Mikey Garcia is back in the ring on Saturday, October 16 when he faces Sandor Martin at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, CA. The 145-pound catchweight bout headlines boxing fight card live on DAZN.
Among the undercard bouts, Elwin Soto puts his WBO light flyweight title on the line against Jonathan Gonzalez. As well, Esteban Bermudez defends his WBA light flyweight title against Jesse Rodriguez.
Garcia vs Martin tickets
Garcia vs Martin tickets to witness all the action at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, CA on Saturday, October 16 go on sale September 17 through tickets.com (as per announcement sent out by Matchroom Boxing).
Mikey Garcia vs Sandor Martin
Former four-weight World ruler Mikey Garcia (40-1 30 KOs) last stepped through the ropes in February 2020, flooring Jessie Vargas at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, en-route to a points win over his fellow Mexican-American. The 33 year old is plotting a route towards more World title glory, and the Californian fan favorite plans to put on a show at the home of the Fresno Grizzlies.
“I’m very excited to get back in the ring and give my fans another night to remember,” said Garcia. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on October 16 in Fresno – it’s going to be a great night of boxing.”
Sandor Martin (38-2 13 KOs) has form and activity in his favor as he makes his American debut in the biggest fight of his career. The Spaniard recorded a wide decision win over Kay Prospere in the second defense of his European Super-Lightweight in April in his Barcelona backyard, and the 28 year old will be leaving everything in the ring on what he believes is potentially a life-changing night.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity,” said Martin. “The sport of boxing brings me the chance to change my life. There will be a before and after for everyone in this fight.”
Elwin Soto defends WBO title against Jonathan Gonzalez
Soto (19-1 13 KOs) entertained a packed crowd at AT&T Stadium on Cinco de Mayo weekend, stopping Katsunari Takayama in the ninth round of their clash on the undercard of Soto’s fellow Mexican star Canelo Alvarez’s clash with Billy Joe Saunders. That was a third successful defense for the 25 year old and the first inside the distance of the belt he ripped from Angel Acosta with a dramatic final round KO over the Puerto Rican in June 2019, and he makes his fourth defense on October 16 against Gonzalez in a bout in association with Zanfer Promotions.
“I can’t wait to get back in the ring and defend my title,” said Soto. “Texas was a great night and I think this will be too. Gonzalez is a proud Puerto Rican contender, and we all know that when Mexico and Puerto Rico step through the ropes, there are fireworks, so the fans are going to love this fight.
It’s another Puerto Rican foe in Soto’s way in Fresno in the shape of mandatory challenger Gonzalez (22-3-1 13 KOs). The 30 year old is in his second World title tilt having travelled to Japan in August 2019 to face WBO Flyweight king Kosei Tanaka and the successful amateur landed the WBO NABO belt at Light-Fly in February 2020 and defended it with a fourth round KO of Armando Torres in May to land his mandatory status.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” said Gonzalez. “Soto’s style fits me perfectly. It will be a war of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico.”
Esteban Bermudez defends WBA title against Jesse Rodriguez
Bermudez (14-3-2 10 KOs) ripped the WBA strap from Carlos Canizales in May, stopping the defending champion in Mexico City inside six rounds in what was the Mexican’s first World title fight. The 25 year old faces a formidable test in the first defense of his crown against rising Texas talent Rodriguez.
“This is going to be a great fight,” said Bermudez. “Jesse is a really talented fighter, and I am sure that he will be in great shape and ready to rock on October 16, but I worked too hard to become World champion to let it go in my first defense, so this will be a war.”
Rodriguez (13-0 9 KOs) is one of American boxing’s bright young stars, and the 21 year old Texan gets his first World title shot in Fresno. Trained by Robert Garcia, Rodriguez will be aiming to emulate his WBA World Super-Flyweight champion brother Joshua Franco and bring more hardware back to San Antonio.
“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for my whole life,” said Rodriguez. “First of all, I want to thank everybody at Matchroom, Robert and Mikey Garcia, Mr. Honda, my father and everybody at RGBA for supporting me since day one. I also want to thank Bermudez for giving me the opportunity to fight for his title.”
“I know it won’t be an easy fight, but I plan on walking out of the ring October 16 as the new World champion and bring the title home to San Antonio. It will be an honor for me and my brother Joshua to be World champions at the same time. I am training very hard and promise I won’t disappoint anybody.”
Garcia vs Martin fight card
Other bouts featured on Garcia vs Martin fight card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The current lineup looks as the following:
- Mikey Garcia vs. Sandor Martin, 12 rounds, 145-pound catchweight
- Elwin Soto vs. Jonathan Gonzalez, 12 rounds, light flyweight – Soto’s WBO title
- Esteban Bermudez vs. Jesse Rodriguez, 12 rounds, light flyweight – Bermudez’s WBA title
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