of former mini flyweight world champion Victor Burgos, has rattled off some impressive wins while fighting under the promotional banner of Thompson Boxing Promotions and Banner Promotions. Wins over undefeated Luis Cruz and Cesar Vazquez established Burgos as a force in the 130-pound division. Other notable wins came against Ricardo “Piolin” Castillo and former world champion Cristobal Cruz.
There’s little doubt that Burgos will follow in the footsteps of other Thompson Boxing fighters who achieved world championship status such as Yonnhy Perez and Timothy Bradley. More than a few think it’s just a matter of time.

For press inquiries on Juan Carlos Burgos, please contact:

Photos by Carlos Baeza / Thompson Boxing

NEW YORK (JANUARY 21, 2013)—On the heels of Saturday night’s controversial WBO Super Featherweight title bout that saw defending champion Roman Martinez receive a gift draw against Juan Carlos Burgos, Burgos promoters Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing are filing a request to the WBO for an immediate rematch.

The bout saw Burgos batter and get the better of Martinez for the duration of the twelve round fight yet only judge Waleska Roldan had the fight scored in favor of Burgos by a tally of 117-111. Somehow judges Tony Paolillo saw the fight for Martinez 116-112 and John Signorile had the fight even at 114-114.

Even before the scores were announced, the HBO broadcast team called into question about the judges as they had 9 combined title assignments with Signorile working his first title bout ever.

HBO Boxing Analyst Max Kellerman went as far to say to “Keep your eye on Paolillo” before the scores were even announced. Kellerman later said he “should not get an assignment on this level…”

The official punch stats showed a 286-193 advantage for Burgos with a 234-164 tally on power punches

HBO also ran a poll where fans sent in their thoughts on who won the fight and an overwhelming 84% of those who participated believed that Burgos should have been awarded the victory and title.

“Juan Carlos won that fight hands down and this week we will file for an immediate rematch”, said Arthur Pelullo, CEO of Banner Promotions.

Continued Pelullo, “The kid worked hard and should be a world champion this morning. We just hope the WBO agrees with what the whole world saw and does the right thing by granting us this rematch”.

Added Alex Camponovo, General Manager of Thompson Boxing, “The draw left Juan Carlos Burgos completely dejected and angry. We all felt the same way as his dream of becoming a champion turned into a New York nightmare. We hope the WBO does not punish a young man who has given everything to his craft since the age of 10 and joined the pros when he was 16 years old. An immediate rematch should be the only solution to a poor ending and I think Martinez’s people and the champion himself know deep down that he did not do enough to retain the belt.”

Below is a sampling of respected boxing media opinions on the fight:

– Mike Rosenthal of Ring Magazine: “This is what bothers me: Juan Carlos Burgos dreams his entire life of winning a major world championship, which so far had eluded him, and then earns that title by dominating the current champion in the ring. Then a bungling judge steals what should’ve been the greatest night of his career. That’s what happened on Saturday, when Burgos clearly outboxed WBO lightweight titleholder Rocky Martinez but had to settle for a draw because of a horrible split decision. The rogue judge was Tony Paolillo, who somehow scored the fight 116-112 (eight rounds to four) for Martinez. The 114-114 score of John Signorile also is baffling. The biggest punches of the fight were the dozens of punishing body shots landed by Burgos. And, according to punch stats, Burgos landed 93 more overall punches and 70 more power punches than Martinez (286-193 and 234-164). That Paolillo and Signorile somehow failed to see that left Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs) on the wrong end of yet another injustice in boxing. Shame.”

– Dan Rafäel of espn.com: 116-112 Burgos. “The 24-year-old Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs), however, seemed to carry the better of it. He used a hard, sustained body attack throughout the fight. Of the 234 power shots Burgos landed, 118 were to the body, according to CompuBox statistics. Burgos outlanded Martinez (26-1-2, 16 KOs) in 10 of the 12 rounds”

– Harold Lederman-HBO Judge: 117-111 Burgos. On the broadcast, Lederman was quoted as saying, “Burgos carried this fight. I don’t know how you miss it”

– Doug Fischer of Ring Magazine: I scored 115-113 for Burgos.

-Steve Kim of Maxboxing.com: 116-112 Burgos

-Lem Satterfield of Ring Magazine: 115-113 for Burgos

– Kevin Iole of yahoo.com 115-113 for Burgos

With this much discord, the boxing world deserves redemption for this injustice. Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing eagerly await a response from the World Boxing Organization.

