Top Rank Boxing: Wolak Replaces Gomez As Chavez Jr Opponent

ByBoxing Press

Top-10 contender Pawel “Raging Bull” Wolak will be In Harm’s Way on Saturday, December 4, when he challenges undefeated WBC Silver middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a 12-round title fight. Wolak replaces the injured Alfonso Gomez, Chávez’s original opponent, who withdrew today after an MRI detected a ligament tear in his left elbow.

Wolak (27-1, 17 KOs), from Mount Arlington, NJ, enters this fight riding a two-year, six-bout winning streak, with three of those victories coming by knockout. The combined record of the last three opponents he defeated, James Moore, Ishmail Arvin and Carlos Nascimento, had a combined record of 56-4-4 when he fought them, which translates into an impressive 88% winning percentage.

His last fight, a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Moore (17-2), was fought on the historic Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto undercard at Yankee Stadium on June 5. He is currently world-rated No. 7 by the WBA.

A former New York State middleweight champion, Wolak, 29, is known as aggressive, high-pressure style fighter who always makes for exciting fights. Trained by Tommy Brooks, Wolak, an East Coast fixture, will be making his West Coast debut when he rumbles with Chávez Jr.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Tecate, “In Harm’s Way” will be televised Live on Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Remaining tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $30, are available at Ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone (800-745-3000), all Ticketmaster retail locations and the Honda Center box office.

The “In Harm’s Way” pay-per-view broadcast will also feature two-division world champion Nonito Donaire (24-1, 16 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, risking his upcoming shot at World Bantamweight Champion Fernando Montiel, in a 12-round bantamweight battle against former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko (22-2-2, 7 KOs), of Energodar, Ukraine.

WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto (53-7-2, 32 KOs), of Los Mochis, México, defending his title against consensus Top-10 contender Urbano Antillon (28-1, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif.; and undefeated lightweight contender Mikey Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), in a 10-round lightweight bout against Olivier Lontchi (18-1-2, 8 KOs), of Montréal, Québec, Canada.

The In Harm’s Way pay-per-view telecast, featuring Chávez Jr. vs. Gomez, has a suggested retail price of $44.95, and will be produced and distributed live by Top Rank. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD.