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Mikey Garcia-Sandor Martin, Two 108-Pound Title Fights October 16 On DAZN
BY KEITH IDEC
Published Thu Sep 16, 2021, 11:17 AM EDT
DAZN officially announced two October boxing shows Thursday that’ll start a busy two-month conclusion to the streaming service’s 2021.
The first card, which will feature Mikey Garcia and Sandor Martin in the main event, will headline DAZN’s show October 16 in Fresno, California. Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs), a four-division champion from Moreno Valley, California, and Spain’s Martin (38-2, 13 KOs) will meet in a 12-round fight that’ll be contested at a contracted catch weight of 143 pounds.
DAZN’s other October show, which will feature heavyweights Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) and Otto Wallin (22-1, 14 KOs, 1 NC) in the 12-round main event, will be streamed October 30 from O2 Arena in London. BoxingScene.com first reported that Whyte and Wallin will fight Wednesday (Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin Agree To Terms For October 30 Fight At O2 Arena In London).
The 33-year-old Garcia will end a 19-month layoff when he meets Martin at Chukchansi Park, the home baseball stadium of the Fresno Grizzlies, a Class-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
“I’m very excited to get back in the ring and give my fans another night to remember,” Garcia said. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on October 16 in Fresno – it’s going to be a great night of boxing.”
The 28-year-old Martin has won nine straight fights since Swedish southpaw Anthony Yigit (24-2-1, 8 KOs) out-pointed him in a 12-rounder in September 2017. He will be a huge underdog against Garcia.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity,” Martin said. “The sport of boxing brings me the chance to change my life. There will be a before and after for everyone in this fight.”
The October 16 event will include two 108-pound title fights as well.
In one of those championship matches, Mexico’s Esteban Bermudez (14-3-2, 10 KOs) will defend his WBA world light flyweight title against Jesse Rodriguez (13-0, 9 KOs), a 21-year-old southpaw from San Antonio. Bermudez upset Venezuela’s Carlos Canizales (22-1-1, 17 KOs) by sixth-round technical knockout in his most recent fight, which took place May 21 in Mexico City, to win the WBA's secondary 108-pound crown.
“This is going to be a great fight,” Bermudez said. “Jesse is a really talented fighter and I am sure that he will be in great shape and ready to rock on October 16, but I worked too hard to become World champion to let it go in my first defense, so this will be a war.”
In the other title bout DAZN will stream October 16, Mexico’s Elwin Soto (19-1, 13 KOs) will defend his WBO junior flyweight crown against Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Gonzalez (24-3-1, 14 KOs).
“I can’t wait to get back in the ring and defend my title,” Soto said. “Texas was a great night [on the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders undercard May 8] and I think this will be, too. Gonzalez is a proud Puerto Rican contender, and we all know that when Mexico and Puerto Rico step through the ropes, there are fireworks, so the fans are going to love this fight.”
As reported Wednesday by BoxingScene.com senior writer Jake Donovan, DAZN could stream an event October 23 as well. That show could feature Mexican middleweight contender Jaime Munguia (37-0, 30 KOs) and veteran contender Gabe Rosado (26-13-1, 15 KOs) in the main event (Jaime Munguia-Gabriel Rosado Middleweight Fight Eyed For Late October).
The Garcia-Martin show will be DAZN’s first card streamed from the United States since August 14, when welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs) knocked out Lithuanian contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas (22-2-1, 18 KOs) in the eighth round of a main event from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, near Ortiz’s hometown of Grand Prairie.
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