Orlando Salido 126 – Mikey Garcia 125.5
Roman Martinez 129.5 – Juan Carlos Burgos 129

TIJUANA, MEXICO (January 10, 2013)—WBO number-one ranked Jr. Lightweight Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (30-1, 20 KO’s) is finishing up a hard training camp preparing for his WBO world title bout on January 19th against Roman “Rocky” Martinez (26-1-1, 16 KO’s) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City that will be part of a championship tripleheader televised Live on HBO.

Burgos has what he has termed the best training camp of his life as he prepares for his second opportunity for a world championship title.

Burgos believes that his past experience of competing for a title will serve him well.

Back on November 26, 2010, Burgos dropped a hotly contested decision to Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan in his lone attempt at a world title.

“I don’t want to let this opportunity get away from me. I have been in this position before when I faced Hasegawa and I know I could’ve done much better that night. I could have been a life changing victory for me but I let that one get away. Not this time,” said Burgos

Continued Burgos, “I have grown mentally and physically and I am prepared for a fight like this and I know it will be exciting.”

Since that setback, Burgos has wins over two undefeated fighters in Luis Cruz (19-0) and Cesar Vazquez (25-0) as well as former world champion Cristobal Cruz.

“I have to show the whole world what I am capable of, Martinez is the champ so I have to get that belt away from him, it won’t be easy but I know I can do it.”

Burgos wants to win this title in exciting fashion in front of a huge audience on HBO and the knowledgeable boxing crowd inside a sold out Madison Square Garden.

“Not only do I want to get the victory and be a champion but I want to please the crowd and make sure that the fans get their monies worth.”

This fight will be an emotional fight for Burgos as he is dedicating the bout to his uncle and former Light Flyweight champion Victor “El Acorazado” Burgos who won his world title, almost ten years to the day (February 15, 2003), with a scintillating 12th round stoppage over Puerto Rican Alex Sanchez.

Victor Burgos was nearly fatally injured on his final bout against Vic Darchinyan in 2007; he has had a miraculous recovery and currently works for Tijuana’s City Hall.

Juan Carlos and Victor had a chance to chat over the holidays as the former champion shared his experience and motivated the young challenger.

“It was inspiring for me to hear my uncle tell me the story of his first world title victory and how it was nearly 10 years to the date of my fight. He battled it out against Puerto Rican Alex “Nene” Sanchez back in 2003. He finally got that belt after many fights in which he was not that lucky. Now I just want to keep the tradition and make my family proud.”

The LIVE HBO tripleheader fistic action that is set to take place on January 19th will air 9:45 (ET/PT).

TIJUANA, MEXICO (SEPTEMBER 27, 2012)— Juan Carlos Burgos is ready for his mandated challenge against newly crowned WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez.

Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.

Burgos, 30-1 with twenty knockouts is now ranked number-one by the WBO and has been informed that Martinez must defend against him next.

Since his one blemish which came in his only world title opportunity against Hozumi Hasegawa, Burgos has won five in a row against top competition such as contenders Frankie Archueta, Gilberto Sanchez Leon; undefeated upstarts in Luis Cruz and Cesar Vazquez as well as former world champion Cristobal Cruz.

“I am ready for Rocky Martinez, he showed his ability on his fight against Beltran Jr., and was the deserving of the title, but I’m ready to challenge him for it,” said Burgos from his native Tijuana, Mexico.

“I want to thank the WBO for giving me this opportunity which I had a chance for before,” reminisced Burgos who fought and lost a title bout against Hozumi Hasegawa in Nagoya, Japan. “I won’t let this one get away from me, I want to fulfill my destiny with the WBO belt around my waist, I just need to know the date so I can prepare to go to war with Martinez”

“Juan Carlos is a young warrior that has been waiting for his shot at the title. We are confident he will make the best of it but it will not be an easy task against a good fighter like Rocky Martinez. It should be a great fight for the fans and we are proud to have gotten Burgos back where he belongs”, Said Alex Camponovo General Manager and Matchmaker of Thompson Boxing

“Juan Carlos has shown that he is more than ready for this opportunity”, said Artie Pelullo CEO of Banner Promotions

“He has defeated the best at 130 pounds and we are very confident that he will defeat Martinez in what should be a fabulous fight. This will be another classic fight between Puerto Rican and Mexican fighters”

Martinez, 26-1-1 with sixteen knockouts won the title with a twelve round split decision victory over Miguel Beltran Jr. on September 15th on the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. – Sergio Martinez Pay Per View card.

