By David Finger

Roy Jones Jr. Boxing showcases a lineup of contenders and former champions Saturday July 15th at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Arizona. In the main event, WBA #7 ranked super welterweight John “The Phenom” Vera (16-0, 10 KOs) defends his NABA title against former WBO Latino champion Daniel Rosario (11-2, 10 KOs). Vera is coming off a tough split decision win over former WBO world title challenger Salim Larbi back in January, and is looking to position himself into a world title fight with a dominant performance over Rosario.

Vera has shown himself to be a competent and exciting young prospect, with the talent and personality to make a serious run at stardom. On the other side of the ring, the upset-minded Rosario has shown tremendous power winning ten of his thirteen fights by KO.

“My last performance wasn’t my favorite,” Vera admitted in a statement to Fightnews. “There are some things I could’ve done better but I also hurt my hand early on in the fight.”

Although Vera struggled at times against the seasoned veteran Larbi, he also recognizes that the fight was a tremendous learning experience.

“He was a gritty veteran and a little dirty,” Vera added. “(He) knew all the tricks so I am happy I got to experience that because now I feel I will be able to handle it better. I just know Rosario is a tough Puerto Rican slugger, goes for power with every shot. (But) that just means more openings for me to exploit.”

The undercard features former WBA super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos (27-5, 13 KOs) fighting for the vacant NABA super bantamweight belt against an opponent to be announced. Also is in action, Abel Ramos (17-2-2, 12 KOs) tries to bounce back from a loss in his last fight.

Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions will team with Linacre Media and Facebook to broadcast the fight live on Facebook as part of a new “Fightnight Live” boxing series on Facebook. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at www.wingilariver.com.