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Undefeated welterweight contender Orlando Lora, who recently signed an exclusive promotional agreement with Gary Shaw Productions, will make his GSP debut tonight, Friday, September 18, at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.
Lora will take on veteran Hicklet Lau, in an eight-round welterweight rumble, on the non-televised undercard headlined by the 10-round heavyweight bout between undefeated contender Travis Kauffman (18-0, 15 KOs), and hard-punching Tony Grano (15-1-1, 12 KOs).
Also on the bill an eight-round bantamweight bout between Chris Avalos (11-0, 9 KOs), against Giovanni Caro (13-7-4, 11 KOs).
Both main event fights will be televised live nationally on Showtime’s “ShoBox: The New Generation,” beginning at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast.
Lora (23-0-1, 18 KOs), of Culiacan, Mexico, and a member of Mexico’s 2000 Olympic squad, has knocked out 12 of his last 14 opponents.
He closed out 2008 by capturing the vacant WBC Continental Americas welterweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of Victor Baquedano (16-9-1, 10 KOs), and started 2009 with a seventh-round TKO of Favio Medina (20-1-2, 8 KOs), ending his six-year, 20-bout unbeaten streak.
“He’s a pressure fighter with a style very similar to Julio Cesar Chavez,” said trainer and co-manager Abel Sanchez, who has been putting Laro through his grueling paces at The Summit in Big Bear Lake, Calif.
“Orlando has been exposed to a variety of different styles in the ring and in training to get him to the next level and prepare him for his path toward a world title challenge.
“He has more than held his own sparring with the likes of Antonio Margarito and Alfredo Angulo. He has transformed himself from an outside boxer with a good right to a menacing inside fighter with more power, which he has demonstrated in his last three fights which were all KO victories.”
“He reminds me of “Perro” Angulo with his power and his tenacity,” said Shaw, who promotes both. “He is a GSP style fighter which means he has a fan-friendly style — aggressive and powerful.? You won’t see him on “Dancing with the Stars” but I guarantee you his opponents will be seeing stars. At the pace Abel has him on, I think Orlando could be challenging for the welterweight title within the next 12 months.”
