Takashi Miura, Francisco Vargas set for undercard of Cotto-Canelo fight
Junior lightweight titlist Takashi Miura will make his mandatory defense against Francisco Vargas on Nov. 21 in one of the televised bouts on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Canelo Alvarez middleweight world championship bout.
On Tuesday, co-promoters Golden Boy Promotions and Roc Nation Sports announced that fight and one other that will be on the HBO PPV telecast (9 p.m. ET) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Also added to the card was a scheduled 10-round fight that promises action between featherweights Jayson Velez and Ronny Rios.
A third televised undercard bout will be added to the card and is expected to involve super middleweight champion Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs), who is moving up to light heavyweight for the first of two bouts he will have before an expected showdown with three-belt light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev in fall 2016.
"On Nov. 21, the best fighters in boxing will gather for one epic night in Las Vegas," said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Alvarez, Vargas and Rios and co-promotes Velez with Cotto's company. "Audiences will not only see the two biggest stars battle -- Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez -- but every fighter featured on the card brings the highest caliber of talent propelling the sport further into a new golden age of boxing."
Miura (29-2-2, 22 KOs), 31, of Japan, will be fighting in the United States for the first time and for the second time outside of his home country -- he boxed once in Mexico -- when he makes the fourth defense of his 130-pound world title.
He has faced top opposition, including in victories over former featherweight titleholder Billy Dib (by third-round knockout in May) and Sergio Thompson (by decision in a 2013 defense).
"Francisco Vargas has proved himself to be a tough competitor," Miura said. "But I have repeatedly fought to keep my WBC title and on Nov. 21, I will show American fans once again why I am a champion."
Vargas (22-0-1, 16 KOs), 30, a 2008 Mexican Olympian, is coming off an impressive eighth-round knockout of Australia's Will Tomlinson in March. In 2014, Vargas scored his biggest win, a third-round destruction of former featherweight and junior featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez.
"To add the WBC title to my [regional] NABF and WBO intercontinental titles would be the ultimate victory and a great ending to 2015," Vargas said. "I am training hard and ready to bring a fight to the ring at Mandalay Bay. Takashi Miura better be ready because I am coming for him on Nov. 21."
Puerto Rico's Velez (23-0-1, 16 KOs), 27, fought to a draw with then-featherweight titleholder Evgeny Gradovich in November 2014 and won his only bout since. A victory over Rios would move him closer to another world title shot.
"I have been working to make a name for myself and show fans that I am a true undefeated champion," Velez said. "This fight against Ronny Rios represents an important next step in my career, and I am hungry for the win. To fight on the same card as Miguel Cotto and to represent Puerto Rico in Las Vegas in what is sure to be one of this year's biggest nights in boxing is surreal."
Rios (24-1, 10 KOs), 25, of Santa Ana, California, suffered his only defeat in October 2014 when he was knocked out in the fifth round of an upset by Robinson Castellanos. Rios rebounded for a lopsided 10-round decision victory against Sergio Frias in March.
"I was dealt the first loss of my career not long ago, but that has only made me more focused and driven," Rios said. "I have already sought redemption and am now ready to continue on my path to a world title. Jayson Velez may prove to be a tough opponent, but I will be ready for him. Come Nov. 21, Velez will know what a first career loss will feel like."
Said Hector Soto, vice president of Miguel Cotto Promotions, "I believe Velez versus Rios is a great match for both fighters. The winner will be a step away from a title shot, and it adds more drama to the Puerto Rico-versus-Mexico rivalry. In Ronny Rios, we have a tough fighter, and Jayson Velez is a warrior that brings action into the ring."
-----
What an awesome fight for the undercard.
.jpg)
.jpg)
