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Packed from top to bottom with boxing’s best young talent, Friday night’s “Blaze of Glory” card at UTEP’s Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, is shaping up to be the hottest event of the summer.
“Blaze of Glory” is headlined by the 10-round featherweight showdown between local El Paso hero Antonio Escalante (19-2, 13 KO’s) and upset-minded Cornelius Lock (17-4-1, 10 KO’s) of Detroit, Michigan.
In the co-featured bout, scheduled for eight rounds in the junior featherweight division, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico’s Juan Velasquez (9-0, 5 KO’s) takes on his toughest test to date when he battles Mexico City veteran Jose Angel Beranza (31-15-2, 25 KO’s).
Opening the night of televised bouts will be Guaynabo, Puerto Rico’s featherweight star Carlos Velasquez (10-0, 9 KO’s), Juan’s twin brother, who will square off against Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s Juan Nazario (6-1-1, 4 KO’s) in a six round contest.
In addition to the exciting tripleheader that ESPN2 viewers will witness on Friday night, fans in attendance at the Don Haskins Center will be treated to even more hard-hitting action, capped off by a six round middleweight clash of Texas unbeatens when El Paso’s Abraham Han (4-0, 3 KO’s) squares off with San Antonio’s Brian Soto (3-0, 1 KO).
Rarely will you see two hot prospects colliding at this stage of their careers, but both Han and Soto are ready to put it all on the line this Friday.
Another promising Texan, San Antonio’s Robert Luna (4-0, 2 KO’s), plans on notching professional win number five at the expense of Forth Worth’s Tomondre King (4-15-5) when they meet up in a welterweight four rounder.
In a featherweight match scheduled for six rounds, El Paso’s own Saul Morales (6-1, 3 KO’s) battles Mission, Texas’ Guadalupe De Leon (7-7, 4 KOs).
Rounding out the show will be El Paso’s Cesar Valenzuela (1-0, 2 KO’s) will battle in a four round lightweight bout against Miguel Buendia of Dallas in his pro debut.
The evening of boxing is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Quaker State. The ESPN “Friday Night Fights” live telecast, beginning at 10pm ET / 8pm MT / 7pm PT, will be broadcast on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. MT., with the first bell ringing at 7:00 p.m. MT.
Tickets priced at $20, $30, $50 and $75 (plus convenience charges) are available for purchase at the UTEP Box Office and all Ticketmaster Outlets. Tickets will also be available online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone through the UTEP Box Office at 915-747-5234 and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.
