Unbeaten Brandon Rios of Oxnard, Ca. and rugged Manny Perez of Denver will fight on a big ring raised on the infield at the Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas on Saturday, October 17.
It's a rematch. The two fought to a draw last Dec. 19 in Denver. Rios outworked Perez in the early rounds, then Perez rallied. The judges scored it 96-94 for Perez. The other cards were 95-95, 95-95.
"It was very, very close, an even fight and we're bringing it back," said Brad Goodman, Top Rank matchmaker. "Rios wants to get that blemish off his record. Perez is coming in to win."
Rios, ranked WBC #9 and WBC #10 at 130 pounds, is handled by Cameron Dunkin whose star roster includes world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Rios is trained by Robert Garcia in Oxnard.
Rios vs. Perez will headline this Top Rank event which includes the return of Raul Martinez, the San Antonio super flyweight contender who is coming off his first loss - a stoppage by Nonito Donaire on Top Rank's 'Pinoy Power' series. Martinez will take on Jonathan Perez.
The Brandon Rios vs. Manny Perez and Raul Martinez vs. Jonathan Perez bouts will be broadcast live on Azteca America. The start time is 10 pm eastern and 9 pm locally.
Also on the big card is hometown fighter Jerry Belmontes, a 9-0 featherweight. Roberto Marroquin, 9-0, of Dallas will be in a six-round super bantamweight bout.
Martinez, Belmontes and Marroquin are each handled by manager Lou Mesorana of Corpus Christi, Texas.
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