PRESS RELEASE: Mario Lopez to join broadcast of Golden Boy fight on FOX Sports 1
EXTRA host and longtime boxing fan Mario Lopez will join Golden Boy Promotions' monthly LA Fight Club at The Belasco Theater, adding even more star wattage to the popular series, which premieres this Friday night.
"As awesome as it is to see boxing's established champions step into the ring, the future of boxing depends on its young and upcoming stars," Lopez said. "LA Fight Club will help the fans get to know the champions of the future, and Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya deserve a ton of credit for their commitment to boxing not just today, but for years and decades to come."
Lopez will join play-by-play announcer Brian Custer, color commentator Paulie Malignaggi and ringside reporter Jessica Rosales on FOX Sports 1 (Friday, 10 p.m. ET).
"I have sat next to Mario at fights all over the country, and I can tell you first hand that there may be no bigger fan of boxing," said Golden Boy Promotions Founder and President Oscar De La Hoya. "We are thrilled to have him join us for Friday's exciting launch of LA Fight Club and look forward to working together for years to come."
Headlining the night, undefeated super bantamweight prospect and 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph "Jo Jo" Diaz Jr. (14-0, 9 KOs) is scheduled for 10-rounds against Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico's Juan Luis "Perla Negra" Hernandez (17-4-1, 9 KOs).
Los Angeles' Christian "Chimpa" Gonzalez (8-0, 8 KOs) will be featured as the night's co-main event against Julio Cesar Sarinana of Phoenix (3-2-1) in a six-round super featherweight bout. Homegrown talent Roy "Pitbull" Tapia (10-0-1, 5 KOs) of Los Angeles will fight in a six-round super bantamweight bout against southpaw Ali Gonzalez (6-5, 1 KO) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Also, Cesar "The Great" Quinonez (1-0, 1 KO), Fernando Varga's promising prospect, will have his second professional bout against newcomer Oscar Rojas (0-1) of Salinas, Calif. in a four-round super lightweight bout. Finally, super bantamweight prospect Emilio Sanchez (6-0, 5 KOs) will face Puerto Rico's Luis Cosme (8-5-1, 3 KOs) in the opening bout of the night.
Santiago "El Lobito" Guevara (8-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles will face Carlos Morales (6-1-3, KOs) in a six-round super featherweight televised opening bout. Irish standout Jason Quigley (3-0) will square off against Lanny Dardar (2-2-2, 1 KO) in a middleweight bout. Also, Jesus Delgado of Los Angeles (3-0-1, 1 KOs) will compete in a four-round fight against Rocco Espinoza (4-11) of Las Vegas in the non-televised portion of the night.
