Emanuel ‘Pinky’ Colon and Antonio Moran are ready to meet at the crossroads.

Both boxers did their part to move forward with their junior welterweight regional title fight, which headlines Friday’s edition of Boxeo Telemundo. The show airs live from a crowdless Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, which has housed every boxing event of the series since the pandemic.

Colón checked in right at the 140-pound divisional limit, while Moran came in a fit and trim 139 pounds for the occasion.

The bout marks the first in Florida for Colón (17-1-1, 16KOs) and his second straight Telemundo appearance. The streaking knockout artist from Buffalo, New York by way of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico helped christen the series’ first appearance in Niagara Falls, taking place exactly 52 weeks ago. Colón blasted out Richard Zamora inside the first round in the evening’s main event, his third consecutive win inside of a round since suffering his lone career defeat more than three years ago.

Moran (25-4-1, 18KOs) returns to this series—where he has long served as a regular and fan favorite—and to this very venue for his third straight time. The 27-year old from Mexico City has enjoyed a nice career turnaround since taking his act to Central Florida, beginning with a 10-round draw in a strong showing versus unbeaten Yomar Alamo last October.

Most recently, Moran scored a one-sided 6th round knockout of Luis Solis this past September. The same show also featured the first in-state appearance for rising welterweight prospect Xander Zayas (5-0, 4KOs), who faces Anthony Curtiss (2-5) in a scheduled four-round contest on Friday’s card.

Zayas—an 18-year old blue-chip talent from Plantation, Florida by way of San Juan, Puerto Rico—weighed 146.8 pounds for his sixth career bout, coming just one week shy of his one-year anniversary in the pro ranks. Curtiss weighed 145.2 pounds.

Also on the show, Armenia’s Rafayel Simonyan makes his U.S. debut, as he faces Eric Abraham (6-6, 3KOs) in a six-round cruiserweight affair. Simonyan (7-0, 6KOs) weighed 182 pounds, while Abraham—a 35 year old journeyman from Schenectady, New York—tipped the scale at 187 pounds.

Gifted former amateur star Aaron Aponte weighed 141.2 pounds for his long-awaited pro debut. The three-time national amateur champion from the greater Miami area will face Jonathon Conde, who weighed 140 pounds. 

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox