Saul Sanchez makes his way back to the Sunshine State.
The 23-year old bantamweight from Encino, California will headline the spring season finale of Boxeo Telemundo, which takes place March 19 at Bryan Glazer JCC Center in Tampa, Florida. Sanchez will face locally based Frank Gonzalez in a scheduled 10-round main event.
“I am excited to be back on the Telemundo network,” noted Sanchez, who made his platform debut just five months ago. “It’s great for my career to get this exposure on television as I work my way into title contention.”
Sanchez (15-1, 8KOs) ventured out of his California home state for the first time last October, scoring a 1st round knockout of faded fringe contender Daniel Lozano in Kissimmee, Florida. The bantamweight prospect returned to familiar grounds for his final fight of 2020—an eight-round unanimous decision over Mario Hernandez last December in Ontario, California, a region where he has frequently appeared under the guidance of Thompson Boxing Promotions.
Gonzalez (8-1, 4KOs) rides a five-fight win streak entering the bout, though taking a considerable leap in competition. The second-generation boxer has never appeared in a fight scheduled for more than six rounds or with a title at stake (a regional bantamweight belt is on the line in Friday’s main event). Of course, that’s the whole point of taking on this current challenge.
“When I got the call to face Sanchez on Telemundo I didn’t [think] twice to take this fight,” insists Gonzalez, whose father Orlando Gonzalez fought in the 1990s. “I’ve been telling my trainers I am ready for an opportunity on the big stage with a title on the line. It’s my time to shine.”
The bout was put together after the evening’s original main event fell through. Puerto Rico’s Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez—a former title challenger and longtime series favorite—was left without an opponent after Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury.
As has been the case with all Boxeo Telemundo shows since the pandemic, the main event will air live beginning at 12:00 a.m. ET. The show is the last of three consecutive Fridays, a new series format in 2021 as the plan is to air four such blocks for 12 total shows on the year.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox