Junior welterweight contender Antonio Orozco and featherweight up-and-comer Joseph Diaz will both be in action in televised bouts on July 30 at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
On Friday, Golden Boy Promotions announced their opponents for the scheduled 10-round fights, both of which will air on HBO Latino (11:30 p.m. ET/PT).
Orozco (24-0, 16 KOs), of San Diego, will face Mexico’s Abner Lopez (25-5, 19 KOs), and Diaz (20-0, 11 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, California, will square off with Mexico’s Victor Proa (28-1-2, 21 KOs).
Nicknamed “Relentless” because of his pressure style, Orozco, 28, is on the verge of a major fight. He notched his career-best win in October when he outpointed former world titleholder Humberto Soto over 10 rounds. In his last fight, he stopped former lightweight world titlist Miguel Acosta in the first round on March 25.
“Antonio Orozco reminds me of a young Julio Cesar Chavez, because he always puts on an exciting performance,” Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez said. “He’s worked very hard to be here, and this might be the fight before his shot at a world title. It’s clear he has obviously caught the eye of HBO, and this fight will be by far the toughest of his career.”
Lopez, 26, is coming off an eighth-round knockout loss to Daniel Echeverria in November and is the heavy underdog.
“My opponent is a tremendous fighter from what I’ve seen, who can pull off an upset and has won against undefeated fighters before,” Orozco said. “We are putting together our relentless style of boxing, and July 30 will be no exception. No one will be bored watching this fight.”
Said Frank Espinoza, Orozco’s manager: “Muhammad Ali once said, ‘Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, and a vision.’
“On July 30, we will witness such a fighter who has a desire, a dream, and a vision. I’d like to say Antonio Orozco has the X factor, and it’s no wonder he’s ranked No. 1 by the WBC. He’s unstoppable, and we’re happy to be a part of this event. We will put on a fight we won’t forget.”
Diaz, 23, is on the fast track to a title shot and coming off his most notable victory, a one-sided 10-round decision against former world title challenger Jayson Velez on March 26.
“I’m excited to give everyone a great performance. I’ve been training very hard, and I want to showcase that I am at the same level as all the champions in the featherweight division,” Diaz said. “Hopefully, I can go for a world title soon.”
Said Gomez: “I believe the featherweight division will be the hottest division in the next few years because of all the talent we have following in the footsteps of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.”
Proa, 31, has won two fights in a row but was out of the ring from 2010 until returning in February.
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