LAUGHLIN, NV (JULY 20, 2012)—Juan Carlos Burgos emphatically showed the world that he is ready to become a world champion as he stopped previously undefeated Cesar Vazquez to retain the WBO Latino Jr. Lightweight championship in round three of a scheduled ten round bout at the Edgewater Hotel Resort in Laughlin, Nevada.

The card was promoted by Banner Promotions, Thompson Boxing & JEG Boxing and was seen all over the country on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

After an up tempo first two rounds, Burgos rocked Vazquez with a hard left that drove Vazquez into the ropes. Burgos jumped all over Vazquez and landed a plethora of thudding shots that pounded off the head of Vazquez until the bout was stopped at 1:50 of round three.

With the win, Burgos, who is ranked number-two by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) is now in line to fight for the world championship which was ironically vacated earlier in the day when champion Adrien Broner failed to make weight for his Saturday night fight with Vicente Escobedo.

“I am so proud of Juan Carlos performance”, said Banner Promotions CEO Artie Pelullo.

“There was a lot on the line and the kid just took the bull by the horns and showed the world that he belongs at the top of the Jr. Lightweight rankings and we will look forward to seeing him win the world championship in the coming months”

With the win, Burgos impressive ledger now reads 30-1 with twenty knockouts while Vazquez is now 25-1.

In the eight round co-feature, Aaron Martinez of East Los Angeles, California moved to 18-1-1 with a split decision victory over Prenice Brewer (16-3-1) in a Welterweight fight.

With his legendary uncle looking on, It was an explosive pro debut for Brazilian Jr. Lightweight Vitor Freitas Jones as he needed just 2:11 of the first round to take out Rocco Espinoza (3-6) in a scheduled four round bout.

Freitas, who is the nephew of former four-time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas showed the tremendous power that looks like he will carry on the tradition of the fighting family.

“Young Freitas impressed us tonight and he is just nineteen years old. We look forward to getting him back in the ring quickly and I am excited on watching him develop into a great fighter like his uncle”, said Pelullo

2012 U.S. Olympic Alternate Brett Rather thrilled his legions of fans as the former UNLV Boxing star scored a four round unanimous decision over Jamal Woods (2-4) in a Heavyweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on two cards and 39-37 for Rather.

Other Results
Geovanny Serran (3-4, 1 KO) scored a second round stoppage over Benjamin Lee (1-3) in a scheduled four round Heavyweight bout.

Brice Ritani-Coe (3-0-1) suffered the first blemish of his career when he and Kourtney Boden (3-5-1) battled to a four round draw in a Heavyweight bout.

For the second time in a week Chico McQeen (2-0) scored a four round unanimous decision over Jorge Soto (0-2) in a Jr. Welterweight bout

The July 20 edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will feature two top contenders — Ring Magazine’s No.8 ranked Junior Lightweight Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (29-1, 19 KOs) and undefeated Junior Lightweight Cesar “Saba” Vazquez (25-0, 16 KOs) in the 10-round Junior Lightweight main event. Friday’s card, presented by Banner Promotions, will air at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3 from Laughlin, Nev.

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside for ESPN2 HD and ESPN3 at the Edgewater Casino describing the action, while studio host Bernardo Osuna will present all the latest boxing news and highlights. Alex Pombo and Delvin Rodriguez will call the fights for ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (Friday Night Fights) with Leopoldo Gonzalez and Pablo Viruega in the studio.

On ESPN2 and ESPN3, Danny Garcia’s upset win last week over former Super Light Welterweight titlist Amir Khan will be reviewed. In addition, Friday’s show will present highlights from this week’s Saul Alvarez-Josesito Lopez press conference and discuss the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr- Sergio Martinez press tour.

Main Event:
Mexico’s Burgos, a former Featherweight title challenger, has won his last four fights including a February 10-round unanimous decision on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights over former Featherweight titlist Cristobal Cruz.

After that fight, ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael wrote: “The Friday Night Fights main event was a good one in which both fighters had their moments. The 5-foot-10 Burgos, who seemed to tower over the 5-6 Cruz, dropped him to his knees in the sixth round with a left uppercut. Cruz, who suffered a cut over his left in the sixth round, surprised Burgos in the ninth round when he knocked him down with a stiff straight left hand. The knockdowns negated each other and Burgos had done enough to outpoint Cruz.”

Mexico’s Vazquez is coming off a third-round knockout win over Carlos Medellin. Vazquez said of Friday’s fight, “I know that Burgos is a good fighter. It’s a huge honor for being known with the best boxers of my division. Don’t miss out – this fight will be a war.”

Co-Feature:
Friday’s co-feature will pit Welterweights Aron “The Killer” Martinez (17-1-1, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles against Prenice “The Greatness” Brewer (16-2-1, 6 KOs) of Cleveland. Martinez, who has won his last nine fights, is coming off a seventh-round knockout over Joshua Marks, while Cleveland’s Brewer will look to rebound from a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Ronald Cruz.

Follow ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on Twitter @ESPNFNF or like it on Facebook. Follow ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates on Twitter @ESPNBoxeo

Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions, Ken Thompson/Thompson Boxing, JEG Boxing, ESPN & the Edgewater Casino Resort Presents a night of world class boxing on July 20th at The Edgewater Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The main event & co-main event will be televised live on ESPN’S Friday Night Fights on ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN 3 at 9 p.m. ET.

In the ten round main event, former world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos, 29-1 with 19 knockouts of Tijuana, Mexico will look to make it five straight wins when he takes on Cesar Vazquez, 25-0 with 16 knockouts of Mexicali, Mexico in a ten round Super Featherweight bout for the WBO Latino Junior Lightweight Championship.

Burgos, 24 years old is ranked No. 2 by the WBO and No. 4 by the IBF and is one of the hottest fighters in the 130 pound division. Since he came up just short in his title opportunity to the distinguished Hozumi Hasegawa, Burgos has had four signature victories which include wins over previously undefeated Luis Cruz and former world champion Cristobal Cruz. In the fight with Cristobal Cruz, which took place on February 24th, Burgos claimed the WBC Silver Super Featherweight belt.

Vazquez, 26 Years old, has been perfect and is looking to impress the nationwide audience as he makes his American debut. He is coming off a 3rd round knockout over Carlos Medlin on January 21st.

Promoter Art Pelullo said “This is an important fight with a lot on the line. The winner will be on a short list to receive a title shot. Everybody knows that when two Mexican fighters square off there is also a lot of pride on the line as well so I expect this to be an explosive fight”

“Burgos is on a serious quest to get a world title shot again and Cesar Vazquez will put it all on the line to derail those dreams,” said co promoter Ken Thompson, “It will another thrilling night of boxing as two Mexican warriors try to make a name for themselves and place their careers on the limelight.”

President of JEG Boxing Daren Libonati said “I am thrilled to partner with Edgewater Casino in bringing this action packed card to Laughlin. “

An exciting co-feature and undercard will be announced shortly.
All Bouts are subject to change without notice.

Edgewater Casino Resort
2020 South Casino Drive, Laughlin, Nevada
Doors Open: 5:00 PM
First Fight: 6:00 PM

Juan Carlos Burgos survived a ninth round knockdown and held on to defeat Cristobal Cruz via ten round unanimous decision in a Super Featherweight bout at Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware.

Burgos controlled the first half of the fight as he got in some short shots inside the lunging long punching of Cruz. In round six a short left hook by Burgos connected and sent Cruz to the canvas. Shortly after that a cut formed around the right eye of Cruz. That inspired Cruz to come on late in the fight and then he deposited Burgos on the canvas in the ninth. Cruz had a soliid tenth as well but it was too little too late as Burgos previous work distanced himself enough to hold to the 96-92; 96-92 and 98-90 victory.

With the win, Burgos, 129 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 29-1. Cruz, 128 3/4 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 39-13-3

Manny Perez scored the biggest win of his career by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Edgar Santana in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Perez dictated the pace and never let Santana get in a rhythem. Perez controlled the middle rounds with solid combination punching and it seemed like Santana could never get set and land many solid blows. Santana began to swell around his right eye in the ninth round. The final frame saw some good action as Santana landed a couple big right hands but Perez walked through them and fought back hard and worked the body.

Perez, 138 1/2 lbs of Denver won by scores of 96-94 on all cards and is now 17-7-1. Santana, 139 1/2 lbs of New York is now 26-4.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that two fights have been agreed upon for the November 12th Pay Per View undercard that will be highlighted the third fight between Manny Pacquiao – and Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

One of the bouts will have junior welterweight contender Mike Alvarado (31-0, 22 KOs) of Denver facing Colombia’s Breidis Prescott (24-3, 19 KOs).

“That’s a pretty good fight isn’t it? I think so. It’s a good test for Alvarado and a good fight,” Arum said.

In a fight that will open the PPV broadcast, Arum said that Puerto Rican junior lightweight Luis Cruz (19-0, 15 KOs), who recently signed with Top Rank as his co-promoter, will face Juan Carlos Burgos (27-1, 19 KOs), a former featherweight title challenger who is moving up in weight.